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 CZECH REPUBLIC 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 183, Friday, December 15, 1995. FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK (December 6-13) Parliament Approves Czech Soldiers for Bosnia Parliament approved a bill December 8 to send Czech soldiers to Bosnia. There they will join the international Implementation Force (IFOR), backed by NATO, to keep peace in the former Yugoslavia. The new force will operate with wider authority than the previous UNPROFOR troops. The bill was approved by 126 members of the coalition parties and opposition social democrats. The Left Block, the Communist Parties of Bohemia and Moravia, and the right-wing Association for the Republic - The Republican Parties of Czechoslovakia voted agaionst the bill. The Czech mechanized battalion, to be under British leadership, will composed of 850 volunteer soldiers. Although the Balkan conflict might yet endanger the soldiers, more than 1,000 men volunteered. Minister of Defense Vilem Holan says the elite unit should begin training in late December in Cesky Krumlov. The first research and security units will leave for Bosnia in mid-January. Michaela Vysoudilova/Andrea Snyder Military Transports Across the Czech Republic On December 9 the first two trains transporting American soldiers from IFOR forces to the former Yugoslavia crossed Czech soil. Even though Czech Railways are not telling anyone what the prices were, the transport of 20,000 American soldiers with their weapons should bring the state firm hundreds of millions of crowns. The Czech daily MF DNES reminded their readers that day that the American army paid 50,000 DM (nearly 1 million crowns) for the passage of one train equipped with materials two years ago. The current transports, however, likely have different rates. Matej Husek/Andrea Snyder Austria Supports Czech Republic for NATO and EU Czech President Vaclav Havel and Austrian President Thomas Klestil agreed the Czech Republic should be one of the first Eastern European countries to join the EU and NATO, at a December 11 official meeting. Security interests have absolute priority, said Klestil at Austria's Seefeld Castle, not far from the Czech border. Havel commented on Czech-Austrian relations, saying that unlike the situation with Germany, he doesn't feel such a pressing need for a common declaration. The former Czechoslovakia signed a pact with Austria in 1974 in which both sides renounced all claims and declared all accounts settled. The presidents also discussed aid to Bosnia. Havel proposed that central European cities "adopt Bosnian centers," to aid them in economic renewal. To that end should contribute a conference agreed to by the presidents. "We would like to hold a Vienna-Prague Conference, based on the Bosnia example, about how the Europe of the future will deal with the issues of nationalism, racism, and hatred of foreigners. Spiritual shards of Bosnia are laying throughout all of Europe," said Klestil. David Vozdecky/Andrea Snyder All Primary and Secondary Schools Get "Flu Holiday" A serious flu epidemic has afflicted the Czech Republic, leading Czech Surgeon General Jiri Vytlacil to proclaim a premature Christmas holiday December 12. Primary and secondary schools let out December 14, and classes will resume January 3. School cafeterias and youth centers will continue operating until the originally scheduled holidays begin December 22. "I do not remember that we had ever had to proclaim a special holiday because of the flu," said Ministry of Health hygienist Gustav Walter. He said a one-week holiday would not have sufficed if the Christmas holiday had not been scheduled. The flu epidemic will hit its peak before Christmas. The worst situation ocurred in northern Moravia and in the southern Bohemia a week ago, while hygienists predict the flu will spread to central and western Bohemia. Bela Tumova of the National Reference Laboratory of the State Health Institute considers the present epidemic the biggest in the last seven years. "In comparison with the extensive epidemic in 1992, the number of sick is lower but this year's case is not at an end." The Czech Republic is the only country in Europe where the flu engulfed the entire