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 STUDENT'S E-MAIL NEWS FROM CZECHOSLOVAKIA Faculty of Social Science of Charles University Smetanovo nabr. 6 110 01 Prague 1 Czech Republic e-mail: CAROLINA@cuni.cz tel: (+42 2) 24810804, ext. 252, fax: (+42 2) 24810987 *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* C A R O L I N A No 137, Friday, November 18, 1994. EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK (November 9 to 16) Mysteries Linger About Lizner Case Questions still surround the biggest corruption scandal in the Czech Republic, the arrest of privatization chief Jaroslav Lizner on charges of accepting an 8 million crown bribe. The biggest questions are whether Lizner, the head of the Coupon Privatization Center and Center of Securities, actually took a bribe, and if so, what he did in return. Lizner was arrested last week as he left a meeting at the Asia Restaurant. He had more than 8 million crowns in his briefcase. Lubos Sotona, director of Trans World International (TWI) director, suspected of giving Lizner the bribe, said that Lizner promised him to remove Mlekarna Klatovy from coupon privatization through a technical manouver. TWI, a food company, is trying to acquire Mlekarna Klatovy, a diary. Lizner said the money was first part a payment for him arranging a deal between TWI and C.S. Fond. Meanwhile, Tomas Chrz of C.S. Fond said that company representatives have signed a contract to sell their 40 percent stake in Mlekarna Klatovy to TWI. TWI, which sells food to Persian Gulf countries, previously tried to aquire the diary. TWI won the right to privatize the company, gaining a 34 percent share for 220 million crowns. But the deal was annulled by the National Property Fund on concerns that TWI didn't have adequate funds. It is still not clear whether Lizner will stand trial. If investigators cannot assemble sufficient evidence to prove charges of bribery or abuse of information, Lizner could be free in a few days. In that case, police will be forced to return the money and the briefcase to Lizner. Jakub Knezu/Jiri Chvojka Court Grants Restitution To An Emigrant, A First The Constitutional Court ruled for the first time November 11 that that a Czech emigrant is entitled to restitution. The ruling was based on a November 1 decision by the Constitutional Court in Brno that restitution for property confiscated after February 25, 1948, applies to Czech natives who had lost their Czech citizenship. There will be a three three-year limit for restitution requests for those who could not ask for property by the original 1991 deadline. However, since the property in question has already been sold or privatized in most cases, applicants will have to be given financial compensation. The potential number of cases is provoking fears that the Czech legal system could be overburdened. Martina Krizkova/Jiri Chvojka Portuguese President Visits Czech Republic Portuguese President Mario Soares and his wife Maria came to the Czech Republic for a three-day visit November 3. Soares had visited Prague before, the first foreign head of state to visit Prague after the Velvet Revolution. Soares, who was invited to the Czech Republic by President Vaclav Havel, also met with Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus, whom he invited to Portugal. In conversation, he was interested in the state of Czech society and the economy. Soares confirmed the support of his country for including the Czech Republic in European institutions of which Portugal is a member, such as the European Union. At a meeting with journalists, Havel emphasised the similar development of the two states in ridding themselves of undemocratic regimes and transforming society. Soares visited an exhibition of twenty Portuguese naive painters at the Old Town Hall. Maria Soares visited the most precious monument of Jewish city - the Old New Synagogue. Jana Maruskova/Jiri Schneider Sladek Arrested On Austrian Border Miroslav Sladek, head of the Union for the Republic - Czechoslovak Republican Party, was arrested November 11 as he tried to cross the Austrian border with his family. Sladek was stopped at the passport control at the Slavonice border station. The examiner informed Sladek that he was wanted in connection with disturbances during and after a Republican party rally October 28. Several people were injured and arrested following clashed between police, anarchists and right-wing supporters of Sladek. For several days, Sladek had eluded arrest. He was released the same day he was arrested. Martina Krizkova/Jiri Chvojka PEN Club Congress Ends in Prague Five hundred 500 writers and intellectuals attended the 61th world congress of PEN Club in Prague from