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 ISSN 121-5040 tel: (+4202) 22112252, fax: (+4202) 22112219 *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* C A R O L I N A No 390, Friday, October 20, 2000. FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST TWO WEEKS (October 4 - October 18) Activation of Nuclear Fuel in Temelin Means Foreign Policy Problems Nuclear fuel was activated in the presence of Prime Minister Milos Zeman and the Trade Minister Miroslav Gregr in the Temelin nuclear power plant October 9. The controlled fission chain reaction, i.e. the actual start-up of the power plant, was initiated two days later. The construction of Temelin took 14 years and its completion was pushed back many times. Costs doubled original estimates and reached a total of 98.6 billion crowns. The first electric supply is expected by the end of the year. Protests against the power plant grew stronger as the commencement of operation came near. According to the latest opinion polls, 59 per cent of Czech respondents agree with the activation of the power station. Austrians are strongly against it and want to achieve the shut-down of the nuclear process for at least six months, during which an international evaluation of the plant's safety and its impact on the environment would take place. After protests at the borders (see Carolina 387 and 388) the Austrians continued their blockades. Joerg Haider, former Free Democrats (FPO) chairman, personally supported the 10,000 protesters at one of the major crossings in Wullowitz-Dolni Dvoriste October 13. The Czech Republic officially asked the EU for help with the blocked borders the same day (Czech-Austrian borders are the outer borders of the EU) because its request to the Austrian government to secure free transit failed. Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel accused the Czech government of disturbing neighborly relations. The blockades were officially suspended October 15. Austria wants to enable the Czech government to open diplomatic talks about Temelin's operation without such extraneous pressure. According to the latest news, Zeman and Schuessel are to meet October 31 in Brno. Vera Vonavkova/Simon Dominik, Ondrej Maly After deadline: EU Commissar Gunter Verheugen said he considers the Austrian blockades a violation of European law. He said this after his October 18 meeting with Czech Foreign Minister Jan Kavan and expressed his confidence that the conflict can be solved by bilateral talks. Rychetsky Takes over Justice Ministry President Vaclav Havel authorized Deputy Prime Minister Pavel Rychetsky to administer the Ministry of Justice October 16. Rychetsky replaces Otakar Motejl, the only non-partisan in the government, who resigned because many of his proposals for judicial reform were rejected by the legislature. The former minister managed to start speeding up civil and commercial proceedings, but the Chamber of Deputies in May rejected his Criminal Code reform that moved some authority from the police to the court itself. Rychetsky said he would like to find a new minister as soon as possible, at the latest within three months. The current Chairman of the Appeals Court in Prague Jaroslav Bures is considered to be the leading candidate. Senators of the ruling Social Democrats (CSSD) nominated Motejl for the position of ombudsman. The former minister agreed with his candidacy after he met with Havel October 16. Petr Adam/Simon Dominik Forum 2000 Education, Culture and Spiritual Values in the Globalized World, was the main theme of the 4th Forum 2000 international conference organized by Czech President Vaclav Havel at Prague Castle October 15-18. About 60 well known personalities from around the world took part in the conference, among them former Taiwan President Li Teng-chuei, Islamic philosopher and writer Abbas Mohadjerani, Russian human rights activist Sergei Kovalyov, the Tibetan Dalai Lama, musician Peter Gabriel and French political scientist Jacques Rupnick. Participants of the conference came to the conclusion that globalization cannot be clearly and strictly defined. British sociologist Anthony Giddens said the driving force of globalization is not only the economy and market forces, but telecommunications. Former South African President Frederik de Klerk pointed out the danger which globalization poses to cultural diversity. Forum debate was affected by the outbreak of violence in the Middle East. Havel and other Forum 2000 participants appealed to the fighting parties and asked them to return to dialogue and to search for a solution to the conflict through peaceful means. Gabriela