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Czech Prime Minister Milos Zeman arrived in Nice this morning for the start of a crucial European Union summit. Leaders of the Union's 15 member states have gathered in Nice for what is being billed as the most important summit since Maastricht: pessimists say if the EU fails to agree on crucial institutional reform, the whole expansion process could be thrown into doubt. But is the pessimistic forecast justified, or just media hype? RP's spoke to Ray Furlong, who has been covering the accession process in Central and Eastern Europe for the BBC

The Czech parliament has decided to introduce radical new road regulations as of January 2001. The government failed to persuade MPs to postpone the law by six months so that everyone could get properly acquainted with it. So What changes does the new law introduce to road traffic? explains:

The funeral of the legendary athlete Emil Zatopek took place in Prague on Wednesday. Leading Czech politicians, the presidents of the International Olympic Committee and the International Amateur Athletics Federation, and famous sportsmen from around the world were all present for the solemn occasion. And thousands of people who couldn't get into the crowded National Theatre where the ceremony was held, stood outside, paying homage to the hero, who was, and will be remembered as much more than just an outstanding athlete. reports:

The Czech Interior Ministry is rumoured to be on the verge of banning the far-right Patriotic Republican Party, part of an ongoing campaign to crack down on the Czech ultra-right. Czech Interior Minister Stanislav Gross says he's deeply concerned at attempts by neo-Nazi skinhead groups to muscle their way into mainstream politics, using the tried-and-tested method of masquerading as 'patriotic' political parties. But some say banning far-right parties is counter-productive; the best way to defeat the far-right, they say, is to encourage greater

The Christmas shopping rush is in full swing and salespeople can look forward to record sales this year. Most employers are expected to be generous with this year's X-mas bonuses and what we call "13th salaries" meaning that the main shopping spree is yet to come. has the story:

Part of the effort mentioned above to educate Czech society and involve citizens is a project called the 'Spolecna Jizda', or 'Common Journey.' For the last 12 months, an ethnically-mixed group of students has been travelling round the country, talking to secondary school pupils about racism and xenophobia. has this report:

President Vaclav Havel was diagnosed last week with bronchitis, and was supposed to be resting at home. Instead he spent several hours on Monday deep in discussion with the government over who has the right to appoint the governor of the central bank. The dispute erupted after President Havel appointed Zdenek Tuma, formerly the bank's vice-governor. The government said it didn't like Mr Tuma's views on inflation, and insisted the appointment needed the counter-signature of the prime minister. Well, Havel and the government emerged from Monday's

When Czechs gather around their Christmas trees this year, many of them will find a very welcome present: a mobile phone. Mobiles are selling like hot cakes on the Christmas market. takes a look at this popular trend:

The board of directors of Czech Railways has decided not to renew the contract of its general inspector, Kvetoslava Korinkova. The board says it's been unhappy with Korinkova's performance for some time. But according to reports in the media, she's being removed because of her criticism of the prime minister's advisors and their efforts to influence lucrative public tenders for railway construction. has more:

Tuesday is the festival of Mikulas here in the CR: the day when the old man with a white beard, together with his little devil, visit schools and homes, delivers presents and asks children to be good. Well, visited a local kindergarten, where many of the parents are from other countries, and risked being dragged down to hell by the little devil to bring back this report: