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 427, Friday, July 27, 2001. FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST TWO WEEKS (JULY 11 - JULY 25) Germany Appeals for Shutdown of Temelin Nuclear Power Station The German government called upon the Czech Republic July 17 to reconsider and to stop the process of putting into use the Temelin nuclear power station. The Czech government refused to comment on the appeal. The German government is not pleased with Temelin's technical equipment and believes it a high safety risk. The appeal also states the electricity to be produced by Temelin is unnecessary, because the Czech Republic has a surplus of energy. Czech Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla said July 18 that only the Czech government will decide the future of Temelin. He also claimed the power plant is safe and its German opponents have no reason to be afraid. Czech Prime Minister Milos Zeman expressed the same statements concerning the safety of Temelin. John Ritch, president of World Nuclear Association, defended Temelin in the Czech daily Pravo July 17. Ritch told German Environment Minister Jurgen Trittin not to interfere into matters of foreign states and to get better information concerning the safety of Temelin. German Foreign Minister Joschka Fisher July 23 supported his German colleagues and repeatedly called on Czech politicians to stop Temelin. Fisher said the matter does not harm Czech-German relations nor will it jeopardize the Czech Republic's accession into the European Union. Romanies Want to Sue the Czech Republic Representatives of Romanies living in Ostrava are about to sue the Czech Republic because it agreed with the British immigration control procedure in Prague's Ruzyne Airport preceding flights to Britain. Because of the measure - through which the British want to stop the continuing flow of Romany asylum applicants from the Czech Republic - dozens of Czechs were not allowed to fly to Britain. The Czech Foreign Ministry explains the measure, enacted July 18, as an effort to prevent visa requirements for all Czech citizens. Czech KFOR Unit Changes Another regular exchange of the Czech KFOR unit in Kosovo began July 25 with the first flight of soldiers of the 11th Expeditionary Force. Tweenty-three functionaries of the unit flew out July 19 to make preparations for the new soldiers. The remaining soldiers will fly to Kosovo July 31. The soldiers replace the 7th Mechanized Brigade, which has been in Kosovo since February. Defense Ministrty Breaks Law, according to Czech Television Report Czech Television reported that the Czech Insurance Company (Ceska pojistovna) received a 35-million-crown contract last year from the Defense Ministry without a public tender being held, a violation of the law requiring all state purchases exceeding 100,000 to be done by public tender. The ministry gave the insurance company the contract for the ministry's compulsory insurance for all vehicles used by the Czech Army and the ministry. The Czech Insurance Company said all negotiations with the ministry were transparent. The ministry opened a tender for the contract last fall, but then closed it after claming none of the entrants met the conditions of the tender. A new tender was not held. The contract expires this year. FROM SLOVAKIA Yoga Prompts Battle between Education Ministry and Churches The Catholic and Evangelical churches are vehemently protesting the Education Ministry including yoga among non-compulsory subjects able to be taught at elementary and high schools. The ministry's project allows for 400 teachers - graduates of a baisc yoga course - to lead the course. The Slovak Bishops' Conference rejected the project, saying ideological influence and manipulation are inseparable from the physical aspects of yoga. The bishops also criticize Svami Mahevesvarananda of India, who presented the project to the ministry. FROM SLOVAKIA IN BRIEF * Slovakia breached the freedom of speech of writer Lubomir Feldek, according to a decision of the Euroepan Court for Human Rights in Strasbourg. The Slovak Supreme Court decided against Feldek in a suit filed against him by former Culture Minister Dusan Slobodnik. Feldek charged Slobodnik in a newspaper article with having a Fascist past, Slobodnik sued, the Slovak Supreme Court ordered Feldek to apologize. Feldek then appealed to Strasbourg. * Lt. Colonel Lubomir Orsag, 42, died July 20 when the jeep he was riding in with a Norwegian soldier and their Albanian translator set off a mine on the way from Skopje to Tetovo. ECONOMY Deputies Reject State's Final Account for Last Year The Government July 13 presented to the Chamber of Deputies its final accounts for 2000. Deputies rejected the accounting, because the government exceeded the approved deficit. The deficit of 46 billion crowns exceeded the approved deficit by 11 billion crowns. Because there is no law specifying what the government should do after losing such a vote, the deputies' decision has no influence on the activities of the Cabinet. Chamber of Deputies Chairman Vaclav Klaus said the rejection of the final state account does not mean there should be a vote of confidence in the government. Prime Minister Milos Zeman said the vote is only a political gesture. Rates at the Czech National