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 344, Friday, September 10, 1999. FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST TWO WEEKS (August 25 - September 8) Vaclav Fischer with Biggest Win in Senate History Vaclav Fischer, an independent candidate, won the August 27-28 election to replace the late Vaclav Benda (Civic Democratic Party, ODS) as senator for Prague's first district with an unbelievable 71.24 per cent of the vote. In second place finished ODS candidate Jirina Jiraskova, believed to be Fischer's greatest competition, with 12.19 per cent. The candidate of the Four-Party Coalition (Christian Democrats, KDU-CSL; Freedom Union, US; Civic Democratic Alliance, ODA; Democratic Union, DEU), Ivan Medek, finished with 9.35 per cent. Communist candidate Stanislav Fischer, unrelated to the winner, received 5.47 per cent and Karel Srp, candidate of the ruling Social Democrats (CSSD), wound up last with 1.04 per cent. About one-third of 90,000 eligible voters turned out for the special election. By Fischer winning the election, ODS and CSSD lost their constitutional majority (49 of 81 senators) in the Senate. The two parties, which divided up the nation's political spoils under the Opposition Contract, had been discussing a restriction of President Vaclav Havel's authority to grant pardons or to name prime ministers for new governments. Fischer, owner of the successful Fischer travel agency, said of his victory that "decency won out over vulgarity" and accused ODS Chairman Vaclav Klaus of intentionally slandering Fischer during the campaign and is threatening to file a criminal complaint. ODS sent out a brochure labeling Fischer a "lobbying populist", who is spending "unseen millions" on his campaign and "graciously accepted" the support of the Communists. After the election campaign, two billboards reading "A homosexual in the Senate? Why not. Vaclav Fischer for the Senate" appeared near the building of Czech Television. Fischer's spokesperson said all indications suggest ODS is responsible for the billboards. Klaus said he does not consider brochure's language incorrect, and he called the campaign unsuccessful, not aggressive. Klaus said Fischer's massive campaign and his "false" independence were decisive. The ODS leadership and its Senate Committee discussed the defeat, and the number of those criticizing the activities of ODS campaign staff is increasing. Among them were former Prague Mayor Jan Koukal and ODS Vice Chairman Miroslav Macek, who said, "the negative campaign that we chose was bad." Lenka Nejezchlebova/Sofia Karakeva Visa Requirements Main Subject at First Fall Cabinet Meeting The first meeting of the Czech Government after a three-week vacation took place in the Kolodeje chateau August 25. Among the most important points discussed were subsidies for domestic milk producers, canceling the 14th monthly salary for some state officials (state employees receive their monthly salary 14 times in each calendar year) and the establishment of visa requirements for some countries of eastern Europe. A new document on the Czech Republic's visa policy was approved by the Government and might lead to the cancellation of visa-free relationships foremost with the countries formerly part of the Soviet Union: Ukraine, Russia, Moldavia, Belarus, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. The policy would be designed to reduce illegal migration and to adjust to EU visa regulations. Visa requirements are possible immediately for Russia and Ukraine, while Romania, Bulgaria and Cuba are being considered. Subsidies for supporting milk consumption in the Czech Republic were organized by Agriculture Minister Jan Fencl with the Education Ministry. The grant will allow 2.5 deciliters of milk to be sold in grade schools for 2.50 crowns. Hockey player Jaromir Jagr has joined the promotion. Pavel Sladky/Sofia Karakeva Budget Deficit Will Be 40 Billion The Government September 9 passed Finance Minister Pavel Mertlik's proposed 2000 state budget deficit of 39.8 billion crowns. The ministers will give final approval to the budget September 20, because the final budget will be revamped according to higher government estimates for economic growth. The current budget proposal followed from July's macroeconomic