Panorama | All stories

Deputies in the lower house are set to debate a bill that would ban fur farming in the Czech Republic. A petition in favour of such a move has been signed by 50 deputies across the political spectrum, but a seminar preceding the debate revealed that it still has many opponents. I spoke to animal rights activist Lucie Moravcová from the NGO Freedom for Animals in order to find out more about the problem – such as how many farms are currently in operation and in what conditions the animals are bred.

One of the city’s most precious book collections is to be found in the Nostitz Palace Library in Prague’s Lesser Town. The Early Baroque building, former residence of the noble family of Nostitz-Rieneck, is now home to the Czech Ministry of Culture. The precious library within, which is only open to visitors on special occasions, is administered by the National Museum. I asked Richard Šípek who administers the priceless collection of ancient books to take me through the library and show me some of its treasures.

Why does the Czech army take part in foreign military missions? And why should Czechs appreciate their war veterans? This is the main theme of an exhibition which is currently underway at Prague Castle. Entitled Ten druhý život or That Other Life, it features large-format photos showing scenes encountered by Czech military missions abroad, captured by soldiers and journalists.

Three adventure-loving young Czechs packed their bags and left for India several weeks ago to take part in the August Rickshaw Run, a 3,500 km adrenalin ride across the country. They had never seen a rickshaw before, had no idea what route they would take or what they would do if they got stuck in the jungle. Now they are back and Jakub Janča, one of the three Czechs involved, came to Radio Prague’s studio to talk about the experience. I began by asking how he would sum up the three-week adventure in India.

Doctor Karel Pacák is an internationally recognized endocrinologist and the current head of the Medical Neuroendocrinology section at the National Institute of Child Health in Bethesda. After resolving to help find a cure for cancer as a small boy, he devoted his life to scientific and clinical research in the field of endocrine oncology. He is also the winner of the 2016 Most Respected Czech Abroad competition organized by Czech Radio, which included finalists such as Miloš Forman, Eva Jiřičná or Daria Klimentová. Ahead of the award ceremony, I

The Gypsy MaMa fashion brand is the work of a Czech NGO which has been very active in helping to improve the living conditions of several thousand Romanies living in one of the country’s biggest socially excluded areas known as the Brno “Bronx”. Gypsy MaMa was established to help young Romanies get a foothold on the labour market by harnessing their creative potential and giving them work experience. I spoke to the project manager of the NGO Tripitaka, Zdeněk Raiser, about its goals and ambitions.

The National Institute of Mental Health has launched a campaign aimed at fighting the stigma attached to mental illnesses which still plagues thousands of patients and prevents many others from seeking the help that they need. To find out more about the problem I invited Miroslava Janoušková from the National Institute of Mental Health to the studio and began by asking how serious the discrimination of people with mental illnesses is.

The Prague Pride festival which is underway in the Czech capital this week provides an important platform for debate on the life of the LGBT community and issues that concern them. How has their life changed since the fall of communism and what are their hopes for the future? To find out that and more I talked to Jan Seidl, from the Prague Centre of Queer Memory and started by asking him to explain what purpose this recently established center serves.

Many Czech maternity hospitals have joined a project aimed at helping abandoned children overcome the handicap of starting life without someone special to love and care for them. The nursing staff at these hospitals give babies whose parents give them up for adoption an extra portion of love and care doing the little things that loving parents would do for a newborn- hugging them, documenting their first days in the world, getting a print of their baby foot and recording their first smile.

The NGO Friends of the Earth is striving to start a broad debate on expanding wilderness sites outside of the country’s national parks. Earlier this month it released a list of five suitable localities where Nature could be left to its own devices. These areas would moreover be open to the public. I asked Jiří Koželouh, the NGO’s programme director, to tell me more.