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 403, Friday, January 26, 2001 FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK (January 17 - January 24) Parliament Approves Amendments to Czech TV Act, Strike Continues The Chamber of Deputies January 23 approved amendments to the Czech Television (CT) Act for the second time. Deputies of the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) and the ruling Social Democrats provided a majority in the chamber. The changes, first approved January 12, were returned to the chamber by the Senate with new proposals, but the Chamber of Deputies approved its original changes. President Vaclav Havel, despite stated reservations, signed the amendments immediately. The new law raises the number of CT Council members from nine to 15, with one-third of the members rotating every two years. Parliament keeps the right to approve CT Council members, but candidates will no longer be nominated by parties but by civic groups. The CT Council will still elect and recall the station's general director, and will monitor CT finances, but council meetings will now be open to the public. The new law temporarily gives Parliament some of the CT Council's powers. Parliament should elect a provisional CT general director within 14 days. Favorites for the post include CT Chief Producer Karel Kochman and former Prima TV General Director Katerina Fricova. The Parliament will also order a forensic audit. The situation remains critical, with the employees still on strike (see Carolina 400-402) and talks between the two sides so far fruitless. Gabriela Pribilova/Sofia Karakeva Pilip and Bubenik in Good Condition in Cuban Police Custody Deputy and former Finance Minister Ivan Pilip and businessman and 1989 student leader Jan Bubenik, arrested in Cuba January 12, met with their relatives for the first time January 21. Pilip met with his wife Lucie and Bubenik with his brother Martin in Havana's Villa Marista jail. Pilip's wife said both men are being treated well and are in good mental and physical condition. One day earlier Czech charge d'affaires in Havana Josef Marsicek was allowed to visit the men. According to the Cuban government, the two Czechs met while on their private visit to the island with members of counter-revolutionary groups. The Czechs are accused of having violated the paragraphs of the Cuban criminal code which forbid "actions against the security of the state and organizing with others for the purpose of provoking a counter-revolution." If convicted, the minimum sentence is five years in prison. They can be held up to 180 days while Cuban authorities complete an investigation. Prague has already sent two protest notes to Cuba, but received no answer. A mission of Czech politicians from across the spectrum is planning a visit to Cuba. The European Parliament, along with politicians and groups around the world, has asked Cuba to release the two. Gabriela Pribilova/Sofia Karakeva Zeman Courts Investments in Munich Prime Minister Milos Zeman met in Bavaria with representatives of the German automobile concern BMW and discussed a possible investment of 20 billion crowns in the Czech Republic. BMW might decide to build a factory in the Czech Republic; plans for the factory call for production to begin in 2004 with a capacity of up to 200,000 cars per year. The factory should employ almost 3.000 people. BMW is to decide from sites in the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary and Spain. Media outlets say the last two have little chance. During his one-day visit Zeman became the first Czech prime minister to meet with Sudeten German representative Johannes Boehm. Sudeten Germans were also one of the subjects Zeman discussed with his Bavarian counterpart Edmund Stoiber. Both parties took a step forward by discussing the problem. Until recently Prague considered the Berlin federal government its only partner for talks on the matter this problem and refused to discuss it with Bavaria. Both politicians to a Czech-Bavarian forum. Zeman said the common forum will not deal with property settlements, an issue he called closed. Pavla Reznickova/Sofia Karakeva Kopriva More Acceptable to ODA as Leader of Four-Party Coalition Civic Democratic Alliance (ODA) leaders met January 20 with the candidates for the leader of the Four-Party Coalition and decided that Jaroslav Kopriva of the Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) is more acceptable than Freedom Union (US) Chairman Karel Kuhnl because Kopriva has a clearer vision for the coalition and its shadow government. "I think Mr Kopriva better understood the problems and concerns of ODA. He has a more plausible vision on how in the Four-Party Coalition people could advance according to their qualities and not party affiliation," said ODA Chairman Daniel Kroupa. He is one of the eight delegates to the coalition organ that will elect the leader January 26 in Zdar nad Sazavou. The Freedom Union and the Christian Democrats each have three votes in the council, while ODA and the fourth party, the Democratic Union (DEU), each have one. Gabriela Pribilova/Ondrej Maly Jan Palach's Death Commemorated Dozens of people commemorated the death of Jan Palach in Prague and in his natal village Vsetaty in the Milevsko region. In 1969 Palach immolated himself January 16 on Prague's Wenceslas Square and died three days after. He was protesting against the lethargy of the Czech and Slovak people after Czechoslovakia's occupation by Warsaw Pact armies in August 1968. The memorials were not