prognosis. Since then we have received new numbers, on the basis of which we believe we will be able to correct our estimates of economic growth slightly upward," said Mertlik for the daily MF DNES September 9. Mertlik said he hopes that the state will receive more income in taxes because of the greater economic. Mertlik also said he expects more income from privatization. Ministers expressed discontent with the money they should receive. Environment Minister Milos Kuzvart said he will be short 600 million crowns for adapting legislation to European Union standards. The budget proposal was also criticized by Culture Minister Pavel Dostal and Transportation Minister Antonin Peltram. The Christian Democrats and the Freedom Union announced they will not support the budget in Parliament. The Civic Democratic Party, according to Parliament club Chairman Vlastimil Tlusty, will probably not support it and the Communists have not announced their intentions. Jakub Jirovec/Jakub Jirovec NEWS IN BRIEF * President Vaclav Havel August 25 and 26 visited the district of Novy Jicin in northern Moravia, which has one of highest unemployment rates in the Czech Republic. Havel toured several factories, including Vagonka Studenka and Tatra Koprivnice. * At its August 31 session, the Czech Council for Television and Radio Broadcasting did not take any decision in the case of TV NOVA, which has been the subject of a battle between broadcast license-holder CET 21, owned by Vladimir Zelezny, and its former service company CNTS, owned by the American company CME. The council took the position that the conflict is of a commercial nature and should be decided by a court. * According to a Security Information Service (BIS) report, the signatures on the so-called Bamberg memorandum are false. The memorandum obligated current Prime Minister Milos Zeman to give certain positions in a potential Social Democrat government to people connected to Czech-Swiss businessman Jan Vizek in exchange for a loan and compromising materials concerning other politicians. The Bamberg scandal, in which Zeman was caught lying, damaged the Social Democrats before the elections last year, which the party won. The Office of the President made the announcement about the BIS report. * The Supreme Court agreed with Justice Minister Otakar Motejl's complaint and decided August 25 that prosecution of Karel Vas will be reopened. Vas, now 80, participated in the show trial and execution General Heliodor Pika in 1949. * Former Christian Democrat Chairman Josef Lux left August 29 for Seattle, where he will undergo a bone-marrow transplant. Lux resigned from his political posts because of leukemia. Lida Truneckova/Jakub Jirovec FROM SLOVAKIA IN BRIEF * Premier Mikulas Dzurinda has rejoined the Christian Democratic Movement. The move is a sign that Dzurinda has abandoned his plan to have the Christian Democrats, along with the four other parties (the Democratic Party, the Democratic Union, the Social Democrats and the Greens) which make up the Slovak Democratic Coalition to dissolve and turn the coalition into a party. In the Christian Democrats Dzurinda will likely butt heads with Chairman and Justice Minister Jan Carnogursky, who has been a vocal critic of Dzurinda and his plan. * Hungarian President Arpad Goncz visited Slovakia for two days, his first visit to Slovakia since the break-up of Czechoslovakia. Commentators regarded the visit as a sign that Slovak-Hungarian relations have moved significantly forward. Michael Bluhm/Michael Bluhm ECONOMY Moravia Bank Drowning The Czech National Bank (CNB) removed Moravia Bank (Moravia banka) from the stabilization program and began proceedings to remove the bank's license. The national bank's official reason for the move was that Moravia Bank, based in Frydek-Mistek, showed serious shortcomings. Moravia Bank closed all its branches and froze all accounts. Removal from the stabilization program means Moravia Bank will also have to buy back bad loans of almost 1 billion crowns from the Czech National Bank. Moravia Bank's board of directors said it wants to guarantee clients' deposits by immediately calling all loans from borrowers who are not fulfilling their loan agreements. The bank said that more than 50 per cent of the borrowers in default