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 395, Friday, November 24, 2000. FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK (November 15-November 22) Four-Party Coalition Wins, ODS and CSSD Lose Majority in Senate The second round of the Senate elections took place in 26 districts November 19. Voters by far favored the Four-Party Coalition (the Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party, KDU-CSL; the Freedom Union, US; the Civic Democratic Alliance, ODA; and the Democratic Union, DEU), which won in 16 of the contested districts. The coalition now has 39 seats in the 81-seat Senate, with one seat won last week in the first round of elections. The Civic Democratic Party (ODS) won 8 seats (it has a total of 22 mandates) and the ruling Social Democrats won in one district (15 seats total). The two parties, partners in the Opposition Contract and in plans for radical changes to the Electoral Act that would weaken the role of smaller parties and the president, lost their majority in the Senate. The Four-Party Coalition can appear to count on the support of the chamber's two independents, one of whom was elected November 19. The Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM) did not win in any districts and has three seats. In the Benesov district, former Director of the Faculty Hospital in Prague-Motol Helena Roegnerova (Four-Party Coalition) nearly doubled the vote total of Senate Chairwoman and ODS Vice Chairwoman Libuse Benesova. Foreign Minister Jan Kavan (CSSD) lost in Prostejov to Robert Kolar (Four-Party Coalition), who received 57.9 per cent of the vote, while former Foreign Minister and dissident Jiri Dienstbier (CSSD) lost to Jaroslav Mitlener (ODS). Former Senate Chairman Petr Pithart (Four-Party Coalition) was re-elected in the Chrudim region. Voter turnout was low, with 33.7 per cent of voters attending the first round and about 21 per cent showing up for the second round. Maria Valaskova/Sofia Karakeva After deadline: Emil Zatopek Dies The most famous Czech athlete of all time, legendary runner Emil Zatopek, died at age 78 on the evening of November 21 in the Central Military Hospital in Prague-Stresovice. The four-times Olympic champion entered the pantheon of sporting history at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, where within a week he won all three his disciplines - the 5,000m, the 10,000m and the marathon. Zatopek, who became a symbol of the will to win, was hospitalized at the end of October after a stroke (see Carolina 393 and 394). His funeral will be held in the National Theater in Prague December 6. Lida Truneckova/Mirek Langer November 17 a State Holiday for First Time For the first time, the Students' Fight for Liberty and Democracy Day was celebrated November 17 in the Czech Republic as a State Holiday. On this day in 1939 Nazis executed nine student leaders and shut down Czech universities (at the time Bohemia and Moravia were a Nazi protectorate, while Slovakia was a Nazi puppet state). Fifty years later a student commemoration of the events of 1939 turned into a demonstration against the communist regime of the former Czechoslovakia. The demonstration, its suppression and following demonstrations were the key event in the country during the regional dismantling of communism. This year, politicians and witnesses recalled those events. On the eve of the holiday Prime Minister and Social Democrat Chairman Milos Zeman placed a bouquet at the memorial on Prague's National Avenue (Narodni trida), where police attacked the students. President Vaclav Havel, Chamber of Deputies and Civic Democratic Party (ODS) Chairman Vaclav Klaus and other politicians placed their bouquets November 17. The president then visited a photo exhibit of the events of the Velvet Revolution. Gatherings were also held in other Prague districts and throughout the country. In general, the public and the media did not pay as much interest as last year, the 10th anniversary, when the day had not yet been declared a holiday. Martina Parizkova/Sofia Karakeva Demonstrations to Remove Dangerous PVC Toys... Members of Greenpeace demonstrated November 15 in front of a Tesco supermarket in Prague for the withdrawal of toys made from softened PVC, which could be harmful to children's health. Tesco this week removed all PVC toys from its shelves. It became the first department-store chain to do so here. The Kotva department store, the largest in the country, stopped selling these toys at the beginning of November (the editor of Carolina is an adviser to the board of directors of Kotva). ...and against the Evacuation of the Ladronka squat More than 300 young people met November 17 in front of Prague City Hall to protest against the evacuating of the Ladronka squat. The squat had been a farm building, but, abandoned