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 Faculty of Social Science of Charles University Smetanovo nabr. 6 110 01 Prague 1 Czech Republic e-mail: CAROLINA@cuni.cz tel: (+4202) 24810804, ext. 252, fax: (+4202) 24810987 *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* C A R O L I N A No 245, Friday, May 2, 1997. FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK (APRIL 23-30) Presidents Speak about Czech-German Relations German President Roman Herzog and Czech President Vaclav Havel put the era of the Czech-German Declaration officially to rest. Havel spoke in front of the German Parliament April 24, while Herzog spoke to Czech legislators April 29 in the Vladislav Hall of Prague Castle. The speeches of the two statesmen were conceptually different - while Havel focused on the future, Herzog used the opportunity to evaluate the past. "As today's Germany cannot return the lives of tens of thousands of Czech victims of Nazism and return us back to before 1938, when Czechs, Jews and Germans lived among us together, today's Czech Republic cannot return Germans expelled (from the Sudetenland) their long-ago home," said Havel. His speech, broadcast live on television and radio in both countries, mostly lacked confrontational themes (such as the expulsion of Sudeten Germans). The largest response was generated by his comment, "If, well knowing why, I said two years ago only that Germans who come from our land are welcomed among us as guests, I can today without fear say what I did not say then: That they are among us welcomed not only as guests, but as our one-time fellow citizens, or as their descendants, who have here centuries-old roots and have the right that we notice and feel their relation to our country." At the end of his speech in the Bundestag, Havel called on representatives of both countries to take advantage of the positive atmosphere between the nations created by the recently approved declaration. Herzog in his speech expressed regret for the suffering of the Czech people and the depriving of their rights, and asked Czechs for forgiveness: "We are also aware that only with that policy of violence and crime were the grounds prepared for the following flight and expulsion." Herzog, in the name of Germany, accepted historical responsibility for the events of 1938 in Munich and the breakup and occupation of Czechoslovakia. Herzog critically noted that, in recent years, "parts of the European elite, as if bored, have turned away from the union of Europe, and that "euro-skepticism" has because some sort of fashion. He supported the integration of eastern European nations into European structures and emphasized that the Czech Republic can count on the full support of Germany for acceptance into the EU and NATO. Herzog's speech was also broadcast live in both countries. Herzog's speech was not attended by members of the Communist Party, while the neo-Fascist Republicans, until the last minute, threatened to disrupt the proceedings, though they too chose in the end not to attend. Members of the Jewish community rejected the invitation as well, as a protest against the absence in the declaration of individual compensation for the victims of Nazism. Petra Sevcikova/Michael Bluhm John Paul II Honors Legacy of Saint Adalbert in Czech Republic More than 100,000 people took part in the mass which Pope John Paul II officiated April 27 on Prague's Letna Plain. The Pope was visiting Prague for the third time since the fall of the iron curtain. The occasion was the 1,000th anniversary of the death of Saint Adalbert (Svaty Vojtech, see Carolina 244). The Vatican aircraft landed on the evening of April 25 at Ruzyne Airport and the Pope was welcomed there by President Vaclav Havel and his wife Dagmar, as well as Cardinal Miroslav Vlk, government and parliamentary representatives and hundreds of people. TV NOVA welcomed the Holy Father by showing a horror film entitled "Here Comes Satan". The Pope, aware of the country's dislike of the Catholic Church and of religion in general, expressed the hope that the spiritual character of his visit would find an echo even among those "who for various reasons feel far removed from everything concerning religion and the Church." He later dined with the highest representatives of the Czech Catholic Church at the residence of the Apostolic Nunciate, where he also stayed during the visit. On the Saturday morning of April 26, the Pope met young Christians in Hradec Kralove. It was in that diocese in Libice nad Cidlinou that St. Adalbert was born. After a tour of the historical part of the city in the famous popemobile, he served mass in Holy Spirit Cathedral (the only Catholic cathedral in the world so dedicated) and delivered a speech especially addressed to young people, who came to greet him not only from the Czech Republic but from Slovakia and Poland as well. Roughly 