were companies partly owned by the state. The state guarantees 90 per cent of bank deposits up to a maximum of 400,000 crowns. Another Moravian financial institute - Union Bank (Union banka) - September 7 offered to buy Moravia Bank's debts. The Government September 8 began discussing assistance to small and mid-size businesses that had money in Moravia Bank. Prime Minister Milos Zeman said September 5, "We are prepared to consider short-term, possibly interest-free loans to those corporations, whether either by mobilizing the state's financial assets or using certain budget reserves.". The Cabinet does not intend to give money to Moravia Bank, because in 1998 the Government of current CNB Governor Josef Tosovsky gave Moravia Bank 700 million crowns, which have since disappeared. The CNB can stop the process of taking away Moravia Bank's license if the Government finds a way to help the bank or if Moravia Bank can again fulfill the requirements of the stabilization program. Pavlina Hodkova/Michael Bluhm People Can Spend More, Wages on Rise The average salary in the Czech Republic is now 8 per cent higher than it was 12 months ago and, at an average of monthly income of 12,766 crowns, is climbing towards the 13,000-crown mark, according to the data of the Czech Statistics Office (Cesky statisticky urad) published in the daily Lidove noviny August 31. The seemingly positive news has a negative side, because while salaries are rising, productivity is falling. Economic analysts are warning against such a development, which could lead to a crisis similar to the one in the spring of 1997 which preceded the restrictive measures taken by and the fall of the Vaclav Klaus Government. The simultaneous increase of wages and the decrease of productivity is probably caused by the still incomplete privatization of industry, where ownership and responsibility are still not clear, and by the pressure of unions. Pavlina Hodkova/Milan Smid ECONOMY IN BRIEF * Unpaid taxes in the Czech Republic were 89.269 billion crowns at the end of July, according to the daily Hospodarske noviny August 26. Compared to the previous month, the debt declined by 5.282 billion Czech crowns, on the other hand, the sum is 12 billion Czech crowns higher than unpaid taxes last July. * The Czech Republic's trade deficit may exceed 40 billion crowns for the first nine months of 1999, said Czech Statistics Office (Cesky statisticky urad) press spokesman Jaroslav Machane August 25. According to the office, the total 1999 deficit should be about 67 billion crowns. * The attempt to decrease the basic capital of Skoda Plzen holding from 9.4 billion crowns by 90 per cent failed at the company's general meeting August 27 because of the opposition of former Skoda CEO Lubomir Soudek (for the story of his firing see Carolina 321), who still owns 25 per cent of Skoda and was supported by one of its biggest creditors, the Investment and Postal Bank (Investicni a postovni banka, IPB). Soudek said to the daily Hospodarske noviny he opposed the reduction because the plan did not indicate what steps would be taken once the capital was reduced. Pavlina Hodkova/Milan Smid Exchange Rates at the Czech National Bank (valid September 10) -------------------------------------------------------------- 1 EUR = 36.605 country currency CZK ------------------------------------------ Australia 1 AUD 22.438 Great Britain 1 GBP 55.981 Denmark 1 DKK 4.922 Japan 100 JPY 31.651 Canada 1 CAD 22.873 IMF 1 XDR 47.241 Hungary 100 HUF 14.367 Norway 1 NOK 4.450 New Zealand 1 NZD 18.263 Poland 1 PLN 8.475 Greece 100 GRD 11.196 Slovakia 100 SKK 83.179 Slovenia 100 SIT 18.544 Sweden 1 SEK 4.249 Switzerland 1 CHF 22.873 USA 1 USD 34.517 Exchange Rates of countries participating in the euro (converted from the euro rate) country currency CZK ----------------------------------------- Germany 1 DEM 18.716 Belgium 100 BEF 90.741 Finland 1 FIM 6.157 France 1 FRF 5.580 Ireland 1 IEP 46.479 Italy 1000 ITL 18.905 Luxemburg 100 LUF 90.741 Netherlands 1 NLG 16.661 Portugal 100 PTE 18.258 Austria 1 ATS 2.660 Spain 100 ESP 22.000 CULTURE Days of Czech Jewish Culture on Radio The Czech public radio station Czech Radio 3 - Vltava is going to focus on Czech Jewish culture in the beginning of September. From September 3-16 