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.391, Friday, October 27, 2000 FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK (October 18 - October 25) Parliament Passes Proposed 2001 State Budget in First Reading Parliament October 19 passed the first reading of the proposed 2001 state budget, which calls for income of 636.2 billion crowns and expenditures of 685.2 billion crowns. The planned deficit is 49 billion crowns. The government says education is its top priority for next year. Of the 182 present deputies, 127 voted for the proposal, all of them members of the Czech Social Democratic Party (CSSD) and the Civic Democratic Party (ODS). The minority government's proposal passed only thanks to the support of the ODS, the Social Democrats' partner in the Opposition Contract. Deputies of the Freedom Union (US) and the Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) voted against the budget proposal and Communist deputies abstained. Before the vote, representatives of ODS and the Social Democrats met to discuss the terms according to which ODS would be willing to support the budget. The Social Democrats agreed to the ODS request to use 20 billion crowns from privatization proceeds to eliminate the state's debt. The Social Democrats also agreed that the country will auction off four UMTS telecommunication licenses, which should create greater income than the estimated 20 billion crowns from the previously planned direct sale. Extra income would be invested in transportation and housing and to reduce the debt further. The reason the deficit exceeds 30 billion crowns - the sum to which the Social Democrats had committed in the Opposition Contract - is that the budget was prepared according to new rules, so it must now contain the 20-billion-crown loss of the state-owned Consolidation Bank. While the totals for income and expenditures cannot be changed, individual budget items are expected to be discussed heatedly during the next two months. Jana Niklova/Sofia Karakeva Belgian Royal Couple Start Visit to Czech Republic in Prague Belgian King Albert II and his wife Paola arrived in Prague October 24 for a three-day visit. This is the first official visit of the Belgian monarch to the Czech Republic. Having received the military honors in the Prague Castle courtyard, the king was welcomed by the President Vaclav Havel and his wife and the couples had lunch together. King Albert II received from Prague Mayor Jan Kasal a key to the city. The king walked through the Old Town across the Charles Bridge to the Lichtenstein Palace, where he met Senate Chairwoman Libuse Benesova and Parliament Chairman Vaclav Klaus. The official reason for the visit is to cement relations between the countries. Questions of the economic interests of Belgium in the Czech Republic are being discussed as well. Belgium is the fifth-largest foreign investor in this country (the Belgian KBC Bank controls a majority of the deposits in the Czech Republic). Another topic of discussion was the expansion of the EU (Belgium will chair the EU in the second half of next year). Pavla Krizkova/Pavla Krizkova Ex-Justice Minister Motejl Chosen As Senate Candidate for Ombudsman Former Justice Minister Otakar Motejl, whose resignation was accepted by President Vaclav Havel October 16, was chosen three days after his resignation by the Senate as the first of their two candidates for the post of ombudsman. Motejl received 46 of 67 votes in the Senate. Marie Hoskova of the Supreme Audit Office was chosen as the second candidate in the second round of voting (she received 35 from 63 votes). President Vaclav Havel can also name candidates for the post and is expected to do so within a week. Jakub Vavruska/Pavla Krizkova NEWS IN BRIEF * In an extraordinary Cabinet meeting October 23 the government passed a bill on protection from health damage caused by tobacco products, alcohol and other addictive drugs. The bill would be stricter primarily in the fight against smoking. The legal drinking age will remain 18. Health Minister Bohumil Fiser said there would be stricter punishments for the sale of alcohol and tobacco to minors. He also managed to include a provision banning the sale of candies having the shape of tobacco products. * Former pro tennis player Martin Srejbr, one of the