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.cz Fax: (+422) 24810987 *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* C A R O L I N A No 102, Monday, January 24, 1994. NEWS OF THE PAST WEEK (January 12-19.) Pavel Tigrid Named Minister of Culture Minister of Culture Jindrich Kabat resigned January 17, after criticism of his work by newspapers as well as culture officials and art circles. Kabat justified his resignation by the situation in the governing coalition, claiming that during the last year cooperation within the coalition was replaced by tension. Pvel Tigrid was proposed by Christian Democrtic Union-Czech People's Party (KDU-CSL), which according to coalition agreements has the right to name the minister of culture. Party Chairman Josef Lux said the party respects Tigrid's party independence. Tigrid was installed in office January 19 by President Vaclav Havel. Tigrid, a journalist and author, was one of the main representatives of the Czech exile. He first emigrated in 1939 to Great Britain, where he worked for the BBC during World War II. In 1949, he moved to West Germany to become program director of Radio Free Europe. He lived in the United States from 1952 to 1960. Tigrid is a founder of "Evidence" magazine. After November 1989, Tigrid became a member of the Board of the Consulatnts to Vaclav Havel. Tigrid, who is 76, said that his activity as a Minister of Culturee will be time-limited (he is 76 years old) but not provisorious. Agreement Reached by Ministers of Interior Ministers of Interior of the Czech and Slovak republics, Jan Ruml and Jozef Tuchyna, agreed on recomendations to their goverments for the solution to three out of the four controversial parts of the Czech and Slovak border. The agreement was made in the Slovak spa town of Piestany on Jan. 14. The fourth area, the Kasarna tourist resort, will be discussed by the countries' prime ministers. Both sides agreed that the solution reached by the governments will be binding on citizens. Ministers said they would recommend granting the petition of residents of the Slovak village Sidonie to be annexed to the Czech Republic, and of the residents of the Czech village U Sabotu to become a part of Slovakia. Slovakia should get the Vrbovce railway station and U Sabotu village as compensation for 123 hectars of land Czech Republic acquired after the regulation of Morava River, which creates the natural border between both states, the ministers said.. Jewish Property Restitution Law Passed by the Czech Goverment The Czech goverment has voted in favor of a bill proposed in parliament concerning restitution of Jewish property seized during World War II. Under the bill, original owners should get back all property now owned by the state. Of property now owned by municipalities, former owners should get byck only synagogues, houses of prayer and cemeteries. According to Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus, the goverment recommended a preamble to the law that would clearly point out the exceptionality of this law to prevent people from viewing it as a precedent. Current resitution laws cover seizures only after February, 1948, which excludes Jews who lost property during the Nazi era. Minister of Interior Jan Ruml, a member of the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) joined members of the other coalition parties in the government to pass the bill. Klaus and ODS members recommended against its passage. ODS holds a 10-9 lead over the other coalition members in the goverment. Foreign Tourists Bring 1.4 billion US dollars to Czech Republic Revenue from tourism reached about 1.4 billion U.S. dollars in the Czech Republic last year, a 24 percent increase over 1992. Last year, 71.2 million foreign visitors came to the Czech Republic, a 5 percent increase from 1992. Statistics of the Traffic Accidents Alarming Czech police will get 400 million crowns more in the 1994 budget than last year, with 80 million going to the traffic police. Traffic police will use the money for buying necessary technical equipement, said Tomas Amler, deputy police president of the Czech Republic. The funding is needed, said Josef Tesarik, a Czech Police spokesman, because 1993 saw 152,157 traffic accidents, 26,258 more than in 1992. Accidents killed 1,355, 40 fewer than in 1992. 5,629 persons were seriously heavily injured, an increase of 200, and 26,821 people were slightly injured, an increase of 113. The number of child fatalities dropped to 60 in comparison with 76 dead children in 1992. The total financial damage was 2.99 billion crowns, 1.2 billion more than in 1992. More than 90 percent of the traffic accidents were caused by the passenger vehicle drivers, who killed more than 800. Eight percent of the drivers who caused accidents were foreigners. Alcohol was involved in 8,793 accidents which killed 212. University Students at Prague's Budec Dorm Go On Strike Students at the Budec Dorm in Prague launched an occupation strike January. 