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Rarely does a new law cause so much controversy and yet have so much of an impact. A new points system for driving offences went into effect at the weekend with stunning results - the lowest number of deaths on the road since 1988, and the lowest number of accidents in ten years. That is clearly good news. But, despite this, the new transport law which has caused a minor revolution of Czech roads may not survive in its present form.

The official trailer of the 41st Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. The festival is now in full swing in the west Bohemian spa town of Karlovy Vary. It opened on Friday with the world premiere of "Time", which was presented in person by Korean film director Kim Ki-Duk. By the end of the weekend, over five thousand visitors had already flocked to the festival and some 50,000 tickets had been sold for over eighty screenings. Dita Asiedu is there:

It was a long time coming, but on Saturday July 1st of 2006 gay and lesbian couples across the Czech Republic were finally free to tie the knot. Dozens of them seized on the opportunity to seal their relationship with a civic ceremony on the very first day that this was made possible, others called registry offices to inquire about a date for the wedding.

It was around this time 100 years ago that the modern sewer system of Prague was completed and went into operation. The Eco-technical Museum commemorates the event with tours run by well informed volunteers.

The south Bohemian city of Ceske Budejovice has seen a large influx of foreigners this week, especially Americans of Czech heritage. The annual congress of the Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Science is underway in Ceske Budejovice from June 25th to July 2nd.

The state bail-out agency, the CKA, is frantically looking for 500 million crowns (close to 21 million US dollars) that have disappeared from its accounts. The agency discovered that the money was missing from one of its subsidiaries two months ago. Though the man responsible has been found and a deadline for the money's return has just passed, the half a billion crowns are still lost without a trace. Dita Asiedu reports:

The Social Democrat Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek has announced that he will resign at the start of next week, triggering the fall of his government and opening the way for a new administration. Although the way is now clear for President Klaus to appoint the country's next prime minister - the political stalemate following June's inconclusive general elections may present serious problems.

Since the early 1990s, the Czech Republic has become a destination for a large number of immigrants and refugees from all over the world. Most Czechs recognize that immigration is and will continue to be an increasingly important factor for stemming a declining birth rate and spurring future economic development, but immigrants and refugees often experience great difficulty integrating into Czech society upon arrival. Some, like the Centre for the Integration of Foreigners attempt to ease their transition.

If anyone in the Czech Republic thought they could get away with having a few beers before getting behind the wheel, those times are largely over. On July 1st, new road safety legislation comes into effect - and with it stiffer penalties for drunk drivers.

Rents on around 750,000 flats in the Czech Republic are still regulated by the state. But following years of restitution and privatisation, many apartment buildings are now owned by private landlords who say they cannot cover maintenance costs. A law was approved this year aimed at gradually adjusting rents to their market values. The plan was to increase rents by just over 14 percent a year over the next four years. Until Tuesday that is, when the Local Development Ministry said new figures on market values mean rents will have to rise by just