News of Radio Prague
Britain deports another group of Czech asylum seekers
Great Britain deported 29 Czech asylum seekers in a specially chartered plane on Friday; it was the third such deportation so far this month. The number of Czechs seeking asylum in Britain - most of whom are Romanies - is constantly increasing, according to UK authorities. A British Home Office report published on Thursday said Czech Romanies suffered segregation in schools and discrimination at the hands of the Czech police. However, Britain is not prepared to grant Romanies asylum, saying it would prefer to help Czech authorities deal with such issues in the Czech Republic.
Benes decrees not incompatible with EU legislation, says lawyer's report
The Benes decrees are not incompatible with European Union legislation, German lawyer Jochen Frowein has said in a report prepared for the European Parliament, the Austrian daily Die Presse reported on Saturday. German and Austrian authorities have frequently called for the repeal of the decrees, under which Czechoslovakia's German minority were expelled after World War II. Mr Frowein said however that there could be a problem with the 1946 amnesty for crimes committed against Germans during the expulsion.
European Investment Bank to lend Czech Republic 8 billion crowns
The Czech Republic is planning to borrow some 8 billion Czech crowns from the European Investment Bank to cover some of the damages caused by August's floods, Finance Minister Bohuslav Sobotka said on Friday. Mr Sobotka was speaking in Washington, where he is attending the autumn session of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. The total costs of flood damage have been estimated at up to 90 billion Czech crowns.
Work on country's biggest ever aircraft repair plant to begin in December
The construction of a plant to repair Boeing 747 aeroplanes at Mosnov airport, near Ostrava, is to begin in December, the governor of Moravia and Silesia Evzen Tosenovsky announced on Friday. The country's largest aircraft repair plant should be completed by August 2003, and is expected to repair around 100 planes a year. The plant will cost over 600 million Czech crowns.
"Vinobrani" wine harvest festival taking place in Prague
A traditional "vinobrani" wine harvest festival has been taking place in Prague on Saturday, at Namesti Miru and Namesti Jiriho z Podebrad squares. Various kinds of music have been performed, and revelers have been drinking various wines, including a half-fermented young wine known as "burcak". Accompanying attractions include historical fencing and folk dancing. Around 15,000 people attend the wine harvest festival every year.
Weather
It should be misty on Sunday morning, with a good deal of sunshine in the afternoon. Temperatures should range between 12 and 16 degrees Celsius.
