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Vietnamese-owned grocery stores have become a feature of cities across the Czech Republic. They're cheap, stock good-quality produce, and they stay open late. And according to a report in the Czech Business Weekly, Vietnamese small traders could be about to consolidate their place on the Czech market by opening chains of grocery stores. Rob Cameron has this report.

The "radiovka" beret, known for its little antenna-like tassel on top may not exactly be the height of fashion but the beret does have a long tradition in the Bohemian and Moravian countryside, especially among the older generation. Though most popular in the '60s or '70s, you're still likely to see the beret worn by some even today. Ondrej Stanek, a young Czech artist now exhibiting in Brno, decided to use the "radiovka" for inspiration in a new art installation. Namely, he has developed a series of cycling helmets in the classic "radiovka"

Just three weeks ago Jiri Cunek was fighting off accusations of racism, when - as mayor of Vsetin - he moved Romany rent-defaulters out of the town. But now Mr Cunek, who is also a senator, could become an important player in talks to form a new government - if he is elected chairman of the Christian Democrats.

Although in most of the country there is no sign of snow, which is typically associated with Christmas in this part of the world, Christmas preparations have started in earnest. In a square close to the Czech Radio building, a Christmas market appeared on Monday. But probably the best-known Prague market, the one on the historic Old Town Square, is not going to open until next Saturday, December 2. Yet the tall Christmas tree which will dominate the square is already on its way to the capital.

An exhibition of the best works of Czech press photography opened on Friday at Prague's Old Town Hall. Czech Press Photo, the domestic version of World Press Photo, is now in its twelfth year; jury members chose from over 3,000 photographs, of which 300 can be seen at the exhibition.

Civic Democratic party leader Mirek Topolanek was re-elected for another two-year term at the party's national conference over the weekend and received a strong mandate to form a broad coalition government with a limited term in office. Political analysts say Mr. Topolanek's personal victory may resolve the country's drawn out political crisis.

Even after all those years, since they began cooperating in the mid-1980s in communist Czechoslovakia, musician Petr Hapka and lyricist Michal Horacek remain one of the Czech Republic's most acclaimed artistic partnerships. Since the 80s they have collaborated on just a handful of albums, but produced some of the country's most well-known chansons and pop songs sung by some of the country's best singers. Hits like "Levandulova" - My Lavender One (Hana Hegerova), "Cizi zena v cizim pokoji" - Strange Woman in a Strange Room (rocker Michal Kocab) and

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.

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