Nikol Bóková: The pianist and composer who wears many hats

News; Government unveils plans to send Czech astronaut to space; Beer consumption in Czechia hits record low; Red tape: Rosamund Johnston digs into Czechoslovak Radio under communism

The Czech government has announced that after nearly half a century, the country is ready to send another astronaut to space. The man preparing for the mission, which is expected to take place in five years’ time, is Czech fighter pilot Aleš Svoboda, a member of the European Space Agency’s astronaut reserve.…

People are drinking much less beer in Czechia than before, a country that is known for its highest beer consumption per capita in the world. Some of the reasons include tighter budgets due to economic uncertainty as well as the rising cost of draught beer. Will this trend continue in the years to come?…

News, US chipmaker Onsemi to make record investment into production in Czechia, biodiversity in Europe declining, Jan Dismas Zelenka

The diversity of plants in Europe's forests, wetlands and meadows is rapidly declining. This long-term trend has been confirmed by data collected by botanists from Masaryk University in Brno in collaboration with their European colleagues. To assess the changes in flora, vegetation and habitats, they created the largest database to date. I asked Mi…

US chip maker Onsemi is planning to invest $2 billion in its production facility in Rožnov pod Radhoštem–the biggest single foreign investment in Czechia’s modern history. The company’s chip production in Czechia would shoot up by hundreds of percent, boosting value-added production, creating thousands of new jobs and contributing more than CZK 6 b…

News; Karlovy Vary’s Och: Steven Soderbergh is one of my dream guests; Czechs surprise at Euros but still fall short against Portugal; Plzeň – cradle of the world-famous golden brew

The Czechs did not manage to secure a point after their game against Portugal, conceding in the 87th minute for a final score of 2:1. However Coach Ivan Hašek believes that they can draw on the game’s positives against their future opponents, particularly Georgia, which they play on Saturday. What are some other takeaways that the Czech national te…

The star guests for this year’s Karlovy Vary International Film Festival – which gets underway in nine days – have just been revealed. Audiences can look forward to Hollywood stars such as Viggo Mortensen, while Oscar-winner Steven Soderberg will be the most successful director in attendance. I discussed the big guests, and more, with the festival’…

The west Bohemian city of Plzeň is without doubt synonymous with beer. It was here that the world’s first-ever Pilsner lager was brewed in 1842. But Plzeň, which has a population of around 170,000 people, has much more to offer than just the golden brew, for instance, the second largest synagogue in Europe or striking interiors designed by the worl…

News, who will the Czech nominee for Euro Commissioner be?, Czechs suffering from news fatigue, interview with Eva Lustigova

The Mayors party, who have a say in the matter under the coalition deal, have announced they will put forward both Danuše Nerudová and Jozef Síkela for next Czech European commissioner – with the government to decide on a candidate by August. I discussed the pair’s chances, and other aspects of the process, with Klára Votavová of the think tank Eur…

Avoidance of the news is at a record high, according to the Oxford-based Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, which produced the 168-page Digital News Report 2024 analysis. Nearly 39 percent of people worldwide said they sometimes or often actively avoid the news, up 10 percent from 2017. So how are Czechs doing in this respect?…

News, summit on Ukraine, Škvorecký exhibition in Toronto, Czech who hitchhiked across the US

The two-day peace summit on Ukraine held in Switzerland over the weekend was attended by 93 countries from around the world. Russia and China were notably absent. And the BRICS member states present failed to sign the joint declaration on the agreement reached. So how effective will it be in paving the ground for peace-talks and what was the Czech …

The Czech-Canadian émigré author and publisher Josef Škvorecký wrote his novels and stories on reams of paper. After his death in 2012, he left behind over 140 boxes of documents, manuscripts and personal correspondence, which he donated to the university library in Toronto. These are rarely shown to the public – but recently they were put on displ…

In-depth interview with Bald and Bankrupt, a British YouTube sensation who started living in Czechia some years ago.

News; Slovak president Zuzana Čaputová receives highest Czech honour on her last visit to Prague; “Unpredictable” is the watchword as Czechs prepare for start of the Euros; actress Róza Andělová on getting into English-language theatre in Prague

Czech President Petr Pavel and his wife Eva received the outgoing Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová and her partner Juraj Rizman at Prague Castle on Thursday. With the trip, Čaputová has concluded her farewell foreign visits before the end of her five-year mandate.

The 2024 European Football Championship gets underway in Germany on Friday and among the two dozen nations taking part are Czechia. But what are the Czechs’ chances of reaching the knockout stages, given that their group also includes Portugal, Greece and Turkey? That’s just one question I put to football journalist David Čermák.…

Róza Andělová is a budding young Czech actress who studied French and English literature at Charles University. Magdalena Kadula invited her to Radio Prague’s studio to talk about her work, the opportunities for English-speaking actors and actresses in Prague and how she happened to get into acting in the first place.…

News, Czechia to open labour market to 9 non-EU states, government moves to ban corporal punishment of children, interview with Deputy Foreign Minister Jan Marian

The Czech government has moved to open the labor market to foreign workers from nine countries outside of the European Union. As of July 1, foreign workers from the selected states will no longer need employment cards or work permits in Czechia.

