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 THE CZECH REPUBLIC Charles University in Prague Faculty of Social Sciences Smetanovo nabr. 6 110 01 Prague 1 Czech Republic e-mail: CAROLINA@mbox.fsv.cuni.cz tel: (+4202) 22112252, fax: (+4202) 24810987 *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* C A R O L I N A No 336, Friday, June 11, 1999. FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK (June 2 - June 9) Global Street Party Ended in Disarray After the end of the Global Street Party June 5, some 5,000 mostly young people marched through the streets of Prague and attacked the American Embassy. The third such action to take place in the heart of Prague (along with last year's party and the recent May 1 demonstrations) followed the traditional plan: to present alternative lifestyles in the center of the capital city and to protest against globalization, social inequality and against the ignorance of serious ecological problems. There was sunny weather and several thousands of people in attendance. At several tents disc jockeys served up recorded music, while live bands appeared at one tent. Some of the partygoers brought their own drums. Around 7 p.m. the Street Party came to a peak - the crowd set out toward the nearby highway, Prague's biggest traffic artery. Forming one of the largest demonstrations since November 1989, the partygoers were not a homogenous crowd: there were left-wing intellectuals, radical anarchists and punkers, ecological activists, but also dozens of vandals enjoying the chance to become part of an anonymous crowd. The police resisted provocations and concentrated on monitoring the demonstration. The expected riot finally broke out around the American Embassy in the Lesser Quarter (Mala Strana). A whistle sounded and the most radical partygoers began hurling bottles and stones at the building. At this moment the procession split up. Some demonstrators headed toward the McDonalds in Mostecka street, where they faced a special police unit, which managed to disperse the crowd. By 11 p.m. the center of Prague was calm again. The police detained 114 people, seven were charged with of illegal firearm possession, damaging private property and attacking a public official. Almost 1,000 policemen were assigned to the party, three policemen were seriously injured. Czech Prime Minister Milos Zeman praised the work of the police and said he favors punishing those who attacked the American Embassy. Tomas Polacek/Sofia Karakeva Battle over TV NOVA Escalates The eight weeks of warfare between Vladimir Zelezny, majority owner of TV NOVA license holder CET 21, and the American company CME, represented by its Czech subsidiary CNTS (see Carolina 329), come to a head at noon June 5, when Zelezny's regular Saturday self-promotion program Call the Director was blacked out seconds after newly appointed CNTS General Director Jan Vavra appeared on the screen. Zelezny, the former general director of CNTS, used his authority with Czech Radiocommunication (Ceske Radiokomunikace), which distributes the terrestrial signal of TV NOVA and interrupted the broadcasting of Vavra's show, labelled a pirate program in the videotext information remaining on the screen for nearly half an hour. The regulatory Czech Broadcasting Council (Rada CR pro rozhlasove a televizni vysilani) warned both parties not to use the television screen as a battleground and recommended restraint and an end to the disputed program. Tomas Polacek/Milan Smid Transplants in Ostrava Will Be Investigated by Parliament Speculation about rules violations for withdrawing human organs for transplants in the Ostrava State Hospital appeared last week. The case is being investigated by the police, the Czech Physicians' Chamber and Parliament's Chamber of Deputies, which accepted the proposal of Christian Democrat Josef Janecek and established a fact-finding commission. The affair was sparked by former hospital Director Jaroslav Lux, who was fired by Health Minister Ivan David for improper management. Janecek said that in 60 per cent of transplants there is no documentation of the organs. Another deputy, Radim Chadima of the Civic Democratic Party (ODS), said organ smuggling is not out of the question. David said the affair is only the result of a fight between two groups of doctors in the hospital. Tomas Polacek/Jakub Jirovec NEWS IN BRIEF * Parliament's Chamber of Deputies June 8 approved the Government's proposal for establishing the institution of ombudsman. Apart from the ruling Social Democrat, the Christian Democrats and some Freedom Union