News of Radio Prague
Karlovy Vary Film Festival ends
The 37th International Karlovy Vary Film Festival proved to be a triumph for Czech film makers. The main prize the Crystal Globe Award -went to the Czech film Year of the Devil directed by Petr Zelenka - a black comedy about a group of Czech musicians confronting the horrors of alcoholism. The main prize in the category of documentary films likewise went to a Czech production called Town B directed by Filip Remunda. The jury, headed by the French actor and director Jean Marc Barr, awarded a special prize to the German movie Nowhere in Africa directed by Caroline Link. The Best Director award went to Asghar Massombagi for the Canadian movie Khaled. The Best Camera Award went to Ming Boung-hun for the Korean film No time for tears. The British actor Sean Connery was presented with a special award for his lifelong contribution to the world of cinematography. Over the past ten days the famous West Bohemian spa town hosted over 140 thousand film fans who saw close to 300 domestic and foreign movies. Visitors also got the chance to mingle with some of their film idols among them Sean Connery, Michael York, Stephen Fry, Ben Chaplin, Claire Duval, Keira Knightley and Orla Brayd.
EU says Temelin is safe
The European Commission's deputy chairwoman Loyola de Palacio has said that the European Union has no reservations regarding the safety of the Temelin nuclear power plant in southern Bohemia. According to de Palacio Temelin meets all international nuclear safety requirements as well as a list of nuclear safety norms which the EC is preparing for EU states. The EC's deputy chairwoman on Sunday rejected another bid for EU intervention from Austria saying that the question of Temelin's future was strictly the Czech Republic's internal affair and the European Union would put no pressure on Prague in connection with plant.
Civic Democrats to analyze election defeat
Hostility between the Czech Republic's right wing parties and the unpopular power sharing deal between the Civic and Social Democrats are believed to have been behind the Civic Democratic Party's defeat in the June parliamentary elections. This according to the results of an analysis commissioned by the party leadership. The party is to debate these findings on Monday in view of taking corrective action. Only one high ranking Civic Democratic party member resigned in the wake of the party's poor showing in the elections. Party leader Vaclav Klaus said he would offer his resignation at the party's annual conference in December.
Thirteen injured in train collision
Thirteen people were injured in a train collision in north-western Bohemia over the weekend. Two passenger trains collided in the Chomutov region for as yet unknown reasons. There were no casualties. Two passengers, one of them a German national, remain in serious condition. Eleven others are said to have sustained lighter injuries. The cause of the accident is being investigated.
Vandalism puts 170 lives at risk
The police is investigating a case of vandalism at Ostrava airport which could have ended in a major tragedy. Three youngsters broke into the grounds on Wednesday night, smashed 11 runway lights and threw the pieces of glass onto the runway. A Boeing 737 carrying 170 holiday makers from Greece which was coming in for a landing early on Thursday had to circle the airport until the runway was cleared. The airport management said they were horrified by this form of vandalism. According to experts the pieces of scattered glass could have punctured a plane's tires, or in the event of a departing plane the shards of glass could have been sucked into the motors and caused a crash when the plane had become airborne. With the help of sniffer dogs the police later detained three boys who have now admitted to the prank. One is aged 16, the other two are thirteen year olds.
British immigration controls at Ruzyne
British immigration officials have ended another round of immigration controls at Ruzyne airport. 82 people bound for Great Britain were turned away between now and June 23rd . The British immigration checks at Prague's main airport are the result of an agreement between the Czech and British governments. The Czech side agreed to the move in the wake of a mass exodus of Romanies to Great Britain. An alternative solution, which both countries want to avoid, is the re-introduction of a visa regime. The British authorities who want to protect their country from economic asylum seekers, say that the number of Czech nationals asking for asylum has dropped significantly in the wake of the immigration checks. However the procedure has come under fire from human rights activists who say that the questions Czechs travelling to Great Britain are asked are too personal. Romanies who have been turned back say that the check ups are racist.
And finally a look at the weather forecast:
Monday is expected to be partly cloudy to overcast with scattered showers and storms in many parts of the country and day temps between 23 and 28 degs C.