November 6 to 12. Tolerance was the key theme of the congress. At a Wednesday meeting in Bethlehem Chapel, Gunter Grass and Ludvik Vaculik discussed where tolerance ends and indifference begins. According to Grass, the limit of tolerance is the point at which principles of freedom are endangered. In contrast, Vaculik claims that tolerance is a state of mind that may easily slide into indifference toward the problems of an individual. Particular attention was paid to the activities of the Committee for Imprisoned Writers, established by the PEN Club in 1960. The aim of this committee is to prevent human right violations and to gain the release of writers jailed on account of political or religious beliefs. The Committee for Imprisoned Writers approved numerous resolutions regarding writers in some countries of Africa, Asia and South America. In course of the congress, the Karel Capek Prize was awarded for the first time. Grass shared the prize with Philip Roth. The prize comes with a statue of by Vladimir Preclik and 200,000 crowns. The next world congress of the PEN Club will take place in 1995 in Australia. Tereza Hadravova and Karolina Polakova/Vera Vitkova Arthur Miller Meets with Students The position of writers in the world was the key issue of a debate with five American writers at the Department of Arts of Charles University in Prague on November 10. This meeting was one of the numerous events associated with the 61th congress of PEN Club. Reading from his best-known play, "Death of a Salesman," Arthur Miller commenced the meeting. The four other writers and PEN Club members, Rose Styron, a poet and Amnesty International activist, Diane Johnson, a prose writer and University of California Davis professor, and poets James Ragan and Yusef Komonyakaa also presented extracts from their works. Replying the questions of sudents, James Ragan called the present world as the "CNN news century" in which one loses his own opinion. Therefore, writers should be the challenging force indicating injustice in the society. Miller added that a writer must reject generally acknowledged models. "Writers become writers because they don't feel like parts of this society," he said. "In fact, they are aliens." According to these literati, the greatest Czech contribution to the world literature are the works of Franz Kafka, as well as the poems of Jaroslav Seifert and Vladimir Holan. Vera Vitkova Three Out of Four Will Vote Three-fourths of eligible voters will cast ballots in municipal elections this weekend, according to a poll from the IVVM research group. The poll, conducted October 21-26 showed that 74 percent plan to vote, 16 percent said they wouldn't and the rest were unaware of the elections. Interest in the elections is higher in villages and smaller towns than in bigger towns and large cities. Martina Vojtechovska/Eftychia Damianidou Praguers, Other Czechs Rely on Different Media A study by Media Project 94, conducted by AISA and GFK research firms, shows different preferences for media between Prague and the rest of the Czech Republic. The most popular media are: Daily Newspapers: Czech Republic: Blesk 17 percent, Mlada Fronta Dnes 16 percent, Rude Pravo 12 percent. Prague: Mlada Fronta Dnes 25 percent, Vecernik Praha 21 percent, Blesk 19 percent. Television: Czech Republic: Nova 66 percent, CT1 40 percent, CT2 6 percent. Prague: Nova 58 percent, CT1 40 percent, Premiera 15 percent. Radio Stations: Czech Republic: CRo Radiojournal 17 percent, 2. CRo Prague 11 percent, Frequency 1 10 percent. Prague: Radio Country 17 percent, CRo Praha 14 percent, CRo Radiojournal 11 percent. Tomas Kopecny/Eftychia Damianidou German Firm Buys Interest in Mlada Fronta Dnes A German firm has become the majority owner of Mlada Fronta Dnes, the most popular serious newspaper in the Czech Republic. Rheinisch-Bergische Druckerei und Verlagsgesselschaft mbH purchased the interest, which is just over 50 percent, from the French Hersant group. Hersant had begun investing in 1990 in newspaper printing works in Czechoslovakia, Poland and Hungary. He sold the newspaper to pay debts. Andrea Rihova/Eftychia Damianidou Prague Metro Adds Five Kilometers Five new Metro stations opened on the B line in the southwest part of Prague November 11, and the line was extended five kilometers. The new stations come after Nove Butovice. The new end station is Zlicin. The new stations were completed under the leadership of Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus, Prague Mayor Jan Koukal and Transportation Minister Jan Stransky, all of the Civic Democratic Party. Other parties have accused the Civic Democrats of unfairly claiming responsibility for the metro just before municipal