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 409, Friday, March 9, 2001. FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK (February 28 - March 7) One Mandate Worth 900,000 Crowns Political parties will get as much as 900,000 crowns for each mandate in Parliament, according to changes to the State Subsidy Act approved March 2. The changes were legislators' reaction to the February 27 verdict of the Constitutional Court, which threw out a number of provisions in the law on party financing. The suit in the Constitutional Court was initiated by President Vaclav Havel, because some parts of the law suggested the subsidy be as much as 1 million crowns (see Carolina 408). "We see, briefly stated, that when something is desired it can happen quickly, like the legislative process in the most developed countries. Which I say with," said Constitutional Court Judge Vladimir Cermak about the quick decision of the deputies. The new financing rules allow state subsidies as high as 6 million crowns for parties which do not get into Parliament but receive at least 3 per cent of the vote. The act must be approved by the Senate and and signed by the president. Ales Borovan/Stepan Vorlicek Tougher Rape Penalties The Chamber of Deputies March 1 approved longer sentences for rape. The amendment to the Criminal Code changes the definition of rape and differentiates sentences according to the age of the victim. The amendment, proposed Chamber Vice Chairman Ivan Langer of the Civic Democratic Party (ODS), should be approved by the Senate and signed by the president. The changes were brought about by a series of sexually motivated assaults that took place in a southeastern Prague suburb last year. The existing law defines rape as sexual intercourse only, and only women can be the victims. This will change, as forced oral or anal intercourse will be considered rape, and the sentence will vary according to age of the victim. Also the fact that men can be raped will be taken into account. The sentence for raping someone younger than 15 will be up to 12 years in prison, if the victim is 15-18 years old, the maximum penalty will be 10 years. The sentence for raping a person older than 18 was not changed, it remains two to eight years in prison. Stepan Vorlicek/Stepan Vorlicek Freedom Union Rejects Greater Integration in Four-Party Coalition The delegates of the Freedom Union (US) national congress in Hradec Kralove March 3-4 rejected an offer by Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) Chairman Jan Kasal to start talks on closer integration of the Four-Party Coalition. The reason for the refusal was the fear that the Freedom Union will lose its identity in the integration process with the Christian Democrats, who have 80 years of tradition and a much larger and more stable electorate. Michael Hvizdala, Freedom Party delegate from Prague, said: "Integration cannot be considered at this time, because it would lead only to our merger and dissolution." However, some form of integration of the Four-Party Coalition will be necessary, because - according to the new Electoral Act - a coalition comprised of four parties must get 20 per cent of the vote to enter Parliament. Kasal, who came to the Freedom Union meeting as a guest speaker, said he was disappointed with the result of the debate. He hinted that if the integration talks would not start, ongoing talks on forming a joint Four-Party Coalition Senate club would be put aside as well. Katerina Komandova/Milan Smid Slovak President Schuster in Czech Republic Slovak President Rudolf Schuster and his wife Irena paid their second official visit to the Czech Republic March 1. During his two-day stay, Schuster visited Ceske Budejovice, Cesky Krumlov and Brno, and met President Vaclav Havel, Chamber of Deputies Chairman Vaclav Klaus and Prime Minister Milos Zeman in Prague. They talked about supporting Slovakia's efforts to join NATO, EU expansion, Romanies and the foreign policy of the four Visegrad countries (also including Poland and Hungary). Schuster and Havel said the duty-free regime at the Czech-Slovak