the station is going to broadcast dozens of musical, literary and dramatic works of Jewish authors, mainly from the 19th and 20th centuries. Some of the programs will be premieres, such as the radio drama A Little Doctor Faust or New Games with the Devil (Doktor Faustik aneb Nove hry s dablem) by Ludvik Askenazy, and dramatic versions of several short stories by Karel Polacek. Vltava Editor in Chief Blanka Starkova said to the daily MF DNES that the Days of Jewish Culture are devoted to the memory of Jewish Czechs who became victims of the Nazi regime sixty years ago. Lenka Nejezchlebova/Milan Smid CULTURE IN BRIEF * The British group Massive Attack performed in Prague's Sport Hall September 4. The trip-hop legends performed in Prague last year, too. * Vladimir Misik and his blues-rock band Etc... recorded a new 50-minute CD Knife at the Throat (Nuz na hrdle), which has received a positive response in the media. Music critics credited Misik for was, after 25 years in the business, able to bring to life new ideas and lyrics reflecting the concerns of everyday contemporary life. * A new theater, called The Chalice (Kalich), was opened by Hamlet Production in Prague's Jungmann Street. The first and only play to be performed there is the musical Hamlet, starring pop singer Janek Ledecky, who wrote the score. Lenka Nejezchlebova/Milan Smid SPORTS Euro 2000 Qualification: Two More Wins over Lithuania and Bosnia The Czech national soccer team has played nine games in the Euro 2000 qualification - and won all of them. The Czech Republic is the only team not to lose a point yet, and after games against Lithuania and Bosnia it has only one more game to play - against the poorest team in the group, the Faroe Islands October 9 in Prague. Lithuania - Czech Republic 0-4. Played in Vilnius, September 4 Not to break the winning streak was the goal of the Czech team in Lithuania. The Czechs were better than their opponent throughout the game, but they had to wait for a goal until the 60th minute, after which they scored three times in four minutes. The first two goals were scored by Pavel Nedved, Jan Koller added the third and the last goal in extra time. Czech Republic - Bosnia and Herzegovina 3-0. Played in Teplice, September 8 The game was one-sided except the middle portion of the first half - around the 20th minute Bosnia had three chances, which were caught by goalkeeper Pavel Srnicek. The Czech Republic led at halftime after Jan Koller's goal (25th minute), after the break Koller was fouled in the box and Patrik Berger converted the penalty kick. Karel Poborsky's second goal for the national team ended the game. The Czech Republic leads the group with 27 points, next are Scotland (12 points), Estonia (11), Lithuania (11), Bosnia (6) and the Faroe Islands (3). The Czech under-21 team won also both games, 2-0 in Lithuania (own goal and Dosek) and 1-0 over Bosnia (Heinz) and leads the group, nine points ahead of its opponent in its last game - Belgium, which has two more games to play. Stepan Etrych/Mirek Langer Hockey Golden Stick: Jagr Defeats Hasek by Three Points The 31st edition of the Golden Stick poll, an award given to the top Czech hockey player, finished with the closest vote ever as Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jaromir Jagr defeated Buffalo Sabres goalkeeper Dominik Hasek by three points. Jagr's teammate Martin Straka finished third in the poll of sport journalists organized by the soccer and hockey weekly Goal (Gol). "I am glad to defeat Hasek - it doesn't happen often," said Jagr. Jagr won the trophy for the third time, Hasek has won five times. Stepan Etrych/Mirek Langer Track And Field World Championships: Zelezny Wins Bronze Medal The Czech team finished the track and field World Championships in Seville with three medals. After decathlete Tomas Dvorak and runner Ludmila Formanova won gold medals (see Carolina 343), Jan Zelezny won the bronze medal in the javelin with a throw of 87.67 meters. Zelezny was satisfied with a third place behind Finland's Parviainen and Greece's Gatsioudis after Zelezny returned after an 18-month break because of a shoulder injury. "I value this medal very highly, maybe more than some of the gold," Zelezny, two-time World Champion and Olympic Games champion, said. The two