News of Radio Prague
Man suspected of murder of policeman accused of three crimes
The man who killed a 39-year-old police officer and seriously stabbed a 74-year-old man at the Museum station of Prague's underground on Friday has been accused of three criminal offences - murder, attempted murder and endangering the safety of the public. The foreigner whose identity remains unclear still refuses to communicate with the police. The man, thought to come from the former Soviet Union, remains in police custody and faces up to 15 years in prison if found guilty of the crimes. The 74-year old passenger who was injured in the fight is now recovering after an operation and his condition is stabilised. The police officer who died immediately of a fatal chest wound after being stabbed by the foreigner is going to be posthumously promoted to a higher rank and his family will receive financial compensation.
Schily calls for Benes decrees to be abolished
The German Interior Minister Otto Schily has again demanded that the controversial post-war Benes decrees be abolished. In an interview for the Sunday edition of the German daily, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Mr Schily said it would be an important step towards better relations between Germans and Czechs. He noted though that without the devastating attack of Hitler's regime, there would have been no such thing as the Benes decrees. The presidential decrees which sanctioned the expulsion of Czechoslovakia's German population after the Second World War have for some time been in the focus of attention of certain groups in Germany and Austria who have been trying to make the Czech Republic's accession to the EU conditional on revocation of the decrees.
UN places Czech Republic 33rd in human development report
The Czech Republic has placed 33rd in the United Nations' report on human development, published in The Economist. Judged by per capita GDP the country occupies the 39th place out of 173 countries in the world. Other factors considered in the report are life expectancy, income and education of the population. The UN report places Norway first, followed by Sweden and Canada.
Thunderstorms hit south Bohemia
A fierce thunderstorm has hit south Bohemia on Sunday afternoon, flooding the town of Tabor and surrounding roads, destroying pavements and overturning objects in the way. Flood waves slowed down traffic and tailbacks formed on the flooded roads. The Tabor fire brigade have started pumping out water from flooded buildings.
Hunger strike ends in Prague prison
A group of about 20 prisoners in a detention centre in Prague ended a 5-day hunger strike on Saturday. All the inmates come from the former Soviet Union, mainly Ukraine. They said they were dissatisfied with the Czech justice system and protested against alleged human rights violations. The Prison Service is now considering their demands. The largest hunger strike held by prisoners in the Czech Republic took place last October when around 170 people in six different prisons around the country refused to take meals. It later turned out that the strike was plotted in order to cover up the escape of Russian-speaking mafia bosses from Czech prisons. The preparations were thwarted by the police in November.
Weather
After a night of thunderstorms and hailstorms, Monday is expected to be cloudy and cooler than the past weekend. Showers and storms are forecast in some parts of the country and temperatures should range between 21 and 25 degrees Celsius.
