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The completion of the world’s tallest building, the Burj Dubai, made scores of international headlines this week. Among those who took part in the huge project in the United Arab Emirates was a Czech firm called Pega Hoist, whose high-speed construction elevators were used throughout the building stage. One, even remains permanently, some 600 metres off the ground.

A legendary Czech exile from communism and radio broadcaster has died. Ivan Medek’s voice became a vital link to the outside world after he began broadcasting back to his homeland at the end of the 1970’s. With the collapse of communism, Medek came back to try and recreate a better society.

As of January 1 the law enables Czech judges to mete out an alternative form of punishment to light offenders: house arrest. It was to have been an easy solution to the problem of overcrowded prisons, but a lack of functional electronic bracelets has given the Justice Ministry a new headache.

An overwhelming majority of Czech school children choose English as their first foreign language but there is often no one to teach them. A recent report by the Czech School Inspection has shown that Czech schools are facing a serious lack of qualified English teachers as well as native English speakers.

The Czech shooter Kateřina Emmons made headlines around the world in August 2008 when she won the first gold medal at the last Olympics in Beijing. Since then she and her husband Matt – also one of the world’s leading shooters – have had their first child, a girl named Julie. Right now Kateřina Emmons is home in the Czech Republic, ahead of the start of the season. When we spoke, I asked her how she had found returning to competition since having a baby.

Former Czech president Václav Havel headed a delegation to the Chinese embassy to protest against the harsh prison sentence handed down by the Chinese government to a leading dissident. The dissident was one of the co-authors of a petition calling for greater human rights to be granted by the Chinese authorities. That petition was inspired by a Czechoslovak campaign for respect of human rights under the former Communist regime.

The outgoing Prague archbishop, Cardinal Miloslav Vlk, has looked back on his career, discussing key hurdles and turning points in an interview published on his website on Tuesday. In the past, the cardinal has been strongly self-critical – this time he also assessed a number of the successes.

It appears that Czech politicians have discovered the power of the Internet. But while elsewhere the medium has revolutionized campaigning thanks to its interactivity, in the Czech Republic it has acquired the form of gauche New Years’ greetings from politicians, boring web sites and fraudulent web pages ridiculing the politician or party in question. Three political parties have distanced themselves from websites bearing their name. Political analyst Jiří Pehe says that while the Internet affords tremendous possibilities, Czech politicians simply

The Supreme Administrative Court has set an important precedent. Reviewing an appeal case in late December, it ruled that in future foreign nationals seeking asylum in the Czech Republic should be allowed to pick their defense attorney rather than have one appointed for them.

Burning waste including plastics in one’s stove or wood/coal furnace is not uncommon in Czech villages, despite damages to air quality and obvious health risks. According to sources such as the daily Právo, burning inappropriate materials is practiced by thousands around the country, without fear of repercussion. The reason? Current legislation does not allow the authorities to intervene in the case of private homes: that is something they can only do in the case of small businesses.