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 105, Friday, February 11, 1994. EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK (FEBRUARY 2 - 9) NOVA - the New Star on the Czech TV Sky The first nation-wide private television channel in a post-communist country began broadcasting Friday, February 4, in the Czech Republic. With the debut of NOVA Television, the monopoly of state-run Czech Television came to the end. NOVA broadcasts to 98 percent of the territory of the Czech Republic. Since June 1993, the regional private television station PREMIERA has been broadcasting to the Prague area. Several local cable-television companies also operate in the country. Following a competition of 20 applicants, NOVA received a 12-year license for nation-wide broadcasting from the Council of the Czech Republic for Radio and TV Broadcasting in February 1993. The operator of the channel is Czech Independent Television Company comprising the limited Czech company CET 21, the Czech Saving Bank and the American-Canadian investment company Central European Development Corporation. CEDC will invest about 45 million U.S. dollars into the project, said Chairman Mark Palmer, former U.S. ambassador to Hungary. All of NOVA's revenue will come from sales of advertising. NOVA officials hope to increase the volume of advertising, and will insert ads in the middle of films and programs, a new approach in the Czech Republic. More than 80 percent of NOVA's staff were lured from Czech Television by the offer of higher salaries. NOVA hired several top Czech journalists for its newscasts and current affairs programs. Programming and scheduling will be concentrated on the "average viewer", with priority in news bulletins given to the news of crime over political news. (One of the new faces on the NOVA screen is our colleague and co-editor of Carolina Pavel Poulicek.) Prime Minister Visits Israel Nearly two-years of negotiations between the Czech Republic and Israel on protection of investments and repatriation of profits have ended in success, and a final agreement should be prepared for signature very soon, said Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus on Tuesday, February 8, after returning from a state visit to Israel. "The primary aim of our visit was to get to know Israel, to get maximum knowledge of the political, social, economical and security situation there, and to establish personal contacts with the leading Israel representatives," Klaus said. "The second task was to pass information about our country to Israel, to tell who we are, where we are, where we are heading, and at what stage our country is situated now. The third part of our visit was made up of discussing more concrete cooperation in different areas - from politics to economics." Klaus and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin issued a joint declaration on trade liberalization between the countries. Fast-track negotiations on establishing a free-trade zone would send a positive signal sent to the outside world, officials said. Vaclav Havel Travels to India Czech President Vaclav Havel accepted the Indira Gandhi International Peace Prize for 1993 in Delhi, Tuesday, February 8, during a visit to India and Thailand. In his acceptance speech, Havel said, "Decolonization and the fall of the communism has meant the end of the artificially made world order." "This artificial order is still not replaced by the new, more natural order," Havel continued. "It can be said that the world is situated at this moment in some transitional stage which enables all previously latent conflicts to erupt with their full force." "If our world should resist all the big dangers, then mankind has to find its inner power to accept the new kind of the global responsibility. The climate of multicultural coexistence - if it happened to be established - could be the first sign of this responsibility" he said. Havel said he wants the Gandhi prize money of 2.5 milions Indian rupees to be used for humanitarian purposes, part to the Dali Lama of Tibet and part to the Foundation for the Development of the Prague Castle. First Bank Failure in Czech Republic The Czech National Bank took legal action at the Regional Court of Commerce and submitted a proposal to start bankruptcy procedures with the Credit and Industrial Bank, the first such action in the Czech Republic. In 1992, the amount of credit provided by the Credit and Industrial Bank grew while the bank's liquidity declined because debt retirement and repaying of credits were delayed. A foreign auditor has analyzed the assets and the debts of the Credit and Industrial Bank and found that indebtness is several times higher than the basic liquid capital of half a billion Czech crowns (nearly 20 