News; Čapek’s Letters from England, signed by WWII paratroopers, exhibited; Prague celebrates specialty coffee at Filtruj! 2025 festival; Dr. Tomáš Páleníček on psychedelics in psychiatric treatment.

Dr. Tomáš Páleníček is a leading Czech proponent of the use of psychedelics in certain kinds of psychiatric treatment. The psychiatrist and several colleagues recently appeared in a documentary named Doctor on a Trip that followed them to the Amazon rainforest, where they mapped brain activity during ceremonies centred on ayahuasca, a traditional hallucinogenic drink. I spoke to Páleníček at our Prague studios.

News, Africa Day highlights historic Czech-African partnership, Day of Czech returns to enthuse and educate about Czech language and literature, Beavers’ comeback: How a once-extinct species is reshaping the Czech landscape, news

From tanks to sabotage: how Russia never left Czechia alone, To mark 100th anniversary, Sokol’s Tyrš House unveils new mural, Martin Dušek maps anarchic Czech approach to construction in new film

Czechia has made a historic change to its election laws: citizens living abroad will now be able to vote by mail. As Czech women Marta McCabe, Julie O'Donovan and political scientist Petr Just point out, the reform comes after years of advocacy by Czech expatriates around the world. Weekend edition of Czechia in 30 minutes brings their views.

News; A major exhibition about the Czech animator and illustrator Jiří Trnka opens in Prague; Revealing the fate of Czechoslovaks in Soviet Gulags; Interview with Steve Gove as the 24th Prague Fringe Festival begins its rich programme of performances.

For today's show: the News; how the Czech Army is reaching out to the public;are firefighters at increased risk of heart disease due to “eternal chemicals”?; and for our feature, an interview with political scientist Jiří Pehe on his career and life as he retires at 70.

Jiří Pehe is one of Czechia’s best-known political scientists, regularly sharing his insights with domestic and international media. But his own story is also noteworthy. After a dramatic 1981 escape to the West, he made a new life in the US. Following the fall of communism he returned to his native country and became a close advisor to President Václav Havel. Pehe then became director of New York University Prague, a position he is about to retire from after more than a quarter of a century.

News; the iconic Říp Hill was once a lava lake, researchers have revealed; the future Via Silva Nortica: the cycle route from Vysočina through southern Bohemia and on to Melk in Austria; will bears disappear entirely from Czech castles?; former Slovak President Kiska speaks out on Fico, Orbán, Babiš and the EU.