deputies supported were in favor, but they all requested revision of the bill. The ombudsman should protect citizens from unjust bureaucratic practices and ensure that laws and regulations are upheld. * Chamber of Deputies and Civic Democratic Party (ODS) Chairman Vaclav Klaus June 6 probably became the first foreign politician to visit two Czech citizens imprisoned in Bangkok for heroin smuggling. During the private visit Klaus said he asked about the prisoners' conditions, their treatment and the possibility of moving them to a Czech prison. It is not clear whether Klaus will continue his engagement in the case. * From October of next year the Tourist Industry Act should come into force, bringing stricter regulation to the industry and greater security for clients of travel agencies, which will be required to have insurance. Parliament's Chamber of Deputies approved the bill June 2. Tourists should be protected from a travel agency going bankrupt and leaving its clients abroad without a way to get home. Opponents of the legislation claim it will cause a price increase for package tours. Klara Nedvedova/Sofia Karakeva FROM SLOVAKIA TV Markiza: Ducky Signed Huge Promissory Notes TV Markiza announced June 8 that former Economy Minister and former Slovak Gas Industry (Slovensky plynarensky priemysl) Director Jan Ducky, who was murdered in January (see Carolina 315), signed 28 promissory notes worth billions of crowns. According to TV Markiza, half of the notes have been verified by the police and their worth is 2.3 billion Slovak crowns. Two of the notes are for the Czech companies SEZOOZ and Sigma Lutin. Slovak Interior Minister Ladislav Pittner said the debt could endanger the Government of Premier Mikulas Dzurinda, because the notes will be due in September and October. Slovak Gas Industry, which some say is to be privatized, has can get out of the debts only if it can be proved that Ducky signed the notes with the intent of damaging the state. Marketa Kaclova/Jakub Jirovec SIAD 99: Two People Die in Plane Crash Two people died when a Hawk 200 training jet crashed at the fifth International Air Show in Bratislava June 6. The victims of the accident were 45-year-old British pilot Graham Wardell and a female spectator, who was the wife of an airport employee. Fifteen people were slightly injured. The cause of the crash has not yet been determined. According to unofficial information, the plane could have come into a wind shear or the experienced, former RAF pilot misjudged his altitude during an acrobatic trick. The spectator, who was on a roof outside the grounds of the airport, was probably killed by debris from the falling plane. Marketa Kaclova/Katerina Kolarova ECONOMY Czech Insurance Company's Auto-Insurance Monopoly to End With the exception of Communist deputies, members of Parliament's Chamber of Deputies June 3 voted for a bill opening the market for mandatory auto insurance. Beginning next year, the Czech Insurance Company (Ceska pojistovna) will lose its monopoly position in this market. As a consequence, insurance rates should not increase as drastically as expected. The minimum rate will stay the same as in 1999 and will increase in future years by the rate of inflation; the maximum rate will be regulated by law. The new norm was especially welcomed by insurance companies that have been trying to end the monopoly for years and want to provide insurance. Michaela Prokopova/Denisa Vitkova Unemployment Benefits Should Rise in October Parliament's Chamber of Deputies June 2 passed amendments to several laws, increasing the maximums for unemployment benefits. If the amendments come into force, an unemployed individual could receive during his first three months without a job up to 8,575 crowns monthly. Today, one is able to claim 50 per cent of one's average net wage, with a monthly maximum of 5,145 crowns. A requalified unemployed individual may now claim a maximum of 6,174 crowns per month, whereas the amendments provide a ceiling of 9,604 crowns. The minority Social Democrat Cabinet could not push through its proposal in its original form. The opposition claimed recent amendments increased demands on the state budget. The amendments must still be approved by the Senate. The unemployment rate in the Czech Republic should increase in the next months; the 8-per-cent level will be considerably influenced by new graduates. Michaela Prokopova/Denisa Vitkova Zeman Supports Skoda Pilsen Management Government support for Skoda Pilsen was the main topic of Prime Minister Milos Zeman's visit to the Pilsen (Plzen) concern