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The eyes of the world are currently on the Middle East, where the conflict between Israel and Hizbullah in Lebanon shows no signs of abating. The Czech Republic is in the process of forming a new government, so there has been little reaction to international developments. But after an official request from Israel, the outgoing cabinet did find the time this week to decide to provide aid - to both countries caught up in the conflict. Dita Asiedu reports:

Visitors to Prague can get around the city by various means of transport: metro, tram, bus, taxi - and now - Velotrixi. These colourful, three-wheel pedal-driven vehicles can now be seen around the centre of the city, and have become an instant hit since being introduced in May.

Since the Czech Republic joined the European Union two years ago, many Czechs have taken advantage of the chance to work in those states with free labour markets. Perhaps more surprisingly, more and more citizens of other countries in the EU are now choosing to work here in the Czech Republic. Figures just released show a large increase in their numbers in the last twelve months. Dita Asiedu reports:

Every summer we are warned about the risks of spending too much time in the sun. But try to find a spot by the water in the Czech Republic and you may be out of luck. Czechs simply love soaking up the sun's rays. But are they careful enough? Perhaps not - despite the great variety of sunscreen creams on the market, skin cancer in the Czech Republic is on the rise.

From the start of this week two advertisements for Prague have been appearing several times a day on the international TV station CNN, drawing attention to the Czech capital's many charms. The campaign is sponsored by Czech Airlines and is set to run until October; it's Prague's first campaign of this type. At the ads' launch, I spoke to the city's mayor, Pavel Bem, and asked him what kind of tourists he wants to attract to Prague.

The Czech Republic experienced its biggest blackout for three decades on Tuesday, when the country's energy grid collapsed. The reason seems to be the ongoing heat wave which has hit many parts of Europe. A number of large factories had to reduce production and even turn off their air conditioning and lighting.

This Saturday, July 29, is the 150th anniversary of the death of Karel Havlicek Borovksy, regarded by many as the first Czech journalist. Born in the Moravian village of Borov in 1821, Havlicek Borovsky achieved a lot in his short life; he was also a newspaper editor and a very important figure in the Czech National Revival. Ahead of this weekend's anniversary, the Karel Havlicek Borovsky Institute held a ceremony at his grave in Prague on Tuesday. I spoke to the Institute's Vilem Tanzer about its aims, and the legacy of this legendary Czech

Negotiations on the formation of a new Czech government have been going on now for more than seven, very long weeks, with no apparent end in sight. But the protracted horse-trading took an unexpected turn on Tuesday, when the would-be coalition of the Civic Democrats (ODS), the Christian Democrats and the Greens - still one seat short of a majority - made an unexpected move. They offered to adopt the ten key policies from the election manifesto of the left-wing Social Democrats, in exchange for support. The Social Democrats quickly pooh-poohed the

After three days and four nights, fire fighters say they have managed to put out a forest fire in the Ceske Svycarsko (or Bohemian Switzerland) national park in the north of the country. The biggest such disaster there for three decades, the blaze has destroyed some 20 hectares of forestland. Some twenty fire units remain at the site as it is still smouldering and a thick layer of glowing ash threatens to set other trees on fire.

Just days after the Czech Republic's police chief was caught speeding, other senior officials are also in hot water for breaking the rules of the road. A senior traffic officer in north Moravia is under investigation for causing an accident while drunk, while the minister of the interior, no less, has also been accused of breaking the speed limit.