News of Radio Prague
Austrian anti-nuclear activists cancel border blockade
Austrian anti-nuclear activists have called off a planned border blockade after failing to gain permission from the Austrian authorities. Demonstrators had planned to block the Gmund border crossing with the Czech Republic in protest at plans to reactivate the Temelin nuclear power station across the border in South Bohemia. Temelin's first reactor will probably be switched on at the weekend, and not on Friday as originally planned. The reactor has been shut down since the beginning of May, to allow essential repairs on the plant's generating turbine. Temelin has been plagued with technical problems since going into test operation last October.
Police continue for search for missing children
Police in South Moravia say the search continues for two children who went missing in the region more than a week ago. The search has been intensified after police discovered the body of the children's Belgian brother-in-law on Tuesday near the village of Nebovidy in the Brno region. Police say the man, named as Stephan Knaepen, had committed suicide. They later found the man's car, but there was no trace of the two children, a boy aged 10 and a girl aged 12. The three left Brno on July 30th for a tour of local castles.
Rychetsky: Czech authorities must do more to improve Roma integration
The deputy Prime Minister Pavel Rychetsky has said the Czech authorities must do more to improve the integration of the country's Roma minority. Speaking after a meeting with Roma representatives, Mr Rychetsky said the government and state authorities must concentrate on improving protection of the Roma minority, and also tackle the problem of disproportionately high unemployment among the Roma. Thousands of Roma have fled the Czech Republic in recent years, seeking asylum from what they say is racial discrimination at home. Britain recently stationed immigration officers at Prague's Ruzyne Airport, to prevent Czech Roma from applying for asylum in the U.K. The controversial measures were lifted on Thursday.
French drugs firm withdraws anti-cholesterol drug after deaths
The French pharmaceutical company Laboratoires Fournier has begun withdrawing the anti-cholesterol drug Cholstat from the Czech market. The move follows the withdrawal of the same drug produced under a different name by the German company Bayer, following a series of deaths believed to be linked with one of the drug's active ingredients, cerivastatin. There are an estimated 5,000 Cholstat users in the Czech Republic.
Police file charges against man advocating armed Communist struggle
Police in the town of Sumperk have asked state prosecutors to charge a 23-year-old man with extremist offences, after he wrote articles in a far-left newspaper calling for an armed struggle to bring about the return of Communist rule. The man, David Pecha, could become the first left-wing extremist to be prosecuted under a Czech law which makes the support of movements that lead to the suppression of human rights and freedoms a criminal offence. An amendment to the law was recently pushed through by right-of-centre deputies and senators, widening the offence to include Communism. Previously it had been used to prosecute neo-Nazi skinheads and other far-right extremists. There are currently several dozen Communist MPs sitting in the lower house of the Czech Parliament.
Weather forecast
And finally a quick look at the weekend's weather. And it will be a cool and rather cloudy weekend, with showers and the chance of storms throughout the country. Saturday will see daytime temperatures reaching a maximum of 20 degrees Celsius, Sunday will see clearer weather and temperatures rising to 21 degrees.
