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Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Local Development Jiri Cunek on Wednesday resigned from his posts in the centre-right cabinet saying that he did not want the financial scandal surrounding him to weaken the governing coalition. He left in fighting spirit, having defended his post at the head of the Christian Democrats and blaming the press for his downfall.

The 11th Czech Film Festival begins in London on Thursday with a screening of Grandhotel by David Ondricek and a Q+A session with the director. But this year viewers around the UK will have the chance to enjoy movies from this part of the world, as the showcase Made in Prague: New Czech Cinema visits 13 cities in England and Scotland. As final preparations were being made for the touring festival, I spoke to organiser Renata Clark of the Czech Centre in London.

Czech and American diplomats concluded another round of talks in Prague on Tuesday on the possible positioning of an American-operated radar base in the Czech Republic. While US Defence Secretary Robert Gates caught Czech politicians by surprise last month when he spoke of the possibility of a Russian 'presence' at the base, his deputy Eric Edelman, who headed the US delegation this time, assured the Czechs that no such thing is planned. Veronika Kuchynova Smigolova, the head of the Czech Foreign Ministry's department of security policy, was on

There are few comedians in the Czech Republic of such high calibre as Petr Ctvrtnicek (known for his antics in a now legendary satiric show Czech Soda) and Jiri Labus of the Ypsilon Theatre. A few years ago the two teamed up to perform in Ctvrnicek's play Ivanek, Buddy, can You Talk? which the duo recently took on a tour of Czech prisons. Now, they've scheduled two special performances at a Prague courthouse, with the proceeds going to the Confederation of Political Prisoners. The aim is to raise at least 100,000 crowns for those who suffered under

Saturday is the Sabbath, the day of rest for the Jewish people, but this Saturday looks like being anything but quiet, as dozens, possibly hundreds of far-right extremists from the Czech Republic and abroad are due to descend on Prague's Josefov quarter. They're threatening to march through the former ghetto on the 69th anniversary of the Kristallnacht pogrom against Germany's Jews, running the gauntlet of City Hall bans and a strong police presence.

Quasi-military organisations called the National Guards were established by the far-right National Party on the 28th October, the anniversary of independent Czechoslovakia. The move did not receive much attention in the Czech Republic at first, although Slovakia's President Ivan Gasparovic was quick to warn the Czech authorities of the danger of indifference. Meanwhile, top Czech politicians have condemned the idea of National Guards.

The distribution and sale of counterfeit DVDs, music CDs and video games are a bigger problem in the Czech Republic than anywhere else in Europe, with losses for the entertainment industry estimated at around one billion crowns (around 54 million US dollars) a year. Curbing the seemingly never-ending flow of smuggled discs is an uphill climb but the Czech police got a helping hand - or rather paw over the weekend - from Lucky and Flo - the famous pair of black Labrador retrievers who are the first animals trained to detect the unique scent of a

Three months before presidential elections, Czech-born economist and University of Michigan professor Jan Svejnar has emerged as a new candidate who may have what it takes to beat incumbent Vaclav Klaus. Jan Svejnar has so far gained the support of the strongest opposition party the Social Democrats and the Greens. During a visit to Prague this week, Mr Svejnar will try to win the support of the Communist Party, which could be key to the elections.

The familiar sound of harp opens the cycle of six symphonic poems entitled Ma Vlast or My Country, written by one of the most famous Czech composers Bedrich Smetana. This Monday marks exactly 125 years since its remarkably successful premiere at Prague's Zofin Palace in 1882.

Representatives of Czech communities from all over the world are gathering in Prague this week for a new festival celebrating Czech culture outside the Czech Republic. The first annual folklore festival for krajane, or Czechs living abroad, has the support of members of the Senate, where the festival had its inaugural ceremony on Monday. The highlights of the festival include an exhibit of traditional handicrafts, projections of documentary films concerning Czech culture outside the Czech Republic, as well as presentations of traditional folk singing