50,000 people welcomed the Holy Father with the chant "In the Lord let's all be glad; from the Vatican has come our Dad." In the name of St. Adalbert, whose life should serve as an example for the young, the Pope spoke out for the preservation of higher values and urged his listeners to live in truth and love and guard themselves against drugs and alcohol: "Don't try to find fulfillment in your life by seeking selfish advantages, but open yourselves to love and you will become creators of Europe and a new world. The Church needs you." Only one protester was present at the rally, Hradec businessman Milan Grondzik with a banner reading "Don't forget! The Catholics burned John Huss." From the eastern Bohemian city the Pope returned to the capital, where he had a meeting with the president and the first lady and government representatives at Prague Castle in the early evening. In the evening the Holy Father met monks and the sick at Brevnov Monastery, at the Nuncio's Residence he then gave Charles University Rector Karel Maly a copy of the papal bull of 1347 which guaranteed graduates of the university that their education would be recognized throughout the Christian world. The original copy was stolen by the Nazis and has never been recovered. On the Sunday morning of April 27, John Paul II celebrated the two-hour mass in front 100,000 people on the Letna Plain. Ministers Josef Lux and Jan Ruml were among the Czech notables who took the sacrament from the hand of the highest representative of the Catholic Church. In the afternoon Havel and Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus also took part in ecumenical prayers in honor of St. Adalbert. In the St. Vitus Cathedral the Pope also mentioned John Huss, whose death he labeled unfortunate (Huss, a Czech, was burned at the stake in 1415), indicating that he is to be considered among the reformers of the Church. The Pope then flew back to Rome from Ruzyne Airport at 7 p.m.. Jiri Fremuth and from Hradec Kralove Lucie Vackova/Andy Faust Perestroika's Father Gorbachev in Prague Mikhail Gorbachev, the former Kremlin ruler credited with unleashing the avalanche which swept away Communism in Europe, arrived in Prague April 25 to pay his respects to Zdenek Mlynar, his friend of many years and law school classmate in Moscow. Mlynar died April 15 (see Carolina 243), and his funeral was April 25. In Prague Gorbachev met President Vaclav Havel for a short private visit. According to presidential spokesman Ladislav Spacek, the main topic of their discussion was the present situation in Russia. Gorbachev admitted the deep influence events of the 1968 Prague Spring had had on him, and stated that less than 10 per cent of Russians wish to return to past conditions. Gorbachev was welcomed to the Czech Parliament by Chamber of Deputies Chairman Milos Zeman. At the conclusion of his visit to Prague, the first and last president of the USSR again expressed his opposition to the expansion of NATO. He considers the idea a bad one from the word go. Lenka Javurkova/Andy Faust Cabinet Will Present Administrative Region Bill by End of May The cabinet will submit to Parliament a draft of a constitutional amendment on larger territorial administrative regions by the end of May, according to an agreement reached April 28 between the governing coalition parties' three chairmen - Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus (Civic Democratic Party, ODS), Michael Zantovsky (Civic Democratic Alliance, ODA) and Agriculture Minister Josef Lux (Christian Democrats, KDU-CSL). The cabinet is going to discuss the precise number of new regions, because the proposals of the Interior Ministry and the Justice Ministry differ. While Justice Minister Vlasta Parkanova (ODA) will promote 13 regions (with Prague as the 14th region) Interior Minister Jan Ruml (ODS) supports a subdivision into 9 administrative regions. The opposition Social Democrats worked out alternatives with 9, 11 or 14 regions. The cabinet is also going to debate the terms of introduction the administrative reform. Ruml already revealed his opinion that the first election of deputies for new regional municipalities should take place in the autumn of the year 2000. On the other hand, the ODA and Christian Democrats are convinced the reform should be implemented by next year's local elections. "We know that time is short, but in our opinion the term is realistic," said Zantovsky to the daily Lidove noviny. Roman Jedlicka/Milan Smid Minister for Regional Development Schneider resigns Minister for Regional Development Jaromir Schneider announced his decision to resign April 29. Schneider's abdication was demanded by his own party, the Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL), particularly by the party's chairman, Agriculture Minister Josef Lux. Lux said Schneider was the weakest member of the government. Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus accepted the resignation without ado. Schneider, however, disagrees with Lux's accusation and points out that under his administration the ministry achieved passage of housing policy. "Successful activity in such an exposed post presumes the support of your own party, which I do not have," said Schneider. Personal dissonance between Schneider and Lux, more than Schneider's incompetence, preceded the resignation, according to some Christian Democrats quoted in the April 30 edition of daily MF DNES. When Schneider was mayor of the town Zlin, the town provided the local Tandem company with a suspicious loan, an affair said to bother Lux. Lux denies Schneider's resignation is connected with the Tandem episode. According to most Christian Democrats, the leading candidate to replace Schneider is his deputy, Tomas Kvapil. His experiences in the field and membership in the party work in his favor. Lux refused to comment on the matter, saying he will announce a candidate in a few days. The April 30 article also cites a source close to Christian Democrat leadership saying Lux is expecting - in connection with recently announced economic measures (see Carolina 243) - changes in ministerial posts by government coalition partners the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) and Civic Democratic Alliance (ODA). Finance Minister Ivan Kocarnik (ODS) and Trade Minister Vladimir Dlouhy (ODA) are the most-discussed possible sacrifices. Bohdana Rambouskova/Matej Cerny Head of Prague Interpol Office Resigns Frantisek Zelenicky, the head of the Prague Interpol office, will resign from his position April 30. Zelenicky was asked to depart from his office by Police President Oldrich Tomasek, and Zelenicky heeded the call, which was based on an Interior Ministry inspection report. "The activities of Mr. Zelenicky as chairman of the Czech Interpol office have been in contradiction with the moral standards imposed on members of the Czech Police," said Police Presidium spokeswoman Ivana Moosova. Vit Bartek/Milan Smid Two Biggest Hospitals Protest Government Cuts Doctors, nurses and medical students at the General Faculty Hospital (Vseobecna fakultni nemocnice) protested in front of the Ministry of Health building April 29 against the intention of Health Minister Jan Strasky to abolish or drastically reduce the size of the largest Czech hospital. Just the main grounds of the hospital should remain intact, and some of its clinics should be moved to the Faculty Hospital Praha-Motol (Fakultni nemocnice Praha-Motol). Because the General Faculty Hospital is located in the center of Prague (on Charles Square), speculation in the media appeared whether behind the planned changes are not potentially lucrative real estate deals with the hospital's grounds and buildings. A final decision is expected May 10. The medical staff of the Motol hospital began a five-day strike the next day, in protest against the removal of Surgery Department head Josef Dvorak, who, in spite of impeccable professional credentials, was criticized for mismanagement of the department and patient complaints. The hospital's capacity should be reduced by one-third. Jana Wiesnerova/Milan Smid Havel: "Paranoia" Statement about Meciar Was Impertinent President Vaclav Havel labeled his recent statement about Slovak Prime Minister Meciar's paranoia, made in the interview for French daily Le Figaro, "impertinent" in his Sunday radio talk show Talks from Lany April 27. When asked about current Czech-Slovak relations, he said he has been worrying about them for some time. He described them as correct but cool and touchy. This fact he considers more important than "whether somebody lets out some impertinent word, and then somebody else asks for an apology," said Havel. Some commentators read into Havel's words a defiant stance toward Slovak formal demands for an apology (see Carolina 242). Slovak ambassador to the Czech Republic Ivan Mjartan returned to Prague April 29 after three weeks in Bratislava, where he had been recalled for consultation after publication of Havel's comments. Michal Schindler/Milan Smid Public Most Annoyed with Economic Problems Czech poll respondents consider the economy the most alarming current problem, and they think the government should make the economy its top priority. According to regular research done by the Institute for Public Opinion Research from April, economic problems are at the fore of public interest. Thus, the economy has replaced problems with healthcare and crime, which had been in the top position in recent years. Thirty per cent of respondents, most of whom supported government coalition parties, responded to the question "What should we strive for in the next five years?" with the answer solving economic problems. About a fifth of respondents (21 per cent) answered social