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The Czech Hydrological Institute has issued a warning that groundwater levels as well as river levels are falling to dangerously low levels across the country, with some places such as areas around the rivers Berounka, Litavka and Sázava faring the worst. In some cases, levels are down to 20 percent of normal levels. Dominik Jun spoke with Jan Daňhelka, head of the Hydrological Forecasting Department at the Czech Hydrological Institute to find out more. He began by asking him to describe just how bad he thought the situation was in the Czech

Prague City Hall has just approved a change to the city’s urban plan which includes the conversion of Prague’s oldest train station into a brand new commercial and housing zone. City officials say the project will bring new life to the shabby area on the edge of the city centre, but preservationists worry this might mean the end of Masaryk Station, a unique industrial monument dating from 1845.

The case of a 13-year-old girl who was abused for over a year by the father of her closest friend and recently gave birth to a baby has shocked the nation. On Wednesday the man walked out of court with a three-year suspended sentence – a fact that has children’s rights activists ringing alarm bells and claiming that Czech courts are sending a dangerous signal to potential abusers.

Four Velorex three-wheeler cars are being shipped from the Czech Republic to the US on Wednesday for an expedition across the legendary Route 66. The expedition will kick off from Chicago in early September and, if everything goes according to plan, the Czechoslovak-made veteran cars should reach their destination, Los Angeles, at the end of the month.

The world’s fastest train is currently undergoing trials here in the Czech Republic. The AGV has been developed in France, but testing the train out there would cause too much disruption to French timetables, so its producers are making use of a short track near Prague while they iron out any problems and show the train off to potential customers.

Just days before the start of the Beijing Olympics, Czech athletes, journalists and support staff are arriving in the host city. The Czech Republic is sending a 133-member team, and the first hours spent in the city suggest that these Olympic Games will be a challenge in more ways than one.

Hypothermia as a means of protecting patients in critical condition has been used in hospitals across the Czech Republic for years. Now, first aid workers are introducing it in emergency care. A pilot project, which is currently underway in several Czech regions, aims to prevent brain damage in patients suffering from a heart attack with the help of hypothermia. Karel Cvachovec is the chairman of the Czech Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine:

Prague’s reputation as a tourist hotspot has been viewed as a given for years. But now, new statistics reveal a serious slump in visitor numbers. The reasons are the strong crown and apparently poor services. Can Prague reverse this trend? Or are there serious troubles ahead?

Czechs are paying homage to Russian author and Soviet-era dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn, who died on Sunday. Mr Solzhenitsyn will perhaps best be remembered for opening the eyes of the world to the true brutality of Soviet Russia, but the author is not without his critics.

The eyes of the world are on Beijing where athletes have been arriving for the 2008 Olympic games due to begin this coming Friday. And as the opening ceremony nears human rights activists around the world are stepping up the pressure on the Chinese regime, demanding greater openness and the release of all prisoners of conscience.