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General elections are less than three months away and the current state of voter preferences indicates that neither the ruling Social Democrats nor the opposition Civic Democrats may be in a position to form a majority government. Yet, the very idea of a grand coalition remains taboo. The suggestion that the Civic and Social Democrats could enter into a grand coalition in order to change the electoral system from proportional to majority - made by MEP Jan Zahradil last week - sparked heated denials from both parties.

Czech efforts to get the EU to take a united stand in condemning Islamic violence in the wake of the controversy over caricatures of the prophet Mohammed have failed to bear fruit - only increasing tension between the Czech Republic and Arab states. Moreover, a number of Arab countries have protested against a documentary on the life of Moslems featured on Czech television, which they say shows Moslems as dangerous radicals.

Among the sweeping changes of the last 15 years in the Czech Republic, the diet of Czechs has also undergone a transformation. Though mostly this has been a shift away from traditional Czech foods, lately, game has been making a comeback as a popular dish. This can be best illustrated by the exploding numbers of game farms.

Czech demographers have been saying it for years and now it has been confirmed by the EU as well: Czechs are dying out. A population forecast released this week by the EU statistics office Eurostat predicts that by the year 2050 the number of Czechs will drop from 10 million to 8,800,000. Without immigration, the population might plummet to 8.1 million.

The death of four-year-old Eric, a Czech boy who was given to adoptive parents in Sweden less than a year ago, has shocked people in both countries. When he died there were signs that he had been neglected and physically abused, and this has called into question the whole practice of overseas adoptions. Could this tragedy have been prevented by the Czech or Swedish authorities? Do applicants from abroad undergo thorough screening before a child's adoption is approved and is there someone who monitors their welfare once they reach their new home?

International icon Madonna may be enjoying phenomenal success with her new album "Confessions on a Dance Floor", but her lawyers may have to inform her she's made something of a slip-up. According to reports, the singer founded a new company called Semtex Girls Ltd. - a move that puts her potentially at odds with the Czech explosives company that developed the Semtex plastic explosive made infamous by terrorists in the 1980s. The company now produces the explosive only in very limited amounts for the Czech army, but it continues to own the

A full military band was on hand to welcome Russia's President Vladimir Putin to Prague on Wednesday - the first state visit by a Russian president for 13 years. Waiting for him at the Castle gates was the Czech president Vaclav Klaus, who later held a state banquet in Mr Putin's honour.

"Travelers' Tales Prague and the Czech Republic" is the name of a new book which has just been launched in the United States. It features - as do all the books in the "Travelers' Tales" series - the work of a number of writers of varying backgrounds, including a couple of very well known names. One of its editors, David Farley, discussed the new publication with me on the phone from New York.

Coming off a record year in 2005, driven by strong sales of its Octavia and Octavia Estate models, Skoda unveiled its first multi-purpose vehicle at the International Motor Show in Geneva on Tuesday. Based on low price, comfort and functionality - the Roomster is a car for the young generation with a fresh design, generous storage space and flexible seats.

Czech footballer Milan Baros shot to international fame in 2004 when he was top scorer at the European Championships. A year later he won the Champions League with Liverpool, but the club let him go soon afterwards, and he joined the less glamorous Aston Villa, where he has yet to make a real impact. The striker is currently with the Czech squad, who are in Turkey for a friendly international. Before he left, I asked Milan Baros how he was enjoying life at Aston Villa after six months at the club.