Pribilova/Milan Smid Army Loses Two Pilots and Their Fighter Planes Two fighter planes crashed near Havlickuv Brod October 10. Both pilots died. The crash occurred during a landing maneuver when the pilots were returning to their base from a training flight. The first aircraft's altimeter probably broke and both planes hit the ground. The pilots were highly trained, both had more than 1,300 flight hours and spent approximately 160 hours a year in the air. The planes were 25 years old but were modernized not long ago and were part of the NATO anti-aircraft defense. Both black boxes were found. Czech Army Air Forces Chief Ladislav Klima said there were no flaws in the navigation equipment and wondered why the pilots descended to such a low altitude and hit the ground 35 kilometers from the airport. The investigating commission should provide a clearer statement about the cause of the accident in 10 days. Stepan Vorlicek/Simon Dominik NEWS IN BRIEF * The November 12 regional and Senate elections were the main theme at the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) party congress in Pilsen October 14. Party Chairman Vaclav Klaus criticized political subjects outside the party system that avoid direct political competition and further their interests behind the scenes (his remarks could be interpreted as a shot at President Vaclav Havel and his coterie). The top priority for ODS will be creating a government that would not need a coalition form. * The Czech government cancelled all its sanctions aginst Yugoslavia at the October 11 Cabinet session. Visa limitations for Slobodan Milosevic and his family remain in effect. Ales Borovan/Zdenek Sloboda FOREIGN AFFAIRS Havel Visits Turkey Czech President Vaclav Havel said during his three-day visit October 10-12 to Turkey that he is ready to act as a mediary between Cypriot Turks and Greeks. Havel said he hopes there is still a chance to find a democratic, mutually acceptable resolution of the conflict. At Bilhent University in Ankara, where Havel received an honorary doctorate, he praised Turkey as a place of cohabitation of Islamic and Western cultures. The last day of the visit Havel discussed issues of human rights with a group of intellectuals, among them Kurdish activist Akin Birdal. Before leaving home Havel also met with the Turkish enterpreneurs at the Czech-Turkish Trade Forum and unveiled a memorial plaque for Alexander Dubcek, once the Czechoslovak ambassador to Turkey. Dana Zlatohlavkova/Milan Smid Zeman in UK for One-Day Visit Prime Minister Miloç Zeman met British Prime Minister Tony Blair October 11 during his one-day visit in the UK. The meeting, which Czech Foreign Minister Jan Kavan also attended, dealt with bilateral and European issues. Blair declared his support for enlarging the European Union by the year 2004, Zeman expressed his hope that British investments in Czech industry will increase in the next years. In particular, the Czech energy sector was discussed. As to the ongoing Austrian protests against the Czech Temelin nuclear power plant, Zeman said the Czech Republic is paying the price for its decision to join the EU sanctions against Austria when the ultra-nationalist Joerg Haider's FPO party entered the Austrian government. Dana Zlatohlavkova/Milan Smid FROM SLOVAKIA IN BRIEF * The 2001 state budget, approved by the government October 9, is cosidered acceptable by most economists, in spite of the fact that it will incur debts as high as 37.8 billion Slovak crowns, almost 4 per cent of the GDP. The budget hovers a little too close to the 4-per-cent GDP rate, warned the chief analyst of the Slovak Savings Bank Martin Barto. However, it is drawn up to be anti-inflationary, which enables interest rates to fall. Analyst at the Czechoslovak Trade Bank (CSOB) Ludovit Odor said the state will not press the financial market and the central bank will continue loosening its monetary policy. The opposition declared it will not support this budget despite the praise from experts. * Chairman of the Czech Parliament Vaclav Klaus met his counterpart Jozef Migas, Slovak Premier Mikulaç Dzurinda and Foreign Minister Eduard Kukan during his official visit to Slovakia October 9-11. Klaus restated his opinion that the V4 group (the Visegrad countries: the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary) is artificial, false, unnecessary and without a real core. That did not prevent him and Dzurinda from affirming that the relationship between Slovakia and the Czech Republic is special, Klaus called it friendly and problem-free. * The first town in the world to have a statue of the famous good Czech soldier Schweik (Svejk) is Humenne, in Eastern Slovakia. The piece, by local sculptor Jan Drotar, was unveiled October 6 during Schweik Days, with many Czech and Polish Schweikologists and the grandson of Schweik creator Jaroslav Hasek taking part. Close to the site is a well from which Lieutenant Dub drank the filthy and foul water during his trip to the Eastern front. A trail named Following the Footsteps of the Good Soldier Schweik was opened, too. Zdenek Sloboda/Stepan Vorlicek ECONOMY Czech Economy on the Rise The improving performance of the Czech economy is springing from the industrial sector, where production increased by 11 per cent over a year ago - the best showing in four years. Construction reached a three-year high as well with the volume of projects up 8.2 per cent. The results were released by the Czech Statistics Office October 10. According to the experts, the growth is caused by the high level of foreign capital in local companies, which is accompanied by rising productivity and export. Such companies represent 27 per cent of all industry sales in the country and their performance growth is near 30 per cent. Among the most successful such companies remain traditional powers like the Skoda carmaker from Mlada boleslav, as well as newcomers like the TV-set manufacturer Otava. Adam Fendrych/Adam Fendrych Unemployment Declines in September Although employment offices as usual registered more unemployed people in September than in any other month, the unemployment rate declined to 8.8 per cent. Experts are surprised by the development and attribute the decrease to the general growth of economy and the successful policies of the employment offices, which are managing to find jobs for difficult-to-employ persons like new graduates and mothers with children. The highest unemployment rate is in Most (21.5 per cent), the lowest is in the Prague-East and Prague-West districts (3 per cent). Adam Fendrych/Adam Fendrych Tosovsky Withdraws Candidacy for EBRD Vice President Josef Tosovsky, the Czech National Bank (CNB) governor and former prime minister, announced October 5 he was withdrawing his application for the position of vice president of the European Bank for Renewal and Development. He said the reason for his decision is the lengthy selection process. He did not confirm whether he intended to stay on as CNB governor until the end of his term in 2004. "It's a question of my further plans and they are directly concerned with the future of the whole CNB, and so I would like to discuss this with the president first," said Tosovsky. Some speculate Tosovky might move to the diplomatic corps. David Pilar/Adam Fendrych Rates at the Czech National Bank (valid October 20) -------------------------------------------------------------- 1 EUR = 34.880 country currency CZK ------------------------------------------ Australia 1 AUD 21.451 Great Britain 1 GBP 59.695 Denmark 1 DKK 4.678 Japan 100 JPY 38.343 Canada 1 CAD 27.357 IMF 1 XDR 53.165 Hungary 100 HUF 13.245 Norway 1 NOK 4.349 New Zealand 1 NZD 16.241 Poland 1 PLN 8.784 Greece 100 GRD 10.255 Slovakia 100 SKK 79.579 Slovenia 100 SIT 16.547 Sweden 1 SEK 4.100 Switzerland 1 CHF 23.134 USA 1 USD 41.352 Exchange Rates of countries participating in the euro (converted from the euro rate) country currency CZK ----------------------------------------- Germany 1 DEM 17.834 Belgium 100 BEF 86.465 Finland 1 FIM 5.866 France 1 FRF 5.317 Ireland 1 IEP 44.288 Italy 1000 ITL 18.014 Luxemburg 100 LUF 86.465 Netherlands 1 NLG 18.014 Portugal 100 PTE 15.828 Austria 1 ATS 2.535 Spain 100 ESP 20.963 CULTURE 15 Years of Tri Sestry One of the most commercially successful Czech bands of the 90's - the folk-punk-rock group Tri sestry (Three Sisters) - celebrated 15 years of existence October 17. They christened their new double-album 15 Years Hammered in the Smithy (Patnact let jsem na Kovarne na plech) in their pub The Old Branik Smithy (Na Stare Kovarne v Braniku), which paradoxically is not in Branik in Prague 4 but in Letna in Prague 6. One of the CDs contains 27 hits, a remix of their song Mexiko, nine new tracks and three songs recorded live at their 15th anniversary concert, which took place this fall in Prague's Stvanice Stadium. The other CD (CD-ROM, to be exact) includes two videos and a large number of photos from the concert. A book on the band was also published. Petr Frinta/Zdenek Sloboda CULTURE IN BRIEF * A series of concerts called Czech Composers at the Turn of the Millenium began this week. The series aims to introduce pieces by contemporary composers of classical music. The event will run till the end of April and it present earlier and new