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A racist passage from a popular Czech children’s book recently sparked a heated debate in the Czech media after a Romany activist asked for it to be withdrawn from the school curriculum. Thousands of Czechs publicly opposed the request, which was also dismissed as unjustified by some Romany organizations. But others believe the issue of racist undertones in some Czech literary works should be taken seriously.

One of the greatest Czech theologians, a member of the Jesuit order and a prolific author, Cardinal Tomáš Špidlík died in Rome on Friday at the age of 90. He spent most of his life abroad but will be laid to rest in his native Moravia.

Czech authorities have reopened the country’s airspace three days after all air travel to and from the Czech Republic was grounded; like most of Europe, flights in the country were affected by the cloud of volcanic ash from Iceland. The decision to reopen Czech airspace and the country’s international airports is however only temporary and will be subject to revision in 48 hours.

For fans of the Prague soccer club Bohemians 1905, the year 2010 is shaping up to be the end of an era. Due to several architectural shortcomings that would cost millions of crowns to fix, the club will have to leave its storied Ďolíček stadium in Vršovice. But some Bohemians fans believe that the real reason behind the club’s move is a different one. Sarah Borufka reports.

In its 11th year, the NGO Market in Prague gives the public a chance to acquaint themselves with scores of non-profits both from the Czech Republic and abroad. Visitors can get to know individual organizations at their stands, and can also become active themselves, for example by attending discussions with people who work in the sector. What is the main goal of the event? That’s a question I put to NGO Market coordinator Alena Novotná at its opening on Friday morning.

There were mild ripples of excitement in the banking world this week when the governor of the central bank announced he would be quitting his post eight months earlier than expected. Czech National Bank governor Zdeněk Tůma said he would step down in June to minimise uncertainty caused by additional changes to the board in February next year. Choosing his successor is solely up to President Václav Klaus, who now has the chance to reshape Czech monetary policy.

Regular listeners may have heard an interview on Monday with Radio Prague’s Christian Falvey, who is currently on a reporting mission in Afghanistan. He has mainly been doing interviews with workers from the Czech NGO People in Need, though he has also been talking to some of the hundreds of Czech soldiers stationed in the country. On Friday morning I spoke to Christian and asked what he had been up to in the last few days.

The Central Bohemian town of Beroun has just earned the title of Historic Town of the Year 2009. The prize, which comes with a million crown award for the city, honors towns and cities in the Czech Republic that have excelled in preserving and renewing their monuments and historic buildings. Sarah Borufka reports.

Among the souvenirs that tourists bring back from a visit to Prague are little clay figures of the Golem – a giant linked to one of Prague’s best known legends. What few of them know is that there is a fierce battle underway for ownership rights, which has sent a much larger version of the clay monster into hiding.

World Equal Pay Day was marked for the first time in the Czech Republic on Thursday, with successful businesswomen among those attending events to draw attention to the gap in salaries between women and men. Statistics suggest the gender pay gap in this country is around 25% - i.e. on average Czech women earn one quarter less than Czech men. Earlier we spoke to Petr Pavlík, associate professor of gender studies at Charles University, and asked him more about the gender pay gap.