This weekend representatives of 90 or so states will be taking part in a conference at the Bürgenstock Resort in Switzerland aimed at finding a route to sustainable peace in Ukraine. Specifically the event will focus on issues such as nuclear safety and security, food safety and prisoner exchanges and the protection of civilians. Formally named the…

The Czech government has approved a proposed amendment that would outlaw corporal punishment of children. Czechia is one of the last EU member states to adopt such a regulation and while there will be no sanctions for breaking it, child experts hope it will change age-old habits.

News, domestic violence and excessive drinking, noise pollution from music concerts, famous Czech goalie Petr Cech

Some seven percent of children and adolescents in Czechia witnessed or directly experienced repeated domestic violence last year. This behaviour is often linked to excessive alcohol consumption. Experts across the board are currently drafting an action plan regulating access to alcohol and reducing alcohol-related damage.…

Under pressure to decide the never-ending battle between outdoor concert organizers and local residents regarding excessive noise, the Czech Health Ministry has ruled in favour of the culture scene. In a statement published on its web page, the ministry argues that short-term exposure to loud music is a nuisance, rather than a health risk.…

News; “Russian” sabotage highlights security concerns; Only 20 percent of plastic bottles sorted for recycling end up in recycling centres; Interview with Eva Lustigová

News; Czech opposition and protest parties make a strong showing in the European elections; veteran Jawa 750 sports car to take part in 1000 Miles of Czechoslovakia race after 90-year break; pundit: EP election results sober awakening for the ruling parties

Interview with Eva and Rob McLean, a Czech-US couple who have fostered 12 babies in as many years; Lucia Moholy, the Prague-born artist who photographed the Bauhaus.

News; This year’s Smetana Litomyšl promises to be biggest yet; Genre-busting Prague Sounds festival reveals 2024 bill; Czechs in the EU: Czechia’s performance at the helm of the EU

News; Four die in Czechia’s most tragic two-train crash in decades; Photographer Bohumil Dobrovolský, who captured 1968 invasion, dies at 89; Rosa Bohemica music festival; Czechs in the EU: Czechia’s performance at the helm of the EU

News, D-Day celebrations, 3D printers in hospitals, Czechs in EU series

News; scheme to help Ukrainian refugees return; USE-IT map makers from around Europe meet in Prague; Presidents Klaus and Zeman in relation to Czech EU membership.

News; campaigning intensifies as Czechia counts down to the Euro elections; On the Road with Kafka: a new book reveals places linked to the famous Prague-born Jewish writer; Czechs in the EU: Václav Havel’s legacy

Interview with Michal Horáček, a successful song lyricist who has been a journalist, was active in the Velvet Revolution, became a gambling mogul and ran for president.

News; NATO meeting of foreign ministers; Prague Spring to host unique concert for 50 pianos; Interview with Civic Democratic Party EP election candidate Ondřej Krutílek

News; Czech experts make Atlas of Climate Change available internationally; exhibition highlights Prague-born Bauhaus photographer; ANO candidate for European elections.

News; EU leaders pledge increased support for Ukraine at Prague meeting; “Not just about music”: Khamoro festival highlights diversity of Romani culture; interview with Freedom and Direct Democracy EP election candidate Petr Mach

News; debut directors, Geoffrey Rush and “Pig Slaughter” set for Karlovy Vary film festival; concert performance of Libuše to mark Smetana’s 200th anniversary at Prague Spring festival; interview with Mayors and Independents EP election leader Danuše Nerudová

News; “I never thought I’d do a knee-slide”: Pastrňák drives Czechs to gold on home ice; nine-year-old boy leads annual Ride of the Kings in Vlčnov; interview with Pirate Party EP election leader Marcel Kolaja

Daniel Matejča on coming into his own and developing his craft

News; Goalie help Czechs reach semis at hockey worlds; Exhibition highlights South Bohemia’s Celtic past

News; Prague Fringe; Efforts to save unique mosaic; Swedish Chapel in Opava; The death and legacy of Franz Kafka

News, shells for Ukraine initiative, Czech divas at the Met exhibition, polyamorous relationships, Harrachov glassworks

News; Book World Prague 2024 has more to offer non-Czech readers than ever before; Czechia in the grip of hockey mania; Heartcore: award-winning graphic novel examines modern-day relationships

News; Architect Jiřičná’s biggest project set for Prague; Czech scientists turn chicken feathers into liquid fertilizer; Translator Mark Harman: Kafka’s imagination anticipated the world in which we live

Ukrainian defence minister: We can win this war, but we need support; “For Czechs, hockey is more than a sport”: New exhibition presents hockey through the ages