News of Radio Prague

Czech soldiers to replace British medical staff hit by mystery illness in Afghanistan

Members of the Czech 6th field hospital currently stationed in Afghanistan will temporarily replace British doctors and medical personnel who have contracted a mystery illness, a Czech Defence Ministry official said on Friday. Around 40 British soldiers have been hit by the unidentified fever at a joint military base at Bagram, some 50 kilometres north of the capital Kabul.

Ministry denies trip to Egypt cancelled because of statements by Czech prime minister

The Czech Foreign Minister, Jan Kavan, has cancelled a trip to Egypt next week because his Egyptian counterpart will be out of the country. A Foreign Ministry spokesperson denied that the visit had been cancelled because of the tension caused by recent anti-Palestinian statements made by the Czech Prime Minister Milos Zeman. Mr Zeman, who has expressed his support for the Israelis several times, compared Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to Adolf Hitler on a visit to Israel in February.

Delegates from Israel and Palestinian Authority pull out of Prague Socialists conference

Delegates from Israel and the Palestinian Authority have pulled out of a Party of European Socialists conference in Prague, the leader of the Czech Social Democratic Party, Vladimir Spidla, said on Friday. The current crisis in the Middle East is one of the main topics on the agenda at the conference, which is being held at the Social Democrats' headquarters in the centre of Prague. The leaders of socialist parties from across Europe are attending the meeting.

Ministry rules reconstruction of Expo 58 building was legal

The Ministry for Local Development has confirmed the validity of a planning decision which allowed the Expo 58 restaurant in Prague to be reconstructed as a modern office building. The ministry's decision brings to an end a long-running dispute over the legality of the planning decision. The circular restaurant building, which overlooks the river Vlatva, represented the Czech Republic at the 1958 World Expo exhibition, but had fallen into a state of considerable disrepair in recent years. The building is on the UNESCO cultural heritage list.

Weather

And finally a look at the weather forecast for the weekend. Saturday should be another sunny day here in the Czech Republic, with temperatures of up to 25 degrees Celsius. Sunday will be partially cloudy, with temperatures once again in the mid-20s Celsius.