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In this week's edition: the winner of Radio Prague's October competition; compulsory primary education in the Czech Republic; the first electric railway in the country; the female child sex ratio in the Czech Republic. Listeners quoted: David Eldridge, England; Rabi Sankar Bosu, India; Masashi Sugiya, Japan.

Czechs marked the 86th anniversary of the foundation of Czechoslovakia on Thursday with several events around the country. Although Czechoslovakia split into two separate states - the Czech Republic and Slovakia - on January 1st 1993, the national holiday continues to be celebrated every year in the Czech Republic but is no longer marked in neighbouring Slovakia.

Czech President Vaclav Klaus said October 28th was a very significant holiday as it was a day that the nation's ancestors had anticipated for an entire century. Mr Klaus placed a wreath at the statue of Tomas Garrigue Masaryk, the founder and first president of Czechoslovakia, at Prague Castle, and visited his grave in nearby Lany. As has become tradition, the Czech President also received foreign diplomats.

Radio Prague has prepared a special programme, to mark the Czech Republic's national holiday, the 28th October. It's been 86 years since the Czechoslovak Republic was established - in 1918. Martin Mikule has hosted a debate to look at the significance of this day, both historically and in today's Czech Republic. Why is the foundation of Czechoslovakia still the Czech national holiday even though Czechoslovakia no longer exists? Is it really a day of celebration or is it nothing more than another day off work? And how do people in neighbouring Slovakia

Without exception all of today's dailies highlight Tuesday's commemoration of the founding of Czechoslovakia 85 years ago - the precursor to today's Czech Republic. Vaclav Klaus commemorated the state holiday for his first time as president, discussing the country's future, calling on Czechs not to give in to pessimism, and stressing hope the country's statehood would remain strong even after joining the European Union. As is traditional on October the 28th the president then awarded the Order of the White Lion, the Order of T.G. Masaryk, honours

October 28th marks the 85th anniversary of the foundation of Czechoslovakia. Many say that the legacy that Tomas Garrigue Masaryk, the founder and first president of Czechoslovakia, bestowed on his nation was one of democracy and not nationalism. But it was the birth of a sense of nationalism or rather national identity that led to Czechoslovakia's foundation - Czechs and Slovaks united in their opposition to Austro-Hungarian rule, proud to be Czechoslovak and not just a small part of a large monarchy. But what is it like today? With globalisation,

A wide variety of stories jostle for attention on Monday's front pages. There is coverage of tragedies at home and abroad: a deadly fire at a disco in east Moravia that killed a seventeen year old girl and injured 61 young people, the train collision in Switzerland in which a young Czech woman lost her life and Sunday's rocket attacks on the al Rashid Hotel in Baghdad, in which at least one Czech national is reported injured.

Czechs have marked the 84th anniversary of the foundation of Czechoslovakia, with a number of ceremonies and public events across the country. The public holiday, which is celebrated every year in the Czech Republic, is no longer marked in Slovakia. The two countries became independent in 1993.

October 28th 2002, marks the 84th anniversary of Czechoslovak independence. Although Czechoslovakia was split into two separate states - the Czech Republic and Slovakia - in the so-called "Velvet Divorce" almost ten years ago, the Czechs, unlike the Slovaks, still celebrate October 28th as a national holiday. Dita Asiedu looks into its history and the importance it has held since 1918:

Although October 28th marks the founding of the Czechoslovak state, Slovaks do not recognize this date. In Slovakia, January 1st marks the date in which a national holiday celebrates the founding of the state which took place in 1993. Some might ask why is this so? After all, the first republic of Czechoslovakia was the first time in modern history where both Czechs and Slovaks had an independent state to call their own. I spoke to Andrea Kundrova from Radio Slovakia and asked her first, how significant the national holiday of January 1st is to