News of Radio Prague
EU president warns candidates not to push their luck
The presidency of the European Union has warned candidate countries that they risk setting back their entry date by years if they try to demand better accession terms at next week's Copenhagen summit. The Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen said after a meeting with the French President Jacques Chirak in Paris that the EU had made ultimate concessions in its last offer and candidates should not demand the impossible. Three of the candidates -Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary- are still pushing for a better deal in accession talks and the last minute concessions proposed by Denmark still have to be approved by the governments of the other 14 member states. The Danish Prime Minister expressed confidence that the Copenhagen summit would be a historic success, despite the fact that some of the candidates are not entirely happy with the entry terms and that some EU member states feel that the Danish presidency has been too generous with its final offer.
Helicopter makes emergency landing
An Mi24 military helicopter was forced to make an emergency landing in a field outside Prague on Friday after a false fire alarm automatically activated the helicopter's fire extinguishers. No one was reported hurt and the accident is being investigated. Experts suggest that the alarm may have been triggered by a strong magnetic field. The Czech military acquired its fleet of Mi24 helicopters in 1978 and is now preparing to modernize them in cooperation with Slovakia and Poland.
Civic Initiative lobbies for Motejl
A civic initiative has launched a public petition in support of Otakar Motejl for President. Mr. Motejl, who is currently serving in the post of Ombudsman, was one of the proposed candidates of the Social Democratic Party but his chances dropped after he came in third in the party's referendum. Although the Czech president is not elected in a direct vote but by the two houses of Parliament a public opinion poll revealed that Mr. Motejl is the most popular candidate among Czechs. The Social Democrats are expected to officially name their candidate this weekend.
Doctors suspect CJD caused woman's death
Doctors say they cannot rule out that an elderly woman who died in hospital recently may have been infected with CJD, the human form of mad cow disease. The hospital's director Svatopluk Nemecek told the CTK press agency that although some of the symptoms of CJD were present it is possible that the woman died of other causes, possibly a brain tumor. The results of the autopsy, which should reveal the cause of death, are expected in several weeks' time.
Liquid Ecstasy available on local black market
Law enforcement officials say that the party drug Ecstasy is now available in liquid form on the local black market. The liquid form of Ecstasy is being smuggled into the Czech Republic from neighbouring Poland and is said to be cheaper than the tablet form. Experts say that while liquid Ecstasy is cheaper it is equally effective and warn against possible over-doze by drug users.
Weather:
The weekend is expected to bring day temperatures around freezing point and snow showers across the country. Nighttime temperatures are expected to drop to minus five degrees Celsius.
