News of Radio Prague
Lower house approves US military assistance during NATO summit
The lower house of the Czech parliament has approved a law allowing US warplanes to help guard the skies over the country during the NATO summit this month. The US government has agreed to deploy its fighters to ensure the security of the summit in Prague, which will be attended by US President George W. Bush and dozens of other heads of states. The bill, which has yet to be approved by the Senate and signed into law by the president, paves the way for up to 15 fighter jets to operate at any given moment in Czech airspace between November 15th and 30th. As many as 250 US soldiers will be allowed onto Czech territory for the deployment. The Prague summit will be NATO's first full meeting since the September 11th attacks on the United States. The US Air Force will join the biggest security operation conducted on Czech soil. Some 12,000 police and army personnel are preparing for the arrival of leaders from more than 40 countries.
Lower house discusses state budget for 2003
The lower house began debate on the 2003 state budget on Thursday amid growing concern that the fractious coalition government might break up if the record-deficit draft does not go through. The centre-left government of Social Democratic Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla has proposed a 111.3 billion crown ($3.6 billion) deficit for next year, at 4.6 percent of GDP the highest ever for the country. The vote is expected to take place on Friday.
MP Marvanova promises not to take part in Friday's state budget vote
The state budget proposal relies on a one-vote majority the governing coalition has in the lower house. MP Hana Marvanova of the coalition Freedom Union says she will not take part in the vote due to take place on Friday at the end of the debate on the first of three required budget readings, thus allowing the bill to be passed. Ms Maranova has broken ranks with the government before, helping to refuse a tax hike proposal in September. Her 'No' vote to the spending plan was feared to trigger the cabinet's collapse, leading to a re-shuffled minority government of Mr Spidla's Social Democrats with the centrist Christian Democrats.
Czech farmers protest outside meeting with EU agriculture commissioner
Czech farmers staged a protest outside a Prague hotel on Thursday, where the agriculture ministers of ten EU candidate countries were meeting the EU commissioner for agriculture Franz Fischler. Some two hundred protestors were reported at the scene, some from neighbouring Slovakia. The farmers met Mr Fischler as well as the Czech Agriculture Minister Jaroslav Palas. Mr Fischler reiterated that he was bound by decisions agreed upon by the original 15 EU states. Czech farmers are worried that the European Commission's proposals for EU entry, including far lower subsidies for farming than in the original EU countries, would seriously hurt the agriculture sector.
Budvar, AB can use Budweiser, BUD trademarks in Britain
A British court of appeal has refused US brewery Anheuser-Busch's proposal seeking deletion of trademarks BUD and Budweiser Budbraeu registered by Czech beer maker Budejovicky Budvar. Great Britain is thus the only territory where the Budweiser and BUD trademarks may be used by both rivals, in line with the court verdict. Budejovicky Budvar faces repeated court attacks from Anheuser-Busch, after refusing cooperation with the US rival. Anheuser Busch argues that it established and made famous the Budweiser trademark around the world. It notes that it used the name Budweiser for the first time in 1876 and registered the brand two years later, while Budvar was established in 1895.
Weather
Friday should be partly cloudy to overcast with isolated snow or sleet. Daytime temperatures are expected to range between 2 and 6 degrees Celsius.