elections. The new length of metro cost 4 billion crowns. Shah Muhammad/Eftychia Damiandidou FROM SLOVAKIA Vladimir Meciar Is Not Going To Form a Minority Government The Party of the Democratic Left formally withdrew from negotiations with the Movement for Democratic Slovakia (HZDS), the winner of Slovak elections. Thus the leader of HZDS, Vladimir Meciar, lost the last remaining partner outside the parliamentary coalition. According to Meciar, the parliamentary grouping is not sufficient to form the new Slovak government. But he rejects establishing a minority government. Michal Vynohradnyk/ Vera Vitkova Slovak Press Agency Accused of Being Party Tool On November 11 the daily newspapers LeMonde and Nezavisimaja Gazeta reported that news issued by Press Agency of Slovak Republic (TASR) are checked by the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia, and that the Movement influences the work of Slovak radio and television. The director of TASR, Ivan Melichercik, rejected the charge and said he hadn't had any any political pressure in seven months on the job. Michal Vynohradnyk/Martina Vojtechovska ECONOMY Coupon Privatization Finishes On November 14, the sixth round finished the process of coupon privatization in the Czech Republic. Every adult in the country could buy a coupon booklet for 1000 crowns, then use the coupons to select factories and firms or investment funds. The process privatized property worth 340 billion crowns. The privatization process has been held up as a model to other post-communist countries. In 1992, only 20 percent of the economy was in private hands. That number has grown to 80 percent today. More than 6 million people were involved in the privatization, making the Czech Republic the world's leader in per capita stock ownership, with 70 percent holding shares. Petr Hosek/Martina Vojtechovska CULTURE Jewish Museum in Prague No Longer in State Possesion The State Jewish Museum has been renamed the Jewish Museum. Along with the state, the new museum's founders are the Federation of Jewish Parishes and the Prague Jewish Parish. Property of the former State Jewish Museum passed to new institution by a gift. According to Ladislav Spacek, spokesman of president, this means that "only the museum changed, but the collections stay in the same place". The new museum opened October 1. Director Leo Pavlat answered questions about it: Q: Will these changes be visible? Can visitors feel them? A: No, they can't feel them externally. We have a little bit different plans than State Jewish museum did. For example, we want create a separate exposition, "The History of Czech and Moravian Jews". We are concentrating on permanent exhibitions as we don't have rooms for single exactions . All we have, will be at the permanent exhibition's disposal. In cooperation with the Israeli embassy and other partners we are planing a big exhibition, "The Old Testament in Art". Q: Where does the museum get its funds? A: Our main resource is admissions, business activity and to a limited extent small presents, for example from tourists. There is no sponsor for the time being. These funds are not enough for bigger reconstruction projects, so we want intensify contacts with foreign countries and gain funds perhaps with the support of foundations. We don't get any money from the state. The museum was self-sufficient in the past. Even though it was under the city council, it gave a certain financial amount to the town. Q: And what about other restitution of Jewish property? A: I can answer this question only as a director of Jewish museum. Restitutions in the real sense of the word don't exist. Even in case of the museum it's not actually a restitution, the state gave the collections. But it was the easiset way to give back property. Jindrich Jirasek, Karolina Polakova/Martina Vojtechovska New Czech Comedy "Thanks for Each New Morning" Premieres The new Milan Steindler film, "Thanks For Each New Morning", had its premiere this weak in Prague. The film, described as "a bitter comedy," tells the story of a big Ukrainian race and the relationship between a despotic father and his daughter. Ivana Chylkova, who starred in "The Time of Servants", and the Polish actor Franciszek Pieczka star in this film, which was written by Halina Pawlowska screenplay. "Thanks For Each New Morning" is the second collaboration of Pawlowska and Steindler. Their first was the comedy "Return To The Grave," with Steindler in the lead role. Jindrich Jirasek/Mirek Langer Architectural Gem of Czech Cubism Reopens The reopening of an important building of Czech cubism after its reconstruction, The House of the Black Madonna, was a great social event. The house is now being used by