A presidential veto sends a law back. It does not end the argument
The Czech constitution gives parliament the final word on an ordinary bill returned by the president, provided enough deputies support it.
The cheapest heat is the heat a home does not lose
A school place is also a question of geography
Growing residential districts can put pressure on local classrooms even when national pupil totals tell a different story.
Ukraine’s grain exports depend on more than the harvest
From storage silos to sea lanes, the journey of a crop explains why transport has become a central part of Ukraine’s wartime economy.
Rebuilding a damaged city begins before the first new wall
Clearance, utilities and ownership records can shape reconstruction as much as architecture. Ukraine’s damaged communities face decisions that extend far beyond replacing buildings.
Swiss neutrality is a policy with boundaries, not an absence of choices
The distinction between military neutrality and foreign policy helps explain Switzerland’s place in debates about sanctions, security and European cooperation.
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Housing in focus.Following the grain route.Beyond the oil price.Home
The cheapest heat is the heat a home does not lose
Insulation, draughts and heating controls can determine how much energy a Czech household needs. Replacing a boiler is only one part of the story.
A presidential veto sends a law back. It does not end the argument
The Czech constitution gives parliament the final word on an ordinary bill returned by the president, provided enough deputies support it.
A school place is also a question of geography
Growing residential districts can put pressure on local classrooms even when national pupil totals tell a different story.
World
Ukraine’s grain exports depend on more than the harvest
From storage silos to sea lanes, the journey of a crop explains why transport has become a central part of Ukraine’s wartime economy.
Rebuilding a damaged city begins before the first new wall
Clearance, utilities and ownership records can shape reconstruction as much as architecture. Ukraine’s damaged communities face decisions that extend far beyond replacing buildings.
Swiss neutrality is a policy with boundaries, not an absence of choices
The distinction between military neutrality and foreign policy helps explain Switzerland’s place in debates about sanctions, security and European cooperation.
Regions
Ostrava’s industrial past still shapes the city’s next chapter
Former industrial sites carry a legacy of jobs, transport links and environmental work. Finding a new use for them is a task measured in decades.
Beneath Prague, a second city keeps the water moving
Sewers and treatment works are easy to overlook until something goes wrong. They connect daily household routines with the condition of the Vltava.
Why Zlín’s factory grid remains a lesson in urban planning
The city’s industrial architecture was built around repeated forms. Its adaptation asks how a place designed for production can accommodate a wider range of uses.
Economy
Why a barrel of oil does not tell the whole story at the pump
Crude oil, refining, exchange rates and taxes all contribute to the price of fuel. They do not necessarily move together or reach forecourts at the same time.
A lower mortgage rate can still leave a difficult housing calculation
The interest rate is only one part of the cost of buying a home. The purchase price, deposit and length of the loan determine how far a household’s budget will stretch.
Steel’s transition runs through the electricity grid
Changing how steel is made affects energy supply, raw materials and skills. The challenge extends well beyond replacing one furnace.
Science
The Moon keeps a record that Earth often erases
Impact craters help scientists reconstruct a history of collisions. Their survival tells a different story on the Moon and on Earth.
An old wall can hide more than one history
Archaeologists use layers, materials and context to establish how a site changed. Appearance alone rarely settles the age of a structure.
The colours in a microscope image are part of the evidence
Fluorescent markers can reveal structures that ordinary light cannot distinguish. Interpreting the image means understanding what each colour represents.
Culture
Sixty years after his radio debut, Cimrman’s joke is still about us
A fictional genius introduced to Czech radio in 1966 became a lasting part of the country’s theatrical language. The joke depends on taking the evidence very seriously.
An oral history begins with listening—and continues with checking
Recorded testimony preserves an individual experience. Historians place it beside documents and other accounts to understand the wider event.
A sculpture changes when the room around it changes
Lighting, distance and the route through a gallery influence how a three-dimensional work is encountered. An exhibition is also an arrangement of viewpoints.
Weather
Why the forecast becomes less certain further into the week
Small differences in the atmosphere can grow over time. Forecast ensembles help describe the range of possible outcomes rather than hiding it behind a single symbol.
The same rain can have very different effects on the ground
Intensity, soil conditions and the shape of a catchment influence how quickly water reaches a stream or a street. A daily rainfall total tells only part of the story.
Autumn colour is chemistry made visible
As green chlorophyll breaks down, other pigments become easier to see. The timing and intensity of the display depend on the tree and its environment.
Watch and understand
Video previews from the archive. Playback is unavailable in this edition.
The cheapest heat is the heat a home does not lose
Insulation, draughts and heating controls can determine how much energy a Czech household needs. Replacing a boiler is only one part of the story.
Rebuilding a damaged city begins before the first new wall
Clearance, utilities and ownership records can shape reconstruction as much as architecture. Ukraine’s damaged communities face decisions that extend far beyond replacing buildings.
Why a barrel of oil does not tell the whole story at the pump
Crude oil, refining, exchange rates and taxes all contribute to the price of fuel. They do not necessarily move together or reach forecourts at the same time.