central figures in the financing scandal of the Civic Democratic Party (ODS), returned from the USA to the Czech Republic. Srejbr October 20 went to the City Court to pick up an indictment against him. He is charged with abusing inside information, the trial should take place at the beginning of November. Srejbr would face up to 12 years in prison if convicted. * Czech President Vaclav Havel October 24 granted amnesty to an Austrian demonstrator who took part in the violence during the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank held in Prague in September. According to police, the 16-year-old demonstrator broke the back windshield wiper of two cars and the window of one of them. The damage of some 7,000 was paid by his parents to the car owners and the youth apologized to them. Havel's representatives say the owners do not want the youth to be prosecuted further. Veronika Pavlu, Tereza Polachova, Martina Parizkova/Sofia Karakeva FOREIGN AFFAIRS Zeman Meets Pope in Rome Before starting his official visit to Italy, Prime Minister Milos Zeman met Pope John Paul II October 22 during the Millenium concert of the Brno State Philharmonic in the Vatican. Zeman was received also by the Vatican Secretary of State Angelo Sodan, with whom he discussed the future treaty between the Czech Republic and the Vatican. The Czech Republic is the only Central and Eastern European country that has not settled its affairs with the Vatican, because of the unresolved issue of the restitution of former church property. During his official visit to Italy October 23-25, Zeman met Italian Prime Minister Giuliano Amato, President Carolo Ciampi and representatives of Italian industry. They discussed Czech membership in the EU, Italian investments to the Czech Republic and the Czech nuclear power plant Temelin. Kavan Visits Yugoslavia and Austria Foreign Minister Jan Kavan gave assurances to newly elected Yugoslav President Voyislav Kostunica that Czech foreign policy will support re-incorporating Yugoslavia into various international institutions and will respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Yugoslav Republic. Kavan met Kostunica October 23 in Belgrade and said the Czech Republic is ready to help repair objects destroyed by the NATO bombing campaign, such as the Kolubara power station. On October 24 Kavan arrived in Vienna, where he met Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel. They agreed on the date of a meeting between Schuessel and Czech Prime Minister Milos Zeman October 31. Kavan in Vienna signed the treaty on Austrian compensation for the victims of forced labor in World War II. Besides the Czech Republic, the treaty was signed by the representatives of the US and four Central and Eastern European countries. Russia will sign the treaty later. FROM SLOVAKIA Schroeder Strengthens Slovak Hopes for Joining EU German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder made his first official visit to Slovakia October 23. During a meeting with Slovak Premier Mikulas Dzurinda, Schroeder expressed his pleasure with the evolution of democracy in Slovakia and expressed support for Slovakia's efforts to joining the European Union. The main topic of the 50-minute dialogue was Slovak-German relations. Schroeder said if the Slovak government coalition continues its preparations for joining the EU, Slovakia will be ready for membership in 2003, the earliest expected date for the expansion of the union. "This development is the work of the present Slovak government and any other policy would send Slovakia backwards," Schroeder said, evidently referring to the efforts of the opposition to call early elections (a referendum on the subject will be held November 11). Schroeder talked to students and representatives of non-government organizations in Bratislava and visited the historical center of the city. Eva Hejzlarova/Ondrej Maly New Leadership for Christian Democratic Movement Pavol Hrusovsky was elected the new chairman of the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) during the October 21-22 party congress in Trencin. He received 249 of 440 votes. His opponent Jan Figel, an official at the Foreign Ministry, received 70 fewer votes. After 10 years, former KDH Chairman Jan Carnogursky stepped down. He said he "did not feel