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The heaviest snowfalls to hit Prague in thirty years have been making the life of Prague residents difficult, and sometimes even dangerous. Currently, people’s biggest concern is that pieces of snow and ice are melting and falling off roofs around the city, causing serious damage and injuries.

The city of Brno has made up its mind on a contentious issue: the hammer and sickle on a public monument to fallen Red Army soldiers from the Second World War is coming down. In a unanimous vote on Tuesday, the city council decided to end two years of protests and vandalism by removing the still-controversial symbol for good.

Wednesday night will see the opening of the fifth Prague Festival of Short Films. The event will be held at Prague’s Světozor cinema and over the next four days it will offer the best of last year’s short film production from all over the world. The Prague Festival of Short Films was established five years ago by the producers of the international film festival in Karlovy Vary. I spoke to Radka Weiserová, one of the festival’s organizers, about its history and highlights:

The Czech government on Monday passed a new directive raising tolls for trucks by half of the current rate on Friday afternoons, in an attempt to curb heavy traffic on highways into the weekend. The move is not as tough as a previous year-long Friday ban sought by the former government, but one that is acceptable to truckers themselves.

The international aid effort is gathering pace for the victims of the Haitian earthquake, and the Czech Republic is no exception; the government has earmarked over one million dollars and private collections launched by the country’s NGOs have also raised substantial amounts. But there’s been criticism too, with some NGOs expressing frustration at being unable to help.

New data comparing poverty rates across the European Union puts the Czech Republic’s poverty rate at the very bottom of the statistic. Only nine percent of Czechs live at or below the poverty threshold, compared to the European average of 17 percent. But across the European Union, children are most at risk of living in poverty.

Churches, prayer halls and other places of worship will be open to the public until the late night hours on Monday for the Night of Open Churches. Regular church-goers as well as visitors will have a chance to see services, concerts and even film screenings. Although the number of places taking part in the event is relatively small, the organizers say the event is gaining popularity.

A new study has suggested that some 30 percent of Czech men and nine percent of Czech women are problem drinkers, risking a negative impact on their health. The study also found that almost 4 percent of Czech men are alcoholics who need professional help, while the number is 0.3 percent among women.

Headlines around the world have been made by a small Pacific island state’s challenge to plans for a large Czech coal-fired power plant. But Czech environmental groups are also opposing the plant on the grounds that local people will continue to suffer from harmful pollution far into the future.

The Czech government is currently deciding whether to introduce full body scanners at the country’s airports, a move backed by the interior minister. But not everybody is in favour of the security measure. The head of the Czech nuclear safety authority says the risks from the radiation used by the scanners could be too high, and is calling for an alternative approach.