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Ten thousand Czech fans on Prague's Old Town Square cheered "Hosi dekujem" - "thanks boys" - at the end of a match that broke Czech hearts. David Vaughan joined fans on the square just as the Czech's dramatic semi final against Greece in Euro 2004 began:

The Karlovy Vary Film Festival, the main film event in the Czech Republic and now in its 39th year, gets under way on Friday. It is one of the few international film festivals in its category that is open to the general public, explains Laura McGuiness of the official festival newspaper.

It was a busy day at Prague Castle on Thursday where President Klaus received the outgoing Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla and held a series of one-on-one talks with the heads of three political parties on the formation of the next Czech government. The question who will be given the task of trying to set it up remains unanswered. President Klaus has asked for more time, telling newsmen that he would make up his mind within a matter of days. Nevertheless, some information on how the talks went did filter through to the press. Daniela Lazarova has

Next Monday and Tuesday Radio Prague - in cooperation with Radio Netherlands - will broadcast two half-hour documentaries on the life of 17th century Czech thinker Jan Amos Comenius.

The recent elections to the European Parliament not only brought down the government, but also brought a shift on the Czech political scene. We take a closer look at the picture right of centre, where a dozen or so small parties are fighting for support, in the shadow of the dominant Civic Democrats:

The Czech pub Krogen Soldaten Svejk - which of course translates as the Good Soldier Svejk in English - is located in the lively district of Soldermalm, south of Stockholm's city centre. The manager of the "hospoda" is Jari Ounasvuori, a Finnish man married to the daughter of the Czech couple who set the pub up in the mid 1970s. When I stopped by one evening, I asked him what Czech beers they had at the Krogen Soldaten Svejk.

On July 1st the long Czech school holidays began. While many Prague children will be leaving for the country or for holidays abroad, some have no choice but to stay in the city. On Thursday, a special event was held in a park in the Prague high-rise suburb of Opatov. It is part of the programme 'Make a Connection' and covers a whole range of activities from various sports to juggling and competitions. The aim is to show children how they can enjoy their holidays even if they are stuck at home, and introduce them to the various clubs and activities

On Thursday millions of Czechs will be watching their national football team take on Greece in the semi-finals at the European Football Championships. The Czechs are now favourites to win the competition for the first time since their only previous victory in 1976.

As in other countries in the region such as Slovakia and Hungary, the Czech Republic is on its way to having a completely professional army, after many years of relying on compulsory military service. The Czech Army has had to undergo a radical change of approach as it finds itself having to attract recruits for the first time.

The Greek restaurant Olympos is like a Mediterranean island in the old Prague district of Zizkov. On the eve of the Euro 2004 semi-final between the Czech Republic and Greece, I spoke to one of the restaurant's owners, Eleni Nedelku, a Czech woman who has been married to a Greek man for many years. I asked Mrs Nedelku who she and her family would be supporting during the big game.