WITH their country in deep political crisis, Czechs took to the streets throughout the country yesterday to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the end of decades of repressive communist rule.

It's Euro 2008 International Week and the Irish Examiner's football correspondent Liam Mackey is doing his Man in a Suitcase impersonation around Eastern Europe.

ONCE upon a time in the west, eastern European teams, no matter how good, could never be described as excellent or formidable or even - and this would have been particularly appropriate - well-marshalled.

THREE Irish tourists were slightly injured yesterday after a grenade was thrown from a passing car and exploded in Prague's chief shopping district.

Hundreds of thousands of people across the “new Europe” celebrated with street festivals today in a jubilant countdown to the European Union’s historic enlargement.

“JESUS — IT’S BERTIE!” The astonished cry rang out over the Charles Bridge in Prague.

THE term “Sixties rock star” took on a new meaning yesterday as Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger prepared to perform before a crowd of more than 60,000 in the Czech capital Prague, a day after celebrating his 60th birthday in a downtown nightclub.

A student has died in the Czech Republic after setting himself on fire in protest at the state of the world.