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It may go into the book of world records as one of the largest gatherings of heart transplant patients ever. Cardiologists called a meeting for the press to meet transplant survivors in hopes to raise awareness of the importance of organ donation. The meeting also marked the 500th heart transplant performed in the Czech Republic. 300 are still alive.

Exactly six months after seventy-five Cuban dissidents were thrown into prison to serve six to twenty-eight year sentences, a new Czech-based organisation has been launched to support dissidents under the Castro regime. The International Committee for Democracy in Cuba was formed under the initiative of former Czech President Vaclav Havel, and currently has thirteen members, including former Czech foreign ministers, prime ministers and members of parliament, most of whom are already involved in Cuban issues and have been working with representatives

The recent case of a ten year old boy who ended up in hospital with a nervous breakdown as his divorced parents battled over visiting rights, has fuelled awareness among Czechs of the different ways in which a child can be abused by those closest to them. It was only after the fall of the communist regime that social workers and the media could speak openly about the extent of child abuse in this country. Even so many Czechs still find it hard to accept the fact that children who ostensibly appear to be well looked after may be suffering private

The summer might be coming to an end but one man who might be still feeling the heat is Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla. With a majority of one seat in parliament, he's trying to push forward a radical (well radical-ish) package of spending cuts, pass a budget with a record deficit of 118 billion crowns, and now faces a vote of no-confidence from the opposition Civic Democrats. Things aren't being made any easier by one Josef Hojdar, an MP for Mr Spidla's Social Democrat party. Mr Hojdar says he won't support the reform package, a decision which

This week 350 athletes from nearly 40 countries as far afield as Japan and Canada have come together in the Czech Republic. The Czech Paralympic Committee is hosting the Open European Cycling Championships for athletes with disabilities, one of the most significant cycling events to be hosted by the Czech Republic since the fall of communism. David Vaughan brings the following report.

The Czech lands have a long history of ore mining, with the first attempts dating back to the Stone Age. Although the Czech Republic's metal deposits have not been exhausted, its mining industry is being phased out. The last operating uranium mine will be closed down in two years. A comprehensive study called "Ore and Uranium Mining in the Czech Republic" has just been published; the study looks back at the history of mining in the Czech lands and describes the evolution in mining technology, as well as the impact of mining on the environment.

In recent years, computer skills have gone from being a great asset to a basic requirement, and nowadays it's very hard to get a job if you are not computer literate. While more and more people can use computers, employers in the Czech Republic complain that many job applicants still do not know how to write a document or create a simple table on computers.

On Saturday thousands of trade union members from all corners of the Czech Republic converged on Prague for the biggest workers' protest seen in the city for six years; some estimates said up to 20,000 took part. The unions are fiercely opposed to planned government cutbacks intended to address the country's record budget deficit. However, after a meeting on Sunday, the leaders of the three parties in the governing coalition said they would make only small changes to their planned reforms.

Is the dog really man's best friend? The death of an 18 month baby girl, mauled to death by the family dog, has shocked the nation and left many people wondering whether this nation of dog-lovers really knows what it is doing.

The government-proposed package of public finance reforms is in the focus of attention again. While economists and businessmen say the reforms are not radical enough and will do little to boost the economy, trade unionists say the measures will affect the country's poorest. And that's why members of the country's two largest trade union associations will converge on Prague on Saturday to stage a massive protest against the reforms.