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The Czech Republic has backed the EU’s decision to continue to respect the 2015 nuclear weapons agreement with Iran, after President Trump’s announcement that the US would withdraw from the pact. However the Czech Foreign Ministry noted that the international community should not close its eyes to the dangers of Iran’s ballistic program.

The Czech Republic’s Mikolas Josef has advanced to the finals of the Eurovision Song Contest with his offering Lie to Me. The 22-year-old singer, who performed despite sustaining an injury during rehearsals, is one of nine participants to make it out of the first semi-final and only the second Czech in history to reach the finals.

Czechs have been in the forefront of worldwide attempts to save Syria’s significant archaeological heritage. The Czech National Museum has been one of the major players in those moves and on Wednesday it opened an exhibition in Prague outlining what has been lost and what has been saved during the country’s civil war.

A Prague court has delivered verdicts concerning one of the most controversial sell-offs of state assets in modern Czech history. But the marathon court case will certainly not draw much of a line under the arguments.

Experts from Europe and the US met in Prague this week to discuss the hybrid war threat and ways of countering disinformation campaigns against Western countries. In an interview for Czech Radio the head of NATO’s Military Committee, General Petr Pavel, said the Czech Republic underestimates the dangers of the hybrid war waged by Russia.

Many Czechs are likely to be glued to their tv screens over the next two weeks during the ice hockey world championships. A Czech squad with many new faces and a lot of uncertainty who will take to the ice is looking to end a five year medal drought.

The City of Prague Museum has published the results of two unique archaeological digs carried out in the centre of the city. Among the discoveries are everyday objects from Wenceslas Square dating to back to Medieval Times which shed light on everyday life. They also include a rare statuette of a Madonna.

World Press Freedom Day, marked on May 3rd, is perceived as a change to evaluate press freedom around the world and to defend the media from attacks on their independence. In the Czech Republic it serves as a reminder that all is not well in this field – the country slipped 11 places on the Reporters Without Borders press freedom index this year. I spoke to Adam Černý, chairman of the Czech Syndicate of Journalists about what’s hurting press freedom in the country.

Many people who have spent time in the Czech outdoors the last few days have been struck by the unusually high amount of pollen in the air. Nature reserves are thick with particles descending on meandering streams and pathways full of hikers and cyclists.

The European Commission is due to unveil its long term proposal about how big EU funds should be, where they are directed, and which countries will turn out to be the biggest beneficiaries and paymasters. All indications are that dramatic changes are in the pipeline, something that the Czech Republic appears to have reservations about.