Panorama | All stories

There were many cases of passive resistance to the communist regime that only came to light years after it collapsed in 1989. Reporters at Czech public television recently uncovered the story of a brave act of defiance that put the face of a young woman jailed for running a Scouts organization on the Czechoslovak crown.

The phenomenon of personal coaching arrived in the Czech Republic a few years ago. The first to jump on the bandwagon were business corporations and politicians in need of grooming. Style coaching, managerial coaching and life coaching have become part of the business environment but as style and life coach Eve Stehliková told me most Czechs still regard it as a passing fad.

How are women portrayed by the Czech media? How does the media approach to male and female politicians differ? And why do journalists ask women about children and household matters? These are just some of the questions raised by the second Women’s Congress that will take place in Prague this Saturday. The event brings together around a thousand women, as well as men, of diverse nationalities, professions, ages and political backgrounds, who will be debating this year’s main theme: Women and Media.

The concept of interim management is gradually catching on in the Czech Republic, with a growing number of firms turning to interim managers for help in the event of financial problems or the need to effect a radical transformation. The Czech Association of Interim Management was set up five years ago and at present it has 500 members. I spoke to its chairman Tomáš Pastrňák about its work and the companies that request its services.

Among the humanitarian organizations providing lifesaving aid in earthquake stricken Nepal is the Czech Red Cross. The organization released 13 million crowns to the Nepalese Red Cross in the immediate aftermath of the natural disaster and has since been flying out tons of medical supplies which it is helping to deliver to remote health posts and villages. Richard Smejkal of the Czech Red Cross is just back from an aid mission to the country and I asked him to share his impressions.

The repatriation of ethnic Czechs from Ukraine who asked to return to their old homeland over the unstable situation in their country began earlier this year. Close to one hundred people, mostly from Ukraine’s Volhynia region, are building a new life in the Czech Republic with another 150 more expected to follow. The Catholic Charity Caritas has been assisting their integration within a government sponsored program. I met with Jarmila Lomozová of Caritas to find out how the repatriation process is going.

The historic building of the National Museum overlooking Wenceslas Square is undergoing a major renovation that is set to end in 2018. The museum has had to relocate thousands of exhibits and is using the time to create new collections and work on a modern, interactive presentation. I spoke to the head of the museum’s collection-building and exhibitions department, historian Michal Stehlík, about the renovation and the challenges it poses.

In recent years literacy experts have expressed concern that children are not reading enough for pleasure and that many youngsters are never read to by their parents. They claim that children who are left to fill their own time, watching TV and playing computer games may be at a serious disadvantage later on in life. In an effort to offset this alarming trend a Czech NGO is organizing an annual week of events to provide inspiration for a habit that may turnaround a child’s life.

Czech President Miloš Zeman is one of the few European leaders who accepted the invitation to attend victory celebrations in Moscow marking the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII. The decision stirred widespread controversy in the Czech Republic and the government postponed its decision on whether to finance the trip until the president’s office announced that he would not be attending the military parade on Red Square. In an exclusive half-hour interview for Radio Prague’s Russian service the president explained why he would not be attending the

ARTĚL Glass is a luxury crystal glass company that offers original collections handmade by Czech artisans. Established in 1998 by American designer and entrepreneur Karen Feldman, ARTĚL Glass now has three design stores in Prague and a growing number of customers around the world.