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An archaeological expedition organised by the National Museum has made remarkable finds in the area of Wad ban Naqa – ruins dating back to the Kingdom of Meroe in today’s Sudan. The Náprstek Museum is currently holding talks on the expedition’s progress after the first two seasons, including research at a temple dedicated to Nubian lion gods. They have also been studying a circular structure whose origins have remained a mystery since it was first excavated in the 1950s.

Germany’s Federal Statistical Office recently released an analysis which says that the Czech population is the least threatened by poverty of all the EU member states. According to data from 2008, some 8.6 percent of Czechs, or over 900,000 people, face poverty risk. But critics say these numbers have little relevance, and poverty is looming over many more Czechs. Jan Richter has the details.

As the government struggles to find a solution to a looming crisis in the health sector, hospitals around the country are bracing for the worst. Over 3,800 doctors have handed in their notice in protest against low wages and as of March, when the resignations take effect, many state hospitals and clinics may find themselves in big trouble – to the point of being unable to provide acute care. One of the worst affected areas is said to be the field of pre-and-post-natal care and expectant mothers are scrambling to register at hospitals where they

How do Czechs’ foreign language skills compare to those of other European nations? At first glance, good – squarely within the European average. But in a small country with an above average need for foreign language skills, good may not be good enough, and in some cases there are more jobs than there are linguistically qualified job-seekers to take them.

A fierce battle has pitted environmentalists against plans for the long term management of the country’s biggest forestry company. Environmental groups say the plans basically give a blank cheque to big timber companies to exploit large areas with no real regard for nature preservation or the future of forests.

The first Czech attempt at a private TV news station has failed after the business news channel Z1 abruptly ended its broadcasts Monday. The station’s owner, the J&T finance group, said the move was forced by poor advertising revenues. Z1, which opened with ambitions to compete with the state-run 24-hour news channel, ČT 24, shuts down with a loss of around 600 million crowns.

Interior Minister Radek John on Monday appointed Petr Lessy the country’s new police chief, ending a drawn out dispute within the governing coalition over how the post should be filled. Although a potential government crisis was successfully averted, pundits say the highly-publicized controversy has shown just how deep the rifts go in the Czech coalition government.

Czech tennis player Tomáš Berdych played in the quarterfinal match at the Australian Open on Tuesday, the furthest the sixth-seeded player has ever gotten in the Grand Slam tournament. But if he had played well so far, he hit a wall in the form of Serbian opponent Novak Djokovic at the Rod Laver arena in Melbourne.

Last year the Czech Republic saw no shortage of political drama in national, municipal and Senate elections; 2011 has so far been quieter, but in one area at least things will soon heat up: within the Social Democratic Party, which will choose a new chairman in March. Two candidates – acting leader Bohuslav Sobotka and regional governor Michal Hašek – will face each other in a leadership battle to decide the direction of the opposition party in the years to come. At the weekend, seven of the party’s 14 regional organisations backed Mr Hašek, while

A group of Czechs whose ancestors once settled a region in today’s Ukraine, only to come back empty-handed after the Second World War, are now asking the Czech government for help. They would like to get at least partial compensation for their long-gone property. But Czech officials say they cannot help, so the case might end up at the European Court for Human Rights.