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 406, Friday, February 16, 2001. FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK (February 7 - February 14) Havel Cuts Gulf Trip Short Because of Health Problems President Vaclav Havel has been hospitalized in Prague-Stresovice's Central Military Hospital since February 12. Doctors prescribed him antibiotics to prevent the development of pneumonia. Havel will remain in hospital most probably until the end of the week. The president suffers from chronic bronchitis since December 1996, when doctors removed a malignant tumor and part of his right lung. Apparently the dry climate of the Arabian Peninsula, where Havel was on official visits, caused the problems. During the weekend Havel initiated the first trip of the Czech head of state to the peninsula. Saudi Arabia was the first stop for Havel and his wife Dagmar. The main reason for this visit was to strengthen economic ties. King Fahd held a gala dinner in Havel's honor where the president met with important representatives of Arabia. Havel then traveled to Kuwait, where the Czech delegation met with Emir Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al Sabah. The presidential couple was accompanied by a business delegation including representatives of Tatra, Skoda Praha and Nova Hut. Because of the health problems Havel had to cancel his trip to the United Arab Emirates and returned to the Czech Republic in an airplane loaned to Havel by the emir. Marie Valaskova/Sofia Karakeva Interim Czech Television Director Appointed - Strike Ends The working strike at public-service broadcaster Czech Television (CT) ended at noon February 10, one day after the Chamber of Deputies elected former CT producer Jiri Balvin, 47, interim general director (see Carolina 400-406). The CT union agreed to the end of protests after Balvin rescinded all notices given to more than 30 news reporters and editors by the appointees of the former General Director Jiri Hodac (see Carolina 402). Those appointees, namely News Director Jana Bobosikova and Financial Director Jindrich Beznoska, were dismissed from their positions and have since left CT. Former caretaker CT director Vera Valterova returned to her previous position in the legal department. Marie Valaskova/Milan Smid Government Approves Education Reform Prime Minister Milos Zeman's Cabinet February 7 approved the national program of education, the so-called White Book prepared by the Education Ministry. The reform bill must yet be accepted by the Chamber of Deputies. Education Minister Eduard Zeman said he expects a smooth passage. The main points of the program: at least 50 per cent of the Czech population should attain more than a high-school education by 2005, to reduce the emphasis on rote memorization of facts, to establish a single state exam as the conclusion of secondary education, to focus on foreign languages (two compulsory foreign languages during primary education, with the first one beginning in third grade) and to integrate gifted pupils with the handicapped children in common classes. The development of independent, logical thought should be emphasized along with a more practical curriculum. The number of schools offering a continuous middle-school and high-school curriculum should be reduced. This plan for reduction has met with some disagreement, while the program's other weak points are its financial plans and the lack of capable teachers. Marie Valaskova/Sofia Karekeva NEWS IN BRIEF * The Social Democrats' (CSSD) regional organizations supported the candidacy of party Vice Chairman and Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla for the position of party boss chairman after current Chairman, Prime Minister Milos Zeman, retires from the position at the April party congress. Spidla, who is currently the only candidate, also heads the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. * The planned full launch of the Temelin nuclear power station (JETE), planned for February 11, was postponed again. Temelin management decided to delay start-up until about February 20, when problems with vibrations in the non-nuclear portion on the plant should be fixed. The commission named by the Czech