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The Edinburgh fringe is one of the biggest arts festivals in the world, with the Scottish capital more than doubling in population during the three weeks each August when the fringe takes place. Parks, churches and even public toilets are all transformed into venues, attracting performers and visitors from all over the globe. This year, five Czech theatre groups are in Edinburgh to perform at the festival. They are part of the ‘Czech Republic @ The Fringe’ season, coordinated by Ladislav Pflimpfl from the Czech Centre in London. I caught up with

It isn’t an unusual practice: a well-known sports celebrity sets up a line of sports clothing. From a marketing perspective, the idea seems perfect: capitalize on the name-recognition of said sportsperson and either open a bar, sports-shop or even set up a line of clothing. Dominik Hašek, former ice-hockey legendary goalkeeper did the latter. But now it seems that his business venture has hit some bumps in the road. DJ reports:

Beginning in January 2009, foreigners from outside the EU who seek permanent residency in the Czech Republic will have to pass a Czech language exam to qualify for the permit. The authorities have now launched a website with information on the language test, a list of language centres where they can take the exam, as well as places where they can receive a voucher that will entitle them to one exam free-of-charge. And the website also features a sample exam in which seekers of permanent residency can test their Czech language skills.

Czech scientists have made a breakthrough discovery, one that research teams all over the world have been striving for for years. Scientists from the University of South Bohemia have detected the structure of an enzyme that can change the DNA in bacteria. The discovery should in time prevent bacteria from being resistant to antibiotics. Ruth Fraňková spoke to Ruediger Ettrich, the head of the Centre of protein structure and function and one of the people behind the discovery:

Investigations have been continuing into Friday’s tragic train accident near the city of Ostrava which caused seven deaths and dozens of injuries. Over the weekend, Czech Railways also announced a compensation plan for the relatives of the victims running into hundreds of thousands of crowns.

The conflict between Russia and Georgia continued on Monday, as both sides accused each other of launching new military attacks and western diplomats scrambled to negotiate a ceasefire. All eyes were meant to be on Beijing and the Olympic Games this August, but it’s the Caucuses that have grabbed the world’s attention, and the Czech Republic is no exception.

The eyes of the world are on Beijing where the 2008 Olympic Games get underway with a grand opening ceremony on Friday night. Ten thousand sportspeople from 205 countries are taking part. Millions of people have traveled to Beijing to witness what the Chinese promise to be the grandest spectacle in Olympic history. Yet there are also many who are boycotting the games and drawing attention to the situation in Tibet and the extent of human rights violations in China. Olympic Watch, a human rights organization set up in Prague in 2001, has called

Seven people have died and more than sixty are reported injured in a train crash in the eastern part of the Czech Republic. The accident happened at approximately 10:30 am on Friday, some 20 km south of the city of Ostrava, when a Prague-bound Eurocity train from Krakow, in Poland, hit fallen debris from an overhead bridge which had collapsed onto the railway tracks.

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.