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The Russian woodpecker was the nickname given to a rapid-fire shortwave signal emitted during the cold war from the Duga radar in what is today’s Ukraine. But was there a connection between Duga and 1986 disaster at the nearby Chernobyl nuclear power station? That question is explored in a film entitled The Russian Woodpecker currently being screened at the One World festival of human rights documentaries in Prague. I discussed the subject with producer Mike Lerner, a guest of East Doc Platform, which is organised by the Institute of Documentary

President Miloš Zeman addressed the Czech parliament on Friday expressing support for a government-backed proposal to enable the public to petition for nationwide referenda on a variety of issues. MPs from the TOP 09 party, however, staged a walk-out in protest at both the proposed law and the president’s overall conduct.

Hundreds of municipalities across the Czech Republic are partaking in the “Flag for Tibet” event, prominently displaying the Tibetan flag in order to mark the anniversary of the 1959 Chinese invasion of that country. However, Prague City Hall is once again abstaining from such displays.

A proposed new directive banning the sale of junk foods in schools has elicited strong protests from students and headmasters alike. The list of banned foods compiled by the Education Ministry got high praise from nutrition experts, but schools themselves say it is so strict it would leave school cafeterias selling nothing but apples and mineral water.

A number of Czech politicians have expressed support for Nadiya Savchenko, a Ukrainian pilot on trial in Russia for allegedly helping to cause the deaths of two Russian journalists in 2014. Savchenko is currently on hunger strike, and refusing to accept any verdict handed down by what she has described as a “totalitarian regime and a petty tyrant-dictator”.

The Belgian film No Man is an Island opened the One World festival of human rights documentaries in Prague earlier this week. The film maps the fates of two young migrants – one from Ghana, the other from Tunisia – who have been taken in by locals on the Italian island of Lampedusa, which for a long time was at the forefront of the migration crisis in Europe. I discussed the theme of No Man is an Island – and the limbo-like existence of its protagonists – with director Tim De Keersmaecker.

After late-night negotiations in Brussels the EU on Tuesday announced it had reached a deal with Turkey on a bold plan to stem the massive influx of refugees into Europe. The Czech Republic, together with the vast majority of EU member states, welcomed the deal as a potential breakthrough in Europe’s deepening migrant crisis.

A group of MPs from the opposition and more significantly within the ruling coalition have made clear their intent to try and soften legislation aimed at banning smoking at all Czech restaurants, bars and similar premises. Although the proposal passed in a first reading, and was backed by the lower house’s health committee, some MPs view the situation differently, putting forward more than a dozen amendments.

The outcome of Slovakia’s general elections over the weekend, which left the established parties badly weakened and opened the door to several newcomers including a far-right party, has evoked concern in the Czech Republic. Politicians in Prague point out that the fragmented post-election scene will make it hard, if not impossible, to form a stable government.

In a resolution passed on Thursday the Czech Senate called on President Miloš Zeman to show greater restraint in his statements and actions so as not to divide society and harm the country’s image abroad. The president, whose outspoken views often clash with the government’s policy line, reminded the upper chamber that he had been elected by the people and would do as he sees fit.