the Czech Museum of Fine Arts, mainly as an exhibition space. The opening of the house coincided with the opening of exhibitions. In two stories of the house is an exhibition of collages by Czech poet and artist Jiri Kolar. Another story is devoted to Italian Futurism, with works of Umbero Boccioni, Fortunato Depero and Giacomo Balla. The two top stories of the house offer an opportunity to learn about Czech cubism in painting, sculpture, architecture and other applied arts, with pictures by Emil Filla, Josef Capek, Vaclav Spala and Bohumil Kubista are on display. The exposition also presents the works of graphic artists and architects Josef Gocar, Josef Chochol, Pavel Janak and others. The House of the Black Madonna was designed by Gocar and built in 1911 and 1912. Gocar designed his six-story building to fit in the heart of Prague's historical district. During the First Republic (1918-1938), the house served as a shopping center and cafe. After the Second World War, the building was used for government offices. Now, a restaurant on the first floor will soon be joined by shops, said Dr. Jan Sekera, director of the museum. Czech cubism was a unique art movement. Although based on the French cubism of George Braque and Pablo Picasso, it developed in an different environment, reflecting a more pessimistic view. Czech cubism was also the only cubist movement to develop architectural form. Martin Kupka/Jirka Schneider SPORT Czech Republic Draws with Netherlands in Euro 96 Qualification The Czech football team drew 0:0 with the Netherlands in their third qualification match in the Euro 96 tournament group. The match was played in Rotterdam before 42,000 Dutch fans disappointed that their players Bergkamp, Overmars and R. de Boer couldn't play. The Dutch controlled the game throughout, but Czech defenses, and excellent play by the goaltender Srnicek, prevented a Dutch goal. The Czech team is in second place in its division. The Czech junior team tied 2:2 with the Netherlands in a qualification match for the junior world championships. The junior team is in first place. Jiri Trunecka/Mirek Langer Results of the 17th and 18th Rounds of Hockey Extraleague 17th round: Vsetin - Kladno 8:3, Ceske Budejovice - Vitkovice 2:4, Slavia Prague - Plzen 2:2, Litvinov - Jihlava 6:3. Olomouc - Zlin 3:3. The Pardubice - Sparta Prague match was rescheduled to November 27. 18th round: Zlin - Pardubice 2:4, Jihlava - Olomouc 2:5, Kladno - Vitkovice 9:1, Plzen - Vsetin 1:3, Sparta Prague - Slavia Prague 3:4, Ceske Budejovice - Litvinov 3:4. Tomas Kopecny/Mirek Langer HC Olomouc Proceeds in European Champions Cup HC Olomouc, the reigning Czech hockey champion, advanced to the final group of the European Champions Cup. From November 26 to 30, they will face Russia's Lada Togliatti, Bylorus' Tirali Minsk, Germany's Maddogs Munich, Sweden's Malmo FF and Slovakia's Dukla Trencin. The matches will take place in Turku, Finland. Tomas Kopecny/Mirek Langer Czech Hockey-Player Sets German League Record Josef Dopita, a former HC Olomouc hockey player now playing forward for the Berlin Eisbaren, scored six goals in a German League game against Augsburg. He scored four of the goals in only 14 minutes, a record in the German league. The flurry of goals raises his season total to 14, third in the scorer's table. Tomas Kopecny/Mirek Langer Three Czech Wins in First Czech Skate Radka Kovarikova a Rene Novotny won for sport couples and Katerina Mrazova and Martin Simecek won for dance couples in the first Czech Skate in Vitkovice. Lenka Kulovana took the third Czech first place, with the women's title. Novotny's win came despite problems with his skate-lace in the free program. The program culminated in an exhibition November 6 featuring Petr Barna, European champion in 1992. Organizers of Czech Skate hope the event will become a part of the figure skating World Cup. Mirek Langer WEATHER The weather in the Czech Republic was steady, with snow in the northern mountains, and cloudy and rainy conditions in the rest of the country. Temperatures at night were between 2 and 6 degrees Celsius, with day temperatures between 6 and 10. Eftychia Damianidou ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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@cuni.cz To subscribe to CAROLINA news you send an e-mail message to the address LISTSERV@earn.cvut.cz The text of message for subscription of the English version must be: SUBSCRIBE CAR-ENG First name Last name or for the Czech version SUBSCRIBE CAR-CS First name Last name To delete your subscription from the list of subscribers you send the following message to the address LISTSERV@earn.cvut.cz: SIGNOFF CAR-ENG or SIGNOFF CAR-CS We ask you not to send automatic replies to our list. You can temporalily stop receiving of Carolina by sending the command: SET CAR-ENG NOMAIL All Listserve commands should be sent to the address: LISTSERV@earn.cvut.cz Please, don't send commands SUB, SIGNOFF, NOMAIL etc to the address CAR-CS@earn.cvut.cz or CAR-ENG@earn.cvut.cz! 