News of Radio Prague
Rivers returning to normal, two still missing after floods
River levels are slowly returning to normal after several days of severe flooding which left at least two people dead and another two missing. The river Vltava, which flows through Prague, is still swollen with floodwater, but life in the city has been largely unaffected. Further north, the Labe or Elbe river is also much higher than normal, but officials say severe flooding is unlikely. Rescue workers in South Bohemia are still searching for two people swept away by surging flood waters on Thursday. More rain is forecast over the next few days, but experts say the worst of the flooding is now over.
Czech fireman head for Austria to help flood clear up
And a group of twenty Czech fireman are on their way to Austria to help local emergency services in the town of Horn, which was badly hit by the severe floods in Austria this week. The fireman will take with them pumping equipment and inflatable dinghies to assist in the clean-up operation.
New health minister to review controversial cancer treatment
A controversial and illegal technique for fighting cancer is to be reconsidered by the country's new health minister, according to newspaper reports on Friday. Devitalisation, a technique pioneered by a Czech surgeon, aims to kill cancerous tumours by tying surgical thread around them rather than removing them. The new health minister, Marie Souckova, said a review of the technique would be reopened to consider the results of a recently concluded study. Doctors at a hospital in the town of Vrchlabi recently started using the technique, risking legal action from the authorities.
Svoboda to meet Austrian counterpart in New York
The new Czech foreign minister Cyril Svoboda will meet his Austrian counterpart Benita Ferrero-Waldner in New York in September. The talks will focus on the controversial Benes decrees, under which around two and a half million ethnic Germans were expelled from Czechoslovakia and their property confiscated after World War Two. Some politicians in Austria and Germany say the Czech Republic must abolish the decrees before being allowed to join the European Union. The Czech government has refused to discuss the issue, and Mr Svoboda has said his country's position has not changed.
Romanian police hunt for Czech rollercoaster owner after fatal accident
Police in Romania are searching for the Czech owner of a rollercoaster ride, who reportedly fled the scene of a fatal accident. One person was killed and three seriously injured in the accident, which happened on Friday at a fairground in the Black Sea resort of Navodari. Eyewitnesses say one of the carriages flew off the rails and landed on the ground. Romanian border police have been ordered to stop the man leaving the country.
Weather
And finally a look at the weather. Sunday will be mostly cloudy, with scattered showers and storms in places. Temperatures in the daytime will reach a maximum of 24 degrees Celsius, falling at night to lows of 13 degrees.
