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They call it the "silent killer". It doesn't hurt, it has no symptoms. Many people have it for years without knowing. When its consequences finally become evident, damage is already done. I'm talking about high blood pressure. If uncontrolled, it can lead to stroke, heart attack, heart failure or kidney failure. The only way to tell if you have high blood pressure is to have your blood pressure checked regularly. Hypertension can be inherited or associated with various risk factors such as a high-cholesterol levels, obesity, diabetes, smoking,

Easter Monday saw the reopening - after 60 years - of the Emauzy Church, located in the Podskali district of Prague 2. The Catholic Church - with its distinctive twin spires - had been closed since the Second World War, when it was badly damaged in an American bombing raid. Rob Cameron reports.

For most Czechs, Easter celebrates the coming of spring. It is a time to welcome back the Tulips, the Crocuses and the Daffodils. It is the month of the Easter bunny, Easter eggs, and too much chocolate. But it is also the biggest Christian holiday. Palm Sunday, one week before Easter, celebrates the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. It is also the day on which Holy Week begins. Holy Thursday, or Maundy Thursday, is in memory of Jesus Christ's Last Supper with his disciples. Good Friday commemorates his crucifixion. And the greatest festival, on

One of the biggest holidays that Czechs celebrate is Easter and no Czech home should be without traditional Easter decorations. Join Dita Asiedu as she visits a traditional Czech Easter market in Prague:

Twenty-five years ago, on Sunday April 20, Czech journalist and creative writer Ferdinand Peroutka, affectionately called "Mr. Czechoslovakia" in America, died in exile in New York. A fierce fighter for democratic values in Czechoslovak society, Peroutka didn't let the Nazis or Communists tell him what to think or what to write, and he did pay dearly for not succumbing to political pressures. I spoke with journalist and political commentator Vaclav Zak, who believes that journalists today have something to learn from Peroutka.

The Prague district of Karlin became one of the symbols of the devastating floods that hit the Czech Republic last August. In some parts of the district water levels reached the first floors of houses, destroying flats, street level offices and roads. The city of Prague, the Czech government and the private sector have now joined efforts to renovate and revitalise the district. As they say, they want to use the challenge of nature to make Karlin a beautiful and prosperous area

A war of words erupted on Thursday between members of the Czech government and President Vaclav Klaus, over differences of opinion regarding Czech membership of the European Union. President's Klaus's comments leading up to Wednesday's signing ceremony in Athens - among other things that EU membership was a marriage of convenience rather than a marriage of love - have angered the government. On Thursday Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda accused President Klaus of making superficial statements about the EU, while the prime minister, Vladimir Spidla,

"This is the beginning of a new chapter in our country's history." The words of the Czech Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla as he and President Vaclav Klaus put their signatures to the EU Accession Treaty during Wednesday's Athens summit. If all goes well the Czech Republic and nine other countries will become members of the EU in just over a year's time, on the 1st of May 2004. Radio Austria International's Kerry Skyring is in Athens covering the summit - earlier we asked him what the mood was like in the Greek capital.

The first mechanical heart transplant in the Czech Republic was successfully completed on a 57-year-old patient, cardiologists announced on Wednesday. The procedure is also the first of its kind in Central and Eastern Europe.

As many as 700,000 vehicles pass through Prague each day. Those who drive through the capital city are by no means strangers to traffic jams. In response to the serious car congestion problem, Prague City Hall is suggesting launching a proposal that would force drivers to pay tolls, a measure introduced or being considered by many major cities across Europe.