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 STUDENT'S E-MAIL NEWS FROM CZECHOSLOVAKIA Faculty of Social Science of Charles University Smetanovo nabr. 6 110 01 Prague 1 Czech Republic e-mail: CAROLINA@cuni.cz tel: (+42 2) 24810804, ext. 252, fax: (+42 2) 24810987 *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* C A R O L I N A No 137, Friday, November 18, 1994. EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK (November 9 to 16) Mysteries Linger About Lizner Case Questions still surround the biggest corruption scandal in the Czech Republic, the arrest of privatization chief Jaroslav Lizner on charges of accepting an 8 million crown bribe. The biggest questions are whether Lizner, the head of the Coupon Privatization Center and Center of Securities, actually took a bribe, and if so, what he did in return. Lizner was arrested last week as he left a meeting at the Asia Restaurant. He had more than 8 million crowns in his briefcase. Lubos Sotona, director of Trans World International (TWI) director, suspected of giving Lizner the bribe, said that Lizner promised him to remove Mlekarna Klatovy from coupon privatization through a technical manouver. TWI, a food company, is trying to acquire Mlekarna Klatovy, a diary. Lizner said the money was first part a payment for him arranging a deal between TWI and C.S. Fond. Meanwhile, Tomas Chrz of C.S. Fond said that company representatives have signed a contract to sell their 40 percent stake in Mlekarna Klatovy to TWI. TWI, which sells food to Persian Gulf countries, previously tried to aquire the diary. TWI won the right to privatize the company, gaining a 34 percent share for 220 million crowns. But the deal was annulled by the National Property Fund on concerns that TWI didn't have adequate funds. It is still not clear whether Lizner will stand trial. If investigators cannot assemble sufficient evidence to prove charges of bribery or abuse of information, Lizner could be free in a few days. In that case, police will be forced to return the money and the briefcase to Lizner. Jakub Knezu/Jiri Chvojka Court Grants Restitution To An Emigrant, A First The Constitutional Court ruled for the first time November 11 that that a Czech emigrant is entitled to restitution. The ruling was based on a November 1 decision by the Constitutional Court in Brno that restitution for property confiscated after February 25, 1948, applies to Czech natives who had lost their Czech citizenship. There will be a three three-year limit for restitution requests for those who could not ask for property by the original 1991 deadline. However, since the property in question has already been sold or privatized in most cases, applicants will have to be given financial compensation. The potential number of cases is provoking fears that the Czech legal system could be overburdened. Martina Krizkova/Jiri Chvojka Portuguese President Visits Czech Republic Portuguese President Mario Soares and his wife Maria came to the Czech Republic for a three-day visit November 3. Soares had visited Prague before, the first foreign head of state to visit Prague after the Velvet Revolution. Soares, who was invited to the Czech Republic by President Vaclav Havel, also met with Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus, whom he invited to Portugal. In conversation, he was interested in the state of Czech society and the economy. Soares confirmed the support of his country for including the Czech Republic in European institutions of which Portugal is a member, such as the European Union. At a meeting with journalists, Havel emphasised the similar development of the two states in ridding themselves of undemocratic regimes and transforming society. Soares visited an exhibition of twenty Portuguese naive painters at the Old Town Hall. Maria Soares visited the most precious monument of Jewish city - the Old New Synagogue. Jana Maruskova/Jiri Schneider Sladek Arrested On Austrian Border Miroslav Sladek, head of the Union for the Republic - Czechoslovak Republican Party, was arrested November 11 as he tried to cross the Austrian border with his family. Sladek was stopped at the passport control at the Slavonice border station. The examiner informed Sladek that he was wanted in connection with disturbances during and after a Republican party rally October 28. Several people were injured and arrested following clashed