News of Radio Prague
Turbine trouble forces Temelin nuclear plant shutdown
The Temelin nuclear plant was shut down on Tuesday night because of an apparent problem with a power-generating turbine. A spokesman said technicians were investigating a possible leak in the Unit 1 turbine, which has been plagued with technical problems since the plant was launched in October 2000. The spokesman said the latest hitch posed no danger to the public and did not affect the plant's two nuclear reactors. The shutdown comes just two days after government regulators approved a request to graduate the first unit from the "testing" stage of operation to the "trial" stage. Last month, regulators approved the test start-up of Unit 2.
Stoiber: abolition of Benes decrees "not condition" for Czech EU entry
Germany's conservative candidate for chancellor, Edmund Stoiber, has said the abolition of the so-called Benes decrees is not a condition for Czech admission to the European Union, but the two issues are connected. Mr Stoiber, leader of the opposition Christian Social Union party, said he hoped the Czech Republic would start dealing with history more openly after the elections. Some two and a half million ethnic Germans were expelled from Czechoslovakia in 1945, under decrees signed by President Eduard Benes. Politicians in Germany and Austria have called for the decrees to be abolished before the Czech Republic is allowed to join the EU.
Court rules Opocno chateau should be given back to aristocrat family
A district court has ruled that the state-owned Opocno chateau should be returned to the Colloredo-Mansfeld family. Descendants of the aristocratic family have fought a seven-year court battle to win back the property, in a case which has gone as far as the Supreme Court. The authorities are expected to appeal against the latest ruling. Opocno chateau and grounds, located in East Bohemia, were seized by the Nazis in 1942, and later nationalised by the post-war Czechoslovak state. The Colloredo-Mansfeld family say they were wrongly labelled Nazi collaborators after the war, and therefore denied the right to claim back the property.
Former police chief sentenced for abuse of office
The former chief of police in the eastern city of Hradec Kralove has been sentenced to 400 hours community service for abuse of office. Ales Pozdilek was found guilty of unlawfully halting the prosecution of several local officials, including a local intelligence officer charged with drink-driving. The former police chief was also stripped of his rank of major.
Ulihrach beats Schuettler at Gerry Weber Open
The Czech Republic's Bohdan Ulihrach defeated Germany's Rainer Schuettler on Wednesday to advance to the quarter-finals of the Gerry Weber Open ATP tennis tournament in Germany. Ulihrach, ranked 58th in the ATP Champions Race, won the two-hour match 6-2 6-7 7-5.
Weather
Finally a look at the weather. Thursday will be a warm but mostly cloudy day, with the chance of showers and storms in places. Temperatures in the daytime will range from 19 to 23 degrees Celsius, falling at night to lows of 10 degrees.
