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The inhabitants of Studenec, a small Moravian village near Brno, have voted to keep a bronze relief depicting Soviet dictator Josef Stalin on their community’s monument to the victims of the First and Second World Wars. Just over a half of the village’s adult inhabitants turned up to cast their ballots in the local referendum, while a majority of them said they wanted to keep the controversial portrait in its place.

The Czech Republic is known as one of the most secular states in Europe, with almost half the population identifying themselves as atheists. However, that does not deter some faith groups, such as the Mormons, from proselytising here. But what is it actually like trying to make converts in such a non-religious country?

Prices of some basic foodstuffs in the Czech Republic have gone up by 20 to 30 percent since the beginning of the year due to the government’s fiscal reform, as well as the global food crisis and record-breaking costs of fuel. But Czech consumers may have to reach even deeper in their pockets in the near future to pay their grocery bills.

Memorial services have been taking place at the site of a former concentration camp in the town of Lety. This is the 13th year the Czech Republic has marked the Romany Holocaust. But the site in Lety, still borders a pig farm despite repeated calls by various groups for it to be closed down. Radio Prague’s Rosie Johnston joins us from Lety.

Time is running out for hundreds of thousands of people stranded without food, drinking water and medical supplies on Burma’s Irrawaddy Delta, in the wake of the devastating typhoon that hit the region nine days ago. A number of Czech humanitarian aid organisations have joined the relief effort – raising money and trying to assess the priorities for aid.

As every year, on May 12th the sound of Má vlast or My Country by Bedřich Smetana will launch the Prague Spring international music festival - a renowned festival of classical music and one of the biggest events of its kind in Europe, bringing together top orchestras, ensembles and soloists from around the world. I caught up with the festival’s director Roman Bělor to ask what is on the menu of Prague Spring’s 63rd year:

Czech universities can expect big changes. On Monday, Education Minister Ondřej Liška presented a ‘bílá kniha’ (‘white paper’), which proposes sweeping reforms of the country’s higher education system. His proposals include a complete restructuring of the way Czech universities are funded - which could eventually lead to tuition fees - as well as calls for universities to cooperate more with the private sector. The plans are now up for public discussion until the autumn, when new laws will be drafted. Earlier today, I spoke to Education Minister

The official opening of Slavia Prague's new stadium on Wednesday night was a momentous occasion for the football club, who for seven years had no ground of their own while a reconstruction project dragged on at their traditional home at Eden in Prague 10. Fourteen thousand red-and-white fans turned out to see the ultra-modern stadium, and an exhibition game between Slavia and Oxford University - the two sides having first played each other in 1899.

On Friday a court in Brno passed down a not-guilty verdict against Barbora Škrlová, a 33-year-old woman who posed as a 13-year-old girl, went on the run, and reappeared months later posing as a 13-year-old boy...in Norway. Ms Škrlová is at the centre of a horrific child abuse scandal allegedly involving a sinister cult founded by her father. She was immediately rearrested outside the court to stand trial for these more serious charges.

The world media descended upon Moscow on Wednesday where Dmitry Medvedev was sworn in as Russia’s third president since the collapse of the Soviet Union. His predecessor, Vladimir Putin will become prime minister and is expected to retain a tight grip on the political scene. The change-of-guard comes at a time of heightened friction over Washington’s missile defense plans for Central Europe and has raised questions regarding Moscow’s future foreign policy. Daniela Lazarova spoke to Oldřich Bureš, an expert on Czech-Russian relations about the possible