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The annual Anifilm festival of animated film kicked off in the South Bohemian town of Třeboň on Tuesday. Over the course of next five days, hundreds of films, film commercials as well as music videos will be screened in numerous venues all over the town. The title of this year’s festival theme is “Where is My Home” and focuses on the work of Czech authors living abroad. The tradition of animation showcases in Třeboň started back in 2002, with the foundation of Anifest, which was later incorporated into Anifilm. Over the years the festival evolved

A thaw in diplomatic relations between the Czech Republic and Cuba should soon see the two countries appointing ambassadors and reviving trade ties that go back half a century. Czech government officials stress that the “renaissance” in bilateral relations does not mean that Prague will in future abandon the human rights agenda in negotiations with Havana.

Čáslav Airport has become the first military base in the country to offer families child group services (effectively a day care system for parents unable to register their son or daughter at a local pre-schools either because they are too young or there is no available spot). Legislation covering so-called ‘child groups’ was introduced last year to offer parents an alternative when they were left no other option.

The movement Bloc Against Islam, which had hopes of running on a joint-platform with the Dawn party in regional and Senate elections this autumn, is to be transformed into a regular party modeled along Germany’s AfD. Its leader Martin Konvička said the new political entity would seek to establish close contacts with AfD in order to bolster its position on the scene in preparation for the 2017 parliamentary elections. I asked political analyst Jiří Pehe how he views the party’s chances.

A United Nations international conference on drugs policy recently wrapped up in New York with deep divisions still on show between countries using prohibition, harsh laws, and penalties in an attempt to stamp out drugs and those promoting a more humane approach based on treatment of addicts. The Czech Republic is firmly in the second camp and its health minister believes it made a significant impact at the conference.

While the number of people infected with HIV in the Czech Republic remains comparatively low, there is no question the situation is getting worse each year. 2015 saw 266 new cases of infection registered, and February 2016 alone saw the most new cases in a single month since 1985.

On Thursday President Miloš Zeman visited a farm in central Bohemia. Not just any farm, but the controversial Stork’s Nest. It is owned by ANO chief Andrej Babiš’s company Agrofert and is at the centre of an investigation over the alleged misuse of EU funds. Some have suggested the visit is the strongest signal yet of a growing closeness between the two politicians. But to what end? I spoke to political scientist Petr Just.

The Czech Republic this week accepted the first refugees within the EU allotted quotas. However, instead of the expected thirty people only four arrived, following set-backs indicative of future problems. Simultaneously, a meeting of the Visegrad Group sharply rejected the EC’s efforts to introduce a permanent relocation mechanism for refugees.

The endgame now appears to be playing out for the Czech Republic’s biggest hard coal mining company, OKD. Key shareholders have warned that if there is no deal fast with the government then insolvency procedures might be started as soon as the end of the week. Meanwhile, the government appears to be taking a tough line against a deal with those calling the shots at the mining company.

Fathers in the Czech Republic will no longer have to pay to be present at the birth of their child, the Constitutional Court has ruled. Until now, some hospitals charged fees ranging from between 300 and 1,000 crowns, and others none at all. Following the ruling, hospitals will only be able to charge for “above-standard” conditions. The court considered the matter after a hospital in Chomutov charged a man 500 crowns for being present at his child’s birth.