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Coming up, we have a story on the somewhat unexpected cultural relations between the Czech Republic and Tajikistan. But first, as we mark the thirty fourth anniversary of the death of Jan Palach, we'll look at a newly released film on that tragic time in 1969.

On December 5th Prague kids got an early Xmas present - an outdoor ice skating rink in the very heart of the city. The idea proved to be an enormous success with young and old and may set a new tradition. Find out more in this week's Magazine.

For Czech pilot Hana Zejdova gliding is preferable to walking. She undertook her first solo flight at age 17 and today has 52 world records to her name -an unparalleled achievement on world scale. Constantly seeking new challenges in the sky, Hana is now dreaming of achieving the near-impossible - a flight around the world in a glider.

Unbelievably, as late as in 1992 homosexuality was still registered as a medical problem in the Czech Republic and efforts were made to find a cure for it. Many homosexuals entered into heterosexual marriages and led a double life, keeping their secret even from family and friends. The gay community in the Czech Republic has come a long way since. Today it is pushing for the approval of a law on same sex marriages. In this weeks Magazine Daniela Lazarova talks to a member of the gay community about what life is like for homosexuals in the Czech

In just over a decade, the Czech Republic has transformed itself from a former Warsaw Pact member to a trustworthy NATO ally. In this week's Magazine Daniela Lazarova talks to Jan Vana, head of the army's department for strategic planning, about the ongoing process of reform of the Czech Armed Forces.

With presidents, heads of government and foreign ministers from 40 countries in Prague for the NATO summit it is not surprising that numerous bilateral meetings have been taking place on the fringes of the summit itself. One such example is Wednesday's one on one meeting between the Czech Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla and his Slovak counterpart Mikulas Dzurinda, who discussed the possibility of a joint air defense system. Such a plan would have been unrealistic had Slovakia not been invited to join NATO.

Most ethnic minorities in the Czech Republic have their own string of cultural activities throughout the year but on two occasions they mix with other minorities for what they call a "multi cultural" get together. This week Daniela Lazarova went along to their "multi cultural cabaret". For more tune in to this week's Magazine.

The Czech Republic is almost ready to join the European Union - but are its citizens in equally good form? The Czech Cabinet recently took a closer look at the state of people's health and decided that they need to undergo a radical transformation as well. Czechs drink too much, they smoke too much and an increasing number of them are overweight. Is the government's Health 21 action plan a good idea or is the state meddling in people's lives? Find out what some experts think in this week's Magazine with Daniela Lazarova.

Most Czechs have been fairly confident that AIDS is not a serious problem in the Czech Republic. Then, last week, a random test among 20 prostitutes in the west Bohemian border town of Cheb revealed an alarming state of affairs - 3 of them were diagnosed HIV positive. The news has made many Czechs sit up and think about the risks. What is the AIDS situation in the Czech Republic and do Czechs take effective measures to protect themselves? In this week's edition of Magazine Daniela Lazarova talks to National AIDS Programme Manager Jaroslav Jedlicka

At this time of the year fishermen across the country drain their ponds and lakes for the big haul. The annual netting of fish is a popular event which many locals like to attend, sipping tea laced with rum as they watch the fishermen go about their work. However due to the August floods, which swept the fish right out of pond basins, "netting" in many parts of north and south Bohemia is a sorry sight, with fisherman pulling out half empty nets. How have the floods affected Czech fisheries -and how long will it take for them to get back on their