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The Czech Republic has been experiencing the worst case of smog pollution in recent years. The maximum for airborne dust particles has been exceeded in most parts of the country for nearly a week. People with respiratory diseases and heart conditions as well as elderly people and children were advised to limit outdoor activities and regulations curbing the activities of the biggest polluters has been in declared in several regions, including Prague.

A Czech minister has, to some extent, broken ranks over how the European Union should negotiate with Britain over Brexit. Interior minister Milan Chovanec has suggested that when it comes to the rights of Czechs living in Britain, Prague should go it alone and launch its own talks with London regardless of what the other 26 EU countries are doing.

If you’re looking for a Czech who probably has a good take on what the Donald Trump presidency has in store it’s the director of president Miloš Zeman’s foreign affairs office, Hynek Kmoníček. He took up that post after stints as Czech ambassador to India, Australia, and the United Nations. And Kmoníček is the hot tip to become the next Czech ambassador in Washington, likely taking up the post within a few weeks. I asked him first of all what the Trump presidency priorities would be.

In the Czech Republic, much has been made of the new US president’s Czech connections, given his former marriage to Czech socialite and businesswoman Ivana (formerly Zelníčková) from 1977 to 1991. Together they had three children who have now become household names – Donald Jr, Eric and Ivanka – and of course Donald Jr. speaks fluent Czech. The hope is that this and other factors could be assets when it comes to Czech-US relations.

Andrew Schapiro, whose mother was born in the city, has been one of the most visible US ambassadors to Prague in recent decades. Since his appointment in September 2014 the diplomat has pursued a distinctly liberal agenda, and notably fell afoul of President Zeman, who said he was unwelcome at Prague Castle.

Twenty years ago the Czech Republic and Germany signed a joint declaration pledging not to burden bilateral relations with controversial issues from the past so as to enable the neighbouring states to look forward and fully develop the existing potential for cooperation. How far have they come along that road, what divides them today and how do Czechs and Germans view each other? To find out I spoke to Tomas Kafka, from the Department for Central Europe at the Czech Foreign Ministry, and first asked him to assess how successful the Czech-German

UK Prime Minister Theresa May has outlined uncompromising plans for her country’s exit from the EU, including restricting workers from member states and quitting the common market. However, her speech on Tuesday has also raised a host of questions, particularly for people from other EU states currently resident in Britain. To get the Czech government perspective, I spoke to Tomáš Prouza, the state secretary for European affairs.

The 12th Prague Short Film Festival gets underway on January 18th. For the next four days visitors to Prague’s Světozor will be able to view some of the very best short films from around the world. Jan Velinger spoke to the festival’s program director Karel Spěšný, about some of the films being screened as well as the festival’s main aims.

Just days before his inauguration, US president elect Donald Trump has kicked up a storm in Europe with remarks about NATO and the EU made in a joint interview with The Times and the German newspaper Bild. Mr. Trump said NATO had become “obsolete” and the European Union was “a vehicle for Germany” predicting that more EU member states would vote to leave the bloc as Britain did last June. I spoke to Petr Kratochvíl, head of the Institute of International Relations in Prague for his take on the US president elect’s words.

US astronaut Eugene Cernan, the last person to set foot on the Moon, died on Monday at the age of 82. Cernan was the commander of the Apollo 17 mission in 1972, who brought a Czechoslovak flag with him on the 325,000 kilometre journey in honour of his family’s roots.