between police, anarchists and right-wing supporters of Sladek. For several days, Sladek had eluded arrest. He was released the same day he was arrested. Martina Krizkova/Jiri Chvojka PEN Club Congress Ends in Prague Five hundred 500 writers and intellectuals attended the 61th world congress of PEN Club in Prague from November 6 to 12. Tolerance was the key theme of the congress. At a Wednesday meeting in Bethlehem Chapel, Gunter Grass and Ludvik Vaculik discussed where tolerance ends and indifference begins. According to Grass, the limit of tolerance is the point at which principles of freedom are endangered. In contrast, Vaculik claims that tolerance is a state of mind that may easily slide into indifference toward the problems of an individual. Particular attention was paid to the activities of the Committee for Imprisoned Writers, established by the PEN Club in 1960. The aim of this committee is to prevent human right violations and to gain the release of writers jailed on account of political or religious beliefs. The Committee for Imprisoned Writers approved numerous resolutions regarding writers in some countries of Africa, Asia and South America. In course of the congress, the Karel Capek Prize was awarded for the first time. Grass shared the prize with Philip Roth. The prize comes with a statue of by Vladimir Preclik and 200,000 crowns. The next world congress of the PEN Club will take place in 1995 in Australia. Tereza Hadravova and Karolina Polakova/Vera Vitkova Arthur Miller Meets with Students The position of writers in the world was the key issue of a debate with five American writers at the Department of Arts of Charles University in Prague on November 10. This meeting was one of the numerous events associated with the 61th congress of PEN Club. Reading from his best-known play, "Death of a Salesman," Arthur Miller commenced the meeting. The four other writers and PEN Club members, Rose Styron, a poet and Amnesty International activist, Diane Johnson, a prose writer and University of California Davis professor, and poets James Ragan and Yusef Komonyakaa also presented extracts from their works. Replying the questions of sudents, James Ragan called the present world as the "CNN news century" in which one loses his own opinion. Therefore, writers should be the challenging force indicating injustice in the society. Miller added that a writer must reject generally acknowledged models. "Writers become writers because they don't feel like parts of this society," he said. "In fact, they are aliens." According to these literati, the greatest Czech contribution to the world literature are the works of Franz Kafka, as well as the poems of Jaroslav Seifert and Vladimir Holan. Vera Vitkova Three Out of Four Will Vote Three-fourths of eligible voters will cast ballots in municipal elections this weekend, according to a poll from the IVVM research group. The poll, conducted October 21-26 showed that 74 percent plan to vote, 16 percent said they wouldn't and the rest were unaware of the elections. Interest in the elections is higher in villages and smaller towns than in bigger towns and large cities. Martina Vojtechovska/Eftychia Damianidou Praguers, Other Czechs Rely on Different Media A study by Media Project 94, conducted by AISA and GFK research firms, shows different preferences for media between Prague and the rest of the Czech Republic. The most popular media are: Daily Newspapers: Czech Republic: Blesk 17 percent, Mlada Fronta Dnes 16 percent, Rude Pravo 12 percent. Prague: Mlada Fronta Dnes 25 percent, Vecernik Praha 21 percent, Blesk 19 percent. Television: Czech Republic: Nova 66 percent, CT1 40 percent, CT2 6 percent. Prague: Nova 58 percent, CT1 40 percent, Premiera 15 percent. Radio Stations: Czech Republic: CRo Radiojournal 17 percent, 2. CRo Prague 11 percent, Frequency 1 10 percent. Prague: Radio Country 17 percent, CRo Praha 14 percent, CRo Radiojournal 11 percent. Tomas Kopecny/Eftychia Damianidou German Firm Buys Interest in Mlada Fronta Dnes A German firm has become the majority owner of Mlada Fronta Dnes, the most popular serious newspaper in the Czech Republic. Rheinisch-Bergische Druckerei und Verlagsgesselschaft mbH purchased the interest, which is just over 50 percent, from the French Hersant group. Hersant had begun investing in 1990 in newspaper printing works in Czechoslovakia, Poland and Hungary. He sold the newspaper to pay debts. Andrea Rihova/Eftychia Damianidou Prague Metro Adds Five Kilometers Five new Metro stations opened on the B line in the southwest part of Prague November 11, and the line was extended five kilometers. The new stations come after Nove Butovice. The new end station is Zlicin. The new