attended by any politicians. Palach was also remembered in Brussels. Ambassadors and local politicians agreed that Palach's deed was important for all of Europe and deserves remembrance in the seat of the EU. A memorial was unveiled there to recall Palach's deed in French and Flemish texts. Martina Parizkova/Veronika Hankusova NEWS IN BRIEF * Presidents of the Visegrad Four countries met January 19 in Poland. The highest officials of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary discussed mutual cooperation and EU integration. They expressed satisfaction and readiness for additional intensive cooperation. The presidents also expressed their sympathies with the two Czechs held in custody in Cuba. * Prime Minister Milos Zeman arrived for a two-day visit in Estonia January 18. Topics of talks were experiences in preparing to join the EU, extending mutual commercial relations and creating a Prague-Tallin flight. * The Prague City Court sentenced former pro tennis player, businessman and Civic Democratic Party (ODS) sponsor Milan Srejber to five and a half years in prison. He was convicted of abusing insider information (see Carolina 402). The defendant immediately appealed. Veronika Pavlu, Gabriela Pribilova/Ondrej Maly FROM SLOVAKIA Slovakia Alarmed by Czechs' Arrest in Cuba, Offers Help Slovak Foreign Minister Eduard Kukan offered help in connection with the arrest of Ivan Pilip and Jan Bubenik in Cuba. He offered to give Cuban diplomats documents after Cuba rejected two protest notes from the Czech Republic, prompting the Czech Foreign Ministry to ask surrounding states for help. Some Slovak politicians responded to the arrests - four members of the Christian Democratic Movement requested in a letter that Havana free Pilip and Bubenik. Chairman of the legislature's Committee for Civil and Ethnic Rights Laszlo Nagy proclaimed his disturbance at the Cuban embassy in Bratislava. The Fund for the Support of Independent Thinking in Prievidza exhorted citizens to overwhelm the Cuban embassy with e-mails demanding the release of both men. Veronika Pavlu/Veronika Hankusova ECONOMY Government Approves Temelin Environment Study A team of 10 experts will assess the environmental impact of the Temelin nuclear power plant. Four of the experts will be selected by the government, the other six will be from abroad. The government approved the plan January 17, fulfilling a promise given to Austria at talks held in Melk, Austria. The commission is to produce the final report by the end of May. Jiri Hanzlicek of the Trade Ministry said this is not a common practice in Europe, as with the project to be assessed already completed. Reviewing the impact of the plant on the environment is a standard task, Temelin was tested in 1986 and checks have been made continuously since then. The deal is a certain compromise; the audit will cost between 5 million crowns and 10 million crowns. The EU, Austria and the Czech Republic are to participate in financing. One reactor of the power plant has been out of order since January 17 to remove vibrations of the intake piping. The faults are to be remedied by February 5, when the plant's operations should be pushed to 45 per cent of capacity. Globopolis.com Down Globopolis.com, a Central-European lifestyle, leisure and tourism web page, is ceasing its business activity. One of the reasons is that American investors are now facing consequences of the steep fall of tech stocks at home. The future of the company, founded in 1999 by two Americans living in Prague, is not yet clear; possibilities include sale to a new strategic partner. The web pages are going to shut down by the end of January. Globopolis.com provided culture and social service for Prague, Bratislava, Budapest, Warsaw, Vienna, Berlin, Lublana, Cracow, Munich and Zagreb. ECONOMY IN BRIEF * The deficit between imports and exports in the Czech Republic surprisingly rose at the end of last year. In December, imports were up by 24 billion crowns, which made a total of 126.8 billion in 2000 imports, compared to 64.4 billion in 1999. Ladislav Pistora of the Czech Statistics Office presented the figures January 22. The increase was mainly brought about by rising prices of oil, other raw materials and chemical products and by the strengthening of the crown against the US dollar. * Almost 54,000 took early retirement in 2000, while about 39,000 people retired according to state regulations. This discrepancy was not as marked in 1999, yet there were more people who retired sooner than the state wishes. These early retirees are mostly people who lost their job or do not want to search for a new one anymore. They are considerably more expensive for the state, which is why the government intends to make later retirement more financially advantageous. * The Czech Republic banned imports of cattle and beef foodstuffs and feed from EU countries, except for Greece, Finland and Sweden, but almost no such products come from these countries. Agriculture Minister Jan Fencl said there is only one goal for the precaution: to keep the country free of the disease BSE. In 1994 the Czech Republic banned imports of beef from Great Britain and Switzerland, which is not an EU member. Economic news by Stepan Vorlicek/Stepan Vorlicek Rates at the Czech National Bank (valid January 26) -------------------------------------------------------------- 1 EUR = 34.890 country currency CZK ------------------------------------------ Australia 1 AUD 20.668 Great Britain 1 GBP 55.288 Denmark 1 DKK 4.673 Japan 100 JPY 32.330 Canada 1 CAD 25.105 