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 411, Friday, March 23, 2001. FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK (March 14 - March 21) Measures Against Foot-and-Mouth Disease Cause Problems at Borders The hygienic measures taken by the Czech Republic to stop the possible spread of foot-and-mouth disease from EU countries caused problems at border crossings during the second half of the past week. Since March 15 all visitors to the Czech Republic are required to disinfect their shoes by crossing mats containing disinfectants; the same measures are valid for vehicles. Border crossings with Germany were among the most affected - in Rozvadov visitors waited four hours to enter, and one hour less in Folmava. Customs officials also confiscated from visitors to the Czech Republic from EU countries and Poland food products (mainly meat products) that could transfer the highly infectious livestock disease. On the suggestion of hygienists, 70 smaller tourist border crossings with Germany, Austria and Poland were closed. During the weekend of March 17-18 delays at borders crossings decreased. Petr Adam/Sofia Karakeva Ed Fagan Versus Temelin American lawyer Ed Fagan, representing Austrian opponents of nuclear energy, made a surprise visit March 20 to the Temelin nuclear power station. Even though Temelin management had announced a day earlier that the earliest possible visit could be realized next week, it allowed Fagan to visit many parts of the complex. Fagan had the opportunity to visit the archive and look at materials he had requested. Speaker of the Upper Austria Platform against Nuclear Energy Josef Puehringer, Czech and Austrian environmental activists and journalists accompanied Fagan. At Temelin's gate members of the South Bohemia Fathers welcomed Fagan. The group was formed to counter the South Bohemia Mothers, which strongly opposes Temelin. During the press conference that followed the visit, Fagan extended by 30 days to April 19 his ultimatum to the Czech Energy Company (CEZ) and Westinghouse to present the documents he demanded. If he does not receive the documents, he says he will press charges against both companies in the Czech Republic and in USA. Temelin's reactor in the first block March 20 reached an output of almost 29 per cent. After a series of prescribed tests the output of the reactor is increasing. It has been turned off repeatedly during the testing process. Dana Zlatohlavkova/Sofia Karakeva Havel Chats On-Line President Vaclav Havel March 14 for the first time answered citizens' questions live on the Internet. The president, who communicates through all available media, cannot ignore the Internet, said his speaker Ladislav Spacek. Havel was prepared to answer all questions in order. Only vulgar questions were removed, said Spacek. The on-line discussion started at 2 p.m. and within seconds the presidential server (www.hrad.cz) was swamped and collapsed and no more questions could be sent. Havel managed within an hour to answer some of the almost 10,000 questions that made it through. The questions referred mainly to domestic and international politics, with Havel's personal interests and marriage also touched upon. Ales Borovan/Sofia Karakeva Czech House Hotel Contract - Corruption in the Foreign Ministry? The daily MF DNES March 20 broke the story of the lucrative, state-owned 10-story building in Moscow: Foreign Minister Jan Kavan and his staff - namely Karel Srba and Helena Opolecka - signed a highly suspicious rental contract with the company Czech House Hotel. The contract gives Czech House Hotel, which is registered in the Czech Republic, the exclusive right to use the building, which is a 15-minute walk from Red Square and includes hotel rooms, suites, a restaurant, bar, gym, sauna, office space and other utilities. The Foreign Ministry signed the contract after the government decided in October that all embassies should get rid of any side, commercial activities. The Czech House Hotel company is to pay the Czech state 28 million crowns over the five-year term of contract. Many provisions of the contract are unclear: the company is not registered in Russia, it uses the Czech embassy's bank account, it does not pay taxes to Russian authorities and enjoys diplomatic privileges. The contract also includes an exclusive right to purchase the lucrative state property, should it be sold. Czech Ambassador to Russia Jaroslav Basta objected to the deal and sent a protest letter to Kavan. However, Kavan dismissed Basta's objections, relying on legal opinions. Kavan also said the contract was fine to MF DNES March 20. One day later, Kavan admitted the contract is specious, and he promised to investigate the case and punish the persons responsible within a week. Gabriela Pribilova/Milan Smid Foreign Residents Need Czech Driver Licenses Foreign residents in the Czech Republic must exchange their original driver licenses for Czech licenses. The change is part of the Road Traffic Act valid from January. The three-month term to exchange foreign licenses expires April 1. If a foreigner does not request the new license in time, not only is he subject to heavy fines but insurance providers will not have to recognize claims. This temporary measure has raised negative responses from abroad, in particular from the USA and Canada, where the license serves primarily as an ID card. Gabriela Pribilova/Ondrej Maly New School Law Draft Has Emerged The controversial Education Act proposal of by Education Minister Eduard Zeman was approved by the government March 14. The minister fourth version of the bill was finally successful, but faces an uphill battle in the Chamber of Deputies. The most discussed aspect of Zeman's proposal is the abolition of eight-year secondary schools that, he says, drain grade schools of too many talented students. The law introduces new types of schools - kindergartens, artistic grade schools, language schools. It introduces a new legal term - the school entity, which would employ staff instead of the county office. The bill proposes curriculum frameworks. Schools will determine themselves how many hours they will devote to each particular subject. The needs of handicapped students are discussed. There is a new form of the graduation examination and adjusts the grading system. Verbal evaluation is made equal to traditional grading. Gabriela Pribilova/Ondrej Maly FOREIGN AFFAIRS After India, Zeman Visits South Korea Prime Minister Milos Zeman arrived March 15 in South Korea, after finishing his four-day official visit to India. After Spain not long ago, Asia is now the region where the prime minister is trying to persuade local businessmen to invest in the Czech Republic. Also, larger imports of Czech goods were discussed. The prime minister met representatives of Daewoo Motors, which has invested in the Czech Republic in Daewoo Avia Letnany, and with representatives of Samsung Electronics. The prime minister's traveling party was the same as in India - Finance Minister Pavel Mertlii, Trade Minister Miroslav Gregr and Agriculture Minister Jan Fencl. Korean President Kim Te-jung received him March 16. The delegation returned home March 18. Dana Zlatohlavkova/Ondrej Maly Kavan in Brussels: CR Wants Strong European Union The government of the Czech Republic supports the vision of strong central organs in the future form of the European Union, said Czech Foreign Minister Jan Kavan during his visit to Brussels March 19. He assured the EU representatives he wants a modern and flexible system based on social solidarity. With Kavan's visit, the nation became the first candidate country to join the discussion on reform of the EU's key organs. Petr Adam/Adam Fendrych FROM SLOVAKIA IN BRIEF * March 14 commemorates the 62nd anniversary of the first Slovak state, founded as a Nazi puppet state by Catholic priest Jozef Tiso during World War II. Only some 200 members of various nazi organizations honored the regime, celebrations were used as an opportunity for demonstrations by several hundred people against racism. Thanks to well prepared policemen, the groups did not clash. * Guy Verhofstadt, prime minister of Belgium, made a visit to Slovakia March 14. At his meeting with President Rudolf Schuster and Premier Mikulas Dzurinda, he said he appreciated Slovakia's efforts to join the EU among the first group of new members and praised the government for seeking a solution to the Romany issue, as there has been a decrease in the number of Slovak Romany applications for asylum in Belgium. * Antiseptic chlorine mats were placed March 15 at all border crossings (except for crossings shared with the Czech Republic), at the M. R. Stefanik International Airport in Bratislava and at certain railway stations to prevent the spread of foot-and-mouth disease to Slovakia. * Interior and justice ministers from the EU and its associate states settled on joint visa policy (except of Great Britain and Ireland) at a March 16 meeting in Brussels. Slovakia was added to the so-called White List of safe countries, which means Belgium and Denmark will have to annul visa requirements for Slovak citizens. * The Slovak Statistics Office March 16 released the country's economic indexes. Yearly GDP growth in 2000 was 2.2 per cent and is rising. The inflation rate has fallen from 12 per cent in 1999 to 7 per cent in 2000. From Slovakia by Zdenek Sloboda/Adam Fendrych ECONOMY Detour around Pilsen Launched Transportation Minister Jaromir Schling and Regional Development Minister Petr Lachnit March 19 laid the foundation stone for the freeway detour around Pilsen (Plzen). This part of the Prague-Nuremberg freeway is eight kilometers long and will be connected to the highway toward Klatovy and Zelezna Ruda. The road will cost about 2.5 billion crowns and should be finished by mid-2003. The