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Forty percent of tourists who visit the Czech Republic have been to the country before, suggests a fresh survey conducted by CzechTourism. The state agency's director Rostislav Vondruska said tourists from neighbouring states made repeated visits more often - and stayed for much longer - than those from further away. One-day visits were not included in the survey.

Amnesty International says some weapons produced in the Czech Republic are being exported to states which do not respect human rights. The NGO pointed in particular to arms exports last year to Ethiopia, Nigeria, Columbia, Venezuela, Vietnam and Yemen. Amnesty International said what it described as a disquieting situation was not helped by inadequate legislation in the Czech Republic.

The Czech lower house has passed an extensive financial reform bill. In a final vote on Tuesday, the centre-right coalition government's draft legislation was supported by 101 of the 200 MPs in the Chamber of Deputies. The votes of two rebel opposition Social Democrat MPs, Milos Melcak and Michal Pohanka, were needed to push the reform through the lower house. One government MP, Christian Democrat Ludvik Hovorka, voted against the bill, which has sparked much controversy with critics saying that it will do nothing to halt the Czech Republic's rising budget deficit whilst leaving many people worse off.

The passing of the bill has staved off a potential political crisis, as Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek had threatened to push for early elections if the vote failed. The bill includes major changes to the Czech Republic's taxation and welfare systems. It will now have to be approved by the Senate and the president before becoming law.

Czech prime minister Mirek Topolanek and other state dignitaries have attended a special ceremony in front of the Czech Radio building to mark the 39th anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968. Speaking at the event, Mr Topolanek praised the heroism of those who stood up to the Warsaw Pact troops, whose invasion of Czechosovakia ended efforts to establish a more liberal form of socialism in this country.

The prime minister also said it was important to remember the lessons learned from the fate of the so-called Prague Spring to ensure that such events were never repeated. He also paid tribute to Czechoslovak Radio for truthfully informing the people about what was happening in this country during the invasion. The Czech Radio building in Prague was the scene of some of the heaviest clashes between Soviet troops and Czech protesters during August 1968.