problems, connected foremost with the building of new apartments, a concern typical for opposition voters. Five per cent of respondents consider healthcare the biggest problem. David Vlk/Zdenek Janda Tenth of Population Agrees with Economical Transformation Dissatisfaction with the political situation is growing. Last summer, 50 per cent of poll respondents were not satisfied with the situation, while in January the number grew to 58 per cent of respondents, in March 61 per cent and in April it increased to 72 per cent. The greatest dissatisfaction with the political situation is expressed by supporters of the Communist Party (97 per cent of their supporters are dissatisfied) and the neo-Fascist Republicans (91 per cent). On the contrary, 55 per cent of respondents supporting the ruling Civic Democratic Party (ODS) and 41 per cent adhering to coalition partner the Civic Democratic Alliance (ODA) are satisfied. Only 11 per cent of respondents are satisfied with economic transformation, while 38 per cent consider the process to be "partially successful," wrote the daily Pravo April 30, citing research conducted by the Institute for Public Opinion Research. Respondents were asked between April 1-7, before the announcement of economic measures (see Carolina 243). Eighty-five per cent of respondents supporting the Republicans, 77 per cent supporting the Communists and 53 per cent supporting the Social Democrats do not approve of transformation. Thirty-five per cent of ODS sympathizers and 13 per cent of ODA sympathizers are satisfied. David Vlk/Zdenek Janda Klaus Meets Legal Public at Charles University "To create good laws first and then to seep reality into it later, is an impossible task," said Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus in his speech in Prague's Charles University Law School April 29. Klaus' speech was the acceptance of a longstanding invitation from the Czech legal club VSEHRD. His 40-minute address, entitled "The Law's Relation to Economic and Political Transformation," was dedicated to the following issues: legal autonomy, burgeoning public-sector legislation, the relation between economics and legal theory, and the harmonizing of Czech law with the EU legislation. In front of the audience, comprised mostly of lawyers and law students, Klaus, a professor of economics, admitted that the economy has been developing for the most part without any contact with legal theory, that on the one hand the law has been considered a stable framework for market behavior, while in reality the term was narrowed to some abstract necessity. He criticized the excessive number of complicated laws, the application of which has been prevented by the non-functioning of the executive branch and the organs responsible for dealing with crime. exclusive report by Libuse Kolouchova/Milan Smid FROM SLOVAKIA Chernomyrdin in Slovakia Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin arrived in Slovakia for a two-day visit April 28. He met with President Michal Kovac and Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar, while the main purpose of the visit was to sign 16 strategic Russian-Slovak contracts. The long-discussed contract establishing a joint venture in natural gas (the Russian Gazprom with Slovak Gas Industry) will make Slovakia dependent on Russian gas until 2008. The military technology agreement signed raises questions whether Slovakia still wants to enter NATO. Both prime ministers deny any political background to the contracts but it is undeniable that Slovakia is coming further under Russian influence. If Slovakia decides to purchase the S-300 PMU-1 Russian defense system, some western experts speculate that Slovakia would practically abandon the road to joining euroatlantic structures. Jan Potucek/Magdalena Vanova Government Proposes Canceling Presidential Direct Election Referendum The Slovak government proposed last week to the Constitutional Court to the cancelation possibility of proclamation of referendum for direct vote of president. The referendum is after the government out of keeping with the Slovak constitution. There is writen that only National Council can vote president. With actual collocation of power in the Council it is impossible for any candidate to be voted. The Constitutional Court will deal with this problem, but its decision might not come before May 24, when the referendum is to be held. In that case, Slovak citizens would only respond to questions about joining NATO and the placement of nuclear weapons and foreign military forces on Slovak territory. Jan Potucek/Magdalena Vanova ECONOMY MARKETS & COMPANIES * The Prague Stock Exchange ended a period of stagnation and decided to move - steeply downhill. After the April 29, session the PX-50 index fell to a 1997 low - 531.3 points. * A timebomb exploded in the Investment and Postal Bank (Investicni a postovni banka). General