News of Radio Prague
Railcar with explosives puts lives in danger
The police is investigating an accident involving a derailed railcar packed with explosives, which placed hundreds of lives in danger on Monday night. The drama started in the late hours of Monday when a railcar loaded with 18 tons of industrial explosives was derailed and crashed near a densely populated residential area. Experts say that it was merely a matter of good luck that the shipment did not explode and precipitate a disaster of immense proportions. Emergency crews spent most of the night getting the situation under control. The shipment originated from the Synthesia chemical works in Pardubice, which makes a variety of pyrotechnics, including the plastic explosive Semtex.
Lukashenko -summit
The Czech government is to decide whether or not the controversial President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko should be granted a visa to the Czech Republic. President Lukashenko, whose country has voiced strong opposition to NATO expansion, has applied for a visa in view of attending the November NATO summit in Prague. According to unofficial sources at NATO headquarters President Lukashenko has not been invited to the summit. Belarus, criticized by the West over its record on human rights and freedom of speech, has been at odds with several international institutions.
Tighter border control after November 15th
The Czech border authorities have warned visitors to the Czech Republic that after November 15th border security will be very tight in connection with the upcoming NATO summit. People entering the country by car can expect a thorough check up of their documents, luggage and vehicle and, consequently a much longer wait at the border. During the summit itself, on November 21st and 22nd, some parts of Prague will be closed off to the public and there may be changes in public transport.
Benes decrees -EP resolution
The Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament has approved a resolution on the controversial Benes decrees, stating that they do not present a hurdle to the Czech Republic's accession to the EU. The verdict is based on the outcome of a legal expertise commissioned by the European Parliament which concluded that the decrees are not in violation of EU law. The Benes decrees, which sanctioned the expulsion of 2.5 million ethnic Germans from Czechoslovakia after WWII, have been criticized by some groups in Austria and Germany who asked the Czech Republic to abolish the decrees before joining the European Union.
Romanies come home
Great Britain has flown a group of 53 Czech Romanies back to the Czech Republic after refusing to grant them asylum. It is the sixth deportation of Roma asylum seekers from Great Britain and more are expected to follow, on the grounds that most Czech Romanies who seek asylum in Great Britain are economic migrants. Britain has employed various measures to try to stem the flow, including immigration controls at Prague's Ruzyne Airport, and it wants to tighten its asylum laws to prevent future abuse of the system, especially from applicants from the 10 EU candidate countries which are considered democratic and safe.
Pirated goods confiscated
The Czech Inspection Office has confiscated 22 million crowns worth of pirated goods. Inspectors and the police unexpectedly cracked down on outdoor salesmen near the Czech-Austrian border who are known to sell smuggled and pirated goods, especially sports gear and CDs. They confiscated seven tons of goods from 30 stalls. The Czech Inspection Office makes dozens of similar crack-downs on suspect salesmen each month but they usually receive advance warning of the operation.
Weather
Wednesday should be another very cold day with partly cloudy skies and scattered snow showers. Day temps between 0 and 3 degrees Celsius.
