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UK historian Mark Cornwall is an expert on Czech-German relations and the late Habsburg Empire. His book The Devil’s Wall explores the previously little-known story of Heinz Rutha, an associate of Sudeten German leader Konrad Henlein whose sexuality led to criminal charges. Cornwall is currently preparing one book that should be entitled Queer Bohemians and another on treason under Austria-Hungary. We spoke during a recent visit he made to Prague.

This week’s Sunday Music Show is focused on the new vinyl record Traxler 110, which will receive its ceremonial christening at the Gala Evening of the Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union on September 26, 2022. The record is dedicated to the Czech-Canadian singer, arranger and pianist Jiří Traxler, who co-defined the Czechoslovak First Republic’s swing music era.

Friday sees the start of the 2022 municipal and Senate elections in Czechia. Voting booths are open on Friday from 2pm to 10pm and on Saturday from 8am to 2pm. In those districts where a Senate candidate does not receive more than 50 percent of the vote, a subsequent second round of elections will take place a week later.

Following President Putin’s announcement of a partial mobilisation on Wednesday, there were reports of thousands of Russians leaving the country to avoid the call-up. Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský has said that Russians fleeing their homeland for this reason do not fulfil the conditions for a humanitarian visa in the Czech Republic.

Recent weeks have seen important events take place in relation to the war that Russia has unleashed on Ukraine, whether it be the successful Ukrainian counter-offensive in the Kharkiv region, or Vladimir Putin’s Wednesday announcement of a partial mobilisation in Russia. To find out more about the wider ramifications of the current situation on the global balance of power, I spoke to Dr Jan Kofroň, an international relations and security expert at Charles University. He said that Russia’s partial mobilisation comes far later than it should have.

A recent public opinion survey of Czech attitudes to environmental issues suggests that, on the whole, Czechs care about the environment and most do not doubt that anthropogenic climate change is happening. But when it comes to concrete measures to combat it, they cannot agree.

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský addressed the 77th session of the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday urging delegates to defend the UN Charter and stop Russia’s colonial war against Ukraine. In an emotive speech to the assembly he said now was the time for the UN to prove its “raison d'être”.

Barbara Winton, daughter of the late Sir Nicholas Winton, devoted much of her life to sharing the story of how her father, as a young man aged only 29, helped to organise the transport of 669 mostly Jewish children from Czechoslovakia before the outbreak of World War II, thereby saving them from almost certain death in Nazi concentration camps. Now she herself has passed away, but her father’s legacy still lives on.

The annual Literature Night (Noc literatury), which has become the largest European literature project of its kind in Czechia since it was introduced to the country 16 years ago, is taking place across 80 venues in the country’s capital and regions this Wednesday evening. There will also be readings in several other cities across Europe, Africa, Asia and the US. The event is chiefly being organised by the country’s network of Czech Centres. I spoke to Adriana Krásová, who is heading the project.

While optimism was at a record high when companies in Czechia were asked about their hiring plans during the summer, HR firm ManpowerGroup’s latest survey, which looked into the situation on the country’s labour market going into the final quarter of 2022, shows a marked decrease in optimism, especially among large businesses. Nevertheless, the situation is still far better than it was at the height of the Covid pandemic. I spoke to Jiří Halbrštát, the marketing and candidate sourcing director at the Czech branch of ManpowerGroup.