Director and Chairman of the Board Jiri Tesar and his deputy Libor Prochazka were arrested and charged with embezzlement and other breaches of the commercial code. Details of the case are still secret. * Antonin Indruch and Frantisek Havlena, two former members of Agrobanka management, as well as director of the predatory Motoinvest group, Jan Dienstl, are also behind bars. The reason: dubious trading between Agrobanka and Motoinvest during the takover of Pilsen Bank (Plzenska banka). Angry Motoinvest boss Pavel Tykac sturdily defends Dienstl's behavior. According to some in the Motoinvest camp, they are victims of a witchhunt ignited by the government's economic aid package plank to fight the economic criminality. * The Radegast Brewery decided to cope with the inflation. The price of their beer, which won the Czech Beer of the Year award for 1996, shall increase 7 per cent to 9 per cent in the near future. * Pilsner Urquell (Plzensky prazdroj) will begin brewing some of its Gambrinus beer in Kaunas, Lithuania, in May. The capacity of the subsidiary plant should be 120,000 hectoliters per year. * Pilsen's Skoda concern and the American company Titan won the tender to build a mill for recycling used tires in Austria. The contract is worth 10 million USD. The Skoda company also made public its enterpreneurial strategies in Russia, where Skoda plans to start a joint venture with truck producers Kamaz and ZIL. In the Russian plan there are also ventures in turbine making, airplane motors and subway vehicles. * The Military Repairs Company (Vojensky opravarensky podnik) Sternberk won the tender for repairing 350 Swedish Army armored vehicles. The contract, valued at 30 million USD, is going to fill three-quarters of the company's working capacity for the next four years. Martin Cermak/Milan Smid Exchange Rates at the Czech National Bank (valid from May 2) country currency ------------------------------------------ Australia 1 AUD 24.165 Belgium 100 BEF 86.769 Great Britain 1 GBP 50.365 Denmark 1 DKK 4.701 Finland 1 FIM 5.935 France 1 FRF 5.310 Ireland 1 IEP 46.776 Italy 1000 ITL 18.047 Japan 100 JPY 24.401 Canada 1 CAD 22.125 Luxemburg 100 LUF 86.769 Hungary 100 HUF 16.971 Netherlands 1 NLG 15.915 Norway 1 NOK 4.347 New Zealand 1 NZD 21.454 Poland 1 PLN 9.787 Portugal 100 PTE 17.842 Austria 1 ATS 2.544 Greece 100 GRD 11.277 Slovakia 100 SKK 92.107 Germany 1 DEM 17.900 Spain 100 ESP 21.222 Sweden 1 SEK 3.957 Switzerland 1 CHF 21.073 USA 1 USD 30.916 ECU 1 XEU 34.943 IMF 1 XDR 42.164 CULTURE Best Novel Award, or The Stuffed Dog for 1,000 USD A jury headed by emigre writer Josef Skvorecky awarded the Egon Hostovsky Prize April 24 to 73-year-old writer Jaroslav Putik, for his new novel The Stuffed Dog. In the Mirror Chapel of Prague's Klementinum, the author accepted the award for the best prose publication of the year, together with 1,000 USD. The donator of the prize, which was awarded from 1974-90 for the best prose novel published by an exile publishing house, is the writer's son Paul Hostovsky. At the same time, in Prague's Klementinum, the Czech Literary Fund awarded the Bohemia Premium. This year, Bulgarian poet and translator Vatyo Rakovski received the prize for his numerous translations of Czech poetry. He devoted decades to the works of Jaroslav Seifert, Konstantin Biebl, Frantisek Halas, Vitezslav Nezval and Vladimir Holan. Simona Malkovska/Denisa Vitkova Wax Museum Open Prague, too, has a wax-figure museum, as doors to the Rapid Palace on October 28 Street opened to the public March 29. The 15-million-crown project was financed by the Prague Wax Museum company. The exhibit contains 40 Czech and world personalities, and it should gradually expand - therefore larger rooms have been bought in Celetna Street, where the museum should be located by the end of next year. The entrance hall introduces Czech historic personalities from the distant past to the present. Visitors can see the imagined form of Princess Libuse, then Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV (responsible for the bridge and university bearing his name), Rudolf II, religious reformer John Huss, Hussite War General Jan Zizka, or Czechoslovakia's first president, T.G. Masaryk, talking to literary giant Karel Capek. The majority of the figures are situated on characteristic backgrounds. Another part focuses on significant personalities of the 20th century - for instance President Vaclav Havel, Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus, 1968 political reformer Alexander Dubcek, Pope John Paul II, Charlie Chaplin and Pablo Picasso. Crooner Karel Gott supplied his figure with a suit, Jaromir Jagr with a hockey uniform. Another wax woman in the museum is Martina Navratilova. On the world dictators platform, there stand, next to each other, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, Josef Vissarionovich