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: (+420 2) 24810804, ext. 252, fax: (+420 2) 24810987 *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* C A R O L I N A No 296, Friday, July 3, 1998. FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK (June 25 - July 1) Zeman Starts Second Round For Teaming Up Government After an unsuccessful first round of discussions there ruled an atmosphere of general disbelief in the possibility of a majority government put together by Milos Zeman, chairman of election winner the Social Democrats (It's Almost Certain: Zeman Will Not Create Government!, was the celebratory headline of the June 27 edition of the Czech daily Lidove noviny). However, the June 30 meeting of Zeman and former Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus of the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) brought unexpected changes when the leaders of the two most powerful parties made it known they can do without the Freedom Union (US) and the Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL). A majority government of the Social Demcrats, the Christian Democrats and the US (which would have 113 seats in the 200-seat Parliament) was almost certainly taken out of consideration after the July 2 meeting between Zeman and US Chairman Jan Ruml. This constellation was mostly the work of Christian Democrat Chairman Josef Lux, who was willing to join a coalition with the Social Democrats only with the participation of the Freedom Union. Ruml, however, refused Zeman's offer of four seats in the Cabinet and said he considers negotiations with Zeman over. A government of the Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats (94 seats) could pass through Parliament with the silent support of the Communists, but Lux refuses such a coalition. In order to secure the Freedom Union's support Zeman proposed the former ODS Vice Chairman Josef Zieleniec as Foreign Minister. Zieleniec's withdrawal from ODS and Klaus' government in October meant the beginning of instability on the Czech political scene. Zieleniec is considered to be close to the Freedom Union. The Freedom Union over the weekend formulated its terms in order to join a center-right government into five points: in a new government with a total of 102 seats (ODS, KDU-CSL, US) no party will have a majority in the government, the parties will accept responsibility for past and future financial scandals, the Cabinet will clearly state the reasons for the economic recession since 1996 and for the collapse of Klaus' government and will tie itself to the politicies of Prime Minister Josef Tosovsky's government. ODS is not likely to accept the conditions. Zeman's political rival Klaus is unexpectably willing to help the Social Democrat chairman - ODS' leadership passed a resolution which Klaus described as allowing the possibility, however extreme, of a Social Democrat minority government. Libuse Kolouchova/Sofia Karakeva Identical Election Results Not Wrong The identical number of votes recorded by the neo-Fascist Republicans (SPR-RSC) and Retirees for Life Security (DZJ) in the counties of Domazlice, Karlovy Vary and Uherske Hradiste was only a rare coincidence and not a mistake. That was the verdict of the Central Election Commission's June 27 extraordinary session. The commission, made up of representatives of all parties on the ballot, confirmed the results of the Czech Statistics Office, which is responsible for the accuracy of the results. The statisticians checked the number of votes again June 26, when the Central Election Commission was notified by Czech daily MF DNES that the Republicans and Retirees each tallied 1,295 votes in Domazlice, 2,664 votes in Karlovy Vary and 2,105 votes in Uhereske Hradiste. Vice Chairman of the Czech Statistics Office Jan Fischer, in a detailed check of the results, found more coincidences. The Freedom Union, for example, got the same number of votes (7,739) in three counties - Kolin, Strakonice and Zdar nad Sazavou. Bohdana Rambouskova/Sofia Karakeva National Security Council Decides to Reduce Army In the coming years the Czech Army will face a significant reduction of 18,000 people to bring the total number of Army personnel to 60,000. The reduction will mostly concern officials and high-ranking officers, of whom there is a surplus. The National Security Council made the decision June 29 during its first meeting. Part of the defense concept will also be the reduction of the number of soldiers in compulsory service by the year 2003. "By reducing the number of people money will be saved, which can then be used for training and investment," said Defense Minister Michal Lobkowicz (Freedom Union). According to the Czech daily Pravo the army is going to concentrate on battle preparations and on providing assistance during disasters and other humanitarian actions. During the meeting of the National Security Council, discussions centered on security, defense and army strategy, analysis of the state of the army air force and materials for Czech NATO membership. Members of the Security Council include the prime minister, government vice chairmen and ministers of foreign affairs, defense and the interior. President Vaclav Havel, who attended some of the meeting, supports the Security Council and said the institution should offer solutions for crisis situations, including cases where the nation would be threatened by mass migrations, organized crime, religious fundamentalism, ethnic clashes and environmental catastrophes. Bohadana Rambouskova/Sofia Karakeva ECONOMY European Commission Finishes Apple-Quota Episode The European Commission cancelled