government, including representatives of Austria, Germany and the EU, began February 13 its analysis of Temelin's effect on the environment. Petr Adam/Sofia Karaleva FOREIGN AFFAIRS Czechs Ready to Make Concessions to Speed EU Entry The Czech Republic may give up its demands for some relief from EU rules in order to speed up the process of joining the European Union, said Prime Minister Milos Zeman February 12 during his two-day visit to Belgium. The Czech Republic will no longer ask for concessions in the fields of electricity pricing, environmental policy, VAT tariffs in telecommunication, and gasoline taxes. A similar policy was adopted also by other EU candidate countries. During his stay in Brussels, Zeman met Belgian King Albert II and Premier Guy Verhofstadt, they discussed European integration. Czech Trade Minister Miroslav Gregr talked with representatives of Belgian industry about potential investments in the Czech Republic. Zeman also met managers of Belgium's KBC Bank, which is the largest banking house in the Czech Republic through its ownership of the Czechoslovak Trade Bank (Ceskoslovenska obchodni banka, CSOB) and the Investment and Postal Bank (Investicni a postovni banka, IPB). Petr Adam/Milan Smid Vladimir Zelezny Must Return 27 million USD to Lauder's CME After nearly two-years, the International Court of Arbitration decided that Vladimir Zelezny, general director of the television station TV NOVA, must return 27 million USD to his former partner, Central European Media Enterprises (CME), while CME must return to Zelezny 5.8 per cent of the Czech Independent Television Company (Ceska nezavisla televizni spolecnost, CNTS). CNTS was a joint venture between three partners: CME; the owner of NOVA's license, the company CET 21; and the Czech Savings Bank (Ceska sporitelna, CS). In 1997 CME bought out the interests of its partners in CNTS and controlled 99 per cent. However, Zelezny, at that time majority owner of the CET 21, in 1999 ended the partnership between license-holder CET 21 and exclusive service-provider CNTS. Zelezny in August 1999 renewed NOVA's broadcasting with a new service company, Czech Production (Ceska produkcni). The arbitration court found Zelezny violated the non-competition clause of the agreement between him and CME. The enforcement of the judgment shall be undetaken by Czech courts. Cosmetics heir Ronald Lauder, the majority owner of CME, has two other suits pending against the Czech Republic, claiming the state violated the US-Czech and Dutch-Czech Treaties on the Protection of Investments. Arbitration shall proceed under the UN Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL). Martin Roubal/Milan Smid FROM SLOVAKIA Schuster meets Klestil and Putin in Austria Slovak President Rudolf Schuster met his Austrian opposite Thomas Klestil in the Austrian ski resort of St. Christoph February 10-11. They discussed finishing the Bratislava-Vienna highway and also the joint candidacy of the countries for the 2012 Summer Olympics. Schuster also met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who spent four days in the Alps. The subject of their talks was the same as during the visit of Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov to Slovakia last week - finishing the construction of the gas and oil pipeline. Both men agreed the initiative now lies in the hands of Ukraine. Zdenek Sloboda/Simon Dominik FROM SLOVAKIA IN BRIEF * Discussion of an amendment to the Slovak Constitution that began in the National Assembly January 30 (see Carolina 404) is being dragged out by many new motions submitted by government and opposition parties. Despite an earlier agreement on the constitutional amendment, the Christian Democrats (KDH) are now asking for a ban on abortions as a condition for their approval of the amendment. The condition has raised the ire of coalition partners and the general public. * Since February, Slovakia has experienced higher prices for nearly all goods and services. The biggest price hike is in rents (in state flats up to 45 per cent), gas and heating are up 20 per cent, electricity 16 per cent, water 20 per cent. The increase in prices for rail service (15 per cent) and bus transport (20 per cent) as