June 4. The Government should ensure that the engineering giant will not be put into bankruptcy. In a meeting with union leaders, Zeman rejected providing a financial injection, but promised to initiate concrete steps in the Cabinet to help Skoda. The prime minister also gave clear support to current management and General Director Jiri Hlavica, whose position has been shaky for some time. Michaela Prokopova/Denisa Vitkova Exchange Rates at the Czech National Bank (valid June 10) ------------------------------------------------------------ 1 EUR = 37.315 country currency CZK ------------------------------------------ Australia 1 AUD 23.582 Great Britain 1 GBP 57.183 Denmark 1 DKK 5.023 Japan 100 JPY 29.883 Canada 1 CAD 24.198 IMF 1 XDR 47.823 Hungary 100 HUF 14.958 Norway 1 NOK 4.544 New Zealand 1 NZD 19.022 Poland 1 PLN 9.015 Greece 100 GRD 11.523 Slovakia 100 SKK 82.015 Slovenia 100 SIT 19.146 Sweden 1 SEK 4.179 Switzerland 1 CHF 23.440 USA 1 USD 35.689 Exchange Rates of countries particpating in the euro (converted from the euro rate) country currency CZK ----------------------------------------- Germany 1 DEM 19.079 Belgium 100 BEF 92.501 Finland 1 FIM 6.276 France 1 FRF 5.689 Ireland 1 IEP 47.380 Italy 1000 ITL 19.272 Luxemburg 100 LUF 92.501 Netherlands 1 NLG 16.933 Portugal 100 PTE 18.613 Austria 1 ATS 2.712 Spain 100 ESP 22.427 CULTURE Prague Spring Ends After three weeks, the Prague Spring international music festival came to an end July 3. The last tones of the festival, following tradition, were of Beethoven's 9th Symphony and Schiller's Ode to Joy, performed by the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Inge Metzmacher. This year's 54th festival was a collage of classical pieces from Smetana, Beethoven, Brahms and 20th-century music, represented by Glass and Piazollo. American soprano Deborah Voigt and Latvian violinist Gidon Kremer, both from New York's Metropolitan Opera, were the festival's biggest draws. Two operas also had their premieres during the festival. The Prague State Opera opened Glass' The Fall of the House of Usher, while the National Theater prepared a non-traditional version of Smetana's The Bartered Bride (Prodana nevesta). Petr Kupec/Zuzana Janeckova Prague Hosts World Scenography Fair In its ninth year, the Prague Quadriennale world exhibit of scenography and theater architecture, is hosting displays from 47 countries in Prague's Vystaviste Palace. The exhibit is divided into three sections - the national section showing scenery and costumes from the different countries (Jana Perkova, Simona Rybakova, Katerina Stefkova, Simon Caban, Daniel Dvorak, Petr Matasek, Ondrej Nekvasil and Jindrich Smetana represent Czech scenography), the architectonic section and a section honoring foremost scenographic personalities (among those honored is Bedrich Feuerstein, a pupil of Slovenian architect Josip Plecnik). Petr Kupec/Zuzana Janeckova SPORTS Czech Soccer Team Advances to Euro 2000 The Czech national team leads its Euro 2000 qualification group with a perfect record after wins over Estonia and Scotland, and has secured itself a place in the final tournament. The Czech Republic won all seven of its matches, scoring 17 goals and allowing five. Estonia - Czech Republic 0-2 The Czech team arrived in Estonia to take three points from a weak opponent June 5. Thanks to good play by the Czech defense, Estonia had no chance to score. "Nobody had to worry about the result for a minute, we played wonderfully," said captain Jiri Nemec. During the first half three Czech shots hit the bar, but Patrik Berger broke through in the last minute. The second goal came seven minutes before the end of the match, as Belgian league top scorer Jan Koller converted Karel Poborsky's pass. Czech Republic - Scotland 3-2 The sold-out Letna Stadium in Prague watched a great match June 9. Scotland, with three forwards, made sharp counterattacks and took the lead on Paul Ritchie's header after a free kick. After the break, the Czech team became more active, defender Paul Lambert saved Scotland from one goal at the goal-line. However, substitute Miroslav Baranek allowed Allan Johnston's header and Scotland led 2-0. Two minutes later Tomas Repka cut into the Scottish lead after Pavel Nedved's corner kick. Two other substitutions by coach Jozef Chovanec were successful, as he sent Pavel Kuka and Jan Koller onto the field. Kuka, on Nedved's second assist, tied the score. Koller's header completed the miraculous comeback three minutes before the end of the match. Stepan Etrych and Radan Dolejs/Mirek Langer Young