land. Higher numbers of the ill have been recorded only in Portugal, Britain and in some German regions. Austria now awaits a wave of infection. Jaromir Vicari/Jitka Motejzikova Romanies Demonstrate in Prague The Czech press reports nearly 400 Romanies (gypsies) demonstrating December 8 - Human Rights Day - against fascism and growing racial violence. The demonstration, arranged by the Romany Civic Initiative, was the peak of a period of actions taking place in other Czech towns. Demonstrators, including Chief Czech Rabbi Karol Sidon and former dissident Petr Uhl from the Movement for Civic Solidarity and Tolerance, criticized the government and other state organizations for not putting a stop to racist displays, and for not punishing the participants of such displays. Demonstrators held a moment of silence for the 28 Romany victims of racism from the past three years. Viktorie Reschova/Andrea Snyder Premier Criticizes Health Reforms in Physicians' Den Bohuslav Svoboda, a gynocologist at Prague's Vinohradska Hospital, was once again elected president of the Czech Physicians' Chamber (CLK) December 9 in Olomouc. Jaroslav Strof, a member of the Physicians' Union Club (LOK), was elected CLK vice-president. LOK Chairman David Rath's attempt to take over the CLK leadership failed. Rath, who iniciated the recent doctors' strikes, received one vote. Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus also attended the CLK meeting. In his speech December 9, he admitted "the situation in health care today is caused by the half-way, and in many aspects erroneous, transformation of the original socialist health care system." Klaus called a number of health insurance companies an expensive luxury and a waste. He said today's health care was created as a "soft, almost self-serving system, which functioned without greater problems until it ran into the only possible barrier, which is the total volume of funds given to health care." Svoboda said the conflict between the Chamber and the Prime Minister is about how to get through the current critical period. While the CLK demands an increase in the value of points (meaning an increase in the money doctors receive from insurance companies), Klaus said health care spending increases will suffice because of the increase in insurance choices and salaries. Darina Coufalova/Andrea Snyder The Case of the Slap within the Social Democrats Is Finally Closed The Executive Central Committee of the Czech Social Democratic Party (CSSD) December 9 closed the case of the slap given in August by CSSD Presidium member and Parliament deputy Jozef Wagner to CSSD Vice-chairman and Parliament deputy Vaclav Grulich (see Carolina 170). Wagner resigned from the CSSD Presidium that day without waiting for the vote to decide whether he would remain in his position. Also that day, the executive board passed a no-confidence vote concerning Grulich, although he was confirmed as vice-chairman in a subsequent vote. According to Vladimir Spindl, the chairman of a special comission, it was proved Grulich made rude and insulting remarks to Wagner, but it was not confirmed that he said anything anti-Semitic. Grulich was said to have called Wagner a "Jewish pig." Matej Husek/Katerina Zachovalova American Millionaire Dingman to Buy a Share of Czech Private TV American millionaire Michael Dingman and the head of the Czech Investment and Postal Bank (IPB) agreed December 6 that Dingman's Stratton Group will buy 15 per cent of the shares in the Premiera TV station. This news was confirmed by IPB spokesman Jan Rezek in Pravo the same day. IPB still owns 45 per cent of Premiera and the other 55 per cent through its finance group, STV Premiera. Stratton Group should be able to ensure Premiera's economic success by bringing in experienced media experts. Dingman, who recently invested about 240 million USD in significant Czech industrial firms, believes Premiera will be able to compete with TV Nova, which is now holds the dominant position among Czech TV stations. Dingman made his original investment by partially buying out Harvard Group boss Viktor Kozeny, the wizard of the first wave of voucher privatization and Dingman's neighbor in the Bahamas. Jan Palicka/Katerina Zachovalova FROM SLOVAKIA Influenza Takes Lives The term "epidemic" is used when the count of the sick reaches 2,000 people per 100,000 inhabitants - in central Slovakia, there are now 5,430 cases of flu per 100,000 inhabitants. Influenza, or a similar illness, probably caused the death of a 63-year-old man in the Liptovsky Mikulas region. In the greatest biggest danger from the disease are six- to 14-year-old children and university students. The most acute situations are the in Cadca, Martin and Dolni Kubin districts. Jan Palicka/Jitka Hejtmanova First trains with the NATO peace corps passed Slovak Republic The first two trains with American armed forces headed to participate in the peacekeeping operation in Bosnia crossed the Czech-Slovak border December 10. The trains are transporting military technology and are being escorted by railway police. The transit was approved by the Slovak government at an extraordinary session Dec. 7. Jan Palicka/ Jitka Hejtmanova ECONOMY Parliament Approves Balanced 1996 State Budget The public budget of the Czech Republic will be balanced again in 1996, decided Parliament December 12 with the overwhelming approval of the government's proposal, 114 yes votes opposed to 57. Because the overall sum of revenue and spending was approved by Parliament in October at 497.6 billion Czech crowns, recent debate concentrated on the shifting of money from one expenditure to another. The main debate arose among the governing coalition parties over the proposal of the Civic Democratic Alliance (ODA) to make fundamental cuts in the expenses of the state administration. After failing to win support for its proposals, the ODA voted for the budget bill. The biggest change from the original government draft was a reduction of social spending and some funds for individual departments by about 3 billion crowns. The savings will be used to increase judges' salaries, for elections and to send a peacekeeping unit to Bosnia. An increase higher than the inflation rate is planned for spending in the modernization of roadways, teachers' salaries, apartment construction, the army and police. Michal Kubal/Milan Smid Minimal Monthly Salary to Rise to 2,500 Crowns From its current 2,200 crowns, the minimal monthly wage will rise to 2,500 from January 1, and the minimal hourly pay will be 13.60 crowns, according to a December 6 government decision. During their previous meetings with the government, unions sought a 2,700-crown minimum. According to Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus, this request did not seem correct to any minister. Slightly less than 1 per cent of Czech citizens earn the minimum wage. The amount required by such an increase is considered negligible by the government. More significant is the amount of state contributions to the health insurance for non-earning citizens, which is derived from the amount of the minimunm wage - these expenses will grow by 1.8 billion crowns. For comparison: a loaf of bread or two tram tickets can be purchased for the new minimal hourly wage of 13.60 crowns. Zbynek Vicar/Klara Schirova Exchange Rates at the Czech National Bank (valid from Dec. 15) country currency ------------------------------------------ Australia 1 AUD 19.817 Belgium 100 BEF 89.742 Great Britain 1 GBP 41.113 Denmark 1 DKK 4.763 Finland 1 FIM 6.151 France 1 FRF 5.352 Ireland 1 IEP 42.430 Italy 1000 ITL 16.762 Japan 100 JPY 26.301 Canada 1 CAD 19.453 Luxemburg 100 LUF 89.742 Netherlands 1 NLG 16.478 Norway 1 NOK 4.182 New Zealand 1 NZD 17.438 Portugal 100 PTE 17.599 Austria 1 ATS 2.622 Greece 100 GRD 11.152 Slovakia 100 SKK 89.742 Germany 1 DEM 18.455 Spain 100 ESP 21.734 Sweden 1 SEK 4.007 Switzerland 1 CHF 22.762 USA 1 USD 26.761 ECU 1 XEU 33.813 IMF 1 XDR 39.642 CULTURE Kutna Hora Makes UNESCO List The historic downtown of Kutna Hora has been accepted as the fifth Czech monument among the world's cultural and natural rarities protected by the UNESCO organization. "I hope that tourism, which could be the city's decisive revenue-earner, will begin to develop more, thanks to this," said the Kutna Hora Mayor Ivo Sancl. From the 13th through the 18th centuries, the central Bohemian town mined silver ore, which was made into currency in the local mint. Prague, Cesky Krumlov, Telc and the church of Jan Nepomucky in Zdar nad Sazavou are also on the