well as for postal services (10 per cent) will project into an increase in the prices of foodstuffs and consumer goods. Zdenek Sloboda/Milan Smid ECONOMY IN BRIEF * The country's rate of unemployment rose by three-tenths of a point in January to 9.1 per cent. Economists say the rate should decline with the promised arrival of foreign investments and accelerated growth. * The Mexican firm Nemak wants to build a factory for the production of car-engine parts in Pilsen (Plzen). Prime Minister Milos Zeman said he supports the company's plan to invest 6 billion crowns here. Pilsen politicians February 9 asked Zeman for his support after voicing fears that the company might abandon its plans because of the protests of ecological activists against building the factory. Marketa Bartosova/Michael Bluhm Rates at the Czech National Bank (valid February 16) -------------------------------------------------------------- 1 EUR = 34.510 country currency CZK ------------------------------------------ Australia 1 AUD 19.914 Great Britain 1 GBP 55.000 Denmark 1 DKK 4.624 Japan 100 JPY 32.556 Canada 1 CAD 24.763 IMF 1 XDR 48.884 Hungary 100 HUF 12.992 Norway 1 NOK 4.201 New Zealand 1 NZD 16.137 Poland 1 PLN 9.220 Slovakia 100 SKK 78.593 Slovenia 100 SIT 16.014 Sweden 1 SEK 3.831 Switzerland 1 CHF 22.490 USA 1 USD 37.819 Exchange Rates of countries participating in the euro (converted from the euro rate) country currency CZK ----------------------------------------- Germany 1 DEM 17.645 Belgium 100 BEF 85.548 Finland 1 FIM 5.804 France 1 FRF 5.261 Ireland 1 IEP 43.819 Italy 1000 ITL 17.823 Luxemburg 100 LUF 85.548 Netherlands 1 NLG 15.660 Portugal 100 PTE 17.214 Austria 1 ATS 2.508 Greece 100 GRD 10.128 Spain 100 ESP 20.741 CULTURE Czech Movie Divided We Fall Receives Oscar Nomination Jan Hrebejk's bittersweet comedy Divided We Fall (Musime si pomahat, see Carolina 367) will compete against the favored Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (directed by Ang Lee of Taiwan), which was nominated in nine other categories, the Mexican film Amores Perros, Belgium's Everybody Famous! and France's The Taste of Others in the category for Best Foreign Film in the American Oscars. Czechoslovak and Czech films have received seven such nominations in the past, which turned into three prestigious golden statuettes: Shop on the Corso (Obchod na korze, directed by the Slovak duo of Jan Kadar and Elmar Klos in 1965), Closely Watched Trains (Ostre sledovane vlaky, Jiri Menzel, 1966) and Kolya (Kolja, Jan Sverak, 1996). The awards ceremony is March 25. Eva Hejzlarova/Simon Dominik Jan Svankmajer Receives Andrzej Wajda Freedom Award Filmmaker Jan Svankmajer was honored by the American Cinematography Foundation on the occasion of the Freedom Film Showcase, part of the Berlin International Film Festival. He received the prize from the hands of Polish director Andrzej Wajda February 11. The award is given every year to Central and East European filmmakers who significantly contribute to the understanding of the value of freedom and to the support of plurality, democracy and equality. Eva Hejzlarova/Simon Dominik SPORTS Czech Republic Loses to Sweden in Davis Cup Czech tennis players had a chance to advance to the Davis Cup's second round until the last singles match of the tie in Sweden. Jiri Novak lost to Thomas Johansson and the Czechs lost 2-3. They will have to play a qualification round to stay in the elite group of the Davis Cup. Bohdan Ulihrach proved to be in excellent form, winning both Czech points. Ulihrach beat Johnasson in the first singles match February 9 with a promising performance; Novak then played a dramatic five-set battle with world number five, Magnus Norman. Novak came back from 0-2 in sets to 2-2 and in the fifth set came back from 1-5 in games to 4-5, but it was not enough to win. The doubles stumble of Novak and David Rikl, when they failed to convert their lead in the match, was decisive. Swedes Niklas Kulti and Jonas Bjorkman won the crucial third set in a tiebreaker and the match in four sets. Ulihrach ruled also in his second single. He beat Norman 3-0 in 87 minutes. In the fifth game, Novak collapsed in the first set's tie-break, losing 0-7. Johansson then