Soccer Players Allow First Goal in Qualification The under-21 Czech soccer team's qualification continued with games against previous opponents. The Czech team won in Estonia 3-0 and beat Scotland 3-2, although it trailed 1-2. It leads the standings with 19 points, nine points ahead of Lithuania and Belgium. Stepan Etrych/Mirek Langer Czech Women's Basketball Team Will Not Advance to Olympic Games The Czech women's basketball national team finished fifth in the 27th European Championships in Poland, the best finish for a Czech Republic team. The Czech team advanced to the quarterfinal from fourth place in its group, drawing the other group's winner, Russia. The game was even, Russia led by one point after the first half, but it finished better and defeated the Czech team 61-51. "The game was so even that fortune could have smiled on either side," said Kamila Vodickova. Besides the hopes for a medal at the championships, the Czech team lost any chance to advance to the Sydney 2000 Olympics. In the remaining games, the Czechs defeated Croatia 67-52 and reigning champion Lithuania 53-43 and finished in 5th place. Stepan Etrych/Mirek Langer Tennis Player Jana Novotna Ends French Open in Wheelchair Jana Novotna's performances in the French Open in Paris finished poorly: she hurt her ankle in the doubles quarterfinals. In a game in the first set against the United States' Lindsay Davenport and France's Mary Pierce, she collided with her partner, Belarus' Natalia Zvereva. She stepped on Zvereva's foot and twisted her ankle. Although the injury was very painful, ligaments were not injured. However, the injury clouded Novotna's appearance at Wimbledon, where she won the title last year. "I'll probably decide at the last minute," said Novotna. Stepan Etrych/Mirek Langer SPORTS IN BRIEF * With his 35 saves, Dominik Hasek helped Buffalo Sabres to an overtime 3-2 win in the first game of the NHL Stanley Cup finals against the Dallas Stars. The second game finished with a 4-2 Dallas win, tying the series at 1-1. * Milan Hnilicka, the hockey goalie who was part of the teams that won the Nagano Olympics and the 1999 World Championships, will stay with Sparta Praha. It was his decision, although he had announced a move to Trinec. Sparta had earlier signed a contract with former national team goalie Petr Briza. * Vladimir Vujtek, national hockey team player, came to Sparta Praha from Vitkovice and will play there for the next three years. Znojmo got Slovak national team player Peter Pucher from Kosice. * Pavol Demitra (St. Louis Blues, NHL) was voted the top Slovak hockey player of 1999, winning the Golden Puck. Zdeno Ciger (Slovan Bratislava) finished second, ahead of Zigmund Palffy (N.Y. Islanders, NHL). * Czech cyclist Pavel Padrnos finished 18th in the Giro d'Italia (Tour of Italy). It was the best Czech finish ever in the event. * The 86th edition of the Prague Mayor's Race (Prazske primatorky) belonged to Dukla Praha's rowers again. Skopal, Schindler, Knob, Skalicky, Businsky, Blecha, Vabrousek, Malecek and their cox Hejdusek recorded the 20th consecutive win for the club. Vaclav Chalupa won the 100th edition of the Rossler-Orovsky Skiff Race. * The Czech men's volleyball team lost in Turkey 0-3 in the European Championships qualification and has to beat Bulgaria in the last match to advance directly from its first place in the group. * The second soccer league's season ended with the 30th round. Bohemians Praha and Ceske Budejovice advanced to the first league, Ceska Lipa and Prerov will be relegated to the third leagues. * Jan Zelezny finished second in his third event after his comeback. His third attempt in Tartu, Estonia, was unusual: Zelezny threw the javelin with such force that it broke in the air. Stepan Etrych/Mirek Langer After deadline: The Slavia Praha soccer team has a new coach. Jaroslav Hrebik was replaced by Frantisek Cipro. When Cipro last coached Slavia, the club won the Czech league title, the national cup and advanced to the UEFA Cup semifinals. Mirek Langer/Mirek Langer WEATHER There is an an old Czech saying that if Medard needs to take cover because of rain then 40 days of rain will follow. Medard's day, June 8, was a rainy day. Let us wait and see if the saying will prove to be true, just as last year when a rainy and cold June and July followed a summer-like May. For the time being, rather warm days with temperatures exceeding 20 degrees Celsius/68 degrees Fahrenheit are still around, but showers have appeared at least once a day since Tuesday June 8. 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