| 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 370, Friday, April 7, 2000. FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK (March 29 - April 5) Stanislav Gross New Interior Minister Stanislav Gross, 30, chairman of the Social Democrats' (CSSD) Parliamentary Club, was named interior minister April 4 to succeed Vaclav Grulich, 67, who resigned. Gross said in an interview for Czech Radio's Radiojournal that he planned certain personnel changes, but his main task would be to calm the atmosphere surrounding the ministry. Gross has been in high politics for 10 years. After finishing a technical high school he drove trains, then he joined the party in 1990 and rose quickly - he became a Parliament deputy in 1992 and has been Parliamentary Club chairman since 1995. He attended law school simultaneously with his work in the Chamber of Deputies and graduated last year. After the Social Democrats won the 1998 general elections, Gross became vice chairman of the Chamber of Deputies. After being named minister, Gross gave up his posts in the Chamber of Deputies. Party Vice Chairman Zdenek Skromach became head of the Parliamentary Club April 4 and will probably give his party post to Gross, who said he wants to keep his influence in the party. Social Democrat deputy Frantisek Brozik will run for Gross' post as vice chairman of the Chamber. The change at the ministry is the fifth change in the minority Social Democrat Cabinet. Two changes are yet to be made - at the Transportation Ministry and the Regional Development Ministry (see Carolina 369). Ondrej Maly/Ondrej Maly State to Help Graduates From 10,000 to 20,000 high school and university graduates will be offered jobs in state and charity organizations. Because they might otherwise stretch the budget by going on the dole, the government passed the measure April 3 as proposed by Deputy Prime Minister and Labor Minister Vladimir Spidla. The graduates' salaries will be fully funded by the Labor Ministry and, Spidla said, the cost might be several hundred million crowns. Spidla said the main reason for the measure is to give the graduates the chance to get experience to put themselves in a better position on the labor market. The measure is supported by unions. Ondrej Maly/Ondrej Maly Milevsko Will Definitely Not Export To Bushehr The Chamber of Deputies overrode the Senate's veto and April 4 passed a bill forbidding any Czech company from exporting to the Iranian nuclear plant in Bushehr. The bill also stipulates Czech firms will not receive compensation for lost income. The Senate had suggested compensating losses from the state budget. The issue was raised around the company ZVVZ Milevsko's planned export of climate-control technology to the plant. Trade Minister Miroslav Gregr promised Stanislav Kazecky, the head of ZVVZ Milevsko, that the government will help the company, for example with new orders, loans, debt capitalization and the creation of jobs. The new law says Czech companies cannot export goods, services or information to Bushehr. Daniela Vrbova/Jakub Jirovec NEWS IN BRIEF * The Interior Ministry March 31 dissolved the National Alliance, a neo-Nazi organization allegedly breaking the law by propagating national and racial intolerance. Alliance Chairman Vladimir Skoupy is on trial for the propagation of fascism. * Labor Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla will take control over the coordination of the Security Information Service (BIS), the Government decided April 3. Previously, coordination had been in the hands of former Minister without Portfolio Jaroslav Basta, but Prime Minister Milos Zeman did not transfer it to Basta's successor, 27-year-old Minister Karel Brezina. The country has four secret services, two military and two civilian, and Prime Minister Milos Zeman said he expected a reorganization of this structure in the future. * The Civic Democratic Party (ODS) condemned the words of President Vaclav Havel, who said in an interview for Czech Television and Czech Radio (see Carolina 369) that he sees elements of "Mafia capitalism" in the Czech Republic. Havel said that ill-defined laws and low moral and political culture in the country were to blame. ODS Chairman Vaclav Klaus said he considers this evaluation of 10 years of transformation an "insult to hundreds of thousands and millions of people in the country". Darina Johanidesova/Darina Johanidesova FOREIGN AFFAIRS Zeman: Nature of Trip More Economic Than Political Prime Minister Milos Zeman returned April 1 to Prague from his six-day trip across Northern Europe (see Carolina 369). He said the aim of his visit to Norway, Finland and Lithuania was more business than political. Nokia Vice President Mikka Heikkonen discussed with Zeman the possibile replacement of the present Czech police communication system supplied by the company Tetrapol (a subsidiary of the French company Matra), and heavily criticized by users. Zeman rejected the offer, pointing to contract fines with Matra which would cost the state billions of crowns. Zeman said to the daily MF DNES that there are 84 joint ventures between Czech and Lithuanian companies, that he proposed in Vilnius a deal for Czech Albatros airplanes, and that he signed a contract with his Lithuanian counterpart Andrius Kubilius for the delivery of Czech Karosa buses worth 1.5 billion crowns. Martin Moravec/Milan Smid Pope Speaks to Czech Pilgrims in Vatican About 7,000 Czech Roman Catholics ended their pilgrimmage to the Vatican April 2. Organizers of the event said the number of pilgrims was the largest since Agnes was made a saint in 1989, when some 12,000 made the journey. The highlight was a meeting with Pope John Paul II. He told them he still remembered his three visits to the Czech Republic in the 90's. He spoke to them in Czech and emphasized the need to solve the problem between the state and the Catholic Church in the Czech Republic. Spokesman of the Confederation of Czech Bishops Daniel Herman said the first meeting of the working group preparing an agreement between the Czech Republic and the Vatican concerning the Catholic Church should take place within a few weeks. The pilgrimmage ended April 2 in St. Paul's Cathedral in the Vatican with a mass led by Cardinal Miloslav Vlk. Those present had the chance to take a piece from the Christmas tree given by the Czech Republic to the Vatican last year. Veronika Hankusova/Veronika