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According to statistics close to twenty five percent of four year olds in the developed countries suffer from speech defects and, increasingly, school children suffer from something called Attention Deficit Disorder. Psychologists say both are the result of too much technology, too many hours spent in front of the TV set and the fast pace of life in general...

The history of the scouting movement in the Czech Republic, and the former Czechoslovakia, has been long and difficult. The scouting movement was banned three times, first by the Nazis, then when the Communists came to power in 1948 and then again in 1968, when it emerged as a part of the Prague Spring democratic reform movement crushed by the Russian led invasion of the former Czechoslovakia. After the fall of communism it took root once again, encouraged and supervised by the old generation who recalled their scouting years with nostalgia. Last

Public support for the Czech Republic's accession to the EU has reached an all time high, with 59% of Czechs endorsing the country's efforts to join the EU, 25% against. However when asked how they would vote in a referendum only 48% of Czechs said they would cast their vote in favour of entry, which is a relatively low degree of support. Both the Czech government and the EU's Information Centre in Prague have recently stepped up their efforts to dispel fears of poverty and "second-class" membership which plague many Czechs, especially the elderly and socially weaker groups of the population. In this week's Magazine Daniela Lazarova talks to the head of the EU's Information Centre in Prague Daniela Cervova about Czechs and the EU.

March 28th is Teacher's Day in the Czech Republic, marking the birth of Jan Amos Komenius in 1592. Every year at this time students elect the most popular teacher at their school and join him in a national competition for the coveted title Teacher of the Year. Find out who won and what makes some teachers so special in this week's edition of Magazine with Daniela Lazarova.

Are GM crops and food products adequately tested? And how does the Czech public feel about them? What is the view of Czech scientists? Find out more in this weeks Magazine with Daniela Lazarova .

Cycling in Prague is only done in the suburbs as a recreational activity. Would Czechs ever consider biking to work? Greenways wants to make sure they have that option. And, what are the problems of teaching history in the post-communist states? History teachers from 40 countries meet in Prague to discuss old problems, new projects and teaching aids. Find out more in Magazine on Friday March 15th.

It comes as a shock to many Czechs that some of the prostitutes who hang around the Central Railway Station in the city centre are eight, ten and twelve year olds. Child prostitution is something that the police authorities claim to be only a marginal problem, but according to street-workers who try to help these kids return to a normal life there are many more underage prostitutes than one would guess by just taking a walk through the city centre. Find out more in this week's Magazine with .

A problem that has recently come to the attention of the media is that of Czech women who marry foreigners and are forced to add the Czech feminine suffix "ova" to their married name. There is one legal way of retaining their married name in its original form / for instance: Mrs. Hudson instead of Mrs. Hudsonova/ and that is for them to give up their Czech nationality. Over 500 Czech women have done this but for many others its is unacceptable to barter their nationality for their name...

Last weekend Prague was alive with noise and laughter. There was a carnival atmosphere in the city centre as Czechs celebrated the beginning of Mardi Gras and the Dutch royal wedding. was there.