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In a report published on Tuesday, the World Health Organization says that drug abuse among 15- to 16-year-old Czechs rocketed over the course of five years. While 23 percent of boys and girls in that age group had experimented with drugs in 1995, by 1999 this figure had reached 35 percent. reports.

The ongoing legal battle between Vladimir Zelezny - General Director of the Czech Republic's hugely successful private television station TV Nova, and the American firm CME - the company which helped Mr Zelezny set up Nova in the early 1990s, took a new turn on Tuesday, when a French court ordered the confiscation of Mr Zelezny's private residence in Bretagne. At a press briefing in Prague later that day, Mr Zelezny said he was prepared to accept a recent ruling by the International Court of Arbitration and pay CME 27 million US dollars in compensation.

Well the face of U.S. lawyer Ed Fagan is splashed across the front pages of the Czech papers today, along with warnings and threats to the operators of the Czech Republic's controversial Temelin nuclear power station. Mr Fagan has offered to represent Austrian anti-nuclear activists in their crusade against Temelin - for free - as they try to get the plant shut down. has the story:

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.

On Monday the Czech government approved a National Employment plan for 2001, updating the National Employment programme for 1999. Its focal points include support for job creation and re-qualification, protection against illegal employment and improving conditions for small and medium sized businesses.

A new book about the history, culture and contemporary plight of the Czech Republic's large Roma minority has just hit the bookshelves.

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.

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.

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: