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Pope John Paul II is a respected figure worldwide. Even though he is often criticised for his conservative stances in questions like abortion, contraception or gay marriages, he still enjoys a great popularity that can be hardly compared to his predecessors. One factor contributing to his general popularity has been his energetic image as well as the enormous number of trips he has made around the globe. John Paul II is also popular in the generally non-religious Czech Republic, even though the reasons for his popularity here may be slightly

All kids in the Czech Republic know it - and most love it. "Ctyrlistek", or a four-leaf clover in Czech, is a children's comic magazine and a very popular collectable; you will find at least a few copies in virtually every household. The comic book, which has been around for more than thirty years, was named "Ctyrlistek" after its four main characters: a human-like cat called Myspulin, a dog called Fifinka, a pig named Bobik and a rabbit called Pinda. They live in a house together and experience all kinds of adventures. Although they must be well

The crisis in the ruling coalition came to a head on Saturday after the leader of the Christian Democrats, Miroslav Kalousek, asked Prime Minister Stanislav Gross to step down from office. Mr Gross rejected the call and retaliated with his own call for the three Christian Democrat ministers in the government to leave the government if they no longer have confidence in its chairman.

On February 14, 1945, the American Air Force carried out an air raid over Prague which ranks as the most futile attack on Czech territory of the Second World War. Sixty years later it is still not clear whether the attack was an accident caused by bad weather conditions and the fact Prague and Dresden looked similar from the air, or whether it was a deliberate attack.

With university entrance exams around the corner and the general elections only 4 months away, there is growing attention on the Czech Republic's system of higher education. There are some particular points of pride, such as the fact that Charles University's medical schools receive accreditation in the United States. Yet, there are also constant rumblings about the need to reform the system.

The African minority in the Czech Republic is so small that it is not even included in official statistics and is placed in the so-called "other minorities" column. On the other hand Africans, especially black Africans, stand out in the crowd.

In this week's Talking Point, we reflect on the life of a young boy who perished at Auschwitz and whose recently found diary has just been published in Prague. This edition is part of a special Holocaust series on Radio Prague this week, in honour of this Thursday marking Holocaust Memorial Day, on the sixtieth anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

The Irish have it since March 2004, the Italians for about a week and the Czechs may be added to the list sooner than most of them would expect. I'm talking about countries that have severely curtailed smoking in public places. How soon could this become a reality, how do ordinary Czechs feel about it, and are small restaurants and bars dreading the day?

The number of students studying modern languages at British universities has been on the wane in recent years, as is the trend throughout much of Europe. There are fewer and fewer degree programmes in "minority languages" like Czech on offer in the United Kingdom, with long-term governmental funding at risk.

On Monday, primary and secondary school children went back to their classrooms after their Christmas holidays. With a new schools law in effect, they will be facing new teaching and learning methods. In today's Talking Point, we look at the state of the education system in the Czech Republic.