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Except for a niche interest group, most people have not heard of the Effective Altruism (EA) movement, which developed in the late 2000s at Oxford University and got its name in 2011. But it is gaining increasing visibility, and not only in the English-speaking world – the EA movement is also active in Czechia. I spoke to Irena Kotíková, the main organiser of the second EA conference in Prague last weekend.

For many years, Ostrava has been associated with coal mining and steel production and was not exactly regarded as a tourist destination. But over the past three decades, the city has undergone a huge transformation, turning its industrial past to its favour. A new book called 111 Places in Ostrava You Shouldn’t Miss (111 míst v Ostravě, která musíte vidět) takes you on a tour of the north Moravian city, highlighting not only the most obvious tourist spots, but also some of the less obvious targets, which are worth a visit.

A new museum opened this week in Prague’s Kotva department store, depicting the way of life in 1970s and ‘80s Czechoslovakia. Called Retro Museum Prague, it takes the visitors through a typical communist-style apartment but also explores the designs and trends of the era.

This week marks exactly 30 years since the beginning of the first round of voucher privatisations in post-communist Czechoslovakia. The government scheme made it possible for any Czech adult citizen to buy a “voucher book” that contained shares in a range of state enterprises. I discussed the often derided system with Professor Evžen Kočenda from Charles University’s Institute of Economic Studies.

The Czech government is planning to make changes to legislation covering Ukrainian refugees. This includes a refusal to protect people with EU citizenship, a status shared by many refugees of Roma origin.

A two-day Czech-African Health Forum began at Prague’s Černín Palace on Wednesday, bringing together representatives of 10 African countries and seven health ministers. Pandemic management, strengthening the healthcare sector, and Czech business solutions for hospitals are among the topics on the agenda. I interviewed Deputy Foreign Minister Martin Tlapa to find out why Africa is important to the Czech Republic.

Prague looks set to get a futuristic new building, designed by internationally renowned Danish studio Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). Representatives of City Hall and the city’s Institute for Planning and Development announced the winner of the international design competition on Tuesday. If all goes to plan, construction on the new seat of Prague’s Philharmonic Orchestra should start in five years’ time. I asked the head of the jury Michal Sedláček why BIG came out as the winner.

One of the most important ways in which archaeologists are able to learn about pre-historic cultures and civilisations is by studying the way that they buried their dead. In recent decades this practice has been further improved through the adoption of several methods from the natural sciences. At a large necropolis in Mikulovice, archaeologists are currently using these techniques to gain a better understanding of early Bronze Age Bohemia.

The new exhibition MADe IN CHINA at the DOX Centre for Contemporary Art in Prague focuses on the work of Chinese dissident artist Badiucao. The show has also made international news, after the city’s Chinese Embassy tried to have it cancelled. I discussed the exhibition with DOX curator Michaela Šilpochová.

Josef Abrhám, one of the most popular of Czech stage and screen actors, has died at the age of 82. Abrhám starred in a number of the best-loved movies in Czech cinema and was married for many decades to actress Libuše Šafránková, who also had a firm place in the nation’s hearts. I discussed Josef Abrhám’s career with arts journalist Veronika Bednářová.