stations were completed under the leadership of Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus, Prague Mayor Jan Koukal and Transportation Minister Jan Stransky, all of the Civic Democratic Party. Other parties have accused the Civic Democrats of unfairly claiming responsibility for the metro just before municipal elections. The new length of metro cost 4 billion crowns. Shah Muhammad/Eftychia Damiandidou FROM SLOVAKIA Vladimir Meciar Is Not Going To Form a Minority Government The Party of the Democratic Left formally withdrew from negotiations with the Movement for Democratic Slovakia (HZDS), the winner of Slovak elections. Thus the leader of HZDS, Vladimir Meciar, lost the last remaining partner outside the parliamentary coalition. According to Meciar, the parliamentary grouping is not sufficient to form the new Slovak government. But he rejects establishing a minority government. Michal Vynohradnyk/ Vera Vitkova Slovak Press Agency Accused of Being Party Tool On November 11 the daily newspapers LeMonde and Nezavisimaja Gazeta reported that news issued by Press Agency of Slovak Republic (TASR) are checked by the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia, and that the Movement influences the work of Slovak radio and television. The director of TASR, Ivan Melichercik, rejected the charge and said he hadn't had any any political pressure in seven months on the job. Michal Vynohradnyk/Martina Vojtechovska ECONOMY Coupon Privatization Finishes On November 14, the sixth round finished the process of coupon privatization in the Czech Republic. Every adult in the country could buy a coupon booklet for 1000 crowns, then use the coupons to select factories and firms or investment funds. The process privatized property worth 340 billion crowns. The privatization process has been held up as a model to other post-communist countries. In 1992, only 20 percent of the economy was in private hands. That number has grown to 80 percent today. More than 6 million people were involved in the privatization, making the Czech Republic the world's leader in per capita stock ownership, with 70 percent holding shares. Petr Hosek/Martina Vojtechovska CULTURE Jewish Museum in Prague No Longer in State Possesion The State Jewish Museum has been renamed the Jewish Museum. Along with the state, the new museum's founders are the Federation of Jewish Parishes and the Prague Jewish Parish. Property of the former State Jewish Museum passed to new institution by a gift. According to Ladislav Spacek, spokesman of president, this means that "only the museum changed, but the collections stay in the same place". The new museum opened October 1. Director Leo Pavlat answered questions about it: Q: Will these changes be visible? Can visitors feel them? A: No, they can't feel them externally. We have a little bit different plans than State Jewish museum did. For example, we want create a separate exposition, "The History of Czech and Moravian Jews". We are concentrating on permanent exhibitions as we don't have rooms for single exactions . All we have, will be at the permanent exhibition's disposal. In cooperation with the Israeli embassy and other partners we are planing a big exhibition, "The Old Testament in Art". Q: Where does the museum get its funds? A: Our main resource is admissions, business activity and to a limited extent small presents, for example from tourists. There is no sponsor for the time being. These funds are not enough for bigger reconstruction projects, so we want intensify contacts with foreign countries and gain funds perhaps with the support of foundations. We don't get any money from the state. The museum was self-sufficient in the past. Even though it was under the city council, it gave a certain financial amount to the town. Q: And what about other restitution of Jewish property? A: I can answer this question only as a director of Jewish museum. Restitutions in the real sense of the word don't exist. Even in case of the museum it's not actually a restitution, the state gave the collections. But it was the easiset way to give back property. Jindrich Jirasek, Karolina Polakova/Martina Vojtechovska New Czech Comedy "Thanks for Each New Morning" Premieres The new Milan Steindler film, "Thanks For Each New Morning", had its premiere this weak in Prague. The film, described as "a bitter comedy," tells the story of a big Ukrainian race and the relationship between a despotic father and his daughter. Ivana Chylkova, who starred in "The Time of Servants", and the Polish actor Franciszek Pieczka star in this film, which was written by Halina Pawlowska screenplay. "Thanks For Each New Morning" is the second collaboration of Pawlowska and Steindler. Their