News of Radio Prague
Police arrest two Slovaks trying to sell suspected low-enriched uranium
Police have arrested two Slovak men as they attempted to sell a large amount of radioactive material in a Brno hotel. The two, from the Slovak town of Presov, were detained in a sting operation at Brno's Voronez hotel while trying to sell three kilograms of the material, which has yet to be identified. They have been charged and taken into custody. The National Institute for Nuclear Safety says it was the largest seizure of radioactive material anywhere in the world for the last nine months. The head of the Institute, Dana Drabova, said it was almost certain that the material could not have been used for the production of nuclear weapons. She said the material was most probably low-enriched uranium smuggled from the former Soviet bloc. The Institute is analysing the substance and should know more by Thursday.
South Bohemian villages vote in first referendum on nuclear waste facility
Residents of three South Bohemian villages are taking part in the country's first ever referendum on nuclear waste. The people of Nadejkov, Bozetice, and Prestenice are being asked to vote on a government proposal to build an underground nuclear waste storage facility in the area. Similar referendums are planned in five other villages in areas also considered as potential sites. At present, waste from the country's two nuclear power plants at Temelin and Dukovany is stored at the plants themselves.
Record low turnout in Senate by-election
A record low turnout has accompanied this weekend's second round of the Senate by-election in Brno. Just over 10 percent turned out to vote in the final round, electing Karel Jarusek, a member of the main opposition Civic Democrats, as the city's new senator. In the end Mr Jarusek won by just 21 votes. Saturday's turnout was the lowest ever in any election to the Senate, which suffers from a lack of public trust.
Ostrava office workers flee to safety before office block collapses
Office workers in the North Moravian city of Ostrava made a last-minute escape to safety on Saturday just before part of their three-storey office block collapsed. Employees fled the building when the walls began to crack. Around one quarter of the building collapsed shortly afterwards. The accident was apparently caused by construction work on the walls of the building, which began in the morning. Police are considering whether to file criminal charges. City officials have decided that the entire building will be demolished.
Czech Republic thrash Canada 5-1 in football friendly
The Czech football team has beaten Canada 5-1 in a friendly in the North Bohemian town of Teplice. Goals by Jankulovski, Poborsky, Heinz, Sionko and Skacel steered the Czechs to an easy victory before the start of the winter break. The Czech Republic haven't been beaten in the last 19 matches - a new record for Czech football.
Weather
Monday will be mostly cloudy, with showers and snow in places. Daytime temperatures will range from 5 to 9 degrees Celsius, falling at night to lows of 2 degrees.
