News of Radio Prague

Bodies of missing children discovered in South Moravia

Police in South Moravia say they believe two bodies discovered on Sunday belong to Jan and Dagmar Vosmansky, the brother and sister missing since late July. A police spokeswoman said a passer-by discovered the bodies in sleeping bags at the side of a path near the village of Brankovice. A forensic team is now trying to identify the bodies and establish the cause of death. Ten-year-old Jan Vosmansky and his 12-year-old sister Dagmar were declared missing on July 30th, after leaving for a tour of local castles with their Belgian brother-in-law. His body was found two weeks later, but an intensive search of the region - involving hundreds of police and soldiers - failed to track down the missing children.

Austria seeks Dutch support in dispute over Temelin nuclear plant

Austria's Foreign Minister, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, will visit the Netherlands on Monday to seek support in the dispute with the Czech Republic over the Temelin nuclear power plant. She told reporters she would ask the Dutch government to support Austria's demand for safety guarantees for Temelin. Mrs Ferrero-Waldner, a member of the ruling People's Party, said she was against calls for Austria to veto the Czech Republic's membership of the European Union, as demanded by her junior coalition partners, the Freedom Party. However she said she did oppose unconditional acceptance of the Czech nuclear plant, which has suffered numerous technical problems since going into test operation last year.

Freedom Party furious at EC rejection of Temelin conference

Meanwhile the Freedom Party has sharply criticised a statement by the European Commission, which said on Thursday there would be no European conference on finding ways to shut down Temelin. General Secretary Karl Schweitzer launched a fierce attack on the Commission, accusing it of making policies for the nuclear lobby rather than European citizens. The Freedom Party leader, Vice-Chancellor Susanne Riess-Passer, said she was confident that a veto against Czech EU membership would stop the plant from going into commercial operation.

Czech ambassador: return to atmosphere of "nervousness and mistrust"

Senior officials on both sides of the border have warned that the Temelin dispute is worsening relations between Prague and Vienna, and could even delay the process of European Union enlargement. The Czech ambassador to Austria, Jiri Grusa, said relations had returned to an atmosphere of nervousness and mistrust. Mr Grusa told Austrian radio that the relationship between Prague and Vienna was fraught with tension over the plant, saying Austria's Freedom Party was mostly to blame.

Austrian envoy: Temelin dispute "destroying" relations with Prague

Austria's special envoy for EU enlargement, Erhard Busek, has also spoken out on the issue, saying the dispute over Temelin was "destroying" relations with Prague and hampering cross-border trade and tourism. Speaking in an interview with the Austrian daily Die Presse, Mr Busek said there was no question of shutting down Temelin. He also said EU enlargement without the Czech Republic would be pointless.

Search for bank robber in Usti nad Labem

Police are searching for a man who made off with more than a million crowns in cash from a bank in the northern town of Usti nad Labem on Saturday morning, after threatening staff with what he claimed was a bomb. Pyrotechnic experts later said the package did not contain explosives. None of the bank's staff were injured in the incident, but several were treated for shock.

Police warn drivers to avoid mountain roads

Police have warned drivers to avoid mountain roads in north Moravia, following heavy snowfalls and temperatures falling below zero. A spokesman said snow ploughs and gritting lorries were keeping roads clear, but warned drivers not to use mountain roads without snow chains. Police have warned drivers throughout the country to beware of icy conditions.

Weather

And finally a look at the weather. Monday will be mostly cloudy with rain and snow in places, particularly in the east. Daytime temperatures will remain above zero in the west, falling to lows of minus three in Moravia. Temperatures on Monday night will remain around zero, rising on Tuesday morning to five degrees Celsius.