CCCCC AA RRRRR OOOO LL II NN N AA CC AA A RR R OO O LL II NNN N AA A CC AA A RRRRR OO O LL II NN N N AA A CC AAAAAA RR R OO O LL II NN NN AAAAAA CCCCC AA A RR R OOOO LLLLLL II NN N AA A STUDENTS' E-MAIL NEWS FROM CZECH REPUBLIC School of Social Sciences of Charles University Smetanovo nabr. 6 110 01 Prague 1 Czech Republic E-mail address: carolina@n.fsv.cuni.cs Fax: (+422) 231 7391 *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* C A R O L I N A No 75, Friday, May 14, 1993. FROM LAST WEEK EVENTS (May 5 - 12) Czecho-Slovak property commission negotiated on Friday in Prague Three particular agreements (about federal assets and debits devision, about guarantee transfer and financial subsidy from the federation onto the republics, and about fellowship of particular gasworks integration activities) were prepared by the common Czecho-Slovak property commision to be signed. From the biggest outstanding debt of the Czech Republic as against Slovakia, left by the former state bank and amounting on 24.700.000.000 Kc, the Slovak side confirmed on Friday 6.600.000.000. A two-side expert commission was set up to check upon the remaining sum. In view of the constructive course of the property commission negotiations, presidents Vaclav Havel and Michal Kovac agreed in their Saturday phone call on postponning the top-level summit (prezidents, premiers, ministers of finance and foreign affaires) about the federal property separation. Alleged Attempt to Assassinate Vaclav Havel An assassination attempt on Vaclav Havel was probably not being prepared at all. According to commissionar-in-chief of Prague criminal police Miroslav Vavra, there is no evidence of a group of arrested Yugoslavs having prepared any attempt to assassinate president Havel. The police only owns an anonymous letter delivered on May 4 by Blesk editorial staff (tabloid, according to the last survey the most widely read paper in the Czech Republic). The anonymous letter informing about an attempt to assassinate Czech President due to his open approval with the intervention in the former Yugoslavia was also received and published on May 7 by daily Mlada Fronta Dnes. In a similar way the anonym sent letters to other addresees, too, including the Prague Castle. According to press information, the Prague police chief announced at Friday's press conference that the police had shadowed the persons in question for some time, and that the anonymous announcement just made things go guicker. Seven citizens from the former Yugoslavia were arrested on Wednesday, May 5. Two of them who did not belong to the gang, were later set free. No weapons were found but an armed chief of the gang escaped from the spot. The police held up several stolen cars. The most probable background of the case are setting accounts amongst competitive criminal clans. Yet the number of President' s bodyguards increased. 5.000.000.000 Budget Balance Balance amounting at 5.000.000.000 Kc was shown in the end of April in the state budget of the Czech Republic. City and community revenues were by 11.500.000.000 higher than their expenses. Minister of Finance Ivan Kocarnik said this on Monday, May 10 at a press conference. According to him thus the catastrophical prophesies about revenues falling down in connection with the introduced value-added-tax at the beginning of the year did not come true. Yet the minister of finance made it clear that any development is usually better in the first term than in the second one, therefore there is no good to overemphasize the current results. He also said that customs-checking revealed 2500 cases of tax-escapes and confiscated goods (mainly cigarettes and spirits) for 102.000.000 crowns. Joblessness Very Low The unemployment rate in the Czech Republic dropped again - in late April 143 000 jobless people were registered, which is 2.71 per cent. While in Prague the unemployment is almost zero (0.38 per cent), the biggest troubles occur traditionaly in some border regions (even above six per cent). This is the situation for example in Moravian regions Znojmo and Vsetin. Up to now, no negative impact of the privatisation and bankrupcies have appeared. The bankrupcy and balance bill came into effect only on April 22. We can expect the first break-through soon because universities will set off 170 000 graduates this year. New Tender of Payments in the Czech Republic A thousand-crown bank note with the portrait of Frantisek Palacky (Czech politician and historician of the 19th century) and with Moravia-Silezia coat-of-arms spread-eagle will become valid in the Czech Republic as of May 12. Apart from this, coins in the value of 10, 20, and 50 hellers, and 10 and 20 crowns will be accepted. The stamped Czechoslovak bank notes will be gradually withdrawn and their validity ceases on August 31, 1993. Yet they will be exchangeable till May 31, 1994. EXCHANGE RATE OF THE CZECH CROWN buy sell USA 1USD 27.71 29.11 BRD 1DEM 14.44 18.36 GB 1GBP 42.79 45.63 CAN 1CAD 21.66 23.44 FRA 1FRF 5.11 5.51 AUT 1ATS 2.48 2.60 TURIST RATE OF THE SLOVAK CROWN (for 100 Sk) buy sell Investicni banka 87.00 92.00 Agrobanka 88.00 93.00 Komercni banka 83.00 87.00 Ceska sporitelna 87.00 93.00 The rates are valid as of May 11, 1993. SPORT Separation of the federation did not harm the beauty of our hockey The Czech representation finished the third at their firt start at recent World Championate in Germany. Our players performed well, they lost an only point in the basic B group right in the first match having drawn a tie with the USA 1:1. Later they were only winning - with home Germans 5:0, with Norwegians after a tough fight 2:0. In the next match they returned a semi-final defeat from last year's World Championate to the Finish and beat them 3:1. Eventually they obligatorily beat France 6:2 and became the first in their group. In the quarter-final the hockey players from the Czech Republic easily won 8:1 over the weakest team succeeding from A group, the surprise of this year's championate, Italy. Along with Canada, Russia and Sweden, our representatives suceeded to the semi-final. In the semi-final they encountered Sweden, the world champion from the last two years. The match with them was very dramatical. Still one minute before the end of the normal playing time we were losing 2:3. Coach Hlinka withdrew the goal keeper and 48 seconds before the signal defender Kadlec shot the balancing goal and forced thus prolongement. Both defences played well and everyone was expecting penalties. In the 69th minute the Swedish goal-keeper almost pushed a goal into his own net but the rival set off into counterattack and his shot touched by goalkeeper Briza ended up in our goal. A hope for the gold medal vanished but the players soon recovered from the sorrow and in the match for the third place smashed the excellent Canadiens 5:1. In the final Russia beat Sweden 3:1. The representatives of the Czech Republic lost at the championate only once, Briza was the best goalkeeper (in seven matches he got only 9 goals) and apart from him also Kadlec and Gudas appeared in the All Stars team. The bronze medal from Germany is a dignified result of the newly formed national team. WEATHER After a short time of cold, summer weather came back again. Nightly temperatures hover between 8 and 13, and daily ones climb as high as 22 or 26 degrees (Centigrade) which is revealed in an increased consumption of beer. Towards the end of the last week, frequent storms brought peasants their desirably expected moisture. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This news may be published only with "CAROLINA" designation. The subscription is free. Comments and remarks are appreciated. Send them please to the address: carolina@n.fsv.cuni.cs To subscribe to CAROLINA you send an e-mail message to the address LISTSERV@CSEARN.BITNET. The text of the message is: SUBSCRIBE CAR-ENG First name Last name for the English version or SUBSCRIBE CAR-CS First name Last name for the Czech version. To delete your subscription from the list you send the following message to LISTSERV@CSEARN.BITNET: SIGNOFF CAR-ENG or SIGNOFF CAR-CS Please, don't send automatic replies to our list. You can temporalily stop receiving of Carolna by sending the command: SET CAR-ENG NOMAIL The command should be sent to the address LISTSERV@CSEARN.BITNET