unified support and the possibility to proclaim his opinions freely." Hrusovsky said the movement will never join any other political subject and will continue in its conservative policies, supporting family values. Hrusovsky said Slovakia's main objectives are still joining EU and NATO. Eva Hejzlarova/Veronika Hankusova FROM SLOVAKIA IN BRIEF * Slovak, Czech, Austrian, Hungarian and Polish interior ministers met in Bratislava to discuss cooperation in fighting organized crime. They discussed illegal migration and the smuggling of drugs, arms and nuclear material. * The unemployment rate has fallen to its lowest level of the past 14 months. The rate was 20.54 per cent in January and 17.5 per cent in September. There are 472,540 people registered as unemployed. Experts say the cause of the decrease is community-service work and that the rate should rise again after the projects are complete. The unemployment rate in Slovakia is the fourth-highest in Europe after Russia, Ukraine and Croatia. Veronika Pavlu/Stepan Vorlicek ECONOMY IN BRIEF * Let Kunovice, the biggest Czech producer of civil aircrafts, was placed in bankruptcy October 24. The American owner, Ayres Corporation, is keeping the factory running, but says it will close the factory if an investor is not found. * Zetor Brno restarted the production of tractors October 23 after 18 months of idleness. All tractors will be made to order, none will be for retail sale. The Consolidation Bank has given a loan of 700 million crowns to renew production. * The Czech trade-balance deficit has fallen from 15 billion crowns in August to 4 billion crowns in September. The improvement seems to be a seasonal matter brought about by the increased export of vehicles and machinery. * The Dutch company Saluka Investments, which belongs to the Nomura family, announced October 18 it would sue the Finance Ministry for at least 30.5 billion crowns. The money would represent damage compensation for the loss incurred in the Investment and Postal Bank (Investicni a postovni banka, IPB). The ministry placed the bank under forced administration in June and sold the bank to the Czechoslovak Trade Bank (Ceskoslovenska obchodni banka, CSOB). Nomura is also threatening to take the case to international arbitration in Stockholm. Katerina Kunovska, Tereza Polachova/Stepan Vorlicek Rates at the Czech National Bank (valid October 27) -------------------------------------------------------------- 1 EUR = 34.820 country currency CZK ------------------------------------------ Australia 1 AUD 21.782 Great Britain 1 GBP 59.968 Denmark 1 DKK 4.678 Japan 100 JPY 39.012 Canada 1 CAD 27.805 IMF 1 XDR 53.810 Hungary 100 HUF 13.247 Norway 1 NOK 4.388 New Zealand 1 NZD 16.773 Poland 1 PLN 8.997 Greece 100 GRD 10.255 Slovakia 100 SKK 79.962 Slovenia 100 SIT 16.550 Sweden 1 SEK 4.107 Switzerland 1 CHF 23.954 USA 1 USD 42.127 Exchange Rates of countries participating in the euro (converted from the euro rate) country currency CZK ----------------------------------------- Germany 1 DEM 17.803 Belgium 100 BEF 86.317 Finland 1 FIM 5.856 France 1 FRF 5.308 Ireland 1 IEP 44.212 Italy 1000 ITL 17.983 Luxemburg 100 LUF 86.317 Netherlands 1 NLG 15.801 Portugal 100 PTE 17.368 Austria 1 ATS 2.530 Spain 100 ESP 20.927 CULTURE Karel Siktanc and Anna Valentova Receive State Literature Awards Culture Minister Pavel Dostal October 19 presented at Prague Castle the 2000 State Literature Awards. The award for an original work went to poet, writer and translator Karel Siktanc. Anna Valentova won the award for a translated work for her version of Peter Nadas' novel The Book of Memory and for previous translations from Hungarian. The awards were initiated in 1995 by former Culture Minister Pavel Tigrid. Siktanc, together with Jiri Sotola, Miroslav Holub and Miroslav Florian, came together in the the magazine Kveten and were known for their poetry of the everyday. Siktanc, born in 1928, was a reporter for Czechoslovak Radio, between 1961 and 1971 he was editor-in-chief of the Mlada fronta publishers. From then he was a victim of political persecution. He says he writes about seven poems a year, he also writes children's books. Marketa Bartosova/Adam Fendrych CULTURE IN BRIEF * Jan Hrebejk's film We Must Help Each Other (Musime si pomahat) was chosen October 24 as