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While parts of northern Europe were battling with strong winds and floods over the weekend, the Czech Republic was basking in warm sunshine. In neighbouring Slovakia temperatures were so high that they brought bears out of their long winter sleep, and here there were reports of primroses coming into flower. David Vaughan reports on a weekend that saw records tumble.

Two weeks after the earthquake disaster in Southeast Asia the search for people unaccounted for continues. So far there has been only one Czech tourist declared dead, but the authorities are seriously worried that eight other people have died, and a total of 14 Czechs are still missing.

Three months ago it caused nothing less than a furore in the Czech Republic: the news that wiretapping of telephones was among the highest in Europe. Following several high-profile tapping cases the country's president himself asked for a full investigation. Now, the police study is complete and both the interior minister and other officials are standing by numbers said to show that tapping in this country is not nearly as high as previously thought.

The Czech public has responded overwhelmingly to the Indian Ocean disaster, giving almost 150 million crowns (five million euros) to date. What is particularly interesting is how donations have been made, with mobile phone text messages by far the most popular method. Indeed, Czechs have made over one million SMS donations, very impressive for a country of 10 million inhabitants. I discussed this novel approach with Pavlina Kalousova of Forum darcu, or the Czech Donors Forum.

For the first time in ten years, the Czech Republic has exported more goods than it imported. Figures released by the Czech Statistics Office show that last November the Czech Republic posted a foreign trade surplus of over 5 billion crowns (218 million dollars) while in the same period of the previous year the country had a foreign trade deficit of 8.4 billion crowns.

Perhaps the world's best-known Romani scholar, Dr Ian Hancock never graduated from high school. A ninth-grade dropout, he nevertheless became the first Roma in British history to receive a PhD. Brian Kenety caught up with the visiting scholar in Prague this week.

One of the most exotic animals you will find in the Czech Republic's pine forests is the lynx - its long ears are like sensitive antennas, its big feet make it a powerful swimmer and its long lean muscles enable silent stalking and speed. Although the lynx usually poses no threat to humans and livestock, this protected animal is a frequent target of illegal hunters. According to some estimates around 500 lynxes have been killed in Czech forests since the 1980s. Vojtech Kotecky of the environmental group Friends of the Earth explains how serious

It's not just the general public that have been raising money to help the flood victims. Many well-known public figures have also been doing their bit. Among them is the famous jazzman and flute player Jiri Stivin, who had a special reason for helping. Mr Stivin was among the Czechs who returned from the disaster-affected regions in recent days. He had planned a long Christmas holiday in Sri Lanka with his girlfriend, but the tsunami disaster brought all that to an end. I met Jiri Stivin after his return and asked him about his personal experience

In terms of its architecture Prague has long ranked as one of the most beautiful capitals in the world, but fifteen years ago it was also a site of devastation: a city full of crumbling facades and long-neglected, run-down buildings. Today it is unrecognisable. Every year since 1989 the city has seen millions of crowns of private investment pour into the restoration of the fabric of the old city, under the cautious supervision of conservation officers. Now the work of Prague's conservation office, as well as some of its successes, and some of the

The Czech Republic has pledged over 300 million crowns in aid to the tsunami devastated region. Over 200 million crowns will come from state coffers, the rest from public donations to humanitarian aid organizations. Several planeloads of emergency supplies have already been flown to the region and now the government and charities are busy outlining longer-term projects. We called Vojtech Ralek of the Czech Catholic Charity to find out how their plans are taking shape.