construction is hindered by disputes among politicians, Pilsen representatives and environmentalists. The Chamber of Deputies February 28 decided that the most controversial section is in the public interest. That vote must be approved by the Senate and signed by the president, and if passed will give the detour special status. Ecologists strongly protest against the detour and say they will file a complaint with the Supreme Court. State Debt Increasing The Finance Ministry March 17 released figures regarding the state debt. The debt last year reached a record 289 billion crowns, which is 60 billion crown more than the 1999 level. The total debt is about 30,000 crowns per capita. The increase was brought about by the budget deficit of up to 45 billion crowns, as well as by settling the 14.4-billion-crown debt of the Consolidation Bank. The ministry forecasts that the debt might exceed 600 billion crowns in two years. That would cause great problems for the Czech economy, which is now getting out of a recession. Ministry to Fight Illegal Employment The government March 14 approved its plan for the Employment Act. The new act would enable unemployed people to receive unemployment compensation while earning some money in occasional jobs. The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs plans that unemployed people would not be allowed to earn more than half the minimum wage, now 2,500 crowns a month. People who work more than 20 hours a week could not receive compensation. This measure is intended to stop illegal, untaxed moonlighting. "If the unemployed had the possibility to work legally, their official earnings would thanks to that be higher and the state would have to pay as much money in social benefits," said to the daily MF DNES Ladislava Steinichova of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. Economy news by David Pillar/Stepan Vorlicek Rates at the Czech National Bank (valid March 24) -------------------------------------------------------------- 1 EUR = 34.460 country currency CZK ------------------------------------------ Australia 1 AUD 19 042 Great Britain 1 GBP 55.095 Denmark 1 DKK 4.615 Japan 100 JPY 31.249 Canada 1 CAD 24.598 IMF 1 XDR 49.202 Hungary 100 HUF 12.928 Norway 1 NOK 4.244 New Zealand 1 NZD 16.008 Poland 1 PLN 9.355 Slovakia 100 SKK 78.951 Slovenia 100 SIT 15.927 Sweden 1 SEK 3.726 Switzerland 1 CHF 22.537 USA 1 USD 38.747 Exchange Rates of countries participating in the euro (converted from the euro rate) country currency CZK ----------------------------------------- Germany 1 DEM 17.619 Belgium 100 BEF 85.424 Finland 1 FIM 5.796 France 1 FRF 5.253 Ireland 1 IEP 43.755 Italy 1000 ITL 17.797 Luxemburg 100 LUF 85.424 Netherlands 1 NLG 15.637 Portugal 100 PTE 17.189 Austria 1 ATS 2.504 Greece 100 GRD 10.113 Spain 100 ESP 20.711 CULTURE Eighth Days of European Film Festival Spanish director Carlos Saura presented his film Goya in Bordeaux March 18 in Prague's 64 U Hradeb cinema, a showing that closed the Days of European Film festival's eighth stay in Prague. Within ten days people could see in Prague 36 films, mostly Czech premiers, from the countries of the European Union and the Czech Republic. The festival is now going to be moved to Brno where it will run another ten days to March 28. The project is unique because it is organized by the Ministry of Culture and also by delegation of European Commission in the Czech Republic, legation of council of states of EU, Goethe Institut, Austrian Cultural Institut, British Council and Eurimage Fund. These co-organizators are guarantees that all introduced films will be the best production of Europe in past few years. Films shown included the Swedish comedy Everything is Always Different Than You Want, the Spanish psychological drama When Will You Return to My Side? One great example of family comedy was the Italian film Bread and Tulips, which won nine awards given by Italian Film Academy in 2000. Films for young people also included the film F. is a Bastard (Switzerland/France), about a homosexual, and the German-Turkish road movie In July and the Dutch rock retro from the backwoods Wild Mussels. Zdenek Sloboda/Veronika Hankusova No Surprises at Pop-Music Academy Awards Ceremony The Czech Pop-Music Academy awarded its annual prizes for tenth times in the live TV show organized at the Expo Palace (Veletrzni palac). The results in the six major categories: group of the year - Monkey Business; male singer of the year - Dan Barta; female singer of the year - Lenka Dusilova; newcomer of the year - Monkey Business; song of the year - Buty, Above the Herd of Horses (Nad stadem koni); album of the year - Dan Barta, Illustratosphere. Besides these categories, voted on live during the show, six other genre categories were awarded by critics: best video - Dan Barta, I Suppose (Predpokladam); best heavy-metal artist - Silent Stream of Godless Elegy; best dance, rap