News
Bad weather causes major problems on Czech roads
Heavy snows and freezing temperatures have been causing problems on roads around the Czech Republic. Local authority workers have been working flat out trying to keep the country's roads open. The main Prague-Brno motorway was blocked for five hours on Wednesday after a collision involving three trucks. While in general the biggest difficulties have been recorded in mountain areas, motorists throughout the Czech Republic have been warned to drive carefully.
Polish, Slovak dentists could fill shortage in Czech Republic, says minister
The health minister, David Rath, says he wants to fill a growing shortage of dentists in the Czech Republic by attracting dentists from the neighbouring states of Slovakia and Poland. But the head of the Czech Dentists' Chamber, Jiri Pekarek, said he could not imagine why Slovak or Polish dentists would come here when they can make more money in Germany, Britain or Sweden.
Paroubek denies "waging war" against Czech media
Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek has denied "waging war" against the Czech media. In an article in Mlada fronta Dnes, Mr Paroubek said occasional disputes with journalists were normal, but only two papers - Mlada fronta and Lidove noviny - had created an impression of "war" between him and the media. The prime minister came in for some criticism recently when a Czech TV current affairs programme was axed after he complained it was biased.
Klaus ill but should make New Year's address
President Vaclav Klaus has had to cancel part of his programme while he receives treatment for a viral infection. However, Mr Klaus, who is 64, is expected to be well enough to make the traditional New Year's Day address to the nation, a spokesperson said.
Number of universities, students much higher than decade ago
The number of universities and students in the Czech Republic has been steadily rising over the last ten years, according to data released on Wednesday by the Institute for Information on Education. A decade ago there were 23 universities, but there are now 60, thanks to a law introduced in 1998 allowing the establishment of private universities. In the last academic year there were over 300,000 third level students in the Czech Republic; the most popular subjects are economics, technology and teaching.
Almost 19 million mobile phones imported over last decade
Since the country's mobile phone networks started in 1996, almost 19 million mobiles have been imported into the Czech Republic, which has a population of 10 million. Hospodarske noviny reported on Wednesday there are 106 SIM cards for every 100 Czechs, and that Czechs keep mobiles for less than two years on average before acquiring a new one.
Weather
The next few days should see snow in many parts of the country with some clear spells. The maximum temperature will be around -2 or -3 degrees Celsius.
