Talking Point | All stories

Since the fall of communism in Czechoslovakia in 1989, Czech historians have been freed of the ideological burdens imposed upon them by the communist system. This has allowed them to approach topics in Czech history in a more open way - especially when dealing with particularly sensitive historical issues, such as the political trials of the 1950s.

Two books published recently in this country - one a couple of years ago and the other at the end of last year - raised very strong reactions among the lay and expert public. In 2000, a Prague-based publishing house put out a new Czech-language edition of Adolf Hitler's notorious book "Mein Kampf". This created uproar in the media, and publisher Michal Zitko received a three-year suspended prison sentence and a fine of two million crowns for spreading fascist ideas. Last year, the Supreme Court annulled the verdict but Mr Zitko is to stand trial

This week's Talking Point comes from the Moravian capital of Brno, where the Czech Dance Championship - Dancelife 2003 - was the main topic of discussion from May 8-10. Just five years ago, most Czech children involved in dance were taught either classical ballet or modern dance incorporating ballet moves. In the last few years, however, a new trend has been developing, bringing back hip hop that was popular in much of the world in the 1980's but failed to make it through the Iron Curtain to reach Czech teenagers over twenty years ago.

According to the results of a national census carried out in 2001, the population of the Czech Republic is ageing. People live longer and fewer babies are born. Improved healthcare and a healthier lifestyle are thought to be behind a rise in the mean life expectancy of Czech population. But the fact that there will be more people relying on pensions who will also live longer, and that, on the other hand, there will be fewer people working to provide for them, worries the government and all those who are affected by the ageing trend, such as doctors

Around 700,000 cars pass through the streets of Prague every day and many of them through its historic centre. This fact makes life difficult for the residents and also increases air-pollution which in Prague is the worst in the whole of the Czech Republic. Last year's floods closed the city centre to car traffic and people realised there were other ways to move around the city than in their car. Todd Edelman works for the NGO Cyklistika a energie budoucnosti.

It might be the case in your community, too: children are taller than their parents, who themselves outgrew their parents in terms of physical height. During the last century, each successive generation in most of the industrialised world has been growing taller than the generation before it. On average, young adults today measure one inch more than their parents and two inches more than their grandparents.

News agencies reported last week that New Yorkers could breathe a little more easily now as the city's stiff new anti-smoking laws took effect last Sunday. Smokers grumbled as they had to huddle outside in the cold to puff on their cigarettes. The new law, pushed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, an ex-smoker himself, outlaws smoking in bars and restaurants and imposes stiff fines. Some bar and restaurant owners fret that the ban will scare off customers; others hope more non-smokers will visit now that the air is clearer. Curious to find out how such

Well, it's certain, the Czech prime minister, Vladimir Spidla, remains leader of the senior party in the ruling coalition, the Social Democrats. At the party's three-day annual conference, the old party leadership was re-elected, with Mr Spidla at the head and his close colleague Stanislav Gross at his side as First Deputy-Chairman. So, the conference reinforced the prime minister's battered authority, but what about the political future of Mr Spidla, his government and his party? That's what we'll be looking at in today's Talking Point.

As the war in Iraq continues, there are growing concerns over the humanitarian consequences. Public opinion about the war remains deeply divided here in the Czech Republic, but there is consensus over the need to help alleviate the suffering of the Iraqi people once the conflict ends. In a more or less symbolic gesture, the government has offered humanitarian assistance in the form of tents and blankets to Turkey in the event of a refugee crisis. The Czech Republic is not part of the US-led coalition that is invading Iraq and the government has

...this is the opening jingle of a weekly programme on Czech Television which discusses a variety of issues in connection with the Czech Republic's accession to the European Union. The public TV station currently broadcasts a number of programmes dedicated to the same topic. TV spots and discussion programmes are only a part of a much broader campaign, financed by the Foreign Ministry. Jana Adamcova is the head of the ministry's Department for Communication Strategy.