News of Radio Prague
Central Bank believes koruna will not strengthen further
The Czech crown has reached a limit exchange rate and is unlikely to strengthen further, according to the Czech National Bank Governor Zdenek Tuma. Speaking at an IMF and World Bank session in Washington, Tuma said there was no reason for further strengthening of the Czech currency, except for short-term unrealistic expectations and speculation. He said the crown may even slightly weaken in the near future. He declined though to speculate about a realistic exchange rate for the crown and rejected fears that the upcoming parliamentary elections might affect the exchange rate. The Czech Central Bank has been worried about a recent substantial strengthening of the Czech crown to the US dollar and euro, as it makes Czech products less competitive on foreign markets and therefore endangers the Czech economic growth.
Czechoslovak military intelligence files accessible to Slovakia
The Czech and Slovak defence ministers have signed an agreement making former Czechoslovak military intelligence archives accessible to both countries. Until now, archives located in the Czech Republic could not be used by Slovakia. Slovakia needs access to the files for security screening of defence officials required by NATO prior to the country's accession to the alliance. Access to the military intelligence archives was one of the last unresolved issues between the two former federal partners which split in 1993.
Government to launch a new anti-racist campaign
The Czech government is planning another campaign against racism and xenophobia. The campaign should be focused on high-school students who sociologists say are susceptible to propaganda from various racist and xenophobic groups. The campaign which is to be launched in May, will besides other things include discussions with representatives of ethnic minorities and refugees. The government will also provide money to public libraries for publications on ethnic minorities and human rights.
Czechs end last in Euro Hockey Tour
The Czech ice hockey team ended last in the Euro Hockey Tour, after losing all three matches at the Karjala Cup in Finland on Sunday. The Karjala Cup was the last event of the Euro Hockey Tour this year. On Sunday, the Czech team suffered a 1-4 defeat by Russia, having lost with Sweden and Finland in the previous two days 3-5 and 2-4, respectively.
Czech weather report
We are expecting a partially cloudy day with occasional rain showers, the highest daytime temperatures should range from 12 to 16 degrees Celsius.