IMF 1 XDR 49.225 Hungary 100 HUF 13.156 Norway 1 NOK 4.244 New Zealand 1 NZD 16.504 Poland 1 PLN 9.163 Slovakia 100 SKK 79.986 Slovenia 100 SIT 16.239 Sweden 1 SEK 3.907 Switzerland 1 CHF 22.852 USA 1 USD 37.996 Exchange Rates of countries participating in the euro (converted from the euro rate) country currency CZK ----------------------------------------- Germany 1 DEM 17.839 Belgium 100 BEF 86.490 Finland 1 FIM 5.868 France 1 FRF 5.319 Ireland 1 IEP 44.301 Italy 1000 ITL 18.019 Luxemburg 100 LUF 86.490 Netherlands 1 NLG 15.832 Portugal 100 PTE 17.403 Austria 1 ATS 2.536 Greece 100 GRD 10.239 Spain 100 ESP 17.839 CULTURE Best Graphic Arts at Old Town Hall The yearly awards for graphic arts were presented in Prague's Old Town Hall January 18. A record 300 artists took part in the seventh year of the Graphic of the Year competition, Ladislav Cepelak, who died in October, was chosen as the winner. The Vladimir Boudnik Award has been given annually to a living Czech artist for lifetime contribution to graphic art. This year the winner was Jan Mericka, known especially for works with the light effects of shining diodes. The contest's accompanying exhibit, displaying current Czech graphic art, enables comparison of the authors and gives a chance to beginning artists. The exhibit will be open at the Old Town Hall until the end of February. Project 100 Touring Film Festival Returns to Czech Cinemas The seventh year of the traveling festival featuring the world's best movies begins January 18. Project 100 will presents 12 films never seen in theaters before here in 85 cities. The films are chestnuts that most people have heard of but never seen. Current entries include Citizen Kane, Dr. Strangelove and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Some of the movies will be presented at the International Film, Television and Video Festival Febiofest 2001, which starts January 24 in Prague and will continue to 11 other Czech and seven Slovak cities, featuring more than 460 movies from 44 countries, with every continent represented. Culture news by Martina Parizkova/Adam Fendrych SPORTS Loprais Crowned King of Sahara Desert for Sixth Time Karel Loprais, the Tatra truck driver, recorded his sixth win in the Paris-Dakar Rally. He was accompanied by navigator Josef Kalina and mechanic Petr Hamerla. The 23rd edition of the traditional desert marathon finished January 21. Loprais' Tatra won the rally by the biggest margin in the history of truck competitions, beating its opponents by more then eight hours. The win was not so easy, Loprais said to Lidove noviny: "In the first stage in Morocco we blew one tire and the next day we blew the radiator. That was the most difficult moment of the competition." According to Loprais, the organizers decided to return to a difficult terrain, which poses serious obstacles for truck drivers. "In a truck, you cannot go over the dunes like in a car and jump at a speed of 100 mph. Whoever doesn't control his racing juices, damages his truck quickly," said Loprais. Loprais' biggest opponents, Russians Kabirov and Chaguin, broke their Kamazs. Also the other Czech truck driver Tomas Tomecek (racing with Tatra for Brazil's team) withdrew due to mechanic problems. Both Czech motorcycle riders, Oldrich Brazina and Josef Machacek, finished the rally in 28th and 43rd places, respectively. Plzen Loses to Ceske Budejovice in Hockey Extraleague In the hockey extraleague's 39th and 40th rounds, Plzen's loss to Ceske Budejovice at home was the biggest surprise. Budejovice broke a seven-year streak of losses on Plzen's ice. It led 3-0, Plzen tied it at 3-3 but then made decisive mistakes at the end of the game. Vitkovice also lost 2-3 to Trinec at home. On the contrary, Zlin defeated reigning champion Sparta and moved to the top of the standings. Vsetin lost at Slavia Praha and is behind Zlin on goal differential. Results of the 39th round: Slavia Praha - Znojmo 3-2, Pardubice - Sparta Praha 2-3, Plzen - Trinec 6-2, Kladno - Ceske Budejovice 0-3, Vitkovice - Havirov 2-5, Zlin - Karlovy Vary 5:2. Results of the 40th round: Plzen - Ceske Budejovice 3-5, Kladno - Pardubice 2-1, Znojmo - Havirov 3-2, Slavia Praha - Vsetin 2-1, Zlin - Sparta Praha 4-1, Vitkovice - Trinec 2:3. Litvinov's games against Vsetin and Karlovy Vary were postponed due to the flu epidemic in Litvinov. Standings: 1. Zlin 71 points, 2. Vsetin 71, 3. Pardubice 67, 4. Ceske Budejovice 61, 5. Sparta Praha 61, 6. Vitkovice 60, 7. Znojmo 58, 8. Litvinov 58, 9. Slavia Praha 54, 10. Plzen 54, 11. Trinec 54, 12. Kladno 47, 13. Havirov 44, 14. Karlovy Vary 43. SPORTS IN BRIEF * The Czech men's handball team lost 19-29 to Portugal in the opening game of the World Championships in Montpelier, France. * Colorado Avalanche forward Milan Hejduk reached first place in the NHL goal-scoring statistics, scoring his 28th goal in Anaheim January 21. * Tennis player Daniela Bedanova was eliminated from the Australian Open in the fourth round, losing to the United States' Serena Williams. Michal Tabara and Denisa Chladkova lost in the third round, Slava Dosedel and Bohdan Ulihrach finished in the second round, Jiri Vanek, Ota Fukarek and Adriana Gersi in the first round. Sports news by Ales Borovan/Mirek Langer WEATHER A slight warming of both day and night temperatures to near freezing have created almost ideal conditions for a flu epidemic, which has begun torturing Northern Bohemia (see postponed ice hockey match). 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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