works by Petr Eben, Sylvie Bodorova, Jan Klusak and Czech-American Karel Husa. * Seventy-two Czech publishers are represented at the International Book Fair in Frankfurt, Germany. Fifty-five of them are taking part in the common Czech exhibit under the patronage of the company Bookworld (Svet knihy - www.bookworld.cz). * Six new Czech translations of the Tibetan Dalai Lama's books were published during his stay in Prague at the Forum 2000 conference. His book Ethics for the New Millenium is closely connected to the topic of the conference. Among other books were The Road to Inner Peace and a selection of his quotations, Words of Wisdom. * Vaclav Riedelbach, professor and head of the Composing Department at the Music School of Prague's Academy of the Arts, was named new general director of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra after five years of provisional leadership from Jiri Kovar. Riedelbach will take office January 1. Petr Frinta/Stepan Vorlicek, Milan Smid SPORTS Soccer World Cup Qualification: Discredited Reputation The Czech national team mixed one success and one failure in two games of the third 2002 World Cup qualification group. It easily defeated Iceland 4-0 October 7, but four days later it lost two points after a scoreless tie in Malta. After three games the Czech Republic leads its group's standings with seven points, two and three points ahead of its biggest opponents, Denmark and Bulgaria, respectively. Qualification will continue in the spring. Czech Republic - Iceland 4-0 (3-0) After winning in Bulgaria, the Czech team welcomed Iceland to Teplice. The Czechs' managed to break the Iceland defense early and decided the game with three goals in the first half. Striker Jan Koller was the hero of the game, scoring the first two goals (18th and 41st minute), breaking his scoring drought in a return to past form. Captain Pavel Nedved, who was with Koller the best player on the field, scored the third Czech goal in the 43rd minute. The Czech team tempo did not slow after the break and the game became a Czech exhibition. Only Koller's unsuccessful attempt to convert a penalty kick was an off note, but Nedved corrected the impression with his last-minute free-kick goal. Malta - Czech Republic 0-0 The game between the Czech Republic and Malta demonstrated the irreparable complex of the Czech team against this poor opponent. The cause of the Czechs' repeated failures probably lies in the opponent's defense, the bad field and Malta's less-than-dignified play. In the game in Malta, the Czechs were unable to take advantage of their chances. Goalkeeper Muscat stopped headers from Sionko, Bejbl and Fukal as well as shots by Horvath and Nedved. Koller's chance in the 47th minute finished wide. The key moment of the game occurred in the 53rd minute when defender Tomaç üepka was sent off after returning a blow. Then the Czechs continued their vain struggle to break Malta's defense and in the end they had to accept their first loss of points after 15 qualification wins in a row. David Pilar/Mirek Langer Champions League: Sparta Praha Loses in Donetsk 1-2 With seven defensive players, sent onto the pitch by coach Ivan Hasek for reliable defense and fast counterattacks, Sparta Praha played its fourth game in the soccer UEFA Champions League in Donetsk, Ukraine. The beginning went perfectly for Sparta, as goalkeeper Virt only deflected Rosicky's shot and after Labant's corner kick Jiri Jarosik scored. The Shakhtar replied with heavy pressure, goalkeeper Postulka had to make several excellent saves and he also cleared a penalty kick after Vorobei's fall in the penalty box. Donetsk, however, tied the score before the break: Glevetskas' header came after a corner kick in the 35th minute. Atelkin then hit the post, as did Sparta's Labant after the break. In the 87th minute Sparta lost the ball in the middle of the field and Donetsk's chance was stopped by Grygera's hand-save in the box. Sparta's defender was sent off and Zubov converted the penalty. Sparta has almost lost its chance to advance to the second phase of the Champions League and Sparta's place in the UEFA Cup, where the third team from the group's standings will advance, has been complicated. Adam Fendrych/Mirek Langer Soccer League: Champion Sparta Loses First Game Sparta Praha suffered its first loss this season, in the 10th round of the soccer league. In the Prague intracity derby it lost at Bohemians 2-4. In the incomplete standings, Sparta fell to the second place behind Liberec, which defeated Ostrava. Sparta's first defeat could be traced to captain Jiri Novotny's illness, the team's defense without