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April 22nd is Earth Day, observed since 1970 in more than 140 countries world-wide. In the Czech Republic Earth Day was first observed in 1990, a few months after the fall of the communist regime. And with every passing year, more Czechs are accepting their share of responsibility for the state of our Planet and their immediate environment. We asked environment activist Vojtech Kotecky of the environmental-group Duha or Rainbow how environmental groups in the Czech Republic mark the anniversary.

What you've just heard was the announcing of the book of the year award - the main category of the brand new "Magnesia Litera" Awards for best works of literature, presented for the first time on Saturday. Radio Prague's Pavla Horakova was a member of the jury and she joins me now in the studio.

On Thursday Prime Minister Milos Zeman visited Belarus, the last dictatorial regime in Europe, not as the Czech Prime Minister but as the head of the Socialist International's Committee for peace, democracy and human rights. Mr. Zeman stressed several times that he was not visiting Belarus to discuss economic issues, but human rights. Alena Skodova has more:

The Czechs have proved themselves in many sporting endeavours, with a host of recent successes in ice-hockey, athletics and skiing. But what few people know is that there's a small but thriving baseball scene in the Czech Republic, with interest in the sport dating back to Communist times. Today there are two leagues and a national team which has beaten some of Europe's top clubs. The home of baseball in Prague is the southern district of Krc - where the country's top extra-league team Sokol Krc as well as the national team is based. Rob Cameron

Twelve years after the fall of communism the Czech Republic and Russia say they are ready to begin a new era of cooperation. "When we call each other friends - we do so with the utmost sincerity" said the Czech Prime Minister Milos Zeman as he and his Russian counterpart Mikhail Kasyanov appeared at a joint press briefing in Moscow. Daniela Lazarova has the story:

Starting in mid-May, Prague Castle will begin hosting an exhibition of political art, called Politik-Um/New Engagement. But as Alena Skodova reports politically engaged artistic works might arouse mixed emotions among Czech artists and art-lovers alike:

The problems the Czech education system currently faces are typically related to money - or the lack thereof. But there is one issue which no amount of money can fix. It's truancy - and apparently, it has got so bad that the Ministry of Education has issued special directives on how to tackle the problem. Pavla Horakova has more.

If you want access to an official document in the Czech Republic it is your right, thanks to a law that was passed in 1999. Officially at least, the days of faceless bureaucrats working from vast fortress-like offices with no regard for the public are over. But a new book which has just been published, claims that there are many cases of the law being broken, often by state bodies themselves. Alena Skodova has more:

Reading is of course a solitary pleasure, but next week literature comes off the page here in Prague with public discussions, readings and signings - all part of the city's annual writers' festival. Among the world-renowned authors taking part is the highly successful US crime writer Elmore Leonard - who you may know thanks to films such as Get Shorty and Jackie Brown . Czech authors due to participate include Jiri Grusa, who is currently the Czech Republic's ambassador to Austria, and the famous dissident writer Ludvik Vaculik. Also appearing

Tamizdat is a Prague-based company which distributes music from all over Central and Eastern Europe, and helps groups find an audience in the west. Tamizdat is also working on a project to preserve underground recordings made during the Communist era. Company director Mathew Covey spoke to Ian Willoughby, and began by explaining what exactly Tamizdat does.