first was the comedy "Return To The Grave," with Steindler in the lead role. Jindrich Jirasek/Mirek Langer Architectural Gem of Czech Cubism Reopens The reopening of an important building of Czech cubism after its reconstruction, The House of the Black Madonna, was a great social event. The house is now being used by the Czech Museum of Fine Arts, mainly as an exhibition space. The opening of the house coincided with the opening of exhibitions. In two stories of the house is an exhibition of collages by Czech poet and artist Jiri Kolar. Another story is devoted to Italian Futurism, with works of Umbero Boccioni, Fortunato Depero and Giacomo Balla. The two top stories of the house offer an opportunity to learn about Czech cubism in painting, sculpture, architecture and other applied arts, with pictures by Emil Filla, Josef Capek, Vaclav Spala and Bohumil Kubista are on display. The exposition also presents the works of graphic artists and architects Josef Gocar, Josef Chochol, Pavel Janak and others. The House of the Black Madonna was designed by Gocar and built in 1911 and 1912. Gocar designed his six-story building to fit in the heart of Prague's historical district. During the First Republic (1918-1938), the house served as a shopping center and cafe. After the Second World War, the building was used for government offices. Now, a restaurant on the first floor will soon be joined by shops, said Dr. Jan Sekera, director of the museum. Czech cubism was a unique art movement. Although based on the French cubism of George Braque and Pablo Picasso, it developed in an different environment, reflecting a more pessimistic view. Czech cubism was also the only cubist movement to develop architectural form. Martin Kupka/Jirka Schneider SPORT Czech Republic Draws with Netherlands in Euro 96 Qualification The Czech football team drew 0:0 with the Netherlands in their third qualification match in the Euro 96 tournament group. The match was played in Rotterdam before 42,000 Dutch fans disappointed that their players Bergkamp, Overmars and R. de Boer couldn't play. The Dutch controlled the game throughout, but Czech defenses, and excellent play by the goaltender Srnicek, prevented a Dutch goal. The Czech team is in second place in its division. The Czech junior team tied 2:2 with the Netherlands in a qualification match for the junior world championships. The junior team is in first place. Jiri Trunecka/Mirek Langer Results of the 17th and 18th Rounds of Hockey Extraleague 17th round: Vsetin - Kladno 8:3, Ceske Budejovice - Vitkovice 2:4, Slavia Prague - Plzen 2:2, Litvinov - Jihlava 6:3. Olomouc - Zlin 3:3. The Pardubice - Sparta Prague match was rescheduled to November 27. 18th round: Zlin - Pardubice 2:4, Jihlava - Olomouc 2:5, Kladno - Vitkovice 9:1, Plzen - Vsetin 1:3, Sparta Prague - Slavia Prague 3:4, Ceske Budejovice - Litvinov 3:4. Tomas Kopecny/Mirek Langer HC Olomouc Proceeds in European Champions Cup HC Olomouc, the reigning Czech hockey champion, advanced to the final group of the European Champions Cup. From November 26 to 30, they will face Russia's Lada Togliatti, Bylorus' Tirali Minsk, Germany's Maddogs Munich, Sweden's Malmo FF and Slovakia's Dukla Trencin. The matches will take place in Turku, Finland. Tomas Kopecny/Mirek Langer Czech Hockey-Player Sets German League Record Josef Dopita, a former HC Olomouc hockey player now playing forward for the Berlin Eisbaren, scored six goals in a German League game against Augsburg. He scored four of the goals in only 14 minutes, a record in the German league. The flurry of goals raises his season total to 14, third in the scorer's table. Tomas Kopecny/Mirek Langer Three Czech Wins in First Czech Skate Radka Kovarikova a Rene Novotny won for sport couples and Katerina Mrazova and Martin Simecek won for dance couples in the first Czech Skate in Vitkovice. Lenka Kulovana took the third Czech first place, with the women's title. Novotny's win came despite problems with his skate-lace in the free program. The program culminated in an exhibition November 6 featuring Petr Barna, European champion in 1992. Organizers of Czech Skate hope the event will become a part of the figure skating World Cup. Mirek Langer WEATHER The weather in the Czech Republic was steady, with snow in the northern mountains, and cloudy and rainy conditions in the rest of the country. Temperatures at night were between 2 and 6 degrees Celsius, with day temperatures between 6 and 10. Eftychia Damianidou ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This news may be published only with "CAROLINA" designation. The subscription is free. Comments and remarks are appreciated. 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