border should be loosened even more. Vera Vonavkova/Stepan Vorlicek NEWS IN BRIEF * The neo-Fascist Republican party (SPR-RSC) was declared bankrupt by the Prague City Court February 28. The SPR-RSC had its deputies in the Czechoslovak and Czech Parliaments from 1992-98, and the deputies gained notoriety with their xenophobic and ultra-nationalist rhetoric. Former Party Chairman Miroslav Sladek has registered at the Interior Ministry a new party called Miroslav Sladek's Republicans, which should be the successor to the SPR-RSC. Vera Vonavkova/Milan Smid * Journalist Ivan Brezina February 28 won a libel suit against Prime Minister Milos Zeman, who said Brezina was a "corrupt journalist" who writes stories supporting the nuclear power plant Temelin and is "wrote as ordered by the Czech Energy Company (Ceske energeticke zavody, CEZ), he had a secret contract." Because the court ruled Zeman did not prove his claims, he must publish a public apology to Brezina and pay him damages of 300,000 crowns. The verdict has not yet come into force, and Zeman said he will probably appeal. Ales Borovan/Milan Smid * Petr Foglar, nephew of the Czech writer Jaroslav Foglar, won a lawsuit on inheritance of the writer's copyrights. The Prague City Court March 1 decided that the will of April 1996, which bequeaths all of the writer's assets (worth about 10 million crowns) to the Jaroslav Foglar Foundation, is invalid on technical grounds. Petr Foglar claims his uncle was almost blind in 1996 and might not have known what he was signing (see Carolina 406). The case is high on emotion and has sullied Foglar's past with discussion of alleged collaboration with the communist secret police. Stepan Vorlicek/Stepan Vorlicek FOREIGN AFFAIRS Zeman Visits Spain Spain said it supports the expansion of the European Union and will support the Czech Republic in its efforts to join the EU with the first wave of new member countries. Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar made the statements during the three-day official visit of Czech Prime Minister Milos Zeman to Spain that began March 4. Aznar's statement is positive for the Czech Republic because Spain is to chair the EU in the first half of the year 2002, when debate on the acceptance of new members will culminate. Madrid is also against having a temporary period when citizens of new member states would not be allowed to work freely in all EU countries. Zeman also visited Spanish King Juan Carlos I. The prime minister was accompanied by four members of his Cabinet: Finance Minister Pavel Mertlik, Trade Minister Miroslav Gregr, Agriculture Minister Jan Fencl and Education Minister Eduard Zeman. An accompanying group of Czech businessmen tried to step up trade cooperation with Spanish companies. Dana Zlatohlavkova/Veronika Hankusova ECONOMY More Problems in Temelin The recent monthlong shutdown of the Temelin nuclear power plant (JETE), caused by problems with the turbine, was not the last one. This time, the reactor was turned off March 8 due to the repairs of regulatory valves on steam pipes. Although apparently several more shutdowns will be needed to tune up the secondary part of the power plant, the management of the plant's owner, the Czech Energy Company (CEZ), says it will be possible to start Temelin at full power by the end of June - according to the original plan. However, the State Office for Nuclear Safety has begun making careful comments regarding the schedule for start-up. The press quoted the office's speaker Pavel Pitterman as saying the June deadline could be met "if CEZ takes a number of extraordinary measures." Katerina Komadova/Adam Fendrych Pilsen Highway Detour in Public Interest, Legislators Say The Chamber of Deputies passed a controversial bill February 28 stating that a highway detour around Pilsen (Plzen) is in the public interest. The law would simplify the purchase of private land and thus speed construction. Some deputies and ecological organizations say the bill is unconstitutional and are ready to bring a complaint to the Constitutional Court. Critics say the bill allows for an