years ago, squatters moved in seven years ago. They later began organizing cultural and social projects at the site. Squaters from Austria, Germany and Poland took part in the demonstration, which became a several-kilometer-long march to Ladronka, in Prague's 6th District. Prague City Council member Filip Dvorak ordered Ladronka cleared out November 9 with the use of police force. Squatters are opposing the evacuation by challenging in court the validity of the contract for the future use of Ladronka. Tereza Polachova, Radim Hladik/Pavla Krizkova Nuclear Reaction in Temelin Stopped by Mistake Around 3 a.m. November 18 the nuclear reaction in the first block of the Temelin nuclear power plant was stopped. According to the statement released by Temelin, no safety nor technical difficulties, but a simple human error was the reason for the unexpected shutdown. Temelin, according to the statement, is performing flawlessly. Austrian and Czech opponents of Temelin spoke again of the lack of trust in the plant. Martin Roubal/Ondrej Maly Austria blocks EU-Czech Negotiations Because of Temelin The planned negotiations between the European Union and the Czech Republic on energy, scheduled for November 16 in Brussels, did not take place. EU member states did not approve a unanimous position because of Austrian stipulations concerning the Temelin nuclear power plant. EU regulations require a unanimous approval before such talks can begin, so Austria thus succeeded in stopping the Czech Republic's membership talks even though the other EU countries do not consider Temelin a barrier to membership. Martin Roubal/Ondrej Maly FROM SLOVAKIA Dzurinda Chairman of New Party SDKU Slovak Premier Mikulas Dzurinda founded a new political party, the Slovak Christian-Democratic Union (SDKU), and was elected its chairman November 18. Not only is he the leader of this party, but also of the ruling Slovak Democratic Coalition (SDK). Some partners from the government coalition were not present at the founding congress. During a press conference Dzurinda said the SDKU would like to be the party that forms the government after elections in 2002. The next government, Dzurinda said, should be created by the SDKU, the Party of the Hungarian Coalition (SMK) and the post-communist Party of the Democratic Left (SDL'). After the founding of the SDKU, government coalition partner the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) left the common legislative club with the other coalition parties. FROM SLOVAKIA IN BRIEF * The anniversary of November 17, 1989 was celebrated by a few people in Slovakia. The commemoration of the Velvet Revolution in Kosice more resembled a meeting of friends accompanied by candles and the dissident songs of Karel Kryl, Jaroslav Hutka and the song A Prayer for Martha (Modlitba pro Martu). Chairman of Democratic Party and one of the founders of the Public against Violence (the party which took over from the communists in Slovakia) Jan Langos recalled the demands of his movement - free elections, freedom of speech, assembly, the end of ideological education and culture, a ban the leading role of the party, etc. He said those present should consider which of these demands were fulfilled and which were not. * The results of the Golden Nightingale (Slavik) 2000 popular music poll were announced November 18. The winner in the category of best female singer and the top overall vote-getter was Jana Kirschnerova. Second place went to Marika Gombitova, a former star in the 1980's who is now confined to a wheelchair and had avoided public appearances in recent years. Gombitova sang at the awards ceremony and received a standing ovation. The group Elan, whose songs are still those played most often by Slovak radio stations, won the Golden Nightingale as best group. Jozo Raz, the singer of Elan who nearly died in a motorcycle accident last year, also won the prize as best male singer. He beat out previous winner Pavol Habera, who was second, with Richard Mueller in third place. Veronika Pavlu/Veronika Hankusova, Zdenek Sloboda ECONOMY New CNB Governor to Be Appointed Next Week President Vaclav Havel announced at a press conference November 21 that a new governor of the Czech National Bank (CNB) will be appointed next week. Havel said he met with many experts and the candidates to replace Governor Josef Tosovsky. Tosovsky is said to favor Banking Council member Oldrich Dedek, but leading Czech newspapers agree that Zdenek Tuma, vice governor of the CNB, is most likely to get the post. Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies Vaclav Klaus and Prime Minister Milos Zeman object that Havel did not consult the matter with them. Radim Hladik/Stepan Vorlicek French and Portuguese Beef Barred The ban on importing beef from France and Portugal, issued by the State Veterinary Committee, became valid November 21. The regulation also applies to cattle and bone meal. It was imposed to prevent the spread of Mad Cow Disease (BSE - Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy), which is often associated with the rare, neuron-destroying and fatal Creutzfeld-Jacob disease. The Czech Republic took a similar precaution July 25, 1994, when an embargo was imposed on cattle from Switzerland and Great Britain, in spite of the fact that the illness had never occurred in this country. Pavla Reznickova/Stepan Vorlicek ECONOMY IN BRIEF * The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) said Central and Eastern Europe are growing rapidly. The EBRD pointed out the necessity of structural reforms. The recommendations include a more radical reform of the judicial system, the public-support system and education. In order to sustain economic growth, the Czech Republic ought to improve the enforcement of creditors' rights and deal more effectively with bankruptcies. Restrictions of public support would help the budget, and education should become fundamental to future economic development. * Farmers afflicted by the droughts and heat waves of this spring can request compensation, beginning December 1. The state freed 5 billion crowns, damages are estimated at more than 10.7 billion crowns. The payment will be based on maps that distinguish three zones according to the degree of damage. Radim Hladik, Pavla Reznickova/Stepan Vorlicek Rates at the Czech National Bank (valid November 24) -------------------------------------------------------------- 1 EUR = 36.360 country currency CZK ------------------------------------------ Australia 1 AUD 21.242 Great Britain 1 GBP 57.192 Denmark 1 DKK 4.604 Japan 100 JPY 36.972 Canada 1 CAD 26.367 IMF 1 XDR 51.920 Hungary 100 HUF 13.006 Norway 1 NOK 4.294 New Zealand 1 NZD 16.251 Poland 1 PLN 8.866 Greece 100 GRD 10.100 Slovakia 100 SKK 80.714 Slovenia 100 SIT 16.227 Sweden 1 SEK 3.966 Switzerland 1 CHF 22.597 USA 1 USD 40.713 Exchange Rates of countries participating in the euro (converted from the euro rate) country currency CZK ----------------------------------------- Germany 1 DEM 17.568 Belgium 100 BEF 85.176 Finland 1 FIM 5.779 France 1 FRF 5.238 Ireland 1 IEP 43.628 Italy 1000 ITL 17.745 Luxemburg 100 LUF 85.176 Netherlands 1 NLG 15.592 Portugal 100 PTE 17.139 Austria 1 ATS 2.497 Spain 100 ESP 20.651 CULTURE Prague Theater Festival of the German Language Brecht's play The Caucasian Chalk Circle (Kavkazsky kridovy kruh), staged November 15 in the Vinohrady Theater (Vinohradske divadlo) by the Habima Israeli National Theater from Tel Aviv, closed the two-week Prague Theater Festival of the German Language (see Carolina 393). The aim of the festival, which took place for the fifth time, was to bring together the Czech, German and Jewish cultures that existed in nearly equal measures in Prague before World War II. The festival presented 14 theater performances and several literary-musical soirees, such as the one-woman show of Vienna Burgtheater actress Erika Pluhar I'll Never Surrender. As part of the Prague, European City of Culture 2000 project, another two-week festival began November 16: a series of Jewish cultural events called Nine Gates (Devet bran). Zuzana Boleslavova/Milan Smid Jindrich Chalupecky Award Goes to David Cerny David Cerny November 16 received the Jindrich Chalupecky Award for gifted artists younger than 35. The graduate of Prague's School for Applied Arts became famous in the early 90's when he painted pink a tank in front of the Palace of Justice in the Smichov neighborhood; lately he created figures of toddlers climbing up the Zizkov TV tower. He also had roles in the films Buttoners (Knoflikari) and Prague through the Eyes of... (Praha ocima...). The artist drew more attention to himself when he refused to receive the award in the Expo Palace (Veletrzni palac) because of clashes with National Gallery Director Milan Knizak, so President Vaclav Havel presented Cerny the award on the sidewalk in front of the building. The award, named for a Czech art historian, has been given since 1990. Martina Oplatkova/Adam Fendrych Czech Egyptologists Make Important Discovery A group of Czech and Egyptian egyptologists discovered a 4,500-year-old tomb from the times of the Sixth Dynasty, the rule of the Pharaoh Teti, near the Abu Sir pyramids (about 28km southwest from Cairo). It is the place of last repose for Inti, a judge and an archivist from the city of Nekhen, which was looted a short time after being built. The discovery is very valuable, because it comes from a less known era, when pyramids were not built any more. Eva Hejzlarova/Adam Fendrych SPORTS Soccer League: Slavia Loses Points Again Slavia Praha's players could not break their sad streak, failing