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The European hedgehog is a protected species in the Czech Republic and both a powerful form of pest control, as well at times, a domesticated animal. Unfortunately it is in the summer that a great number of the animals are run-over on local roads or suffer all kinds of injury. Just ask Zdena Dvorska, who has been running a shelter for hedgehogs for years. She told us how she the situation with hedgehogs these days, and described her work at her shelter in the village of Vseradice, near Prague:

The first signs of discontent over potential plans to build a US missile interceptor base on Czech territory made a tentative appearance on Monday, as around one hundred demonstrators gathered in Prague to make their feelings known. The demonstration - organised by Czech and American peace activists - was a tiny one, and briefly descended into a slanging match with a group of Young Communists.

The world's astronomers began gathering in Prague on Monday for a summit which could resolve - among other things - whether Pluto is a planet or simply a big rock floating on the outer edges of the solar system. The Pluto issue is just one of hundreds of topics up for debate over the next 12 days, as the International Astronomical Union holds its first General Assembly meeting in Prague for 39 years.

The National Gallery in Prague received almost half a million visitors last year, and a new proposal by the gallery's director to open doors for free could see that number go through the roof. He wants a budget increase to make that possible - though the Culture Ministry is not in favour. But could a change of government increase chances of free admission at the National Gallery?

Although talks on forming a new government are in the forefront of public attention political parties are gearing up for elections to the Senate - a third of its seats are being contested in October. A complete list of candidates is now available and one thing is clear - parties have put their money on celebrities and charismatic figures, including a fair number of singers, actors and sports people. But will there be any real politics behind the famous faces? A question there for political analyst Petr Just:

News that the British Secret Service had foiled a terrorist plot of immense proportions on Thursday sent shock-waves around the world, and once again heightened awareness of the global threat of terrorism. At Prague's international airport -Ruzyne - it was a day of chaos and uncertainty, as passengers waited for information.

This Saturday marks one hundred years since William Frederick Cody - more famously known as Buffalo Bill - first visited Moravia with his famous "Wild West" touring extravaganza. In his day the show, which featured numerous performers enacting scenes from the American wilderness, made Cody one of the most recognisable men on Earth, and even now the legacy of the famous rider, army scout, and trapper continues to attract countless fans. The Znojmo region in the Czech Republic even boasts a "Buffalo Bill Museum" opened last year on a ranch there known

Prague is the richest city in the former Eastern Bloc, says the Swiss bank UBS in its annual index of the richest cities in the world. For the second year in a row, the Czech capital has an edge over Ljubljana, the Slovenian capital, which ranks 43rd on the index, while Prague is 41st.

These days the area around Slavkov near Brno is probably best-known for recreations of the famous Battle of Austerlitz where Napoleon was victorious in 1805. But on Wednesday it saw excitement of a different nature: numerous police - complete with helicopter circling overhead - searching for clues at the scene of the second largest heist in the country's history. In the area, early on Wednesday, crooks - posing as police - waved down a Brinks truck that thought it was stopping for a routine control check. Within seconds, its occupants were forced

For a relatively small central European country of over ten million, the Czech Republic is doing its share to help needy children in Africa. Over the past four years, Czechs have donated over seven million crowns ($321 000 USD) to UNICEF, and Czech donations make-up three percent of the annual $12 million UNICEF budget in Rwanda. Although the wounds of the genocide in Rwanda are slowing healing, over 60% of the country's 8.2 million inhabitants live below the poverty line, and more than half of Rwanda's total population is younger than eighteen.