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The Czech defence sector is in dire need of reform. The Defence Ministry's plan to transform the Army into a fully professional one has been dealt a heavy blow by the government, which has drastically cut defence spending as part of an attempt at reducing the state budget deficit and reforming public finances. As a result, Defence Minister Miroslav Kostelka has come up with a new reform plan, which calls for soldiers to be laid off and army bases to be closed down. Steps that shadow Defence Minister Petr Necas says do not go far enough, given that

For many tourists, visiting a castle or chateau is an essential part of a trip to the Czech Republic. But some visitors may be disappointed this year, as castle wardens around the country are warning that they might have to close their doors earlier than usual. The reason: a lack of money. On Tuesday castle wardens from around the country handed in a petition to the Senate, drawing attention to their plight. I discussed the issue with Jana Sedlackova, a conservationist at the popular Konopiště castle near Prague.

The Czech Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla has left for a weeklong visit to the United States. He is expected to hold talks with President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and the Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. The topics on the table will be mainly Czech-US economic ties, including the participation of Czech companies in the renewal of Iraq. The Prime Minister is accompanied by Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda, Trade and Industry Minister Milan Urban and Defence Minister Miroslav Kostelka and a delegation of Czech businessmen.

As of Wednesday, the 15-member Czech Constitutional Court will be temporarily reduced in number when the term of eight of its judges expires. New candidates have been announced by President Vaclav Klaus but have yet to be approved by the Senate, which will take 60 days to approve the candidates. However, some concerns have already been raised about the candidates - and their political affiliations. Mirna Solic reports:

The Czech Cabinet is launching a long term project which should address the negative demographic trend in the Czech Republic - an aging population and a low birth rate. According to statistics, the Czech Republic, whose current population is just over ten million, will lack a total of 420,000 skilled labourers in twenty years' time.

The summer holidays turned sour for 300 Czechs who arrived in Croatia on Saturday, only to find out that their travel agency had not arranged their stay in hotels, or their journey back. According to a 1999 law, insurance against bankruptcy is obligatory for travel agencies. Nevertheless, every year a certain number of Czech tourists find themselves abandoned in foreign countries. The case of the Harmonie Medical travel agency is not the first, and most likely not the last, this year.

The 38th Karlovy Vary International film festival concluded with a grand flourish over the weekend, an awards ceremony that saw the handing out of the grand prize, the prestigious Crystal Globe for Best Picture, as well as awards for Best Director, Actress, and more...

On the anniversary of her birth 70 year ago last Friday, many Czechs remembered Olga Havlova, the first wife of the former Czech president Vaclav Havel. She was a charismatic person who was involved in intellectual dissident actions during the time of communism. Later on, Olga Havlova was heavily involved in humanitarian work with the physically challenged, the sick, the old people and orphans, and was a moral symbol in Czech society.

The Trade and Industry Ministry has published its long term energy policy plan up until the year 2030. It has been tailored to gradually meet all EU criteria, but still aims for maximum self sustainability. The ministry has revised an earlier decision to phase out black and brown coal mining and has plans to build three more nuclear reactors. The concept has come as a shock to environment activists who claim that it would be a serious setback for the Czech Republic. We asked Vojtech Kotecky of Friends of the Earth what his reservations are:

On Thursday Czech Radio became part of the international multimedia project Tesla Planetary Gathering. The project was initiated by Serbian Radio Belgrade, and it aims to create a network of radio stations connecting the towns where Nikola Tesla lived and worked. A newly-installed bust of Tesla, unveiled yesterday in the Czech Radio building, is a memorial to the scientist who established the basic concept of radio technology, a genius who spent a significant part of his scientific and intellectual life at the Technical University in Prague. Mirna