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President Vaclav Klaus launched his latest book on Wednesday, this time aimed at what he called the "hysteria" surrounding the debate over global warming. Mr Klaus claims that the debate has been hijacked by politicians and environmentalists, who are using what he describes as a "controversial hypothesis" to justify curtailing personal freedom and economic growth.

Nuselsky most is one of the Czech capital's most important bridges; it carries the metro to the huge Prague 4 area, as well as providing one of the city's main road connections. But it also has a darker side: it has become notorious for suicide, with hundreds dying here since the bridge was built in the 1970s. The authorities say the problem has recently been getting even worse - and have just announced a new plan to deter would-be suicides.

The birth of a child is an unforgettable event in a woman's life and increasingly Czech women are convincing their partners to attend the birth and make the shared moment of happiness even more special. However many hospitals in the country still frown on the practice of allowing anyone to "get in the way" of what they perceive as a strictly medical procedure. The country has one of the lowest birth rates in the world - but many Czech women say they want more.

The financial daily Hospodarske noviny carries a long article on Tuesday about the problem of labour shortages in the Czech Republic, the latest coverage of a much-discussed issue in this country. The estimates are gloomy, and the government's attempts to counter the problem don't seem to be bearing much fruit. But is the situation really that bad, and will fresh attempts to attract foreign employees work?

At a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday, Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg took time off from the official talks to try and resolve a drawn-out bilateral problem with neighboring Austria. In a private meeting with his Austrian counterpart, Ursula Plassnik, Mr. Schwarzenberg said that Czech patience with continuing Austrian border blockades by anti-nuclear activists was running thin. He warned that if Austrian opponents of the Temelin nuclear power plant continued to restrict free movement at the Czech -Austrian border

Madeleine Albright, the Prague-born former United States secretary of state, is celebrating her 70th birthday. Born Marie Jana Korbelova on May 15 1937, she was forced to flee her native country twice, first from the Nazis, then from the Communists. Her career reached a peak in 1997, when she became the first woman in history to head the US State Department.

The story of an eight-year-old boy who was cruelly tortured by his own mother - very likely with the silent consent of other members of the family - has sent shock waves across the country. Since that news broke other disturbing revelations about the family have come out, but much still remains unclear.

The Labour and Social Affairs Minister Petr Necas said this weekend that if the government's public finance reforms are adopted, unemployment could fall below five percent. It's certainly not an unrealistic target - Czech unemployment dropped to 6.8 percent in April, the lowest figure since new calculation methods were adopted in 2004. The country's jobless data also compare favourably to its neighbours - booming Slovakia, for example, still has 16 percent unemployment and even the EU average is 8.2 percent. So who should receive the credit for

A short ceremony was held in Prague on Friday morning to commemorate the thousands of Russian émigrés who were illegally abducted by the Soviet secret police at the close of World War Two. The abductions began as soon as the Red Army began to liberate Czechoslovakia in 1944, and continued long after the Soviets arrived in Prague in May 1945. It's one of the most mysterious chapters in Czechoslovakia's 20th century history, but their fate has not been forgotten.

Mirek Topolanek's Civic Democrat-led government has been one of the biggest critics of the proposed European Constitution treaty. The government claims that smaller countries like the Czech Republic will lose decision-making power under the treaty's new voting system. Since Prague's chances of pushing through an amendment are minimal, the Czech cabinet has now come up with a proposal that would give member states the right to veto certain decisions made in Brussels.