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August 21st, 2008 marks 40 years since Warsaw pact troops moved into Czechoslovakia, crushing the reform movement known as the Prague Spring. The invasion shocked many Czechs who came to the defence of the Czechoslovak Radio building (now Czech Radio) on Vinohradská Street. Dominik Jun was there in the run up to the commemoration and filed this report.

There was a Scotswoman, an Irish dance school, and a lot of Czechs… Not heard that one before? Well, for the past eight years, Prague has played host to a summer school of Irish dance and traditional music. This year, the course is bigger than ever, attracting over 200 participants from Europe and America. The programme has proved a hit with the scores of Czechs to have taken part. On Tuesday, I paid it a visit.

All this week we’re broadcasting memories of those who lived through the Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia, which began around 11pm on August 20th 1968. Today we hear from one of our predecessors here at the Radio Prague English Section, Dora Slabá. August 20th 1968 was a normal working day for Dora, who worked as a presenter. When she went home that day she had no way of knowing that she would never come back to Radio Prague. She begins by describing the atmosphere on that perfect summer day in 1968.

On Tuesday, a special NATO summit designed to address the current crisis in Georgia, concluded with strong statements directed towards Russia. The current crisis appears to have solidified concerns that Russia is becoming a potentially dangerous re-emerging power. Eastern European countries, wary of past experiences have been particularly tough in their rhetoric against Russia, and now, a controversial defence shield located in Poland and the Czech Republic seems more certain as a result of the conflict. Dominik Jun spoke with Oldřich Bureš, a

Congestion, road reconstruction and blocked roads due to accidents can turn a car journey into a nightmare. But now things may be looking up for Czech drivers. The RDS-TMC info system, available in most European states, is finally being launched in the Czech Republic.

It was 40 years ago this Thursday that Warsaw-Pact troops invaded the former Czechoslovakia, putting an end to the hope and reform of the so-called ‘Prague Spring’. All this week, Radio Prague will be commemorating the invasion by broadcasting the testimonies of those who were there. For today’s programme, Rosie Johnston spoke to Libor Hajský, a junior photographer at the Czech Press Agency on August 21, 1968 – the day that Soviet tanks rolled into Prague.

Several of Josef Koudelka’s 1968 photos are being shown at the Mánes gallery, by the River Vltava, in a new exhibition entitled 1945 – Liberation, 1968 – Occupation. Two rooms of iconic black and white photographs show two very different sets of images: the Red Army greeted with smiles and flowers in May 1945, and Russian soldiers berated by angry crowds in August 1968. So how do the people looking at these images feel about today's Russia, especially in the light of the current situation in Georgia?

Around 300 neo-Nazis gathered in the eastern city of Hradec Králové on Saturday, holding a brief demonstration in one of the city squares before dispersing. They had hoped to attend what had been dubbed a “political cultural” event in the Hradec’s outdoor cinema, but in the end the city council banned it.

The recent conflict in Georgia came at an unfortunate time for Russia - the fortieth anniversary of the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968. Indeed, such comparisons have been banded about both by politicians and NGOs critical of Russia’s actions against Georgia. But it is in the Czech Republic that such metaphors have been heard the loudest in recent days. George Archemasheili is a senior counselor to the Georgian Ambassador in Prague. We asked him how he viewed the Czech reaction to the events taking place in Georgia:

The city of Hradec Králové in Eastern Bohemia is battening down the hatches this weekend as it could become the latest venue for a gathering by hundreds of neo-Nazis. A group called the Worker’s Party has booked the city’s outdoor cinema for an event dubbed Freedom Day, but observers are convinced the event is a cover for a rally by hard-core neo-Nazi groups.