News of Radio Prague
Interior minister confirms risks of attacks on RFE building
The Czech interior minister Stanislav Gross on Friday confirmed there was a real danger of a terrorist attack against the US-funded Radio Free Europe headquarters in the centre of Prague. Mr. Gross said the Czech intelligence service obtained concrete information about a planned attack. Last weekend, road blocks were erected around the building and four armoured personnel carriers placed in the directions of the possible attack. The police and members of the Czech Army's special forces have been guarding the building.
Czech Airlines pilots insist on pay rise
Pilots of the Czech airlines, CSA, have rejected the management's proposal to freeze wages. CSA management has been looking for ways to compensate for heavy losses caused by lower demand after the terrorist attacks on the United States. Spokesman Daniel Plovajko said the company will deliver on its promise to increase pilots' wages by 30 percent this year made after the pilots threatened to go on strike in summer. The Czech national carrier expects losses to amount to millions of USD due to a 15-percent drop in demand.
President Havel celebrates 65th birthday
Czech president Vaclav Havel has celebrated his 65th birthday on Friday. At his request, Mr. Havel spent the day like any other in Prague with a full schedule including briefings on the war against terrorism and attending a charity group awards ceremony. Vaclav Havel, a former dissident playwright and philosopher, was elected president of the Czechoslovak federation in 1990 after the collapse of the Communist regime. He is currently serving his second term in office as the president of the independent Czech Republic with less than 16 months remaining in his final term as president.
Tennis - Czechs successful at Kremlin Cup
Tennis now - and Czechs celebrate success at the Kremlin Cup in Moscow. Unseeded Jiri Novak defeated seventh seed Guillermo Canas of Argentina 7-6 7-6. On the women's side, Daja Bedanova beat second seed Amelie Mauresmo of France 6-2 6-7 6-4.
Rescue team to search for lost Czech students in Albania
A special 9-member rescue team has been sent to Albania to search for three Czech students who disappeared in Albanian mountains. The three contacted their families for the last time on August 7 while crossing the border between Montenegro and Albania. The Albanian interior ministry has provided two experienced mountain guides to assist the Czech rescue team for one week.
Moroccan family sentenced for drug trafficking
The municipal court in Prague has sentenced a Moroccan national to 12 years in prison for drug trafficking. His wife and a Slovak accomplice were sentenced to six and three years in prison, respectively. They were found guilty of selling more than 2 kilograms of heroin to drug addicts. The police also seized 1.5 kilograms of heroin and an equivalent of nearly 50,000 USD in cash in an apartment where all the three convicts lived.
Czech weather report
And finally, the weather forecast. We are expecting a partially cloudy day with a chance of showers in places. The highest daytime temperatures should reach between 17 and 21 degrees Celsius. Sunday should be much the same, partially cloudy with occasional showers, with afternoon highs between 18 and 22 degrees Celsius. On both days, we are expecting morning fogs or low cloud formations throughout the country that will gradually dissolve.
