Radio Prague Message of the Day: 

         Prague Toy Museum is the second biggest in Europe with five 
       thousand items on display, including a 3000-year-old clay doll 
              and her 600 years younger "sister" made of bone. 
        Since the beginning of the year, the museum has had more than 
                           20 thousand visitors.

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Copyright (c) 1997 Radio Prague (Vysilani do zahranici CRo)


Radio Prague E-News
Date: August 18, 1998
Written/read by: Vladimir Tax


Hello and welcome to Radio Prague. I'm Vladimir Tax and we
begin with a brief newsbulletin. First the headlines.

* The lower house of the Czech parliament is continuing the
  debate on a government manifesto.

* The Civic Democrats will perform monthly checks of their book-
  keeping.

* President Havel's health condition has been improving.

These are the main points and now the news in more detail.


Chamber discussing govt. manifesto

The lower house of the Czech parliament, the Chamber of
deputies, is continuing the debate on a government manifesto
today. The chamber interrupted its session late on Tuesday
after a several-hour discussion and postponed a vote of
confidence in the cabinet until this afternoon.

Premier Milos Zeman started the debate on Tuesday by
addressing the chamber and asking it to express confidence in
the cabinet. Zeman said the Social Democrat government was
well aware of the fact that it is a minority administration
and pointed out that it would seek a broad consensus among the
other political parties for its activities.

Milos Zeman's cabinet is almost certain to succeed in the vote
of confidence as the second strongest party, the Civic
Democrats, have pledged their support, even though they oppose
Social Democratic policies.

On the other hand, the other two right wing parties, the
Christian Democrats and the Freedom Union said the manifesto
contained unrealistic goals and that they will in no case
support the new cabinet. The Communists see both positive and
negative points in the manifesto and have not said whether
they will support it or not.


ODS to carry out monthly checks of party book-keeping

The Civic Democratic Party's accountants will have to report
on the party's financial management, the state of its main
accounts and money transfers at least once a month, the party
announced on Tuesday.

The Civic Democrats ordered a financial audit last autumn,
amid suspicions that it had an illegal bank account abroad.
While not confirming the suspicion, the audit revealed a
number of shortcomings in the party's financial management,
including tax evasion and fabrication of false donor names.


Havel still better

President Havel who is convalescencing after intestinal
surgery three weeks ago, has been moved out of intensive care,
according to the President's doctor Ilja Kotik. Dr. Kotik also
confirmed that Havel's health condition was improving
satisfactorily.


Renowned scientist died

One of the most prominent and world-renowned Czech scientists,
and former president of the Czech Academy of Science, Otto
Wichterle, died on Tuesday. Wichterle gained fame as the
inventor of the contact lens. For his support of the Prague
Spring, the communist regime stripped him of all his official
functions in 1969, nevertheless, despite persecution Wichterle
managed to continue with his scientific research. During his
career, Professor Wichterle won many awards both at home and
abroad and received several honorary doctorates from
prestigious foreign universities.


Inflation estimated at about 9%

Economic experts expect this year's inflation rate to reach
between the 9 and 10 percent mark and the so-called net
inflation to be around 5 percent. The most pessimistic
estimate, which sees inflation at the end of the year at ten
percent, also expects the exchange rate to drop to around 19
crowns per german mark. The main factors which are expected to
negatively influence inflation are turbulence on world
markets, unfavourable economic results, such as the widening
foreign trade deficit, as well as expansive state fiscal
policies or political crises.


Czech weather report

And finally, a brief look at the weather. We can expect a
partially cloudy day with afternoon highs between 24 and 28
degrees Celsius. On Thursday and Friday, the weather in the
Czech Republic will be influenced by a cold front from the
West. It should be cloudy or partially cloudy with scattered
showers and the highest daytime temperatures of around 25
degrees Celsius.

And that's the end of the news.				    
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