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Czech organist Pavel Svoboda is among the winners of this years’ International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition Leipzig, Germany, one of the most prestigious events of its kind. The 28-year-old musician succeeded in competition with 27 organists from around the world and is the first Czech to win the competition in 36 years. RF has more:

The first US citizen to be extradited to face criminal charges in the Czech Republic has been found guilty on four counts of murder after a high profile case. He now faces a life sentence in a high security prison for the brutal deaths of his Czech aunt and uncle and their two children.

The Czech government has failed to agree a common position on a controversial call to tax money being returned to churches in restitution. While the Social Democrats and Christian Democrats are opposed, ANO have angered coalition colleagues by backing the proposal.

Amid growing international concern over developments in Turkey in the wake of last week’s failed coup, Czech politicians have urged the Turkish authorities to respect the rule of law and not use the attempted coup to supress political opponents. The latest events have also led many to question the wisdom of starting EU accession talks with a country ready to reintroduce the death penalty.

A Prague district is looking to put itself on the map with a giant big wheel on the embankment of the Vltava river. But while local council leaders are enthusiastic about the project the plans have had a mixed reception from the public.

Following the failed military coup in Turkey flights from Prague to Istanbul were cancelled on Saturday. Normal service was soon resumed and the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs now says that the situation in Turkey is stable. However, officials have issued a fresh call on Czechs in the country to exercise vigilance.

Nuclear power means nuclear waste and the Czech Republic, like many other European countries, is faced with the headache of where to store the waste long term. A shortlist of seven locations for geological tests for suitable deep storage resulted in howls of protest from most of the citizens and mayors living near the sites. And that has forced a rethink from the ministry and state body piloting the selection process.

The annual International Festival of Music gets under way on Friday in the picturesque south Bohemian town of Český Krumlov. Over the next three weeks, people will have the chance to see some of the biggest stars of classical and jazz music, including Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Flórez or flamenco guitarist Carlos Piñana. The festival, now in its 25th year, will take place in several venues around the town, including its magnificent chateau.

As congratulations to the new British prime minister pour in from around Europe, European leaders have started preparing for Brexit. In Prague the state secretary for EU affairs, Tomáš Prouza, on Thursday chaired the first session of a working group set up to define the Czech Republic’s priorities in the upcoming negotiations on Britain’s departure from the union.

Many people will remember the Rubik’s Cube as the worldwide hit brainteaser from the 1980s and perhaps believe that its long been ‘game over’ for the cube. But more than 500 competitors are converging on the Czech capital for the European Championships with new generations of cube solving addicts joining the ranks of the veterans.