and hip-hop artist - Ohm Square; best ethno and alternative artist - Rale; best jazz and blues artist - Roman Pokorny; best folk and country artist - Karel Plihal. Milan "Mejla" Hlavsa, bassist and leader of the Plastic People of the Universe, was inducted posthumously into the Hall of Fame. The award was accepted by President Vaclav Havel, who provided the biggest surprise of the evening. See also http://www.aph.cz. Pavel Frinta/Veronika Hankusova CULTURE IN BRIEF * Matej Kopecky, a member of the legendary family of puppeteers, died March 14 in Prague at the age of 77. Kopecky was one of those who played at country fairs where performances with marionettes were accompanied by circuses and street artists. During the 50's the family was not allowed to perform because of restrictions against private business. Kopecky returned to his profession in the Dragon Theater (Divadlo Drak) in Hradec Kralove where he worked almost for 30 years. His most famous plays were Faust and Enspigl. * The Czech Center in New York opened the Days of Czech Baroque culture festival March 14. The project is organized in connection with exhibit The Fame of Baroque Bohemia (Slava barokni Cechie) arranged by the National Gallery. The project will be inaugurated by an exhibit of Vladimir Uher called The Beauty of Baroque Architecture (Krasy barokni architektury). * Czech Television is presenting a 13-part documentary called Alternative Culture - the first part could be seen on CT2 on the evening of March 16. The first few parts will introduce America's Beat Generation, later segments include Czech alternative culture, the Russian underground, various art communities in Europe and the punk invasion. Marie Sternova/Veronika Hankusova SPORTS Match of the Year: Eight Goals in Soccer Derby Traditional rivals Sparta Praha and Slavia Praha met in the 21st round of the soccer league. Sparta lost its lead in the last minute of the game, when Tomas Kuchar's goal saved a point for Slavia with a 4-4 draw. Sparta leads the standings, Slavia moved into seventh place. The largest crowd of the season, 16,350 spectators, saw the drama. Sparta led 2-0 at the half after Jiri Jarosik and Marek Kincl's goals, but it allowed Pavel Kuka to tie with two goals in six minutes. Kuka, the active leading scorer on the national team, replied later to Josef Obajdin's goal for a pure hat trick, his first after his return from Germany. After a header by Radim Holub, Kuchar's long-distance shot decided the final score. The fans left the game in thrall. Czech journalists called the 250th Sparta-Slavia intracity derby the best game of the season. Kuka said, "We probably aren't going to play soccer like that till the end of the season." Results of the 21st round: Sparta Praha - Slavia Praha 4-4, Olomouc - Jablonec 1-0, Pribram - Zizkov 2-1, Brno - Blsany 0-0, Bohemians Praha - Plzen 3-1, Teplice - Ceske Budejovice 4-1, Ostrava - Drnovice 2-0, Liberec - Stare Mesto 2-1. Standings: 1. Sparta Praha 50, 2. Olomouc 37, 3. Pribram 35, 4. Teplice 33, 5. Liberec 31, 6. Zizkov 30, 7. Slavia Praha 27, 8. Stare Mesto 26, 9. Bohemians Praha 26, 10. Drnovice 26, 11. Ostrava 23, 12. Jablonec 22, 13. Blsany 21, 14. Brno 19, 15. Ceske Budejovice 15, 16. Plzen 12. Slavia Kept by Malek in Hockey Extraleague Quarterfinals The hockey extraleague playoffs reached the fifth games of the first-round best-of-seven series. Pardubice, Sparta and Slavia took the 3-2 leads in their series, while Zlin managed to cut into the 3-1 lead of Vsetin. Slavia goalkeeper Roman Malek was the hero of the tie against Znojmo, he did not allow a goal in three games in a row and helped Slavia turn its series around against Znojmo. He confirmed his standing as the regular-season leader in save percentage. Reigning champion Sparta Praha defeated Litvinov despite many injuries. Litvinov lost injured captain Robert Reichel, who will not play again this season. Zlin prolonged the series against Vsetin thanks to solid defense and a lucky goal. Hockey extraleague playoffs results: Zlin - Vsetin 3-5, 1-2, 2-0 (Vsetin leads 3-2). Slavia Praha - Znojmo 6-0, 1-0, 3-0 (Slavia leads 3-2). Vitkovice - Pardubice 1-4, 4-3, 1-6 (Pardubice leads 3-2). Sparta Praha - Litvinov 1-0, 2-3 on penalty shots, 4-1 (Sparta leads 3-2). SPORTS IN BRIEF * Frantisek Chvalovsky, chairman of the Czech-Moravian Soccer Union, is again in jail. He was arrested by the police because the court feared he might influence witnesses. Chvalovsky was first taken into custody February 27 and accused of a 640-million-crown loan fraud. He was free for 15 days, after paying 10 million crowns in bail. Sports news by Adam Fendrych/Mirek Langer WEATHER Spring, indeed. It's warm, it rains, it's cold, it's windy, the sun shines, then it rains again, all day March 21 it snowed. The first day of spring. 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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