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The Czech Republic is, in terms of hectares sown, the world's largest producer of poppy seed, Mlada fronta Dnes reported. It was also the biggest producer in 2006, the paper said. The area planted with poppy has increased from around 10,000 hectares in the 1990s to seven times that today. The rise is attributed to higher wholesale prices for poppy seed and favourable climactic conditions.

The expected incidence of bark beetle due to a hurricane in January could actually help restore and diversify forests in the Sumava National Park more quickly, Environment Minister Martin Bursik said during a hearing at the Senate. Mr Bursik said spruce monocultures were a bigger threat to south Bohemian forest areas than the bark beetle. Some experts contend, however, that trees afflicted with bark beetle - which often attack trees already weakened by other causes - should be destroyed before the beetle spreads to other areas.

The annual Respekt festival of world music has begun in Prague. This year's festival was opened on Wednesday by Czech-born singer Marta Topferova, who performs Latin American music. The highlight of the programme is expected to be a two-day event on Prague's Stvanice Island in the middle of June featuring performers from Mali, Nigeria, Holland and Brazil.

President Vaclav Klaus has said that the government-proposed public finance reform is "a step in the right direction, albeit a small one". Speaking on Czech Television on Wednesday, Mr Klaus said he would prefer more radical changes but as a political realist he sees that the current proposal is the only possibility. President Klaus also said that if the reform package is approved by parliament, he will sign it into law.