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Just two weeks before the second anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States, a new video was released to the public reminding it of the shocking developments in New York City when two hijacked passenger planes were piloted into the World Trade Centre, leaving it crumbling with over three thousand dead. The video was shot by a Czech construction worker currently living in Queens, who unknowingly recorded the event while trying out his new video camera. It was an event that shook the whole world - psychologically but mainly

A well known Czech war veteran, RAF pilot general Alois Siska died on Tuesday at the age of 89. General Siska served in the British Royal Air Force's 311 bomber squadron during WWII, he was seriously wounded, nearly lost both legs to gangrene and was taken prisoner of war. But none of the tests he faced up in the air were as tough as those he faced on the ground when he should have been welcomed home as a hero. After the communist coup in 1948 Alois Siska was persecuted, jailed and banished from Prague.

The story of a ten year old boy who had a nervous breakdown because his parents were fighting over him has shocked the nation and highlighted the plight of children caught up in messy divorce cases. Ten year old Honza is now in hospital recovering from shock after his father arrived in school with a bailiff and social worker to enforce his visiting rights. Psychologists say his relationship with both parents may be irrevocably damaged. A shocking story that has left many people wondering how much of this actually goes on in a country with an exceptionally

Children are back in school after the summer break, and for most of them the holidays are but a distant dream. One group of Roma children, however, will remember this summer with particular fondness. Thanks to a non-profit organisation called Romodrom, they spent several weeks in the countryside at a summer camp - which for some of them was their first summer holiday ever. Mark Wiedorn, an American photographer working for Romodrom, spent the summer with them, and talked about the kids and the camp with Radio Prague's David Vaughan.

The country's largest opposition party - the right-of-centre Civic Democrats - announced this week they would attempt to initiate a vote of confidence when the cabinet submits its package of public finance reforms to parliament this autumn. The Civic Democrats say the time is now ripe to bring down the Social Democrat-led government, which has a majority of just one vote in parliament. The government is under fire from both sides over the reform package: public sector workers say the reforms will affect the poorest in society, economists say they

Those of you who either live in Prague or have visited the city have surely wondered what the big white stately building on Kampa Park on the left bank of the Vltava River houses. Known to locals as the Sova Mill, named after one of its 15th century owners, Vaclav Sova, it was abandoned and left to its own fate for years until prominent art collector Meda Mladek decided to turn it into a museum.

Health Minister Marie Souckova is facing another barrage of criticism. After her own party, the Social Democrats, rejected her proposed reforms of the health sector last week, it is now the country's dentists who are blaming the minister for failing to solve financial problems in the health sector. Last weekend, close to 700 dentists, that is around 10 percent of all dentists in the Czech Republic, met in Prague at an extraordinary general meeting to voice their protest against overdue payments from health insurance companies, for which the dentists

Police across the Czech Republic began a nationwide campaign recently aimed at reducing the number of deaths and injuries on the roads. The country has one of the worst accident records in the world, with experts saying poor legislation - as well as poor driving - are to blame.

A conference has just ended in Prague that proves that not all historians are detached from reality in their ivory towers. Several hundred historians from over 20 different countries converged on the city for a week to discuss their research on one of the burning issues of today, the environment and how it is treated. You only had to look at the subjects of some of the presentations - for example looking at the history of the way Central Europeans have dealt with floods, to see that such research is of more than passing interest to today's society.

The German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder arrived in Prague for a one-day official visit on Friday morning to hold talks with senior Czech politicians. Topics of discussion throughout the day, during Mr Schroeder's meetings with President Vaclav Klaus, Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla and the leaders of both houses of parliament, were mainly expected to focus on the European Union and trade relations. Mr Schroeder was expected to visit the country eighteen months ago but cancelled the trip after former Czech Prime Minister Milos Zeman called Sudeten