the Czech Republic's nominee for the Oscar for best foreign-language film. The unkind comedy set during the Nazi occupation is the director's third film. His last film, Cozy Nests (Pelisky), was the most successful Czech film of 1999. * The new Czech film Victims and Murderers (Obeti a vrazi) had its premiere October 19. It is the debut for director Andrea Sedlackova, who shuttles between Prague and Paris. She described the film, about the lifelong self-destructive co-dependence between a brother and sister, as a "love horror story." The main characters are played by Karel Roden, Ivana Chylkova and Monika Hilmerova. * The international festival Theater (Divadlo), for professionals and the public at large, ended in Pilsen (Plzen) October 22. The final performance was an experimental multi-media adaptation of Shakespeare's MacBeth by a Latvian theater troupe. Audiences enjoyed the performance by Moscow's Taganka Theater that presented the world as a psychiatric clinic, another hit was the Czech classic Marysa by the Mrstik Brothers, performed by the Klicpera Theater from Hradec Kralove. * Noted literary critic, historian and political figure Eduard Goldstucker died in Prague October 23 at the age of 87. His main interest was Prague's German-language literature. Goldstucker wrote about Franz Werfel, Egon Erwin Kisch and extensively about Franz Kafka, as Goldstucker helped end the embarrassing Czech silence on Kafka. During World War II and from 1969 to 1991 he lived in exile in Great Britain, teaching at various British universities. Martina Oplatkova, Marketa Bartosova/Zdenek Sloboda SPORTS Sparta Still Leads Standings of Soccer Gambrinus League The attraction of the 11th round of the Czech soccer league was the match between Sparta and Liberec to decide first place in the league chart. Sparta defeated Liberec 4-1. Results of the 11th round:: Zizkov - Slavia 1:2, Sparta - Liberec 4:1, Pribram - Synot 4:1, Jablonec - Budejovice 1:1, Ostrava - Blsany 1:1, Olomouc - Plzen 4:0, Brno - Drnovice 0:0, Teplice - Bohemians 3:0 The chart is still incomplete due to several postponed matches; Sparta with 24 points is on top, followed by Liberec (23) and Teplice (18); Brno (5) is at the bottom of the chart. Hockey Telecom Extraleague Results of the the 15th round: Vsetin - Kladno 4:3, Trinec - Znojmo 4:1, Ceske Budejovice - Zlin 3:3, Havirov - Plzen 1:2 (in overtime), Sparta - Vitkovice 2:2, Pardubice - Litvinov 6:4, Karlovy Vary - Slavia 5:2 Results of the the 16th round: Zlin - Pardubice 0:2, Karlovy Vary - Vitkovice 2:1, Slavia - Havirov 9:2, Trinec - Ceske Budejovice 4:2, Znojmo - Vsetin 3:5, Kladno - Litvinov 4:2, Plzen - Sparta 7:4 Standings after 16 rounds: 1. Pardubice 32 bodu, 2. Vsetin 32, 3. Plzen 30, 4. Sparta 29, 5. Vitkovice 29, 6. Litvinov 29, 7. Trinec 25, 8. Zlin 21, 9. Slavia 19, 10. Karlovy Vary 17, 11. Havirov 17, 12. Znojmo 15, 13. Ceske Budejovice 15, 14. Kladno 14. SPORTS IN BRIEF * Pele arrived in Prague in cognito October 23 to celebrate his 60th birthday. Pele also said the trip was a belated honeymoon for him and his second wife, whom he married four years ago. Zuzana Boleslavova WEATHER After above-average temperatures last week, the weather began to return to its usual October levels before last weekend. Daytime temperatures were between 12 degrees and 16 degrees Celsius/55 degrees and 61 degrees Fahrenheit, while at night the mercury fell below 10 degrees Celsius/50 degrees Fahrenheit during the night. There was occasional fog in the morning and evening, and some rain. Many people are suffering from their first cold of the season, but no flu bug resulting from the cold weather has yet appeared. Radim Hladik/Adam Fendrych English version edited by Michael Bluhm. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This news may be published only with "CAROLINA" designation. The subscription is free. Comments and remarks are appreciated. Send them please to the address: CAROLINA@cuni.cz To subscribe to CAROLINA news you send an e-mail message to the address LISTSERV@listserv.cesnet.cz The text of message for subscription of 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 you send the following message to the address LISTSERV@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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