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The summer might be coming to an end but one man who might be still feeling the heat is Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla. With a majority of one seat in parliament, he's trying to push forward a radical (well radical-ish) package of spending cuts, pass a budget with a record deficit of 118 billion crowns, and now faces a vote of no-confidence from the opposition Civic Democrats. Things aren't being made any easier by one Josef Hojdar, an MP for Mr Spidla's Social Democrat party. Mr Hojdar says he won't support the reform package, a decision which

In recent years, computer skills have gone from being a great asset to a basic requirement, and nowadays it's very hard to get a job if you are not computer literate. While more and more people can use computers, employers in the Czech Republic complain that many job applicants still do not know how to write a document or create a simple table on computers.

The Czech lands have a long history of ore mining, with the first attempts dating back to the Stone Age. Although the Czech Republic's metal deposits have not been exhausted, its mining industry is being phased out. The last operating uranium mine will be closed down in two years. A comprehensive study called "Ore and Uranium Mining in the Czech Republic" has just been published; the study looks back at the history of mining in the Czech lands and describes the evolution in mining technology, as well as the impact of mining on the environment.

Is the dog really man's best friend? The death of an 18 month baby girl, mauled to death by the family dog, has shocked the nation and left many people wondering whether this nation of dog-lovers really knows what it is doing.

On Saturday thousands of trade union members from all corners of the Czech Republic converged on Prague for the biggest workers' protest seen in the city for six years; some estimates said up to 20,000 took part. The unions are fiercely opposed to planned government cutbacks intended to address the country's record budget deficit. However, after a meeting on Sunday, the leaders of the three parties in the governing coalition said they would make only small changes to their planned reforms.

Just beneath Prague Castle on Nerudova Street a colourful and cosy shop is bringing Romany culture to people who might otherwise never come across it. Called the Obchudek, or Little Shop, Romen, it sells Romany music, jewellery, art, books and clothing. Pavlina Radlova, herself a Romany, describes the reaction of visitors to the only shop of its kind in the Czech Republic.

The government-proposed package of public finance reforms is in the focus of attention again. While economists and businessmen say the reforms are not radical enough and will do little to boost the economy, trade unionists say the measures will affect the country's poorest. And that's why members of the country's two largest trade union associations will converge on Prague on Saturday to stage a massive protest against the reforms.

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.

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

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