unconstitutional breach of the landowners' property rights. Authorities have dealt with the detour for almost 10 years. Citizens of Pilsen complain about the dreadful air caused by heavy traffic in the town center and demand action. The decision on the detour has been blocked by suits filed by ecological activists calling for another route for the planned D5 highway. David Pilar/Ondrej Maly Skoda Has a New Big Car The car factory from Mlada Boleslav introduced a new model - its largest - February 27 at the Geneva Motor Show. It was called the Skoda Montreux (the name will likely change once mass production begins) and production will start this year at the factory in Kvasiny. The Czech press has said the new Skoda is very similar to the Volkswagen Passat, but is 10cm longer. The car should have its official world premiere at the fall Frankfurt Motor Show. Another novelty, the Skoda Fabia Sedan, will enter the market in May, about six months after the introduction of the station wagon. The base price will be about 300,000 crowns. The factory predicts 30,000 sedans will be produced this year. The third surprise for Skoda customers is the new 4WD version of the Octavia. The vehicle is seen as the carmaker's answer to complaints about the station wagon being the only model available with 4WD. David Pilar/Adam Fendrych Rates at the Czech National Bank (valid March 10) -------------------------------------------------------------- 1 EUR = 34.720 country currency CZK ------------------------------------------ Australia 1 AUD 18 999 Great Britain 1 GBP 54.667 Denmark 1 DKK 4.652 Japan 100 JPY 31.134 Canada 1 CAD 24.009 IMF 1 XDR 48.162 Hungary 100 HUF 13.034 Norway 1 NOK 4.225 New Zealand 1 NZD 16.697 Poland 1 PLN 9.350 Slovakia 100 SKK 79.207 Slovenia 100 SIT 16.087 Sweden 1 SEK 3.841 Switzerland 1 CHF 22.532 USA 1 USD 37.235 Exchange Rates of countries participating in the euro (converted from the euro rate) country currency CZK ----------------------------------------- Germany 1 DEM 17.752 Belgium 100 BEF 86.069 Finland 1 FIM 5.839 France 1 FRF 5.293 Ireland 1 IEP 44.085 Italy 1000 ITL 17.931 Luxemburg 100 LUF 86.069 Netherlands 1 NLG 15.755 Portugal 100 PTE 17.318 Austria 1 ATS 2.523 Greece 100 GRD 10.189 Spain 100 ESP 20.867 CULTURE Hrebejk's movie Divided We Fall Dominates 2000 Czech Lions The Czech Film and Television Academy awarded its Czech Lions March 3 in Prague's Lucerna. The movie Loners (Samotari), directed by David Ondricek and written by Petr Zelenka, had 10 nominations but was given only one Czech Lion, for Jiri Machacek's performance in a supporting role. The evening's biggest winner was Jan Hrebejk's Divided We Fall (Musime si pomahat), which cashed in on five of its six nominations, including the award for best film. The story of courage and cowardice during the WWII Nazi protectorate won awards for best director (Hrebejk), screenplay (Petr Jarchovsky) and best actor and actress (Boleslav Polivka and Anna Siskova, who played a childless married couple who hide a young Jewish boy). Bouquet (Kytice), a dreamy fairy tale based on a book by Karel Jaromir Erben, was nominated in seven categories. The academy gave it the prizes for best camera (F. A. Brabec, who also directed the movie), sound (Jiri Klenka) and music score (Jan Jirasek). The movie Andel Exit, based on Jachym Topol's book, won the statuettes for artistic achievement, editing and best supporting actress (Eva Holubova). The movie that sold the most tickets last year was the fairy tale Princess from the Mill II (Princezna ze mlejna 2), directed by Zdenek Troska. Director Vera Chytilova was inducted into the Hall of Fame for her lifetime contribution to Czech and Czechoslovak film. The presentation of her award was attended by an actual lion, one of the unusual ideas of hosts Jaroslav Dusek and Martin Zbrozek, who were praised by critics for their edgy, improvisational comedy. From Lucerna Marketa Bartosova/Ondrej Maly SPORTS Soccer League: Siegl Scores Hat Trick as Pribram Defeats Blsany Pribram forward Horst Siegl scored three goals in a 19th-round soccer-league game against