For the first time, a work by the famous British street artist Banksy, known for his provocative and socially charged work, is heading to a Czech auction house. His piece, entitled Gold Flag, will be up for bid with a starting price of one million crowns, making it a notable event for art collectors in the country.

The Czech government's austerity policies under Prime Minister Petr Fiala are shaped by both economic necessity and political ideology. Rising inflation, stagnating wages, and a housing crisis have fueled public dissatisfaction, while the deficit continues to grow without significant investments in long-term economic growth. I spoke with Klára Votavová, research fellow at the Europeum Institute of Foreign Policy, to understand the impact of these austerity measures and what to expect from the upcoming budget debate, which is currently taking place in the Chamber of Deputies.

At the opening of an exhibition marking 20 years since the abolition of compulsory military service in the Czech lands, Chief of the General Staff Karel Řehka admitted that the military is struggling to meet its recruitment goals. He said radical action is needed to be taken since the army was becoming uncompetitive on the labour market.

Czechia plans to get involved in Rolls-Royce's small modular reactor program. The investment should be significant and the decision about it will be made in several weeks.

Archaeologists from the Olomouc Archaeological Centre have announced a unique discovery. While conducting a rescue excavation along the future route of the D35 motorway, they unearthed the largest Early Bronze Age burial site of the so-called Nitra culture unearthed to date in Central Moravia.

This October marks 100 years since the publishing of Karel Čapek’s famous travelogue Letters from England. In the summer of 1924, Čapek took an invitation from the British PEN Club and spent two months exploring the country. During his travels, he sent regular columns to Lidové noviny. They were subsequently published as a complete collection and translated into English just a few months later.

Within its sustainable economy goals, Czechia is planning to introduce a deposit-refund system for PET bottles and cans from mid-2025. According to the Ministry of the Environment, the price is expected to be four crowns, but the final price will be set by a decree within an amendment to the Packaging Act.

Pardubice hockey players are expected to have a new home within less than three years. The new multifunctional arena being built is expected to be the largest in the world.

The newly-restored Villa Arnold in the Brno district of Černá Pole offers visitors a unique blend of architecture, history and art. In the close vicinity of the world-famous Tugendhat and Löw-Beer villas, the Villa Arnold by architect Josef Arnold from 1862 has been beautifully restored thanks to the Brno City Museum.

When Audrey Knoth was growing up, there was a great deal that the family did not talk about. There seemed to be huge gaps in their past, and she always worried that this silence might have something to do with her. Only in the last couple of years have Audrey and her brother come to understand why their Czech mother and grandparents came to the United States at the beginning of World War Two. She tells the story of their escape, the reasons behind it and how that discovery has changed her life.