19, and were supported by students from the Arnost from Pardubice Dorm. The strike comes after the Central Office of Dorms and Canteens occupied a quarter of the capacity of the Arnost from Pardubice Dorm for their offices last year and this year, telling students to move out of the dorm in 14 days, according to the strike comittee. At the Budec Dorm, reconstruction of the central heating system will take place from May 1 to September. The students don't like the fact that the contract signed by the Central Office of Dorms hadn't been negotiated with them before and also other discrepancies. "We know we'll have to move", said member of the strike comittee Jaroslav Chronak, "but we reject doing so during the time when most exams take place, and we suggest our own soulution and our own terms for when we move. Let everyone move when he or she needs". Students also demanded an investigation of the circumstances under which the contract has been signed, resignation of the heads of the Central Office of Dorms, the office's eventual liquidation, and expansion of the power of the Administrative Board of the Dorms Czech Budget Runs Surplus The 1993 state budget of the Czech Republic ended up with a surplus of 1.1 billion crowns, said Czech Finance Minister Ivan Kocarnik at a press conference January 18. At the same time, Kocarnik said that there might yet be some small differences in the final numbers as some payments will be made January 21. CULTURE First night of "Angel Eyes" (source: Cinema Magazine) The primiere of the new Czech film "Angel Eyes" took place in Prague on Jan. 13. The film is an adaptation by Dusan Klein of Bohumil Hrabal's book Bambini di Praga. The movie about seasoned crooks - insurance agents who cheat trusting tradesmen and finally become victims of such fraud one day - has a star-studded cast, including Viktor Preiss, Josef Abrham, Pavel Zednicek, Zlata Adamovska and Pavel Kriz, a Czech-Canadian who is well-known from a succesful tetralogy about the "Poets". Books by Hrabal have been made into films several times, including the Oscar-winning "Closely Watched Trains" and "Nightengales on a String". This project, which could be a pleasant refreshment in Czech cinemas full of American action films, was financed by the Czech TV, which even in the market economy tries to keep the high standard of its production, having prepared Karel Polacek's book "We Were Five", Zdenek Jirotka's "Saturnin" or Josef Skvorecky's "Splendid Season". SPORT Esper Bredesen Wins the Second Contest of the World Cup in Ski Jump Another event of the World Cup Series in Ski Jump took place in Liberec January 15.-16. and bore the name of "Bohemia Crystal '94". The world elite, except for German Jens Weissflog and the Japanese jumpers, took part in the contest. The event could only be held after intensive work of the organizers because of a lack of snow. On Saturday, the leading World Cup competitor, Esper Bredesen of Norway, won with 121.5 and 125.5 meter jumps. Czech Jaroslav Sakala took second place. On Sunday, Bredesen was again leading after the first round but fell down in the second round after achieving 125.5 meters, allowing Sakala to win the round with 117 and 113.5 meter jumps. Bredesen took the second place. He was lightly injured after the fall so he had to be hospitlized in Liberec with a twisted ankle. Sakala took the second place total. Other Czechs in the competition, Ladislav Dluhos and Jiri Parma were 8th and 9th. Sparta Praha Goalkeeper Petr Kouba Footbal Player of the Year '93 Announcement of the official results of the Stadion weekly poll for the best football players and trainers of '93 was part of the second representative ball of the Czech Football Association January 15 at Prague's Palace of Culture. Order of the football players: 1. Petr Kouba, 2. Miroslav Kadlec (Kaiserslauten), 3. Patrik Berger (Slavia Praha), 4. Pavel Kuka (Slavia Praha, Kaiserslauten), 5. Vladimir Smitzer (Slavia Praha), 6. Jiri Novotny (Sparta), 7. Jan Suchoparek (Slavia), 8. Vaclav Nemecek (Toulouse). Dusan Uhrin, trainer of the Czech National Team, was named best trainer of the year for the third time in his career. Prize of Vaclav Jira, a Czech football diplomat who died in 1992, was awarded for the first time this year. Its holders are Frantisek Planicka (famous Czech goalkeeper, hero of the 1934 World Champonship in Italy), Josef Bican (the best Czech shot of all times) and Vaclav Jezek (the most succesful Czech football trainer). ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This news may be published only with "CAROLINA" designation. The subscription is free. Comments and remarks are appreciated. 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