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The Czech defence minister, Miroslav Kostelka, surprised many on Monday when, on a brief visit to Iraq, he said he wanted the Czech unit serving in the southern city of Basra to return at the end of the year. Some members of the opposition have questioned the wisdom of such a pull-out, but the minister says it is simply a case of mission accomplished. Ian Willoughby has the story.

The first records of a Jewish presence in the Czech lands date back to the tenth century. The contribution that the Jewish population living here made to Czech life and culture in subsequent centuries is widely acknowledged. But what of the Czech contribution to the Jewish state of Israel?

The Czechs can look forward to having a second alcohol-related entry in the famous Guinness Book of World Records after reaching a new high in "relay" beer drinking this past weekend.

"One morning Gregor Samsa awoke from troubled dreams to find himself transformed into a giant beetle...." One of the most famous opening lines in world literature, Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis. Now if you're a fan of Prague's greatest literary son, it will be well worth coming to the Czech capital in the next few weeks.

On Wednesday, some 2,500 scientists, doctors, and health specialists from all over the world met in Prague for the 13th European Obesity Congress. For four days, they will try to find ways of solving the global problem of obesity and demand greater action throughout the enlarged Europe.

There's a lot of singing and dancing in the streets of the Czech capital these days in addition to the Khamoro Festival of Romany Culture and Music, there's another outdoor festival underway - the multi-ethnic folklore festival -which is a colourful display of the songs, dances and traditional dresses of 14 nations, among them India, Greece, Senagal and Cuba.

According to latest data, the Czech Republic has the second lowest fertility rate in the world. There are now 10 million Czechs. Demographers warn that if the negative trend continues, in 300 years there would be only 60.000 Czechs left. Pavla Horakova spoke to the head of the Demography Section at Prague's Faculty of Science, Jitka Rychtarikova, who presented the results of the study earlier this week.

The Czech police have charged three people with fraud and breach of copyright for trafficking in forged artworks. The criminal ring mainly commissioned copies of work by — or in the style of — celebrated Czech 19th and 20th century painters.

In just over two weeks time Czechs will go to the polls to vote in their first ever elections to the European Parliament. Thirty one parties and political groupings are registered and fighting for voter support. From the big league players to virtual unknowns, all are telling Czechs that they alone can best serve their interests in the European Parliament.

Perhaps no figure in modern Czech history is as controversial as Edvard Benes. He was the second president of Czechoslovakia: twice he had to give way to hostile forces while in power and he is also often criticised for signing the decrees that resulted in 2.5 million Germans being deported from the Czech lands after the Second World War. To mark the 120th anniversary of his birth a special seminar has been held in Prague to redefine his legacy.