controlled the rest of the match. Results: Johansson - Ulihrach 3-6, 7-5, 2-6, 5-7. Norman - Novak 7-6, 6-1, 1-6, 2-6, 6-4. Bjorkman, Kulti - Novak, Rikl 6-2, 4-6, 7-6, 7-5. Norman - Ulihrach 3-6, 2-6, 1-6. Johansson - Novak 7-6, 6-3, 6-7, 6-2. Swedish Hockey Games: Czech Hockey Players Defeat only Sweden Czech hockey players recorded three losses and one win in the Swedish Hockey Games, which was enough to finish in the fourth place. In the standings of the Euro Hockey Tour, the unofficial European Championships, they finished last among the four elite European teams. The low-scoring production was the worst liability of the team, which should have been preparing itself for the upcoming World Championships. The players scored six goals in four games. On the other hand, both goalkeepers - Dusan Salficky and Vladimir Hudacek - performed traditionally well. After a 1-2 loss to Russia in the opening game played in Pardubice, Czech Republic, the Czechs lost 2-3 in overtime to Finland in Stockholm. Against the Canadian team, built from players who play for the European clubs, the Czechs played their worst game and lost 1-3. In the last game of the tournament, the Czech Republic surprised the home team. Goalkeeper Salficky put Swedish players and fans out with his brave saves. Four minutes before the end of regular time Pavel Vostrak scored the winner. Sweden Hockey Games, final standings: 1. Sweden 9 points, 2. Finland 8, 3. Canada 6, 4. Czech Republic 4, 5. Russia 3. Euro Hockey Tour final standings: 1. Finland 22 points, 2. Russia 19, 3. Sweden 17, 4. Czech Republic 14. Hockey Extraleague: Slavia Eight Games without a Loss After a break caused by the Czech team's participation in the Sweden Hockey Games, Slavia Praha's players continued their hot streak in the hockey extraleague. They defeated Kladno in overtime 3-2, extending their winning streak to eight games and moving into eighth place in the standings. However, the situation around eighth place in the standings - the last playoff spot - is still unclear and the playoff teams are far from clear. On the contrary, traditional playoff participant Trinec could not end its malaise, although its captain and last season's top scorer Richard Kral returned after an injury. Trinec lost to league leader Vsetin 0-2 at home. Fans in Ceske Budejovice saw 11 goals as reigning champion Sparta Praha won the game in overtime thanks to Richard Zemlicka's hat trick. Results of the 44th round: Trinec - Vsetin 0-2, Plzen - Karlovy Vary 5-3, Zlin - Havirov 1-2, Vitkovice - Litvinov 2-2, Ceske Budejovice - Sparta Praha 5-6 OT, Znojmo - Pardubice 4-3, Slavia Praha - Kladno 3-2 OT. Standings: 1. Vsetin 83 points, 2. Zlin 74, 3. Litvinov 71, 4. Pardubice 70, 5. Sparta Praha 69, 6. Vitkovice 67, 7. Znojmo 66, 8. Slavia Praha 65, 9. Ceske Budejovice 65, 10. Trinec 59, 11. Plzen 57, 12. Havirov 53, 13. Kladno 51, 14. Karlovy Vary 43. SPORTS IN BRIEF * Czech national hockey team manager Frantisek Cernik announced the names of the eight players who will play for the Czech Republic in the Salt Lake City 2000 Olympics. The list includes goalkeeper Dominik Hasek, the star of the Nagano 1998 Olympic champions, and the man who scored the goal that won the gold medal in Nagano, Petr Svoboda. Jaromir Jagr, Martin Rucinsky, Martin Straka, Patrik Elias, Petr Sykora, Milan Hejduk and substitute Radek Bonk signed their Olympic contracts. * Josef Masopust, the most successful Czech soccer player of the 20th century, turned 70 February 9. The legendary midfield player of the famed 60's teams of Dukla Praha is the only Czech player to win the Golden Ball as top European player (1962). He was a member of the Czech side that won the silver in the 1962 World Championships. Sports News by Petr Adam/Mirek Langer WEATHER Because daily temperatures are constantly (with the exception of some frosty nights) above the freezing point, it's no wonder that snow is nearly nonexistent here. Some Czech mountain resorts have been able to offer skiing only with the help of fake snow. In the lowlands the first flowers of spring have been seen. Global warming? Who knows. 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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