Current Affairs | All stories

A popular senator and local mayor from the north Moravian city of Ostrava is fighting accusations of racism, following the release on Tuesday of a recording of a local housing committee meeting. Senator Liana Janackova is apparently heard making derogatory and threatening remarks about Romanies in her ward, remarks which she says have been taken out of context.

The new head of the Czech police force has unveiled measures to tackle the severe shortage of officers, changing the admission requirements to place less emphasis on the applicant's physical fitness. The police hope this will win back some of the thousands of hopeful applicants who are turned away each year because they fail the physical.

In recent months, there have been increasingly frequent reports of Czechs trying to pass themselves off as veterans of the Second World War. And real veterans are far from impressed - groups such as the Czech Freedom Fighters' Assocation have spoken out against such behaviour, and even raised the question of whether such a practice should be outlawed. Rosie Johnston has the story:

Experts from UNESCO's World Heritage Committee, meeting in New Zealand last week, suggested Prague should reconsider the planned construction of several new skyscrapers in the district of Pankrac. The Committee said plans should respect the skyline of Prague's historic centre, which was one of the main reasons Prague was included on UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites.

The case of the fugitive Czech businessman Radovan Krejcir has taken a new course after a court in Johannesburg, South Africa, ruled on Friday that Mr Krejcir be released on bail of over three million Czech crowns. He is to remain in South Africa until he returns to the court in August.

The 42nd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival came to a close on Saturday night with a glitzy ceremony at the town's Thermal hotel. The festival's prize the Crystal Globe was presented to a number of directors and actors - and to US star Danny DeVito, who got an award for outstanding contribution to world cinema.

Prague's famous Charles Bridge celebrates its 650th anniversary on Sunday. One of the oldest and certainly one of the most beautiful bridges in Europe, this ancient artery across the Vltava river links Prague's Lesser Town with the Old Town on the right bank and was vital to the development of the Czech capital.

The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival will reach a conclusion on Saturday night, with the presentation of the festival's Crystal Globe awards at the grand finale at the town's Thermal hotel. So, what films in competition at the 42nd Karlovy Vary look like the most likely contenders to take the prizes this year? Ian Willoughby has been there all week, and has the answer...

Former Prime Minister and head of the Czech Social Democrats, Jiri Paroubek, announced at the weekend that he was to divorce his wife. The announcement came during Mr. Paroubek's vacation with a second woman, Petra Kovacova - one of his former governmental employees, an attractive blonde some twenty years his junior. While elsewhere a politician might have reason to fear for his career, the response from Czechs has been surprisingly muted. In fact, it has left many asking "why shouldn't politicians do what they want with their private lives?" Rosie Johnston

The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is in full swing in the west Bohemian town. By the time it ends on Saturday evening, thousands of mostly young viewers will have seen over 250 films. They will also have had the rare chance to see or even meet some of the makers of those pictures, with many actors and directors attending the screenings of their films, in some cases holding discussions with the audience.