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The European Commission this July estimated it will cost 6.1 billion euros each year to finance Natura 2000, a cross-border project that seeks to protect Europe's finest wildlife sites. The goal is to coordinate the preservation of the natural habitats of endangered birds, wild animals and plant species throughout the European Union. Czech conservationists say that had Natura 2000 been in place a few decades ago, the call of the 'Great Bustard,' for one, could still be heard in Czech fields today.

The Czech Senate on Thursday approved the adoption of the European arrest warrant, introduced in some EU states for the first time last year. However, the decision to use the EAW, as it's known in short, came only after several months of heated debate. Some politicians say the EAW takes away a country's right to protect its citizens. Dita Asiedu, has been following the discussions.

The death was announced earlier this week of Alexandr Hackenschmied, one of the leading figures in the Czech avant-garde in the early 20th century. The renowned photographer and filmmaker died at the age of 96 in New York, the city he had called home since for over 60 years.

The second batch of Czech soldiers left for Greece on Wednesday to take part in the massive security operations at the Olympic Games in Athens. In all, some 100 Czech soldiers specialised in anti-biological and chemical warfare will guard the city from August 1 to September 30, when the Paralympics end. The one million Euro mission (30.3 million Czech crowns) is to be covered by the Czech Republic, Greece, and the NATO alliance.

The Senate has proposed that state honours be granted to the resistance group of the Masin brothers, who fought their way out of Communist Czechoslovakia in the early 1950s. But the issue is not without controversy, and not everyone believes they deserve such recognition.

The three parties of the emerging coalition government have agreed on policy priorities for the future and are now in the process of deciding personnel matters: the division of seats in the future Cabinet. One of the hot seats is that of outgoing Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda. His chances of retaining it are very slim indeed. The Social Democrats' main argument against him is that as Czech Foreign Minister he was overly pro-American, at the cost of risking a breach with some European countries. Political analyst Jiri Pehe claims that this is simply

Abandoning an old car without a licence plate in a remote area used to be a common way of getting rid of an unwanted vehicle here in the Czech Republic. But European Union accession has changed the rules for drivers as well as for owners of car breaking yards.

Reports have emerged recently that part of the controversial missile defence shield currently being built by the United States could be located here in the Czech Republic. The project, nicknamed "Son of Star Wars," is intended to protect the US and its allies from ballistic missile attack. News that Czech authorities have been in talks with Washington over basing part of the system here has provoked angry reactions. But how close are the plans to becoming reality? That's a question we put to Deputy Foreign Minister Jan Winkler.

"Silny Kafe", a bittersweet comedy which takes place in that most typical of Czech settings, the weekend chalupa, or cottage, met with a positive response from critics when it opened recently. The remarkable thing about "Silny Kafe" is that it was written and directed not by a Czech, but by a young Icelandic director called Borkur Gunnarsson. I asked Mr Gunnarrson what had brought him to the Czech Republic.

Dagmar Simkova is an artist whose paintings, sculptures and puppets have sold in England, France, Germany, Sweden and even far-away Thailand. Her work, which was "too surreal" for the communist regime, now graces many a private collection both at home and abroad.