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Some well-known historical sights of Prague, such as Brevnov Monastery or Troja chateau, have this week been filled with the sound of old music. The current Letni slavnosti stare hudby (Early Music Festivities) are the eighth - and this year the focus is mainly on French music and theatre.

Prague 1 has long been one of the city's most prestigious addresses. Stretching from Prague Castle down to the Old Town Square, the district contains some of the city's most impressive sites... but also the most souvenir shops and tourist clamour. As Prague 1 adapts more and more to attract tourist dollars, long-term residents are upping sticks at an alarming rate. Now, a Prague councilor has drawn up a plan to stop this exodus. He suggests that the council should approve all new shops opening up in Prague 1 and ask - do they meet the requirements

E.ON, the largest energy producer in Europe, has just revealed plans to build a new coal-fired power plant in the Czech Republic. In a joint effort with their partner in this operation, the Mostecka Coal Company, they say the plant should be completed by 2013 in an unspecified location somewhere in North Bohemia.

The number of credit cards in use in the Czech Republic has grown tenfold since 2001, while lenders are increasingly targeting low income households with offers of "easy money". All in all, managing debt is a relatively new experience for many Czechs, which is why the government is working on a scheme of personal finance education - for school children.

Visitors often admire Prague's integrated public transport system. But it doesn't just include trams, buses and the metro - your 20-crown ticket is also good for a number of ferries in the Czech capital. Tuesday saw the launch of a brand new ferry service across the Vltava. Radio Prague's Rosie Johnston was there for the good ship Josefina's first crossing, and has the story:

So, the dream has come true: the Czech Republic's young footballers have reached the final of the Under-20 World Cup in Canada. Indeed, the youngsters' coach has described their semi-final win over Austria on Wednesday as one of the greatest accomplishments in the history of Czech football.

Reports of the sterilization of Romany women stretch back to the 1970s. Experts suspect that there could be up to 2000 women in the Czech Republic, who have been sterilized against their will. Since 1991 at least 85 women and one man have lodged complaints with the Czech ombudsman, claiming to have been sterilized involuntarily. The Vybor pro lidska prava a biomedecinu (the Commission for biomedicine and human rights), a government advisory committee, this week suggested that the state should create a fund to compensate these women. The suggested

The outdoor Summer Shakespeare Festival at Prague Castle has been a great success in recent years. However, it is not the only such seasonal theatrical experience available to audiences in the city; Prague's Vysehrad, one of the most important locations in the history of the Czech nation, has recently being playing host to its own summer theatre project called Faust in Gorlice. Dita Salavova has more.

The Czech Under-20 football team are preparing for what could be one of the nights of their lives; if they overcome Austria, they will be in the final of the Under-20 World Cup in Canada, something few could have predicted before it began. Already the youngsters have gone further in the competition than any previous Czech team. What's more, the junior World Cup is a great shop window, and several of the Czech youngsters have reportedly been attracting the interest of European clubs.

Czechs planning to travel around Europe next year will have one thing less to worry about - they will be able to leave their passports at home. The long awaited accession to the Schengen Agreement, which guarantees the citizens of all member countries unrestricted travel, will happen in the first moments of New Year's Day 2008.