Blsany. Siegl, long-time star for Sparta Praha, came to Pribram at the end of the winter break. Thanks to Siegl, Pribram still has a chance to qualify for the European Cups. On the contrary, Slavia Praha absolved another unsuccessful attempt to move up in the standings. It led in Liberec 1-0 after Pavel Kuka's goal in the 30th minute. In injury time the Prague team's defense forgot about Petr Johana, who tied the game with his header. Sparta Praha has not lived up to expectations with its spring performances. The reigning champion, however, did manage to defeat Jablonec 2-0. Former Jablonec forward Radim Holub played well, he scored one goal and assisted on the other. Results of the 19th round: Liberec - Slavia Praha 1-1, Teplice - Zizkov 1-2, Ostrava - Ceske Budejovice 2-0, Plzen - Stare Mesto 1-0, Olomouc - Brno 3-0, Pribram - Blsany 3-0, Bohemians Praha - Drnovice 0-3, Sparta Praha - Jablonec 2-0. Standings: 1. Sparta Praha 46 points, 2. Olomouc 33, 3. Pribram 31, 4. Zizkov 29, 5. Liberec 28, 6. Teplice 27, 7. Stare Mesto 25, 8. Slavia Praha 25, 9. Drnovice 23, 10. Bohemians Praha 22, 11. Jablonec 19, 12. Ostrava 19, 13. Brno 17, 14. Blsany 17, 15. Ceske Budejovice 15, 16. Plzen 12. Vsetin Wins Regular Season of Hockey Extraleague, Sparta in Playoffs The top Czech hockey league just experienced the nearly annual battle for the final playoff spots in the last rounds of the regular season. Vsetin won the 52-game regular season, as it did two years ago, while reigning champion Sparta had to fight until the last game to make the playoffs. Karlovy Vary will play in the qualification round against the winner of the first league to determine which team will play in the extraleague next season. Sparta defeated Kladno 5-1 under the leadership of coach Frantisek Vyborny, who was rehired as coach, but then Sparta complicated its situation with a 0-1 loss in Litvinov. In the last game it had to fight for a playoff spot and won handily 6-1. Znojmo's performance was the biggest surprise of the season. The league rookie finished second in the standings. Results of the 50th round: Ceske Budejovice - Litvinov 1-4, Trinec - Slavia Praha 6-0, Havirov - Pardubice 2-4, Vsetin - Karlovy Vary 3-1, Plzen - Zlin 5-3, Znojmo - Vitkovice 4-5, Sparta Praha - Kladno 5-1. Results of the 51st round: Zlin - Trinec 6-4, Slavia Praha - Ceske Budejovice 5-4, Litvinov - Sparta Praha 1-0 OT, Vitkovice - Vsetin 3-2, Kladno - Havirov 6-4, Plzen - Znojmo 7-5, Pardubice - Karlovy Vary 2-1. Results of the 52nd round: Sparta Praha - Pardubice 6-1, Trinec - Plzen 3-4 OT, Znojmo - Slavia Praha 2-1 OT, Vsetin - Litvinov 2-2, Ceske Budejovice - Kladno 2-6, Havirov - Vitkovice 3-4, Karlovy Vary - Zlin 5-1. Final Standings: 1. Vsetin 99 points, 2. Znojmo 82, 3. Pardubice 82, 4. Litvinov 81, 5. Sparta Praha 80, 6. Vitkovice 80, 7. Slavia Praha 79, 8. Zlin 79, 9. Trinec 75, 10. Plzen 74, 11. Ceske Budejovice 72, 12. Kladno 62, 13. Havirov 62, 14. Karlovy Vary 49. Playoff quarterfinal matchups: Vsetin - Zlin, Znojmo - Slavia Praha, Pardubice - Vitkovice, Litvinov - Sparta Praha. SPORTS IN BRIEF * The Czech-Moravian Soccer Union (CMFS) President Frantisek Chvalovsky spent two days in police custody after being accused of loan fraud involving hundreds of millions of crowns. After paying bail set at 10 million crowns he was released and will remain free during the criminal proceedings. At the March 2 CMFS Executive Committee meeting Chvalovsky offered his resignation, but the majority of the committee voted for him to remain president. Petr Adam/Mirek Langer WEATHER The city of Prague was full of late winter sunshine, still not with the warmth of spring. The snow has melted and the first flowers of spring are appearing. The morning cold is lessened by the fact that we no longer have to get out of bed in the dark. Daytime temperatures got up over 10 degrees Celsius/50 degrees Fahrenheit in the middle of the week, and we'll be grateful for every further degree we can get. Dana Zlatohlavkova/Veronika Hankusova 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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