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On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his death, a reliquary of Charles I, the last Emperor of Austria-Hungary and thus also the last King of Bohemia, was ceremonially placed within the Cathedral of Saint Vitus at Prague Castle on Sunday. Charles I is seen by the Church as an exemplary Christian monarch and was beatified by Pope John Paul II. His relic is now part of the country’s most sacred national symbols that make up the so-called Treasure of Saint Wenceslas.

Czech politicians have welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron’s election victory over his far-right rival, Marine Le Pen, hailing it as good news for Europe and a signal of stability in turbulent times. I spoke to Zuzana Šimek from the Prague-based Association for International Affairs about the implications of this victory and what it may mean for Czech-French relations.

František Vrábel is an expert on Russia’s infiltration of Czech society via sophisticated online disinformation, something his international company Semantic Visions monitors very closely. At their offices in a lovely Art Nouveau building overlooking Prague’s Old Jewish Cemetery we discussed efforts to combat such propaganda – and Facebook’s role in spreading disinformation. But I first asked Vrábel, who is in his early 60s, a little about himself.

Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine has put millions of people on the move, refugees fleeing from Ukraine to save their lives and others fleeing from Russia for fear of what the country may turn into in the months and years to come. A British writer based in a city in southern Russia told Radio Prague International how the war turned his life upside down and made him seek refuge in Armenia. Fearing for the safety of those he left behind, he agreed to speak to Daniel Ordonez of RPI’s Spanish section under the pseudonym Robert Ginzburg.

Czech Defence Minister Jana Černochová is currently visiting the United States in order to discuss closer defence ties and the speedy purchase of new military equipment. At a meeting with Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin in Washington D.C. on Thursday both sides expressed their interest in signing a mutual Defence Cooperation Agreement.

After decades of exile both in life and death, the remains of Czechoslovakia’s wartime intelligence chief, Brigadier General František Moravec are being returned to the Czech Republic next Tuesday. The Czechoslovak legionary-turned-spy was one of the few Czechs to have actively served in all three forms of the 20th century's Czechoslovak resistance movements. His legacy in the Czech security community remains strong until this day.

The winter low season is over, but restaurant owners say their clientele has been slow to return, although many have already opened their outdoor gardens and terraces to entice passers-by. According to the company SaltPay, which supplies restaurants with cash register systems, revenue in the first three months of this year has risen by less than half compared to last year – and this despite the fact that in the same period last year, restaurants were closed due to coronavirus restrictions and it was only possible to get food from a take-out window.

In the Czech Republic, drinking is almost a national sport, which people train for from a young age. But a new campaign warns parents against the dangers of children drinking even so-called non-alcoholic beers.

The Czech Republic and Slovakia are “showing a new way forward for Western democracies” with their response to Russia’s war on Ukraine. That is the view of Berlin-based political scientist Benjamin Tallis in an article published this week. I asked the security expert how specifically the two states were achieving this.

Czech police have started investigating suspected war crimes in Ukraine. They are currently gathering testimonies from refugees who fled the country to the Czech Republic. The Czech judiciary can sentence the perpetrators of the violence in absentia and they would face up to 20 years in prison or even a life sentence.