Panorama | All stories

Cosmetic surgery, once a privilege of the rich, is now reshaping women and men of all ages and incomes. You can opt for a total face-lift or just gentle Botox injections that stretch your wrinkles and smooth your skin for up to six months. 'After all, it's important to look good' I learn from a leaflet I picked up in a cozy waiting room of one of several state-of-the-art clinics in Prague. Without a doubt, I agree. After all, what 'sells' more than design?

In this week's Panorama, Rob Cameron attends the annual Wines and Spirits trade fair in Prague, one of the most important dates on the Czech winemaker's calendar.

For decades Letna Plain was reserved on May 1st for the Communist Party - whether it was the totalitarian Communist Party of Czechoslovakia before 1989 or the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia after it. Each year this large open space a few hundred metres from Prague Castle was filled with red flags, and Letna rang out to the sound of the Internationale. But this year, Letna was moving to a different rhythm.

You can find Camphill communities all over the world. Their philosophy is simple - to create a community where mentally ill and healthy people can live side by side. The mentally ill try to lead as normal lives as possible, taking part in daily activities depending on their skills and abilities. They are free to choose from different workshops, housekeeping activities or work on a farm which supplies the community with ecologically grown food. Mentally ill people, who are usually kept isolated in psychiatric hospitals, here enjoy an everyday

In this week's Panorama, Rob Cameron looks at celebrations marking International Romani Day on April 8th. 2006 is also the 35th anniversary of the foundation of the International Romani Union, an organisation designed to bring together the millions of Roma scattered around the world.

After the fall of Communism, a previously unimaginable range of food and drink began to appear on shelves in the Czech Republic. People had the opportunity to eat well and to eat healthily. But recently - as Western trends catch on and fast food culture grows - experts say there has been a noticeable worsening of the average Czech diet. In this week's Panorama, Chris Jarrett takes a look at how the Czech diet has changed since 1989.

This week sees the grand opening of the 13th annual Febiofest film festival, a regular date in the diaries of the nation's film buffs. It starts in the capital Prague, before moving on to Moravia, stopping off in Brno, Olomouc and Ostrava, before returning to Bohemia for shows in Liberec, Jihlava and Pardubice. There are 284 films being shown in this year's festival in various categories, from an Andy Warhol retrospective to a panorama of Young European Cinema. I've been finding out more from festival spokesman Pavel Sladky.

According to a report recently published by the Institute of the Czech Language, today's Czech teenagers and pre-teens have developed their own slang and swear words, using many terms that would be simply incomprehensible to their grandparents. That said, a lot of Czech slang spans the generations, while today's teens have also revived words which went out of fashion decades ago.

It is not in the nature of Miroslav Janek to make plans. The film director and editor believes in coincidence. Things happen, days go by and bring along the subjects of his documentaries. The very last 'coincidence' happened, when he was invited to take a look at the lives of Czech orphans. It led to the short movie Chacipe. This meaningless word was made up by children from a Czech orphanage, who are the film's stars, and also co-directors.

Prague's Church of Our Lady Victorious on Karmelitska - or Carmelite - Street is home to one of the most revered images in the Roman Catholic world, the Bambino di Praga, or Child of Prague. We'll come to the famous statue in a moment, but first let's find out a little about the Church of Our Lady Victorious, and its troubled history.