News of Radio Prague
Consumer prices show sharp rise
Czech consumer prices in November showed the sharpest rise in the past twelve months. The National Statistics Office said on Monday that prices, as measured by the consumer price index, rose 0.5 percent in November from October. The monthly and year-on-year rises are mainly due to high prices for food and non-alcoholic beverages. Prices for these goods were up 2.2 percent on a monthly basis and 3.4 percent on an annual basis. Energy, utilities and fuel prices were flat in November, month-on- month, and rose 1.9 percent from November 2002. Prices of medical services rose by 3.1 percent from a year earlier but dropped 0.5 percent from the previous month.
Student attacks university professor with baseball bat
A professor at the Hradec Kralove University was attacked by a student on Monday and had to be rushed to hospital. Jan Lasek, head of the university's psychology department, suffered wounds to the head and numerous bruises all over his body after a twenty-year old student brutally beat him with a baseball bat. Mr Lasek has often appeared in the media in discussions on child psychology. The student was arrested by the police just minutes after the attack. It is yet unclear what had led to the attack. If charged with assault, he could face up to two years in prison, and five years if found guilty of assault resulting in serious bodily harm.
Unemployment below ten percent
The Czech unemployment rate remained at 9.9 percent in November, according to the latest figures released by the Labour and Social Affairs Ministry on Monday. Economic analysts had predicted that it would rise to 10 percent. The number of people unemployed in November stood at 521,035, of which 267,000 were women, 70,500 people with disabilities, and 55,523 school drop-outs and graduates. The lowest unemployment rate was traditionally reported in the Prague-West area, where it was down by a 0.1 percentage point.
US citizen loses both legs in metro accident
Police have identified a young man who lost both legs after falling onto metro tracks at Prague's Museum station early on Sunday morning. The victim has been identified as a 24-year-old US citizen, currently studying in the Czech Republic. The student, who was rushed to hospital immediately after the accident where doctors had to amputate both his legs, is reported to be in stable condition at Prague's military hospital in the Stresovice district. He was identified by a group of friends who recognised him from a police photograph. The police are investigating the circumstances of the accident, including recordings of the metro camera system. According to a testimony from the driver of the metro that ran over the student's legs, he was already lying on the rails when the train approached the station.
Weather
Tuesday is expected to be sunny with clear skies and temperatures reaching a maximum of three degrees Celsius.
