News of Radio Prague
Second bomb found on busy Czech railway
Czech rail workers have discovered a new case of sabotage on railway tracks in the Nymburk region east of Prague, the second case in as many weeks. A spokesman for the national rail company Ceske drahy said that a routine inspection early on Friday revealed that part of the track had been cut, and the ground beneath dug away to make room for a home-made explosive device. Trains were temporarily rerouted while police defused the device. A similar incident occurred last week, just hours before the opening of the NATO summit in Prague. On both occasions alert rail workers prevented a tragedy.
Full operation of nuclear power plant delayed
The Czech Republic will not meet its goal to place the controversial Temelin nuclear power plant in full operation by the end of the year. According to the state run power utility CEZ technical setbacks have forced it to postpone the launching of full operation by three months. The plant has been at the centre of controversy since its start up in October 2000. Nuclear opponents in Austria and Germany claim it is unsafe and want to see it scrapped. The Czech government maintains that the plant fully adheres to international nuclear safety norms.
Zeman wins in party referendum
A public referendum on who should be the Social Democratic Party's candidate in the upcoming presidential elections has swung in favour of the former Prime Minister Milos Zeman. Over 25,000 people took part in the referendum, which was open to the general public. Milos Zeman topped the list winning close to half of the votes. The former justice minister Jaroslav Bures came second, followed by the Ombudsman Otakar Motejl. Although the Social Democrats said they would abide by public opinion, there is now controversy within the party over whether Milos Zeman would make a suitable presidential candidate. The party leadership is to vote on the matter within the next few days.
Man gets 13 years in jail for killing drunk wife
A Czech court has sentenced a thirty four year old man to 13 years in jail for manslaughter. The man beat his wife to death in a rage when he found her drunk, later telling the court that he had only wanted to "bring her to her senses". The woman was an alcoholic and the couple have a five year old daughter.
Visegrad Group to discuss EU entry talks
The Czech Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla is to attend a meeting of the Visegrad group in the Hungarian capital Budapest over the weekend. The heads of government of Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic are expected to focus largely on the final stage of accession talks with the European Union. The Visegrad group countries have been negotiating the conditions for entry separately, but on occasion they coordinate their stands in order to bolster their positions. This weekend they are expected to thrash out Denmark's offer of last minute concessions regarding financing.
Weather:
Saturday should bring cloudy to overcast skies with scattered showers and snow in the mountain regions. Day temperatures between 4 and 8 degrees Celsius.
