News of Radio Prague
Prison director caught shoplifting
The head of the Mirov maximum security prison Veroslav Kyjovsky has been fired after allegedly being caught stealing from a local grocery store. Czech Prison Services spokeswoman Miroslava Havlickova told the CTK press agency that Mr. Kyjovsky's deputy Vladimir Lang would replace him on a temporary basis. She refused to provide any details of the shoplifting incident, saying that the Prison Service viewed it as a serious ethical failure. Kyjovsky had recently replaced another disgraced warden, Milan Kohoutek, who was dismissed over the escape of the country's most notorious killer from the maximum security prison two years ago.
Senate approves EIB loan
The Senate has cleared the way for the Czech government to borrow 12 billion crowns from the European Investment Bank. The money is to help cover the damages from this year's devastating floods. An estimated 2,5 billion crowns should be used to repair the Czech subway which was badly damaged in the floods and remains only partly functional. According to the Prague City Hall this financial injection should significantly speed up repair-work. The bill on the loan still needs to be signed by the president.
Czech prisoners hope to come home soon
Two Czechs jailed for drugs smuggling in Thailand have fresh hope of coming home. The Thai authorities have dispatched the full documentation relating to their cases to the Czech Supreme Court which is expected to confirm the verdicts. According to a Czech-Thai agreement on extradition of prisoners, which went in force earlier this year, the two Czechs could serve the rest of their sentences in their homeland. They have been in Thai jails since 1995 and 1996 respectively.
Czech climber believed dead
A rescue mission for a 27 year old Czech climber, missing since Monday after being buried by an avalanche at Grossglockner in south-west Austria, has not resumed and Austrian rescue crews say there is now no chance of the missing climber being still alive. They say they are doing what they can to retrieve the body; a helicopter is scanning the area. The ground search was called off on Tuesday due to poor visibility and avalanche warnings.
Weather:
Friday is expected to be partly cloudy with scattered snow showers and day temperatures between minus four and zero degrees Celsius. Drivers have been warned to expect morning fog and icy roads.
