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Czech farmers may face loses amounting to billions of crowns due to the current drought and the Agrarian Chamber is talking about the likely loss of many jobs. The unfavourable weather has only added to other problems, such as the continuing decline in prices that has caused the deepest financial crisis in the agriculture sector in the past 40 years.

The government is facing the second personal change in less than two months. Defence Minister Tvrdik resigned in June over cuts in defence spending, and Justice Minister Pavel Rychetsky is exchanging his ministerial seat for a judge's robe. Pavel Rychetsky's nomination for the post of a Constitutional Court judge has been approved by the Senate and Mr Rychetsky plans to hand in his resignation on Monday. Before leaving office, the outgoing Justice Minister presented his proposal of a comprehensive reform of the Czech justice system.

Indiana Jones look out! Eight young Czechs will be the first people in the world to explore the upper 80 km long part of the Ganges river in India. The adventure on the river which rises high up in the Himalayan mountains, and has a central spiritual meaning in Hinduism, began a week ago. The whole expedition was welcomed by the local inhabitants, and certainly will be a great cultural experience for the kayakers from Prague. Mirna Solic reports:

Earlier this week Czech Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla and a delegation including the foreign minister and the minister of industry and trade, began a week-long official visit to the US. On Tuesday Mr Spidla met with US President George W Bush at a highly-touted meeting at the White House to discuss international relations. Jan Velinger spoke to Czech Radio correspondent Vit Pohanka, - currently in Washington. He began by asking him what had been the dominant issue on the table...

For many tourists, visiting a castle or chateau is an essential part of a trip to the Czech Republic. But some visitors may be disappointed this year, as castle wardens around the country are warning that they might have to close their doors earlier than usual. The reason: a lack of money. On Tuesday castle wardens from around the country handed in a petition to the Senate, drawing attention to their plight. I discussed the issue with Jana Sedlackova, a conservationist at the popular Konopiště castle near Prague.

The Czech defence sector is in dire need of reform. The Defence Ministry's plan to transform the Army into a fully professional one has been dealt a heavy blow by the government, which has drastically cut defence spending as part of an attempt at reducing the state budget deficit and reforming public finances. As a result, Defence Minister Miroslav Kostelka has come up with a new reform plan, which calls for soldiers to be laid off and army bases to be closed down. Steps that shadow Defence Minister Petr Necas says do not go far enough, given that

The Czech Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla has left for a weeklong visit to the United States. He is expected to hold talks with President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and the Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. The topics on the table will be mainly Czech-US economic ties, including the participation of Czech companies in the renewal of Iraq. The Prime Minister is accompanied by Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda, Trade and Industry Minister Milan Urban and Defence Minister Miroslav Kostelka and a delegation of Czech businessmen.

The Czech Cabinet is launching a long term project which should address the negative demographic trend in the Czech Republic - an aging population and a low birth rate. According to statistics, the Czech Republic, whose current population is just over ten million, will lack a total of 420,000 skilled labourers in twenty years' time.

As of Wednesday, the 15-member Czech Constitutional Court will be temporarily reduced in number when the term of eight of its judges expires. New candidates have been announced by President Vaclav Klaus but have yet to be approved by the Senate, which will take 60 days to approve the candidates. However, some concerns have already been raised about the candidates - and their political affiliations. Mirna Solic reports:

The 38th Karlovy Vary International film festival concluded with a grand flourish over the weekend, an awards ceremony that saw the handing out of the grand prize, the prestigious Crystal Globe for Best Picture, as well as awards for Best Director, Actress, and more...