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The conflict in Ukraine is affecting the airspace over Europe with international airlines rerouting many of their flights. Czech Air Traffic Control reported the highest ever number of flights over the Czech Republic last year, with a record 2,500 overhead flights on a single day.

It is being described as a revolution in the country’s public administration. Josef Postránecký, the “super civil servant” handpicked by the government last week, is expected to transform the country’s slow and often corrupt civil service into a professional and non-politicized administration in line with modern European standards.

The Czech environment ministry has joined forces with wildlife groups to formulate new policies designed to battle poaching. According to the ministry, endangered protected species are still being illegally poached in the Czech Republic – including otters, wolves, lynxes and birds of prey. And the trend, says the ministry, has actually worsened in recent years. I spoke with Tereza Mináriková of NGO Alka Wildlife and began by asking her what was fuelling the Czech poaching industry.

The prime ministers of the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Austria met Thursday at Slavkov Castle, near Brno, for a round of talks designed to strengthen ties between the three nations. However, concerns have been expressed in some geo-political circles that the grouping may be an attempt to create an alternative to the Visegrad Group, comprising the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland. I spoke with Vít Beneš, research fellow at the Institute of International Relations, and began by asking him about the significance of the talks between Bohuslav

The French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo recently made world headlines when Islamic radicals killed its editor-in-chief and leading cartoonists. Now Czechs have a unique opportunity to get acquainted with Charlie Hebdo at Prague’s DOX Centre for Contemporary Art, which has just launched an exhibition of more than 200 front covers of the magazine. I spoke to Leoš Válka, the founder of DOX, and first asked him what the thinking behind the show was.

Czech Foreign Minister Lubomír Zaorálek has publicly rebuked comments made by President Miloš Zeman regarding how best to fight against Islamic radicalism. Zeman used an event marking the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz to warn of the threat of a new “Superholocaust”. But the Czech foreign minister was quick to distance the Czech government from the head of state’s remarks.

After years of speculation regarding its future, the famous Werich Villa on Prague’s Kampa, once the home of the famous Czech actor Jan Werich, is set to get a new tenant. The Prague authorities have just decided to rent the historical building to the Jan and Meda Mládek Foundation, which will turn it into the Voskovec and Werich Arts and Social Centre in honour of the great Czech acting duo.

Czech President Miloš Zeman has called on the world to deal with Islamic radicalism the same way it ultimately had to deal with Nazism in the 1940s. The comments were made at Prague Castle before dozens of European leaders as part of events marking the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

Czech men’s tennis number one Tomáš Berdych has reached the semi-final of this year’s Australian Open, powering past Rafael Nadal in straight sets. In victory, Berdych snapped a 17 match losing streak against Nadal and will now face Great Britain’s Andy Murray.

Remembrance events marking the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp, organized by the European Jewish Congress in the Czech Republic have strained relations between Prague and Warsaw and left Czech politicians fending off accusations that the country is pandering to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was not invited to attend the commemorative events in neighbouring Poland.