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November 17th is a state holiday in the Czech Republic - marking the brutal police crack-down on students which led to the fall of the communist regime in 1989. On the eve of the state holiday the CVVM agency conducted a poll to find out what people know about the anniversary, how they feel about it and whether they will mark it in any special way. The results were somewhat surprising.

After some three years of lengthy negotiations, an important EU directive liberalising Europe's vast services sector has finally been approved by the European Parliament. It aims to boost competition, by making it easier for a plumber or architect, for example, to set up shop in another EU state. In the Czech Republic, the self-employed have met the directive with mixed feelings. They welcome the fact that they will no longer have to be based or registered in the country they want to operate in. But the downside is that they will have to respect

Those familiar with the Czech music scene are likely to have heard music by Lucie - arguably one of the most successful Czech rock bands of the 1990s. The group's success was expected to continue well into the new millennium, but then the project slowly began to unravel. Former members went their own ways, and have now released new CDs.

"In Morbid Colours: Art and the Idea of Decadence in the Czech Lands, 1880 to 1914", is the title of a major new exhibition which has just opened at Prague's Obecni Dum (Municipal House). The show is divided into four different sections with dramatic titles like Satanic Hallucinations and Purgatory of Death. But what exactly is "decadent art"? That's a question I put to the exhibition's curator, Otto M. Urban.

It appears the Civic Democrats and the Social Democrats are close to agreeing a deal that would see them divide up power in a new government. The former are no longer insisting on early elections, the latter say they would now tolerate the presence of smaller parties in the cabinet. But had the two big players really, all along, expected to end up governing together? And were the last five months of negotiations and break-downs all for show? That's a question that Daniela Lazarova put to analyst Petr Just.

The oldest citizen of the Czech Republic, Marie Kraslova from South Bohemia, celebrated her 108th birthday on Monday, surrounded by family members and still in good health. This year alone, almost two hundred Czechs have reached or are about to reach the age of 100, and the number of centenarians is expected to rise as the trend of population ageing continues.

There were dramatic scenes on Tuesday, as the police made a number of high-profile arrests. A heavily armed unit swooped on football club owner Jaroslav Starka on a motorway in central Bohemia. Meanwhile, on Prague's Vodickova St, traffic was delayed as masked and armed officers picked up an associate of Mr Starka's. They and five others are suspected of the kidnap and subsequent death of the father of one of the country's most notorious fugitives.

The President of Croatia, Stjepan Mesic, is on a two-day visit to the Czech Republic. The main topics on his agenda are Croatia's bid to join the European Union in 2009 and the possibilities of Czech investment in Croatia, which remains the favourite summer destination for Czech tourists. Pavla Horakova has more.

The second round of talks on forming a new government since parliamentary elections ended in stalemate half a year ago, saw unexpected developments on Monday when Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek announced his party was dropping a demand for early elections next year. Until now, the right-of-centre Civic Democrats, who won the election in June but where unable to secure a governing majority, had pushed for early elections as the only viable option. Why the reversal in position?

Czech winemakers have something to celebrate. Not only is this year an excellent wine season but, for the very first time, the prestigious International Organisation of Vine and Wine has awarded a Czech publication on wine with a prize.