News

Fourteen-year-old admits to killing classmate

A 14-year-old boy has admitted to stabbing to death his classmate aged 13, outside a school in the north Moravian village of Hanusovice. It is not clear what motivated his actions, but there is speculation that bullying may have been behind the attack. Jan Petrek bled to death minutes after being stabbed in the chest and throat during a fight near his school on Monday morning. Czechs have been alarmed by a growing number of violent crimes committed by minors in recent months.

In January a 13 year old schoolgirl was raped and stabbed to death by a classmate and recently five boys under the age of fifteen stabbed a woman in her 80s to death with a pair of scissors, stealing her money. Justice Minister Pavel Nemec has said he will speed up moves in Parliament to lower the age of criminal responsibility, now set at fifteen.

New case of BSE

Vets suspect they have uncovered a fifteenth case of BSE in the Czech Republic. The suspected case is from a farm in the Svitava region in the eastern part of the country. The results of a third test should be available on Wednesday. The first case of BSE in the Czech Republic was uncovered in June of 2001 when the State Veterinary Office imposed strict food safety measures in connection with BSE. If Wednesday's results are positive some 50 heads of cattle will have to be put down at the farm.

Moserova receives French Order of Merit from President Chirac

Czech senator Jaroslava Moserova has been awarded the French Order of Merit by President Jacques Chirac. A doctor who specialised in burns, she was the first to treat Jan Palach after he burnt himself to death in 1969 in protest of the Soviet invasion of his homeland. Jaroslava Moserova entered politics after the Velvet Revolution, later serving as ambassador to Australia and New Zealand. She stood unsuccessfully for president last year.

Anti-tank rocket launchers in the Vltava river

Three anti-tank rocket launchers have been discovered in recent days in the Vltava river a police spokeswoman said on Tuesday. The weapons were found by accident by divers on an exercise. Experts are now examining them to determine if they were operational.

In October 2001 a rocket launcher of the same type was found near Prague's Ruzyne Airport, about a kilometre from the main runway. Police do not know how it came to be there.

Weather:

Wednesday should be overcast with rain and temperatures between 13 and 17 degrees Celsius.