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New information has come to light regarding the October 2014 explosion at the Vrbětice munitions depot, which Czech intelligence traced last year to Russia’s military intelligence service GRU. Three confidential sources told Czech Radio and the weekly Respekt that Czech police are investigating one of the employees of the company that rented the space at the time of the explosion. He may have met with the head of the GRU unit and provided support for the two agents that are believed to have carried out the attack.

As part of celebrations of the 75th anniversary of its foundation, Prague’s FAMU has just launched a special new video streaming website. The service makes accessible often rarely seen works by graduates of the famous film school, including by some very well-known directors.

The last US ambassador to Prague shipped out just over a year ago, when Joe Biden was inaugurated president. However, his administration is yet to send a replacement, leading to reports that the Czech government is now pushing for Washington to send a new representative to Prague. I discussed the matter with journalist Daniel Anýž, an expert on Czech-US relations.

On the occasion of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, on January 27, the Czech Academy of Sciences has launched a new mobile application, created together with the Multicultural Centre Prague and the Terezín Initiative Institute. Called MemoGIS Prague, it enables users to study the history of the Holocaust through an interactive map.

One name resounds in the city of Brno more than any other this year –that of the Augustinian monk, mathematician and biologist Johann Gregor Mendel, born 200 years ago. The Moravian metropolis is paying tribute to the father of genetics with numerous events – among them a concert by internationally renowned artists, the reconstruction of Mendel’s greenhouse at St. Thomas’ Abbey where he conducted his genetic research on pea plants and an international Mendel Genetics Conference at the university that bears his name.

Despite increasing fears of a Russian attack, the Czech Republic is not for now withdrawing diplomats home from Ukraine. But the Czech foreign minister, Jan Lipavský, says the country continues to back tough sanctions as the most effective means of reining in Moscow.

This year marks 130 years since the appearance of the first skis in the Giant Mountains. Count Harrach, a local nobleman, had them brought from Austria in 1892 to be used by his foresters. Skiing quickly took off and started to spread all around the country, becoming a popular national pastime.

A group of Czech senators have publicly expressed their support for the visiting Tibetan filmmaker and former political prisoner Dhondup Wangchen’s appeal to boycott the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing. The Tibetan film director is currently touring Europe to highlight human rights issues in China in the context of the Olympics.

An international group of scientists, including an expert from the Palacký University in Olomouc, have made a unique discovery. While studying amber fossils in Hungary, they found a beetle dating back dozens of millions of years. The results of the study were published in the prestigious journal Scientific Reports.

The oldest member of the Czech Scout movement, Eduard Marek, died on Sunday at the age of 104. Marek was imprisoned by both the Nazi and Communist regimes and was active in the Czechoslovak resistance. In later life he also made a mark by becoming one of the oldest people to ever parachute out of an aircraft.