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It might seem incredible, but an estimated one in six cars in the Czech Republic could be stolen or at least contain stolen parts. That's according to shocking new figures released by the Association for the Protection of Car Owners, or SOVA. The organisation claims there are almost half a million stolen cars on the roads.

Until now, property owners in the Czech Republic have had to bear the responsibility for the clearing sidewalks in front of their buildings, in the winter removing ice and snow. Those that refused, risked fines - or even potential lawsuits - from anyone breaking their arm or leg on a slippery patch. Now, a senator from the ruling Civic Democratic Party is proposing an amendment that could see all that change: with responsibility for sidewalks transferred from property owners to municipalities, regions, and the state.

For the last three years, the Czech Ministry of Trade and Industry has poured millions of crowns into supporting the country's female entrepreneurs. As recently as last month, the ministry was coming out in praise of the 'Women in Enterprise' initiative and its results. But now it has been decided that when the scheme ends in October, it will not be renewed.

Since 1994, the Czech Interior Ministry and NGO People in Need have been working to repatriate Kazakhstan's ethnic Czechs. So far, over 700 have been brought back to the Czech Republic. This week, the Czech Interior Ministry upped the pace, asking for more money to carry out the repatriations, and promising to have the remaining 170 expats home by October. So far, so good - 57 of the final 170 touched down at Prague's Ruzyne airport on Thursday. Rosie Johnston has the story:

This week was without question an important one for US-Czech relations. The reason? On Wednesday both houses of the US Congress agreed on changing US legislation to allow potential exceptions within the country's visa waiver programme. Under the proposed changes, it is thought Czechs could begin travelling visa-free to the US in two years time. Initial reports were even more optimistic, citing a one year timeframe. But there the Czech Foreign Ministry has expressed caution, saying such a timetable was probably unrealistic.

The news of the recent doping scandal at the legendary Tour de France has received so much coverage that even those with no interest in sport could hardly fail to notice. As a result of the scandals, some of the main partners of the legendary cycling race have begun considering pulling out of sponsorship. One of them is the biggest Czech carmaker Skoda Auto, which has been the tour's main official partner for the past four years.

Surveys in recent years have suggested that the use of soft drugs in particular is relatively common in the Czech Republic. Various measures have been taken to combat the trend, including an unusual system of testing that has been introduced at a school in the South Bohemia region. It is not the pupils themselves that are being tested, but the surfaces, such as desks, with which they come into contact.

'Strc prst skrz krk' means 'stick you finger through your throat', and is one of the harder Czech phrases to get one's mouth around. This chronic lack of vowels, combined with a difficult case-system, gives Czech its reputation as a fiendish language to learn. But now foreigners wanting to live here on a long-term basis are going to have to take the bull by the horns and learn the language if they are to succeed. The Czech government is proposing to introduce a language test for people applying for permanent residency.

A happy-looking mother and baby are all over Thursday's newspapers here in the Czech Republic. But they aren't just any mother and child; the new mum is MP Lucie Talmanova, while the babe in her arms is the son of the prime minister, Mirek Topolanek. On Wednesday the Civic Democrat leader announced he would seek a divorce. This may not be so easy, though, as his wife has so far refused to give her consent.

In early 2006 the Prague Public Transit Company (Dopravni Podnik) added 12 slinky new trams designed by Porsche to its fleet. Though Czech stalwart Skoda still made the trams in its Pilsen factory, this was the first time it had handed over the design to somebody else. As such, there was a great deal of anticipation. But since their introduction the trams have created a mixed reaction here in Prague, and now the Public Transit Company is to make changes to the 12 existing trams. Jan Svoboda is a spokesperson for the Public Transit Company, he explains