fourth places of Zuzana Hlavonova (high jump) and the women's 4x400 meters relay were pleasant surprises. Stepan Etrych/Mirek Langer Gambrinus League: Ceske Budejovice Still before Sparta The hot start in the Gambrinus soccer league for Ceske Budejovice, which was recently promoted to the league, continued with a win over Teplice, a Champions League qualification round participant. Budejovice remains in second place ahead of Sparta Praha, which nearly lost more points against Dukla Pribram. Results of the 5th round: Sparta Praha - Pribram 2-1, Ceske Budejovice - Teplice 3-1, Liberec - Olomouc 0-0, Bohemians Praha - Opava 1-0, Ostrava - Zizkov 1-1, Hradec Kralove - Drnovice 0-2, Brno - Jablonec 2-0, Blsany - Slavia Praha 2-3. Standings: 1. Slavia Praha 13, 2. Ceske Budejovice 11, 3. Sparta Praha 11, 4. Drnovice 9, 5. Brno 9, 6. Bohemians Praha 8, 7. Liberec 7, 8. Teplice 7, 9. Pribram 7, 10. Jablonec 6, 11. Ostrava 5, 12. Opava 5, 13. Olomouc 4, 14. Blsany 4, 15. Zizkov 3, 16. Hradec Kralove 1. Czech Team Wins Hockey Ceska Pojistovna Cup in Zlin Without a point lost, the Czech national team won the opening international hockey tournament of the season, the Ceska Pojistovna Cup in Zlin. The tournament is also the opener for the Euro Hockey Tour, the unofficial European Championships. Both Czech goalkeepers shone, as Roman Cechmanek allowed two goals after 55 minutes of the first game and then recorded the shutout in the game against Finland. Martin Prusek then disappointed Russian players, allowing only one goal. Results of the Czech team: Czech Republic - Sweden 4-2 (Dopita, Vlasak, Cajanek, Simicek), Czech Republic - Russia 3-1 (V. Kral, Caloun, Kucharcik), Czech Republic - Finland 3-0 (Reichel, Caloun, Ujcik). Standings: 1. Czech Rep. 6 points, 2. Finland 3, 3. Sweden 2, 4. Russia 1. Stepan Etrych/Mirek Langer Dosedel in U.S. Open Quarterfinal, Novotna to End Career Soon Ctislav Dosedel advanced to the quarterfinal of the U.S. Open in New York, defeating his compatriot Jiri Novak in the fourth round of the men's singles. Jana Novotna, the last Czech woman in the tournament, lost in the third round to Germany's Anke Huber and then announced she would end her career after this season. "I can look back and say I had a long and successful career," she said. Novotna's biggest success was last year's win at Wimbledon. Stepan Etrych/Mirek Langer SPORTS IN BRIEF * Sparta Praha will meet Spartak Moscow, Girordins Bordeaux and Willem II Tillburg (the Netherlands) in the Champions League first-phase group. * Olomouc advanced to the first round of the UEFA Cup after a scoreless tie at home with the Moldavian club Sherif Tiraspol. The draw of the Czech teams in the UEFA Cup first round: Slavia Praha - Ferencvaros Budapest, Teplice - Vojvodina Novi Sad, Olomouc - Real Mallorca. * Dusan Uhrin, who was the Czech Republic national soccer team coach in 1996, when the team won the silver medal in the European Championships, will join the Kuwait national team November 1. * The hockey extraleague starts September 10 and some teams might have NHL players, because five players who are negotiating new contracts with their NHL clubs will play in the Czech Republic: Robert Reichel for Litvinov, Roman Hamrlik for Zlin and Patrik Elias, Radek Bonk and Brendan Morrison for Pardubice. * Czech volleyball players advanced to the semifinals of the European Championships in Austria after wins over the Netherlands and France and a loss to Yugoslavia. Stepan Etrych/Mirek Langer WEATHER Indian summer is in full swing, with average daily temperatures of 25 degrees Celsius/77 degrees Fahrenheit allowing students to enjoy the last days of vacation. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This news may be published only with attribution to CAROLINA. Subscription is free. Comments and remarks are appreciated. Please send them to the address: CAROLINA@mbox.fsv.cuni.cz To subscribe to CAROLINA news, send an e-mail message to the address LISTSERV@cesnet.cz The text of the message for subscription to 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, send the following message to the address LISTSERV@cesnet.cz: SIGNOFF CAR-ENG or SIGNOFF CAR-CS We ask you not to send automatic replies to our list. 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