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The Bamberg Symphony, led by Czech conductor Jakub Hrůša, has been awarded the International Classical Music Awards (ICMA) prize for best symphonic music for its recording of Symphony No. 4 by Austrian composer Anton Bruckner. This year’s awards list also features performances of music written by some of the greatest Czech composers.

Czech folk singer Hana Horká has died after deliberately contracting Covid in order to avoid vaccination. In reaction to her death, her son has lashed out at Czech anti-vaxxers on social media, blaming them for her death.

It has been nearly three years since the opening of the Czech Consulate in Manchester. One of its main tasks has been to offer guidance and support to thousands of Czechs living in the north of England with their applications for settled status in the UK amid the Brexit transition. I recently caught up with the head of the consulate, Ivo Losman, and asked him how successful Czech officials had been in helping with this administrative process.

Every year, without fail, Miroslav Brož hangs a Czech-Roma flag on his balcony on the occasion of International Romani Day, a celebration of the ethnic group’s culture. He intends to do so again this year – despite having been fined for “violating a state symbol”.

Czech animation is celebrating another international success. The short film Suzie in the Garden (or Zuza v zahradách in Czech) by director Lucie Sunková has made it to the Generation Kplus Competition section at the upcoming 72nd Berlinale. The 13-minute film about the adventures of a girl in a gardening colony will first be screened in the German capital on February 10.

Prime Minister Petr Fiala’s government won a vote of confidence on Thursday evening. The result came as no surprise as his coalition enjoys a majority of 108 mandates in the 200-seat lower house. Preceding the vote, however, was a contentious debate lasting over 22 hours. The sparring highlighted sharp divisions over how to tackle the Covid pandemic and soaring inflation – while reducing the record-high budget deficit.

Czech scientists are planning to create a map of raw materials that can be found in space. The ambitious plan, recommended by the European Space Agency (ESA), is expected to result in the launch of two satellites in four years’ time.

Coal mining in the Czech Republic will end sooner than originally planned. The new five-party coalition government wants to phase out coal from its energy mix by 2033, five years sooner than the 2038 target recommended by the government’s Coal Commission. However, mining activity is expected to significantly increase in the near future in response to the high costs of natural gas.

Thursday sees the vernissage in Prague of Vision for the Future, an exhibition highlighting three of the country’s most important new architecture projects. Prague’s Savarin complex, a futuristic train station for Brno and a major concert hall for Ostrava have all been designed by foreign studios. I asked curator Adam Štěch, Why select these three particular projects?

Pavel Jasanský is a musician, music therapist and instrument maker who specializes in drums: West African djembe drums, frame drums and powwow drums that are custom made for his clients. He loves the spiritual aspects of these musical instruments and is familiar with the legends and sacred rituals associated with them.