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Just days ahead of the onset of its EU presidency, the Czech Republic has been hit by a major corruption scandal connected to the second largest government party – the Mayors and Independents. The affair has already cost the head of one minister, but opposition groupings are calling for more blood as the party faces the worst public relations disaster in its 17-year-long history.

The traditional pottery and crafts market in Beroun’s Hus square welcomed thousands of visitors in June. Ceramics-making has a long tradition in Beroun going all the way back to the 14th century and the market, which is now held three times a year, attracts visitors from near and far. Radio Prague’s contributor Martina Kroa went to check it out and spoke with Jolana Izbická, the market’s chief organizer, about how it emerged.

Helena Vondráčková, one of the Czech Republic’s biggest pop stars, will turn 75 next week. She can look back on a career spanning five decades and boast of being the country’s best-selling singer with over a million albums under her belt.

The Czech Republic is preparing to take over the rotating presidency of the EU Council from France on July 1st, for its second stint at the helm of the 27-member alliance. Due to the war in Ukraine, and the need to address pressing issues such as energy security, defense capability and the resilience of the EU economy, it will have to hit the ground running. I spoke to the Czech Minister for European Affairs Mikuláš Bek about the challenges of taking over the EU presidency in this difficult time and how it had changed the country’s priorities.

An increasing number of Czech teenagers and young adults are using nicotine pouches, which are available in shops without any restrictions. The use of nicotine pouches is spreading even among younger children in primary schools, who are especially at risk of overdosing or developing an addiction.

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer among men worldwide and the most common in the Czech Republic. The incidence of the disease in Czechia has risen by as much as 70 percent since the early 1990s. Martina Benešová, a young Czech researcher, is part of a team at the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg which developed a revolutionary new treatment for patients with a very advanced stage of prostate cancer for whom other treatments had proved ineffective. I spoke to her and started by asking what is new about PSMA-617 compared to previous prostate cancer treatment methods.

Czech painter Tibor Červeňák was born in the Moravian town of Hranice and spent part of his youth in a children’s home. A visit to a local sculptor’s studio changed his life and he has since devoted his life to painting. He graduated from the prestigious Chelsea School of Arts in London and has had his work exhibited all over the world. He lived in the United Kingdom from 2004 but in 2020 he returned to his home country.   How did he end up living in Belfast? Does his art reflect his Roma background? And why does he use boxing gloves in his paintings? These are just some of the questions I discussed with Tibor Červeňák during his visit to our studio, but I first asked him what triggered his interest in painting:

The Czech music festival Rock for People opened its gates to festivalgoers from around the Czech Republic and beyond at noon on Wednesday, after a two-year break when the festival couldn’t go ahead due to Covid restrictions. The festival, now in its 26th year, opened on its first night with international headline acts such as Biffy Clyro, Wolf Alice and Idles.

The Czech government has presented its list of priorities that it plans to focus on during the country’s upcoming presidency of the EU Council that will run from July 1 to December 31 of this year. Managing the refugee crisis associated with the war in Ukraine as well as helping rebuild the country will be a top issue, along with ensuring energy security for Europe and strengthening defence capabilities.

A European Parliament delegation headed by EP President Roberta Metsola is in Prague for talks with Czech leaders on the upcoming Czech EU Presidency. Viktor Daněk interviewed Ms. Metsola ahead of her trip to Prague and first asked whether she considered the opening of accession talks with Ukraine to be the main task of the presidency.