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Over 90 percent of books in the Czech National Library printed after the year 1800 are threatened with destruction caused by acid, which has been forming in the paper over the years. The library has now taken a major step to prevent the valuable volumes from turning to dust, sending several thousand of them to Germany to undergo special chemical treatment, called de-acidification.

In July, a paper was published by Dr. Christopher Balding from the Fulbright University in Vietnam, which looked into the link between Huawei Technologies' employees and the Chinese intelligence and military establishment by analysing a unique dataset of CVs from unsecured Chinese databases and websites run by recruitment platforms leaked last year. In an interview with Czech Radio published on Wednesday, he said that Huawei employees appear to act on behalf of the Chinese interior ministry and army in their work for Huawei.

Krkonoše is home to the highest mountains in the Czech Republic, with majestic peaks protruding above the alpine tree line and a unique mosaic of ecosystems in valleys formed in the ancient glacial past. Dozens of mountain trails and alpine meadows paths in the Krkonoše or Giant Mountains are now accessible also for handicapped nature-lovers and families with prams.

T-Club is the name of one of the two gay clubs that operated in the Czech capital under Communism. The place, frequented by the LGBT community, was immortalized in a series of pictures taken by photographer Libuše Jarcovjáková. They are now on display within the Prague Pride festival, which got underway on Monday.

For the first time ever, ten Czech students were admitted to the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program this year, giving them the chance to spend an academic year in the United States living with a volunteer host family and attending a U.S. high school. As they embarked on their adventure on Monday, the US ambassador to Prague, Stephen King, came to Prague airport to wish them a great year.

Scientists warn that some butterfly species are disappearing from the Czech countryside at an alarming rate. But opinion is divided as to the root cause. Some see it as a stemming from intensive farming and forest mismanagement on the local level. Others believe global climate change is to blame.

One-hundred and 30 people died on Czech railways in the first seven months of this year, when 740 accidents were recorded. July alone saw 10 rail deaths, the highest number recorded in a single month in over a decade.

This week Prague has been hosting the 11th International Conference of Czech Schools Abroad. The regular event is organised by the Czech School Without Borders, an NGO that has been helping expand knowledge of the Czech language and culture for 15 years. This year the conference has featured an added tribute to the Velvet Revolution.

Scientists from the Czech Technical University are currently working in the desert in the United Arab Emirates testing a unique device that creates water out of the air using solar energy. After the trial run is completed, a smaller version of the equipment will be presented at the Czech pavilion at the Expo in Dubai in autumn 2020.

Hundreds of Czech scouts are currently in the United States taking part in the movement’s World Jamboree, which is being attended by 40,000 people from all around the globe. I spoke to Czech Radio’s reporter Jakub Lucký, who is on the ground in West Virginia, and asked him to tell me more about the Czech presence at this year’s international gathering: