News of Radio Prague
Czech negotiator on EU accession satisfied with Danish finances proposal
The Czech Republic's chief negotiator on accession to the European Union, Pavel Telicka, has expressed satisfaction with an offer of increased finances to applicant countries put forward by Denmark, which currently holds the EU presidency. Mr Telicka described the offer as positive, but said the Czech Republic would still continue to fight for better accession terms between now and the mid-December Copenhagen EU summit. Germany and some other EU countries are opposed to the Danish proposals, which are aimed at appeasing farmers in candidate states. The Czech Republic is one of ten countries hoping to join the Union in 2004.
Charges filed against two former dealers at CSOB bank
The state attorney has filed charges at Prague Municipal Court against two former dealers at CSOB bank, who are accused of causing losses of almost two and a half billion Czech crowns. The two men, a Czech and a Czech-American, have been in custody since December. They had originally been accused of fraud, though the charge was later amended to 'mismanagement of the property of others'.
Police on bribery charges found innocent after five-year trial
Two former police officers accused of taking bribes have been found innocent by Prague 1 Court. The former director of Ceska banka bank, Ivan Fiser, had told the court that he had given the two police officers 350,000 Czech crowns in 1994. Tuesday's hearing was the culmination of a five-year trial.
Case of misuse of Dagmar Havlova's name postponed
A hearing in a case about the use of the name of President Vaclav Havel's wife, Dagmar Havlova, in the address of a pornographic Internet website was postponed by the district court in the town of Ceska Lipa on Tuesday, when one of the two defendants was taken ill. The two face up to two years in prison if found guilty of 'harming the rights of others'. The case was taken by the President's Office in May of last year, and the site no longer exists.
Three flights from Prague to Paris cancelled due to strike
Three Czech Airlines flights from Prague to Paris were cancelled on Tuesday, as air traffic controllers in the French capital joined other public-sector workers in a day of stoppages. CSA is to provide bigger planes than usual for its flights to Paris on Wednesday, to accommodate those whose flights have been cancelled.
Skier Neumannova confirms pregnancy, plans return in 2005
The leading Czech female skier, Katerina Neumannova, has confirmed that she is pregnant, and says she plans to return to the sport in time for the 2005 World Championships. The skier, who is 29 and holds three Olympic medals, said that she was more overjoyed by her pregnancy than any medal or championship victory.
Weather
Wednesday should be cloudy with rain or showers in places, with temperatures of up to 11 degrees Celsius.