him was not as consistent as usual and Bohemians had too much room for combinations. Bohemians forward Hartig played very well, assisting on three of the four Bohemians goals. Sparta lost in the Bohemians' Vrsovice stadium for the first time in 14 years. Results of the 10th round: Ceske Budejovice - Viktoria Zizkov 2-2, Bohemians Praha - Sparta Praha 4-2, Slavia Praha - Brno 2-1, Liberec - Ostrava 3-0, Blsany - Jablonec 4-0, Stare Mesto - Olomouc 3-1, Drnovice - Pribram 0-1, Plzen - Teplice 0-2. Postponed game of the 6th round: Ceske Budejovice - Teplice 2-2. The standings are still incomplete due to some postponed games. Liberec leads with 23 points, two points ahead of Sparta, Stare Mesto is third with 16 points. Petr Adam/Mirek Langer Captain Reichel Moves Litvinov into Extraleague Lead The hockey players of Litvinov earned the full amount of eight points from the last four rounds and moved to the top of the extraleague. The Litvinov team is led by captain Robert Reichel (a longtime NHL player), who has scored nine goals in the last seven games. After beating Ceske Budejovice, Litvinov managed to defeat the last two seasons' champions: Sparta and Vsetin. Karlovy Vary fell into the last place after Kladno managed to win its last two games in overtimes. Sparta forward Patrik Martinec leads the scoring table with 20 points on nine goals and 11 assists. Results of the 11th round: Karlovy Vary - Vsetin 1-2, Pardubice - Havirov 5-1, Litvinov - Ceske Budejovice 2-1, Kladno - Sparta Praha 1-5, Vitkovice - Znojmo 3-2, Zlin - Plzen 4-2, Slavia Praha - Trinec 4-2. Results of the 12th round: Znojmo - Plzen 4-0, Trinec - Zlin 5-2, Ceske Budejovice - Slavia Praha 0-0 OT, Havirov - Kladno 4-2, Vsetin - Vitkovice 4-2, Sparta Praha - Litvinov 3-4, Karlovy Vary - Pardubice 2-4. Results of the 13th round: Pardubice - Sparta Praha 2-1, Litvinov - Vsetin 4-2, Kladno - Ceske Budejovice 5-4 OT, Vitkovice - Havirov 5-2, Zlin - Karlovy Vary 4-3, Slavia Praha - Znojmo 4-4 OT, Plzen - Trinec 0-2. Results of the 14th round: Zlin - Sparta Praha 0-2, Vitkovice - Trinec 2-2 OT, Plzen - Ceske Budejovice 4-2, Kladno - Pardubice 3-2 OT, Litvinov - Karlovy Vary 4-1, Znojmo - Havirov 2-2 OT, Slavia Praha - Vsetin 1-2. Standings: 1. Litvinov 29 points, 2. Sparta Praha 28, 3. Vitkovice 28, 4. Pardubice 26, 5. Vsetin 26, 6. Plzen 25 , 7. Zlin 20, 8. Trinec 19, 9. Slavia Praha 16, 10. Havirov 16, 11. Znojmo 15, 12. Ceske Budejovice 14, 13. Kladno 11, 14. Karlovy Vary 11. Petr Adam/Mirek Langer Peruan Completes Great Pardubice Steeplechase Hattrick Peruan, a 12-year old brown horse, won the Grand Pardubice (Velka pardubicka) steeplechase for the third time in a row. With jockey Zdenek Matysik aboard, Peruan won the 110th year of the race. Jockey Jan Havlicek finished on Belovodsk in second place after three third places. In the race, Peruan waited at the back of the field and moved ahead in the last third of the race. Only Belovodsk was able to stay close and at the beginning of the backstretch Peruan led by a few centimeters. Behind Belovodsk, Duçan Andres finished third with Czanka. A total of 10 horses crossed the finish line. Results of the 110th Grand Pardubice Steeplechase: 1. Peruan, 2. Belovodsk, 3. Czanka, 4. Marketplace, 5. Rent. Petr Adam/Mirek Langer SPORTS IN BRIEF * Czech cyclist Jan Hruska was suspended for six months for doping. Hruska tested positive for nandrolon during the Tour of Spain. Because of the investigation, Hruska had to miss the Sydney Olympics and the World Championships. The punishment is on the low end of the scale, the disciplinary commission gave him the benefit of the doubt as Hruska claimed the substance got into his body without his knowledge. * Jiri Jezek won the first gold medal for the Czech Republic in the Paralympic Games, which are taking place in Sydney. Jezek won the one-kilometer time-trial in track cycling competitions. A total of 57 Czech athletes are participating in the Games. Stepan Vorlicek, Gabriela Pribilova/Mirek Langer WEATHER The first snow of the year did indeed fall in the Sumava hills October 7, but Indian summer did make its return, just as meteorologists promised. The past two weeks were warm, with high temperatures some 5 degrees Celsius/9 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than average. This week's afternoon highs of more than 20 degrees Celsius/68 degrees Fahrenheit saw the return to the streets of Prague of short sleeves and skirts. English version edited by Michael Bluhm. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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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