UNESCO list. During the December UNESCO conference in Berlin, Easter island and historic downtowns of Siena, Ferrara, Avignon and Edinburgh were placed on the UNESCO list with Kutna Hora. Klara Schirova/Klara Schirova Death of Jan Faltynek Actor, entertainer, comedian and narrator Jan Faltynek died December 12, just short of his 60th birthday. He started his theater career at the age of 17. After performing in the small town of Pribram he came to Prague City Theaters (Mestska divadla prazska), where he was a member of the S. K. Neumann Theater, while he also performed on the stage of the National Theater. Among his repertoire of roles was the popular hero of Jaroslav Hasek's novel The Good Soldier Schweik. Faltynek, aside from his TV, radio and dubbing roles, created dozens of film personas of ordinary people and his trademark swaggering male. David Vozdecky/Jitka Motejzikova The Photographs of Karel Cudlin An exhibit of Karel Cudlin's photographs opened in the Prague House of Photography December 7. Standing out among these works from the 90's are a series about the rabbi of Mukacevo (for which the artist was honored with a prize in the Czech Press Photo competition), and a photo essay about the withdrawal of Soviet troops from the Czech Republic. Cudlin belongs to a group of young photographers which has been dominating Czech documentary photography and giving it a new image in recent years. In this "newly discovered generation," Cudlin keeps company with Jan Sibik, Tomki Nemec, Jiri Turek and Andrej Ban. The Prague House of Photography in Hus street, like the U Recickych Gallery of the Young known for supporting young artists, has prepared an exhibit entitled New Names for the next two months. The art and documentary photographs to be exhibited are the winners of a public competition. Klara Schirova/Klara Schirova IN BRIEF * Two giant concerts took place in Prague over the weekend: metal dinosaur Ozzy Osborne performed in the Sport Hall December 9 and 10, and the strident English folk-rock Levellers plazed in Lucerna December 9. * The international Alternative '95 music festival going on in Prague's Roxy Club and Archa Theater from December 11-19, with a number of bands taking the stage each night, will include the Czech Republic's Orloj Snivcu, Slunecni Orchestr, Naceva, Iva Bittova, Jatka c.5 and others. Klara Schirova/Klara Schirova SPORT 1998 World Soccer Championships in France with Slovakia Spain, Slovakia, Yugoslavia, Malta, Pharoah Islands - they are the teams in "our" 1998 World Championships qualification group, as decided by a draw in Paris' Louvre. In the European draw were 49 teams from Europe, divided into nine groups. Group winners enter the championships directly and the best second-place sides go on, as well. The other second-place teams play four matches, whose winners go to France. David Sprincl/Jan Palicka Slavia Is in The Quarterfinal of the U.E.F.A. Cup Soccer's Slavia Prague team won in overtime in France against Racing Lens 1-0 to get into the quarterfinals of the U.E.F.A. Cup. Poborsky scored in the fifth minute of extra time. On the other hand, Sparta is out. But the Sparta side did not play badly against AC Milan, though they failed to score and drew the match, 0-0. Karel Bartek/Jan Palicka The Czech Women's Handball Team Is Out of Atlanta's Olympics The Women's handball world championship continues, with the Czech team beating Canada 27-11, losing to Romania 18-25, losing to Denmark 14-26 and tying Slovakia 24-24. They then topped the Ivory Coast 24-14 in an extra match, but in the final round of 16 the Czechs lost 14-21 to Austria, and also lost their chance to go directly to the 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta. David Sprincl/Jan Palicka In The Extraleague, Pardubice Stuns Litvinov Results of the 28th round: Vsetin-Brno 3-1, Trinec-Sparta 3-4, Zlin-Plzen 2-1, Litvinov-Pardubice 2-3, C. Budejovice-Olomouc 1-3, Kladno-Jihlava 9-3, Slavia-Vitkovice 4-2. Adam Kotalik/Jan Palicka WEATHER Every day last week a few centimetres of fresh snow fell. For skiers the best snow conditions are at Snezka (68 centimetres, Krkonose) and at Praded (57 centimetres, Jeseniky). ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. 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