its measures as of July 1 taken in response to the recently repealed Czech quota on the import of EU apples. The Czech daily Pravo quoted an unnamed EU official as saying that the "litle war" was a demonstration that the EU "will always defend its interests strongly." Information from the Czech Agriculture Ministry shows that exports of pork, poultry and apple juices, the items affected by the EU's measures, have since April 1 dropped by 50 per cent in comparision with 1997. Czech exporters will again be given preferential EU import duties, e.g. pork and poultry will have an 80-per-cent break from standard import duties. Housing and Public Transportation Prices Rise July 1 welcomed higher prices for electricity, gas and higher rents - electricity went up 24 per cent, gas 27 per cent and rents in state-owned properties by 15 per cent to 41 per cent depending on location. The state simultaneously raised certain social payouts designed to assist poorer families. State pensions also rose, and the average state pension is now about half the average income. The average state pension is 5,561 crowns monthly, while average monthly income ranged from 9,559 crowns in eastern Bohemia to 13,003 crowns in Prague, according to the Czech Statistics Office. Czech railways prepared another shock for Czech wallets July 1, raising prices by an average of 22 per cent, while the most affected prices were those for short distances. Railway management said it wants to increase prices annually by 17 per cent more than inflation so that by 2002 train and bus prices will be balanced. Up-and-down Crown The Czech crown has been on a roller-coaster ride since the elections. Dealers sobered up from their post-election optimism and the crown slid June 26 to a rate of 18.29 crowns per Deutschmark. "The strengthening of the past few days, when the crown went up by half a crown, turned out to be too strong and investors started taking their profits," said Jan Dosek of the Czechoslovak Trade Bank to Czech daily MF DNES. Dealers said the crown had been rising in the wake of the elections with the hope that a center-right government would be formed with the Civic Democratic Party, the Christian Democrats and the Freedom Union which would continue with necessary economic reforms and privatization. Those hopes markedly declined as Social Democrat Chairman Milos Zeman's negotiations showed that a new government will not be formed overnight. In spite of that the crown reached its high for the year July 2, passing under the barrier of 18 crowns per Deutschmark. David Vlk/Michael Bluhm Exchange Rates at the Czech National Bank (valid July 3) country currency ------------------------------------------ Australia 1 AUD 20.115 Belgium 100 BEF 86.940 Great Britain 1 GBP 54.170 Denmark 1 DKK 4.706 Finland 1 FIM 5.898 France 1 FRF 5.349 Ireland 1 IEP 45.156 Italy 1000 ITL 18.206 Japan 100 JPY 23.385 Canada 1 CAD 22.332 Luxemburg 100 LUF 86.940 Hungary 100 HUF 14.885 Netherlands 1 NLG 15.905 Norway 1 NOK 4.211 New Zealand 1 NZD 16.889 Poland 1 PLN 9.371 Portugal 100 PTE 17.509 Austria 1 ATS 2.549 Greece 100 GRD 10.654 Germany 1 DEM 17.930 Slovakia 100 SKK 92.890 Slovenia 100 SIT 18.969 Spain 100 ESP 21.129 Sweden 1 SEK 4.042 Switzerland 1 CHF 21.333 USA 1 USD 32.646 ECU 1 XEU 35.543 IMF 1 XDR 43.493 CULTURE Thirty-Third Karlovy Vary Film Festival to Begin The 33rd Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad) International Film Festival will kick off July 3 in the western Bohemia spa town. The festival, which holds the prestigious "A" festival ranking, will run for nine days, show hundreds of films, and welcome starts like Lauren Bacall, Rod Steiger, Michael Douglas, Tim Roth and John Turturro. Film sections aside from the traditional competition include documentary, independent films, other views, horizons, new Spanish film, Variety magazine's critics' choice, and a tribute to Sergei Eisenstein's documentaries. The center of the festival is the towering Thermal Hotel, which has five theaters and will house many of the festival's guests. Michael Bluhm/Michael Bluhm Musical Jesus Christ Superstar Closes after 1,288 Performances The Czech version of the musical Jesus Christ Superstar by composer Andrew Lloyd-Webber and librettist Tim Rice closed in Prague's Spirala Theater after 1,288 performances. Almost 850,000 spectators attended the musical, which opened in 1994 and entered the Czech Republic like a tornado, making musicals one of the most commercially successful forms of theater in the country. Jesus became an event (some visited more than 100 performances) and set a national record for the number of performances. New stars were born: Kamil Strihavka as Christ and Dan Barta in the role of Judas. Spirala is preparing Evita, also by Lloyd-Webber and Rice. David Vlk/Sofia Karakeva Summer Concert Season Continues Prague music lovers have recently begun to savor the variety of concerts scheduled for this summer - June 29 christened the summer portion of the Agharta Jazz Festival with a concert by saxophonist Branford Marsalis in Prague's Lucerna Music Bar. Marsalis is a member of the American jazz equivalent of the royal family - Barnford is the eldest of the musician sons of New Orleans pianist Ellis Marsalis, although younger son and trumpter Wynton, who stands among the major figures in the current jazz generation, might be the best known. During the break between sets, Branford confided to the audience that youngest brother Jason, a drummer, is the best musician in the family. Branford's band in Prague featured pianist Kenny Kirkland and drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts