News of Radio Prague
Temelin nuclear power back on line after three month shutdown
The Czech Republic's controversial Temelin nuclear power plant was started up for tests again on Sunday following a three-month shutdown for repairs. Officials said the reactor would be brought up to 55 percent of its operating capacity within days. The move was immediately criticised by the Czech branch of the environmental organisation Greenpeace and Austrian environmentalist groups, who say the plant is unsafe. Temelin was shut down in early May due to strong vibrations in the generating turbine. The plant, completed last year at a cost of some 100 billion Czech crowns, has been plagued with technical problems since going into test operation last October.
Helicopter with thermal imaging joins search for missing children
A helicopter with thermal imaging equipment has joined the search for two children who went missing in the South Moravia region almost two weeks ago. The search was intensified last week after police discovered the body of the children's Belgian brother-in-law near the village of Nebovidy in the Brno region. Police say the man, named as Stephan Knaepen, had committed suicide. The man's car was also found, but there was no trace of the two children, a boy aged 10 and a girl aged 12. The three left Brno on July 30th for a tour of local castles.
Skinheads demonstrate outside Interior Ministry
Around 40 far-right extremists demonstrated outside the Czech Interior Ministry on Sunday in protest at a police raid on a concert by neo-Nazi groups. The group failed in their attempt to hand over a petition to Interior Minister Stanislav Gross, as there was no-one in the building. One of the demonstrators was arrested by police.
Police file charges against man advocating armed Communist struggle
Police in the town of Sumperk have asked state prosecutors to charge a 23-year-old man with extremist offences, after he wrote articles in a far-left newspaper calling for an armed struggle to bring about the return of Communist rule. The man, David Pecha, could become the first left-wing extremist to be prosecuted under a Czech law which makes the support of movements that lead to the suppression of human rights and freedoms a criminal offence. An amendment to the law was recently pushed through parliament by right-of-centre deputies and senators, widening the offence to include Communism. Previously it had been used to prosecute neo-Nazi skinheads and other far-right extremists. There are currently 24 Communist MPs sitting in the lower house of the Czech Parliament.
French drugs firm withdraws anti-cholesterol drug after deaths
The French pharmaceutical company Laboratoires Fournier has withdrawn the anti-cholesterol drug Cholstat from the Czech market. The move follows the withdrawal of the same drug produced under a different name by the German company Bayer, following a series of deaths believed to be linked with one of the drug's active ingredients, cerivastatin. There are an estimated 5,000 Cholstat users in the Czech Republic.
Javelin champion Zelezny wins third world title
The Czech Republic's triple Olympic javelin champion Jan Zelezny scored another victory at the World Athletics Championships in Edmonton on Sunday, when he won his third world title. The 35-year-old world record holder added the world championship gold medal to the titles he won in 1993 and 1995 with a second-round throw of 92.80 metres.
Weather forecast
And finally a quick look at the weather. Tuesday will be rather cloudy with some sunny periods, and daytime temperatures reaching highs of 28 degrees Celsius in places.