to score against Drnovice in a 0-0 draw. Slavia is already 17 points behind its traditional rival, Sparta Praha. Ostrava fans waited 12 games for a win - it finally came in Pribram, for Pribram the 1-3 loss was the first in eight games. Ostrava played under its new coach for the first time, as Milan Boksa was replaced by Jaroslav Gurtler. Results of the 15th round: Olomouc - Sparta Praha 0-1, Slavia Praha - Drnovice 0-0, Zizkov - Bohemians Praha 2-1, Pribram - Ostrava 1-3, Jablonec - Plzen 2-0, Ceske Budejovice - Stare Mesto 1-1, Teplice - Blsany 3-1, Brno - Liberec 3-1. Standings: 1. Sparta Praha 36, 2. Teplice 27, 3. Pribram 24, 4. Liberec 24, 5. Stare Mesto 21, 6. Olomouc 20, 7. Slavia Praha 19, 8. Bohemians Praha 19, 9. Zizkov 19, 10. Blsany 16, 11. Drnovice 16, 12. Jablonec 16, 13. Ostrava 15, 14. Ceske Budejovice 12, 15. Brno 11, 16. Plren 9. Renata Vlasakova/Mirek Langer Hockey Extralegaue: Kladno Beats Reigning Champion Sparta The magic number three ruled the game between Litvinov and Havirov in the 23rd round of the Czech Telecom Hockey Extraleague. Litvinov scored three times within 333 seconds, while Havirov's only goal came in the third period. One round later Kladno showed it knows how to surprise Sparta. The reigning champion lost on its own ice 1-2, helping Kladno to move up from last place in the standings. Results of the 23rd round: Zlin - Znojmo 6-2, Slavia Praha - Plzen 3-2, Pardubice - Vsetin 2-0, Karlovy Vary - Sparta Praha 1-3, Vitkovice - Ceske Budejovice 3-1, Kladno - Trinec 6-4, Litvinov - Havirov 5-1. Results of the 24th round: Plzen - Zlin 1-1, Trinec - Slavia Praha 5-2, Havirov - Pardubice 2-4, Vsetin - Karlovy Vary 6-2, Znojmo - Vitkovice 3-2, Sparta Praha - Kladno 1-2, Ceske Budejovice - Litvinov 2-2. Standings: 1. Pardubice 47, 2. Litvinov 44, 3. Vsetin 44, 4. Vitkovice 42, 5. Sparta Praha 37, 6. Trinec 37, 7. Zlin 36, 8. Plzen 36, 9. Slavia Praha 31, 10. Znojmo 31, 11. Karlovy Vary 26, 12. Havirov 26, 13. Kladno 26, 14. Ceske Budejovice 24. Jana Niklova/Mirek Langer Zelezny Is Top Czech and European Track and Field Athlete The Olympic gold-medalist in the javelin Jan Zelezny won the title of the Czech and the European track and field athlete of the year in one day. He was elected the top Czech athlete for the sixth time and took the trophy at a celebration in Prague's Ambassador Hotel November 21. In the poll taken of coaches, sports functionaries and journalists by the Czech Athletic Union, Zelezny won in 1991, and from 1993-96. Zelezny, the only javelin thrower in history to win three Olympic gold medals (Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000), was also elected the top European athlete in an internet poll of the European Athletics Association. Zelezny won the poll for the second time, after his first triumph in 1996. Second place went to British triple-jumper Jonathan Edwards. Renata Vlasakova/Mirek Langer SPORTS IN BRIEF * The Czech women's tennis team lost in the semifinals of the Fed Cup to Spain November 22. In Los Angeles, Daniela Bedanova (54th in the WTA rankings) lost to Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario (9) 1-2 and Kvetoslava Hrdlickova (43) was beaten by Conchita Martinez (5) 1-2. After a win in doubles, the Czech team lost overall 1-2. Spain will meet the United States in the finals. * Weightlifter Zbynek Vacura, accused of doping, can compete again. The Czech Weightlifting Union's Executive Council November 16 decided there was not enough evidence to prove Vacura's doping. Vacura's tests from the national team's summer camp show a higher level of DHEA (dehydroepiandrosteron). The result of the test was announced when Vacura was on his way to the Sydney Olympics, and he turned back in Kuala Lumpur. The Antidoping Committee does not agree with this decision and will appeal. The Czech Athletic Union, according to the precedent, allowed Roman Zubek, the fourth-place 100m sprinter in the Czech championships who was also accused of using DHEA, to compete. Martina Oplatkova, Mirek Langer/Mirek Langer WEATHER The average temperature was slightly less than 5 degrees Celsius/41 degrees Fahrenheit, but in the Czech lowlands and in Prague you could have enjoyed moments of up to 10 degrees Celsius/50 degrees Fahrenheit. Nevertheless, the cold, damp, fog and smog in Prague reminded us that fall is here. Snow lays only on the summits of Czech mountains, therefore skiing fans have to travel at least as far as the Austrian and Swiss Alps and climb to the 1200 meters/3600 feet, where the snow cover begins. English version edited by Michael Bluhm. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This news may be published only with attribution to CAROLINA. Subscription is free. Comments and remarks are appreciated. 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