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Even though there were many Czechs who suffered appallingly during the Second World War - whether it was in concentration camps or as forced labour - most of them have only recently began to receive any kind of compensation. Due to the tense relations between West Germany and the countries of the Eastern Bloc, for decades there was little hope of reaching agreement. It was not until 2001 that the German government begun compensating victims from the Czech Republic. This process is now complete, and the results were presented at a press conference

A few years ago the well-known Czech artist David Cerny made headlines when he produced a t-shirt showing a spiky finger flipping the Communist Party the bird. Now a design studio - alarmed by growing support for the party - has got a similar idea, commissioning designers around the country to take part in a competition protesting against growing public support for the communists. Titled "De-communisation" the project has attracted a lot of attention so far.

The Czech president Vaclav Klaus has just signed a new law making it easier for majority owners of companies to acquire the shares of small shareholders. Ironically Mr Klaus himself is the reason why the Czech Republic has such a large number of small shareholders in the first place. In the early 1990s, when still finance minister, it was Mr Klaus who introduced an unprecedented voucher privatization scheme. Thousands of companies were privatised after four decades of communism, by virtually giving away shares to citizens. At the time the scheme

The dramatic outcome of the French referendum on the European constitution remains the big headline in the Czech Republic. Politicians, political commentators and editorial writers disagree about what the vote means for this country, but all agree that the French "No" will have major repercussions across the continent. While the Czech government has expressed disappointment, and is trying to salvage hope from the charred remains of the constitution project, one public figure in this country has responded with unconcealed delight - that's President

At the weekend the Czech Republic saw its first ever Den boubelek - or Chubbies' Day - dedicated to helping people lose weight. Organised by the so-called Boubelka Club and health professionals, the day was meant to raise awareness and try to encourage people with weight problems to make a new start. Temporary walk-in sites were opened at 12 different areas throughout the country.

Every year we report from Khamoro the World Roma Festival, when top international Gypsy musicians gather in Prague. Their performances are always received with great enthusiasm. This year's 7th festival was no exception, and has been hailed as a great success.

After weeks of anticipation this was the result that the heads of the European Union feared most: a resounding "No" by one of the union's founding members, France, rejecting the constitution. Pundits say the French had many different reasons for voting against, including disillusionment with the country's president. But the fact is following Sunday the future of the treaty - and European integration as a whole - is in doubt.

Are you interested in Czech and Slovak history or fascinated by the lives of famous Bohemians? If you are, we may have just the website for you: a new portal designed by Prague's National Museum entitled 'People for Europe', featuring on-line information and interactive features that bring notable Czechs and Slovaks to life in Czech, Slovak, English or Italian. The National Museum is hoping it will prove a useful tool for both students and fans of history alike.

A battle of wills has broken out between the Czech Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek and President Vaclav Klaus. Mr. Klaus is a strong critic of the EU Constitution and his provocative remarks with regard to the treaty have raised the strongly pro-European Prime Minister's hackles. Mr Paroubek said on Thursday that Mr. Klaus had overstepped his mandate when he criticized the EU Constitution during foreign visits, and made it clear that this would not be tolerated in future.

It will be a long time before memories fade over such an incredible football match: Liverpool vs. AC Milan in their Champions League final on Wednesday. After taking a three goal drubbing in the first half, Liverpool roared back with three goals in just six minutes to complete their return from the dead. One of those who scored was Czech player Vladimir Smicer, who struck in both regulation time - and penalties - to help Liverpool take the match.