with bassist Eric Revis. The series of jazz concerts wil continue with the Charles Lloyd Quartet July 10 and bluesman Scott Henderson July 12. The dance music scene was rocked June 20 at Prague's Roxy by singer Natacha Atlas and her six-member band. During her 90-minute show Atlas brought the crowd to life with her belly dancing, while drawing material from her solo albums. Atlas also sings with the band Transglobal Underground, which played at the Deer Moat dance festival three weeks before Atlas' show. Another of the stars at the Deer Moat, Australian band Tribal Drift, also took the stage at the Roxy June 17. The band, which resides in England, bases its dance beats on the sound of the didgeridoo. Tribal Drift then absolved a number of concerts throughout the country. Michael Bluhnm/Michael Bluhm Martin Dejdar Leaving Public Life Because of Lottery Popular actor and emcee Martin Dejdar announced that he is going to withdraw temporarily from public life because of the affair surrounding the Great Chance (Bezva sance) lottery. Dejdar was the main figure associated publicly with the lottery, which was abandoned for not having a license from the Ministry of Finance. Lottery tickets cost 500 crowns and the proceeds were to be given to monument preservation and childrens' homes. According to an interview Dejdar provided to the Czech daily Lidove noviny June 25, he is not going to withdraw from the theater, film or hosting, but he is going to keep such activities to a minimum. David Vlk/Sofia Karakeva SPORTS Novotna Last Czech at Wimbledon The last representative of Czech tennis in Wimbledon made it through the quarterfinals. Jana Novotna, seeded third, defeated without much of a struggle Romania's Irina Spirlea 6-2, 6-3 June 30 and advanced to the quarterfinals. There she beat talented Venus Williams of the United States 7-5 and 7-6 and in her fourth Wimbledon semifinal will meet world number one Martina Hingis of Switzerland, who was born in the former Czechoslovakia. Petr Korda, third-ranked in the world and at Wimbledon, advanced to the quarterfinals June 29 after defeating Dutchman John Van Lottum. He paid for the win with a strained Achilles tendon suffered at the beginning of the third set. "At first I thought it was torn. It was terrible pain," he said. According to Czech Television, his condition improved and Korda prepared normally for his match against English legal specialist Tim Henman. Henman, however, defeated Korda quickly July 1 in the Czech's first Wimbledon quarterfinal, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. Czech doubles players packed their bags, too. Martin Damm (together with American Grabb) and Cyril Suk (with Australia's Stolle) lost in the second round, Daniel Vacek (with Russia's Yevgeny Kafelnikov) finished in the third round. The Czech women did better, as Helena Sukova (with Sanchez-Vicario of Spain) and Novotna (with Hingis) advanced to the quarterfinals. After Deadline: Novotna beat Hingis July 2 6:4, 6:4 and is in the finals for the third time. Hasek Defends Hart Trophy and Comes Home for Vacation Czech hockey goalkeeper Dominik Hasek became the first goalie in NHL history to win the Hart Trophy twice in a row, accepting his second MVP trophy in Toronto June 25. He then arrived in the Czech Republic to spend his two-month holiday with family in Pardubice, where he was born. In Toronto, Hasek also collected the Vezina Trophy for best goalie, his fourth in five years, giving weight to the argument that he is the best goalie today and maybe the best ever. Hasek, who plays for the Buffalo Sabres, said, "I do not know the cause of my successes. It came somewhat automatically. I try to catch the puck and if I have no another chance, I do that how it goes. I am very flexible and I can reach farther than other players. That is an important part of my style." Hasek recorded 13 shutouts in 71 games and allowed an average of 2.09 goals per game and also (for the first time in a row) the best save percentage - 93.2 per cent. He also led the Czech hockey team to the historic Olympic gold in Nagano's "Tournament of Century." The Czech evening in Toronto was crowned by Pittsburgh Penguins' forward Jaromir Jagr, who was second in the Hart Trophy competition behind Hasek and won the Art Ross Trophy as the player with the most points in the regular season. Jagr scored 102 points on 35 goals and 67 assists. Lener Becomes Florida Panthers' Assistant Coach After long contemplation, one of the architects of the gold medal in Nagano, coach Slavomir Lener, ended his relationship with the Czech Hockey Union and accepted an offer from the NHL's Florida Panthers. He will become the top assistant to coach Terry Murray. His work with Ivan Hlinka also came to a close, as Hlinka will remain with the national team. Lener will be the first European coach with such a position. "I already got a concrete offer from Florida during the World Championships in Switzerland, and it was really very difficult to decide," Lener said. He made his final decision after a two-day trip to Florida. Sports news by David Vlk/Mirek Langer WEATHER Prague is pleasantly summer-like, but in northern Moravia healthy rains fell. The levels of rivers there rose dangerously and unpleasantly reminded people of the 1997 floods, which happened exactly one year ago. Dear Readers, Carolina will be produced during the summer months each fortnight. You can expect new issues July 17, July 31, August 14, August 28, September 11 and September 25. The staff wishes you an excellent summer. 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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