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Winter is still holding the country firmly in its grip but the town of Plana, on the Czech Republic's western border has good reason to believe that spring is just around the corner. The first harbinger of spring - the white stork - has just arrived back from the shores of Africa and set up home in the best storks' nest in town.

The Czech president, Vaclav Klaus, is currently in the United States on a private visit. In a surprise move, a meeting between Mr Klaus and US President George Bush was announced at the very last moment. Though it may be scheduled to last only 30 minutes, Tuesday's meeting at the White House is far from insignificant for Vaclav Klaus - it is the first time he has been invited to meet the US president since being elected two years ago.

The Czech health care system guarantees patients, in return for compulsory monthly health insurance payments, free health care. The insurance companies are then obliged to pay doctors. But this nearly always involves a delay. This permanent cash-flow bottleneck has led dentists to lose their tempers. They are now threatening to make patients pay for dental treatment in cash.

On Saturday Prime Minister Stanislav Gross made a public apology for his behaviour in connection with the row over his personal finances that had caused the current government crisis in the Czech Republic. For the time being at least, the crisis seems to be over. But the main opposition party, the right-of-centre Civic Democrats say that an apology is not enough. With their preferences soaring in the polls, they want to initiate a vote of no-confidence in the government, and push for an early election.

A new project to discourage young people from taking drugs has been announced in the Czech Republic. Organisers are convinced that despite the 30 million crown price tag - the "Revolution Train" will have a strong impact on preventing drug abuse. Kate Barrette has more.

The Czech Prime Minister Stanislav Gross went on national television with a public apology to the nation for a scandal over his private finances that threatened to bring down the entire Cabinet. Following weeks of internal discord the three parties in the Czech governing coalition called a temporary ceasefire which would enable the Cabinet to continue functioning. However commentators say that this row is far from over and predict a tough battle ahead for Europe's youngest government leader.

The Czech National Library is setting its sights on an unprecedented prize: a surviving fragment of a translation in Latin of the famous "Chronicle of Dalimil", one of the earliest Czech language chronicles dating back to the 14th century. For three generations the parchment - featuring rich illuminations and text - lay forgotten in a dusty bottom drawer - before being rediscovered by its owners - a prominent Parisian family that has now put it up for auction. The bidding begins at around 200,000 dollars but it has already been estimated that the

With the British six-month presidency of the EU starting in July, the UK Minister for Europe Denis MacShane made a one-day trip to the Czech Republic on Thursday to discuss various European issues with his Czech counterparts. As well as meeting the Czech Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda, Minister MacShane gave a lecture at Prague's Charles University on a matter that has aroused great controversy in both countries - the planned European constitution.

The feuding parties in the government crisis have unexpectedly announced a temporary ceasefire. Two weeks ago the Christian Democrats called on the Prime Minister Stanislav Gross to step down over his domestic financial affairs and he in return threatened to ask the President to sack the three Christian Democrat ministers in the government. After going right to the brink, the Christian Democrats and Mr Gross's Social Democrats have reached an agreement that should put the crisis on hold. Pavla Horakova has been following developments. Pavla, what

70% of all Roma children in the Czech Republic attend special remedial schools. Human rights advocates and Roma groups argue that it is a result of systematic discrimination in the Czech educational system. In 2000, the parents of eighteen Roma students who are now between the ages of 14-21, filed a complaint that their children were transferred to remedial schools as a result of their ethnicity. Their case was dismissed as the Czech courts found that legal procedures had not been violated. Now, these parents represented by the European Centre for