| ||||||||
A daily in-depth look at current events in the Czech Republic. | ||||||||
[ June 21st ]
[ June 20th ]
[ June 19th ]
[ June 16th ] [ June 15th ] [ June 14th ] [ June 13th ] [ June 12th ] | ||||||||
Verheugen arrives in Prague to reassure EU candidates The European Union's Commissioner for Enlargement, Guenter Verheugen, arrived in Prague on Monday to host a conference on EU expansion. Mr Verheugen faces a difficult task - the six 'fast-track' candidates are getting fed up with the EU's dilly-dallying, they say they want a clear idea of when they'll be let in. Brussels, on the other hand, has its hands full with the internal reform which must proceed EU enlargement, and are refusing to say when the new states will be able to join. Earlier today Rob Cameron spoke to the BBC's correspondent in Prague, Ray Furlong, and he began by asking him what he believed Mr Verheugen would be saying to the six EU hopefuls. Czechs seek relief from heatwave People in the Czech Republic, like their neighbours throughout Europe, have been sweltering in extremely hot weather for the past few days. On Wednesday the Czech meteorological office in Prague said it was the hottest June since 1861. The thermometer soared to a scorching 35.6 degrees Celsius (96F), beating the previous record by more than three degrees. Lucie Krupickova asked people in the streets of Prague how they were coping with the tropical weather: New tombstone for Hilsner unveiled in Vienna On Wednesday, June 21st a group of Austrian citizens gathered at Vienna's main cemetery for the unveiling of a tombstone dedicated to Leopold Hilsner, a Jew who just over 100 years ago found himself at the centre of a massive anti-Semitic campaign. Accused of the ritual murder of a young Christian girl, Hilsner was tried and sentenced to life imprisonment without any direct evidence against him. He spent 19 years in prison, received a pardon, and was forced to spend the rest of his days in hiding. He died in 1928, a broken man. It was to take another seventy-two years for Hilsner to be officially rehabilitated. Daniela Lazarova has the story: The Hilsner tragedy happened in the Austro-Hungarian empire at the end of the 19th century, a time of economic, social and nationalist ferment. Nationalism and racism bubbled under the surface, and it the gruesome murder of a young Christian girl to unleashed dormant anti-Jewish sentiment. The tragedy took place in the sleepy town of Polna in the Czech-Moravian highlands, and unleashed a wave of violence against Jews throughout the Austro-Hungarian empire. © Copyright 2000 Radio Prague All Rights Reserved Please send us your comments. |