million U.S. dollars). Joining Czech National Bank in the action were Komercni banka, Agrobanka, Ceska sporitelna, Bohemia and Ceska banka, the main creditors of the Credit and Industrial Bank. Officials of the creditor banks said that monitoring the practices of Credit and Industrial and subsequent supervision measures should have come earlier and more vigorously. Slower Wage Raise in 1994 Following an economic ministers' meeting February 1, Czech Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus commented on wage development throughout 1993. While wages in industry increased 24 per cent in 1993, last December saw only 20.5 per cent increase. The rise in building industry was as high as 28.8 per cent. Klaus said he finds these figures positive because they reflect the process of slowing wage increases. According to government data published in Hospodarske noviny this January, the average month salary in 1993 was about 5,600 Kc. Tension Between Czechs and Austria Over Nuclear Plant Called Unnecessary Czech Foreign Minister Josef Zieleniec said at a February 3 press conference that he feels very sorry for unnecessary tension with Austria because of nearing completion of the Temelin nuclear power plant. Despite that, he said he is convinced that the Czech Republic acts in accordance with international law and good neighborly relations. His statement followed Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus's expressed will to complete the plant in Temelin and accused Austria of attacking a "weaker partner than Germany or Switzerland", although both those countries have nuclear plants close to the Austrian border. Zhirinovsky invited to the Czech Republic Miroslav Sladek's Association For the Republic-Czechoslovak Republican Party has decided to invite Vladimir Zhirinovsky, head of Russia's Liberal-Democratic party to the Czech Republic. A statement from the presidium of the Repubican Party said the reason for this invitation is an effort to learn more about the aims and program of the Liberal-Democratic party and its chairman. Although Zhirinovsky's visits to other countries have met mostly with negative reactions, Minister of Foreign Affairs Josef Zieleniec doesn't think that the invitation merits special steps or measures. Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus said the invitation from the Republicans didn't surprise him, and that rather, he would have been surprised if it didn't happen. CULTURE Philharmonic Conductor Albrecht stands by decision not to play in Vatican Despite unfavorable reactions, Chief Conductor Gerd Albrecht said February 4 that he would stick to his decision not to have the Czech Philharmonic perform March 7 in the Vatican on the occasion of mutual recognition between Israel and the Vatican. Gerd said the orchestra could not attend because of preparation for a June concert tour to Japan and a recording for the company Pony Canyon. Preparation for the Vatican concert would take at least four rehearsals, he said. Albrecht said the majority of the orchestra supports his decision. SPORT Radomir Simunek Begins Prison Term. Bicycling star Radomir Simunek, who was sentenced to an 18-month term for a 1992 car accident in which three people died, began serving his sentence in Plzen-Bory February 1. He was initially set to start his term January 31. The day before, Simunek took part in the world championship in cross-race biking in Koksijde, Belgium. He was best among Czech racers, finishing ninth overall. Simunek came to Bory on January 31, but after working hours there were over, so he was asked to come the next day. In two weeks, Simunek should be moved to prison with lower security, where he will be able to train. Exchange Rates of the Czech National Bank (valid from February 6) CASH CHECKS Buy Sell Buy Sell Middle Great Britain 1GBP 43,43 46,27 44,268 45,076 44,852 France 1FRF 4,88 5,28 5,053 5,103 5,078 Italy 1 000ITL 17,10 18,54 17,777 17,955 17,866 Japan 100JPY 26,59 29,19 27,749 28,057 27,888 Canada 1CAD 21,69 23,47 22,470 22,696 22,583 Netherlands 1NLG 14,90 15,86 15,300 15,454 15.377 Austria 1ATS 2,39 2,51 2,438 2,462 2,450 Germany 1DEM 16,77 17,69 17,140 17,312 17,226 Switzerland 1CHF 20,13 21,13 20,527 20,733 20,630 USA 1USD 29,60 31,00 30,144 29,446 30,295 EMS-ECU 1XEU - - 33,354 33,690 33,522 Slovakia 1XCU - - - - 32,516 WEATHER Temperatures ranged around the zero, with snow in the countryside and mountains, and rain in Prague. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.cz To subscribe to CAROLINA you send an e-mail message to the address LISTSERV@CSEARN.BITNET or to the address: LISTSERV@EARN.CVUT.CZ 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@EARN.CVUT.CZ: 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@EARN.CVUT.CZ