News of Radio Prague
Charter 77 celebrates 25th anniversary
It's been 25 years since the launch of the Charter 77 human rights declaration. Charter 77 called on the Communist regime to observe the Helsinki human rights agreements, which Czechoslovakia signed in 1975. Many of those who signed the declaration were subsequently persecuted by the Communist authorities. Perhaps the most famous signatory of Charter 77 - the current Czech president Vaclav Havel, said he believed the document could inspire people even now, twelve years after the fall of the totalitarian regime, especially by its spirit of mutual respect and solidarity as well as by an effort to fight for good things even though the goal is hard to achieve.
Czech retail market continued to boom in 2001
Czech retail trade recorded a significant sales increase in 2001, according to a recent retail study conducted by the Prague-based research firm Incoma. The report said the top 10 retailers in the Czech Republic - all foreign-owned - posted combined revenues of 180 billion Czech crowns or five billion US dollars last year, up 18 per cent from the previous year and the ten largest retailers control about 30 per cent of the Czech Republic's retail business. The report also indicated that Czech shopping habits have changed and almost one third of Czech households prefer hypermarkets for grocery shopping. Czechs have also become more selective about brands and prices, now, twelve years after the fall of the communist regime, infamous for frequent supply shortages.
Czechs end 7th at under-21 World ice hockey championship
The Czech team ended 7th at the under-21 World ice hockey championship which took place in Pardubice, Eastern Bohemia. Russia came first after defeating Canada 5-4 on Friday to win their 11th world title. In their final match, Czechs beat Slovakia 6-2 to secure the worst ever position of the national team in the under-21 championships.
Snow situation improving, cold cracks rail tracks
The heavy snowfalls which hit the Czech Republic over the last few days and blocked many roads have eased off. However, driving in many areas of the country is still difficult as extremely low temperatures have led to ice. Several meteorological stations in the Czech Republic saw record low temperatures on Friday. The lowest temperature - minus 29.4 Celsius - was recorded in the Eastern region of Zlin. The extremely low temperatures have been causing problems on the Czech rail system - the cold has cracked the tracks in several parts of the country. A spokesperson for Czech Railways said that the cargoes of many goods trains also froze.
Czech weather report
So, what is the weather going to be like in the coming days? The daytime temperatures are expected to rise to between 8 and 2 degrees Celsius below zero, although night time lows may still drop to minus 20 in some places.