Bank (valid July 27) -------------------------------------------------------------- 1 EUR = 33.890 country currency CZK ------------------------------------------ Australia 1 AUD 19.645 Great Britain 1 GBP 55.104 Denmark 1 DKK 4.551 Japan 100 JPY 31.166 Canada 1 CAD 25.056 IMF 1 XDR 48.541 Hungary 100 HUF 13.692 Norway 1 NOK 4.230 New Zealand 1 NZD 15.922 Poland 1 PLN 9.194 Slovakia 100 SKK 78.888 Slovenia 100 SIT 15.476 Sweden 1 SEK 3.638 Switzerland 1 CHF 22.420 USA 1 USD 38.546 Exchange Rates of countries participating in the euro (converted from the euro rate) country currency CZK ----------------------------------------- Germany 1 DEM 17.328 Belgium 100 BEF 84.011 Finland 1 FIM 5.700 France 1 FRF 5.166 Ireland 1 IEP 43.031 Italy 1000 ITL 17.503 Luxemburg 100 LUF 84.011 Netherlands 1 NLG 15.379 Portugal 100 PTE 16.904 Austria 1 ATS 2.463 Greece 100 GRD 9.946 Spain 100 ESP 20.368 CULTURE Amelie from Montmartre Triumphs in Karlovy Vary French director Jean-Pierre Jeunet's film Ameile from Montmartre won the Crystal Globe, the grand prize at the 36th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. The film was immensely popular with the fesival public, finishing second to the American animated movie Shrek for the viewers' award. The Polish film Hi, Terezka won the special prize of the jury, chaired by Polish director Krzystof Zanussi. The French documentary Lives by director Alain Cavalier won the prize for best documentary. Ben Kingsley and Czech director Otakar Vavra received awards for lieftime contribution to cinema. There were 9,724 guests registered at the festival - among them 4,913 students - an increase of about 1,000 from last year. The festival boasted of 514 screenings, including 13 world premieres and 48 international premieres. Reunited Living Colour Highlights Summer Festivals The reunited American band Living Colour closed the festival.kraliky.com music festival, which took place July 20-22 in Kraliky in the Orlik Mountains (Orlicke hory). Constant rain marred the festival, which also featured the Legendary Pink Dots and Czech bands Support Lesbiens, Psi vojaci and Tony Duchacek and Garage. Living Colour played barely an hour, after problems with passports and a 10 p.m. limit for the festival. The Boskovice 2001 festival, sponsored by the Unijazz association, took place July 12-15 near Brno. The festival offered a photo exhibit, film screenings, and of course concerts and theater performances. CULTURE IN BRIEF * Writer Ludvik Vaculik turned 75 July 23, with President Vaclav Havel among those sending congratulations. Vaculik wrote for magazines in the 50's, then was forbidden from publishing in the 70's and 80's, mainly a result of his 1968 essay 2,000 Words. He is the author of three novels and contributes regularly to to newspapers and the weekly Literary News (Literarni noviny). * Jazz singer Vlasta Pruchova turned 75 July 12. She gained fame singing with the orchestras of Karel Krautgartner, Karel Vlach and Ferdinand Havlicek. She is just as famous for the being the mother of Jan Hammer (named after Pruchova's composer husband); she also sang with the Junior Trio, the phenomenal group formed by Hammer and the Vitous brothers, bassist Miroslav and drummer Alan, before Hammer and Miroslav Vitous emigrated. SPORTS Czech Women's Juniors Win First World Championship in Basketball The Czech women's juniors basketball team beat Russia 82:80 July 22 in the finals of the World Championships in Brno. They trailed 79:78 in the final minute, and Jana Vesela scored the winning basket to break an 80:80 tie. The Czech team beat the USA 92:88 in the semifinals. SPORTS IN BRIEF * The Czech Republic's top soccer league kicks off its season July 28, with one of the biggest stories the return of goalie Petr Kouba. He signed a one-year contract with Jablonec. Kouba, who was in goal when the Czech tema made it to the final of the 1996 European Championships, left Sparta that year for the Spanish team La Coruna, which won the Spanish title. He did not play much in Spain, he was a guest player in the German team Kaiserslautern and the Czech team Viktoria Zizkov. * The third qualificiation round for the Champions League will take place in August and pit Slavia Praha against the Greek team Panathinakos Athens. The second-best Czech team will try its luck for the third time to qualify for the Champions League. Czech champion Sparta Praha has a spot in the league assured. WEATHER Despite the fact that July 15, with an average tempaerature of 30 degrees Celsius/86 degrees Fahrenheit, was the hottest day of the year (in Southern Moravia in Znojmo a temperature of 35 degrees Celsius/95 degrees Fahrenheit was recorded), heavy rains in the last week worried a great many residents of Moravia. Low pressure has left quite a number of people lethargic, but the past couple days have hinted that a return of summer may well be nigh. This issue of Carolina was written by Petra Kovacova, Martin Rusek, Andrea Slovakova, Lenka Nejezchlebova, Petr Frinta and Ondra Trunecka and was translated by Sofia Karakeva and Michael Bluhm. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This news may be published only with attribution to CAROLINA. Subscription is free. Comments and remarks are appreciated. 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