Stalin, Mao Tse-tung, and also Czechoslovak President Klement Gottwald (1948-53) and Czechoslovak President Gustav Husak (1975-89), though Adolf Hitler is installed separately. Visitors can see also a kaleidoscopic movie, Magical Prague. Its creator, Raduz Cincera, already used a similar technique in the Kinoautomat project in the 60's. The museum is open daily, 10 a.m. till 8 p.m.. Ondrej Slavik/Denisa Vitkova Kelly Family in Prague (and Ostrava and Bratislava) Twelve-year-old girls finally lived to see their beloved Kelly Family, which arrived in Prague's Sports Hall April 29 and performed its sweet spectacle. Their tender stamping, rocking and groaning immediately won over the young, 15,000-strong audience, which provided its idols with stuffed animals throughout the entire production. Kelly Family, in spite of their near-zero creativity, perfectly managed the art of mass manipulation - each hand-wave straight away caused a hysterical reaction. Meanwhile, all members of the extended, red-cheeked family took turns at the microphone, so that each of them got a chance to sing at least once. A few spectators were nearly trampled, while the nerves of others almost collapsed. First-aid workers were busy. Martin Cermak/Denisa Vitkova SPORTS Czech Hockey Players Undefeated in World Championships The Czech Republic national hockey team, last year's world champions, started the world championships in Finland with two wins. In a match April 26, the Czechs defeated Germany after uninspired play 2-1. They were losing 0-1 after the first period after Luedemann's power-play goal, but in the final period M. Prochazka and Simicek's goals decided the Czechs' first win. The next day the Czech Republic met Finland. The 1-1 score (goals by M. Prochazka and Nieminen) held for two periods. The Czech winning goal was curious: a puck rebounded from the boards behind Myllys's goal unexpectedly to Martin Prochazka in front of an empty net, and he scored. Attendance at the match was 13,279. After two rounds, the Czech Republic leads its group with four points, ahead of Russia and Finland, both with three points. The three best teams advance to the final group. Roman Jedlicka/Mirek Langer After deadline: Czech Republic - Slovakia 3-1, Czech Republic - Russia 2-3. Sparta and Slavia Get Better in League Championship Title Fight First- and second-place teams Sparta and Slavia increased the distance betweem sand their pursuers from northern Bohemia in the soccer league's 25th round April 25-27. Third-place Liberec fell in Opava's thundering stadium to the excellent play of home team 0-2. In Jablonec, a team still thinking of European cups feared for its home no-loss streak. Jablonec tied Drnovice 1-1, saving one point with 14 minutes till the match's end. Slavia and Sparta did not repeat their performances from the last round, and won with luck. Sparta got three points in Zizkov, Slavia had to be careful with Plzen's offense till the match ended. Bohemians took an important step to maintain their first-league status, tying in Ostrava. Karvina is last, five rounds remain to the league season's end. 25th round results: Ostrava - Bohemians 1-1, Zizkov - Sparta Praha 0-1, Ceske Budejovice - Karvina 2-0, Jablonec - Drnovice 1-1, Hradec Kralove - Brno 0-0, Teplice - Olomouc 0-0, Opava - Liberec 2-0, Slavia - Plzen 2-1. Jakub Prochazka/Mirek Langer Ostrava Surprisingly Knocks Sparta Out of Soccer Cup Banik Ostrava surprisingly defeated Sparta Praha on Sparta's field 1-0 in the Czech Soccer Union Cup, thanks to Pikl's goal five minutes before the end of the second overtime. Sparta Coach Chovanec was visibly disappointed, while Ostrava's coach expressed his pleasure with his squad's responsible play and excellent goalkeeping. After an unexciting first half, Sparta's offensive typhoon appeared. However, Banik was closer to winning in regulation time, as one Banik player hit the crossbar in the 90th minute. Siegl blew two Sparta chances and so Ostrava made it to the semifinals. Jakub Prochazka/Mirek Langer After deadline: Dukla Praha (2nd league) - Plzen 1-0, Slavia Praha - Jablonec 2-0. Olomouc will meet Brno May 7. Semifinal matchups: Dukla - Olomouc/Brno, Ostrava - Slavia. WEATHER I'm looking out the window and it's gloomy. In the air you can feel rain and coffee from down the hall. The thermometer read 10 degrees Celsius/50 degrees Fahrenheit this morning, now in the afternoon it's about 15 degrees Celsius/59 degrees Fahrenheit. The sun hasn't bothered to get up before noon the last few days. It should be better over the weekend, but this year nobody knows what that's supposed to mean. English version edited by Michael Bluhm ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This news may be published only with "CAROLINA" designation. The subscription is free. Comments and remarks are appreciated. 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