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One of the most famous landmarks in Prague is undoubtedly the Charles Bridge, which spans the River Vltava and links the Lesser Quarter to the historic Old Town. The bridge, however is in urgent need of repair, and there is still a remote possibility that it could be closed to the public for a lengthy period of time.

The Czech film industry has enjoyed a successful 12 months, and all eyes are now on the Oscars and the Cesky Lev film awards. But the influence of Czech filmmaking may surpass the cultural sphere; according to David Ringrose, the first secretary of the Delegation of the European Commission, Czech film could help the country in its bid to join the EU. brings this report.

A dispute between a Czech company and its British partner looks set to go to a court of arbitration in the next few weeks. At the base of the dispute is a contract signed between the two companies, which the Czech partner wants annulled. The British partner has cried foul, and has publicly voiced concerns over investing in the Czech Republic. has this report.

The bitter dispute surrounding the Czech Republic's newly completed Temelin nuclear power plant took a new and dramatic turn at the weekend: Austrian anti-nuclear activists - who have fought a determined campaign to prevent Temelin from going on-line - announced they had hired the services of Ed Fagan - one of the most aggressive and successful trial lawyers in modern legal history.

Member countries of the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) have adopted a common policy to keep the region free of the dreaded BSE, or Mad Cow disease. The Polish, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, Romanian and Bulgarian agriculture ministers met in Prague on Thursday to unify CEFTA policy on EU imports and discuss ways of keeping their own beef safe. spoke with Hugo Roldan, Czech agriculture ministry spokesman, to tell us more about the outcome of the talks.

The Czech Ministry of Trade and Industry has come up with an ambitious new plan to boost Czech economy, which it says will increase GDP by more than 6%. The only cause for concern, however, is that it needs investment amounting to about half of the country's state budget. has the details:

The controversial Temelin nuclear power plant in South Bohemia is still making the headlines, five months after it began test operations. Earlier this week, the government unveiled plans for an environmental impact study of the plant, and an international inspection team has arrived at Temelin to examine operations at the plant's first reactor. But environmental groups in both the Czech Republic and Austria remain unconvinced that the study will expose real problems. has this report.

2001 has been described as a "watershed year" for EU expansion. This year the European Union is expected to announce a concrete date for enlargement - most likely after Belgium inherits the EU's rotating presidency from Sweden in July. The man co-ordinating the Czech Republic's efforts to join the Union is first Deputy Foreign Minister Pavel Telicka. has the story.

Czech Prime Minister Milos Zeman has been on a tour of Benelux countries this week, discussing cooperation in the economic sphere, and the Czech Republic's bid for European Union membership. On Monday he visited Belgium, where EU expansion was the primary focus of talks. has this report.

Following a prolific year for Czech filmmaking, the results are in. On Tuesday afternoon, the nominations for both the Cesky Lev, or Czech Lion, film awards and for the American Academy Awards, the Oscars, were announced. It was good news for the Czechs on the international front, as the nominations for the "Best Foreign Language Film" Oscar for the year 2000 include the Czech film, "Musime Si Pomahat". brings this report.