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People around the world have been marking the first anniversary of the tsunami disaster in south east Asia. Here in the Czech Republic eight families recalled the loss of loved ones, and many others said a silent prayer for the thousands of victims who lost their lives in the disaster. Also being remembered at the moment is the great charity shown by Czechs following the terrible disaster.

The BBC's Czech service announced the end of the station's current affairs broadcasts on Friday. Newscasts are to continue until the end of January when the Czech service, which has been on the air for 66 years, will fall silent. Earlier this year the BBC World Service announced sweeping changes to its programming, axing ten of its language services, mostly in Central and Eastern Europe, in order to redirect funds to the Arab world. The news has come as an unpleasant surprise to many devoted listeners, and worse still, there are now fears that

It's the end of the year and many people are taking the opportunity to look back over 2005, including demographers, who have found a surprising discrepancy in data regarding the size of the Czech population. Around 100,000 babies have been born in the Czech Republic this year. The country has accepted 28,000 immigrants, and overall the population increased by almost 26,000 people. But just how many inhabitants does the Czech Republic have?

One of the most outstanding Czech fighters against Nazi rule during the war, General Rudolf Pernicky, has passed away at the age of 90. A former paratrooper who was later jailed by the Communist authorities and rehabilitated only after the fall of the regime in 1989, died on Wednesday after a long illness in the Central Military Hospital in Prague.

Czech Television have announced that it's axing its popular satirical TV show Bez Obalu - which loosely translates as Unwrapped. Many observers immediately cried foul, pointing to the frequent complaints from politicians and claiming Bez Obalu had become a victim of political pressure. But that's not the view held by the show's creators, among them journalist Milos Cermak.

Santa's on his way and this year he's having to make many a stop over at private clinics to pick up gift certificates for bigger breasts, longer hair or liposuction treatments. The things people want for Christmas follow western trends and while five years ago the ultimate gift was a holiday in the Caribbean, now people want a gorgeous new body to take there.

The cries of little Do have won the hearts of children's ward staff at a hospital in the North Bohemian town of Most. Do was born prematurely and had to spend months in an incubator. He suffers from a high blood sugar level and has to undergo eye surgery. His parents are from Vietnam but have been living in the Czech Republic for several years now. When Do was born, his parents weren't Czech citizens and due to Czech law, their son had no health insurance.

The lower house approved landmark legislation on Tuesday which would phase out the controversial system of regulated rents. The bill, if it is approved by the Senate and signed by the president, would see sharp rent rises in some 700,000 rent-controlled flats.

Every year, almost a million Christmas trees are sold in the Czech Republic. Soon after the holidays people throw them away and the trees have to be disposed of as waste. For the sixth year running, environmentalists in Brno are offering people the chance to buy live Christmas trees which can be replanted outdoors after Christmas. Also, they've chosen one particular type of conifer, once plentiful in the Czech lands but now on the verge of extinction.

There was great excitement when a baby gorilla was born in Prague Zoo exactly a year and a week ago today, the first time ever a gorilla was born in the Czech Republic. It's a girl, the zoo announced proudly, and gave the baby primate the Swahili name, Moja, meaning "the first".