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The subject of global warming seems to be rarely out of the news these days, with even George Bush - known to critics as the "Toxic Texan" - talking of "the serious challenge of global climate change" in his recent State of the Union address. One of many studies on the issue is currently being prepared by Professor Sid Redner of Boston University, who has been using data on record temperatures from Prague's Clementinum weather station. I asked him why.

The deep forests of the Sumava Mountains in South Bohemia used to abound in spruce trees whose wood was of such high quality that it was used for the production of musical instruments in workshops around Europe. But these legendary tone spruce trees are becoming increasingly rare owing to changes in the environment and forest management.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited Prague on Friday to try and revive talks on the European Constitution agreement. The ratification process was put on hold after the document was rejected in referendums in France and the Netherlands. Germany now holds the EU's rotating presidency and its main goal is to resume discussion. But Ms Merkel did not get the support she needed in the Czech capital:

Someone has damaged a valuable historical artifact on Prague's Charles Bridge. While the sculpture itself remains intact, the golden lettering surrounding the figure was partly destroyed. The police are investigating, but the incident is raising questions about how best to protect the historical treasures of Prague's streets.

Czechs were shocked on Sunday night to hear of the death of Karel Svoboda, one of the country's most popular songwriters. Svoboda - who had written hundreds of hits and film scores - was found dead in the garden of his villa outside Prague. A police investigation into his death suggests he took his own life.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel paid a brief visit to the Czech Republic on Friday to discuss the future of the EU constitution and other issues with Czech prime minister Mirek Topolanek and president Vaclav Klaus. The German Chancellor's visit also coincided with the tenth anniversary of the so-called Czech-German Declaration. This document was signed in Prague ten years ago this week and was drafted to help lay the foundation for modern German-Czech relations.

This week the United States officially petitioned the Czech Republic for authorization to operate a radar base about 35 kilometers southwest of Prague. Today the American ambassador, William Graber, is meeting with mayors from the communities in the vicinity of the planned installation. It's the first chance the local authorities have had to ask the Americans about their plans.

Every year new meteorites are found on different parts of planet Earth. They travel for millions of years and it is usually impossible to say where they came from - but in just one case Czech geologists think they know - North-East Africa 003 is believed to have originally come from the Sea of Rains on the moon.

Just two weeks after it was appointed- and a mere five days after winning a confidence vote in the lower house of Parliament - the country's new centre-right government has run into serious problems. On Wednesday Culture Minister Helena Trestikova unexpectedly resigned and Regional Development Minister Jiri Cunek may be stripped of his immunity on suspicion of having accepted a bribe.

Medecins Sans Frontieres the Nobel-prize-winning humanitarian relief organisation has just opened an office in Prague, a move it hopes will see an upsurge in the number of skilled Czech and Slovak volunteers it can recruit for its missions.