Hankusova FROM SLOVAKIA Vasil Bilak Charged with Treason The Slovak Attorney General March 30 charged former Communist politician Vasil Bilak with treason and other crimes in relation to his activities in 1968. Bilak, then a member of the presidium of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (UV KSC) and secretary of the Communist Party of Slovakia, strongly opposed the reforms of the Prague Spring. He was one of the signatories of the letter of invitation that asked Soviet leadership for armed intervention against a counter-revolution in Czechoslovakia. After the Soviet-led invasion of the Warsaw Pact armies in August 1968, Bilak became one of the leading members of the new Politburo and was responsible for ideology and foreign policy in the Central Committee. He was ousted from the party in December 1989. According to the Slovak Radio Twist, Bilak accepted the charges in peace. He said he is not afraid of the trial nor of a sentence: "I will be 83 in August. Let them give me a life sentence, I don't have many days left." He said he does not understand why he was charged with treason. "I cannot imagine which homeland I betrayed. The socialist homeland? I didn't defend socialism enough?" he said. Simon Dominik/Simon Dominik Meciar Refuses to Testify Vladimir Meciar, chairman of the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (Hnuti za demokraticke Slovensko, HZDS) and former premier, has refused to accept a subpoena to testify in the case of the kidnapping of Michal Kovac Jr., son of the former president. Meciar defends himself by referring to two amnesties related to this case issued when he was acting president, and also to the verdict of the Constitutional Court that stopped prosecution of Jaroslav Svechota, charged with the kidnapping. The chairman of the Constitutional Court is Milan Cic, a former communist interior minister. Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda repealed Meciar's amnesty and reopened the case. HZDS says it considers the step unconstitutional. To protest against the reopening of the case, Meciar and few HZDS legislators are staying in a pension in Trencianske Teplice "until the current government decides to respect the law and the verdict of the Constitutional Court." Michaela Kleckova/Simon Dominik Markiza TV Hit with 2-Million Fine The regulatory Council for Radio and Television Broadcasting fined the Slovak television channel Markiza 2 million Slovak crowns for broadcasting an interview with singer Richard Mueller March 6. The reason was not the content of the interview (the singer admitted he had taken drugs and talked about their positive impact on his creative work), but the fact that some of it was broadcast in a 7 p.m. newscast. Markiza aired the full interview after 10 p.m.. The law allows broadcasting programs that could endanger the moral and spiritual development of youth only after 10 p.m.. Markiza has said it will appeal. David Luksu/Simon Dominik ECONOMY Philips Will Assemble Television Screens in Moravia, Government Helps The government March 29 approved investment incentives of about 1.6 billion crowns for Philips Components, a division of Philips Electronics. Philips decided to build a plant for producing television screens in the Moravian town of Hranice na Morave. Construction of the plant should start within two months, with production beginning in the middle of 2001. The government's incentive plan includes a 10-year tax holiday, duty-free import of technology, state subsidies for new jobs and a contribution to complete local infrastructure. Philips will invest about 600 million euros (about 21.6 billion crowns) into building the factory. In the first phase Philips will employ 1,000 workers and produce 2.5 million television screens annually. The factory should eventually have 3,200 employees and produce 8 million screens annually (95 per cent of production will be exported). Philips was deciding between Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic for the factory, but the Czech government's incentives were said to play an important role in the decision. Besides Philips, the government also approved investment incentives to Matsushita, manufacturing Panasonic televisions in Pilsen for four years, and to TYCO, producing cable wires in Kourim. Matsushita is to increase its output in Pilsen, investing 72 million USD and employing another 1,400 people (it employs 900 now). TYCO wants to invest 35.5 million USD and employ another 1,200 people. Lubos Kratochvil/Denisa Vitkova Occupation Strike in Kohinoor Coal Mine Twenty-eight miners began an occupation strike in the Kohinoor coal mine in Marianske Radcice in the Most region March 31. It is the second time Kohinoor miners have struck underground - they protested in December, fearing the mine would be closed (see Carolina 355). At that time the miners did not agree with the decision of the mine owner - the Most Coal Company (Mostecka uhelna spolecnost) - to close the shaft and fire all employees. Finally, the government, the Most Coal Company and the coal mine's union agreed to close the mine gradually to 2005. However, the Most Coal Company decided later, considering the mine's unprofitability, to close it faster. The government does not want to be involved this time, calling the situation a conflict between the labor union and a private company. All Kohinoor miners began an occupation strike April 4. There are some 50 miners underground, willing to end the strike if a contract is signed between SHD-Peel or another owner and the Most Coal Company. According to union leader Vladimir Perlik, the Most Coal Company has been delaying the sale. Lubos Kratochvil/Denisa Vitkova ECONOMY IN BRIEF * The government April 3 proposed the Consolidation Bank and Finance Ministry discuss concluding the sale of Skoda Auto. Volkswagen owns 70 per cent of the company, and it is expected the remaining 30 per cent will wind up in Volkswagen's hands. Trade Minister Miroslav Gregr expressed his disagreement with selling the remaining shares. Gregr said the share price should increase after the new motor factory begins production. On the contrary, Finance Minister Pavel Mertlik wants to sell the shares and said he expects income of 12 billion crowns. Volkswagen has offered 8 billion crowns for the shares. Lubos Kratochvil/Denisa Vitkova Rates at the Czech National Bank (valid April 7) 1 EUR = 36.285 country currency CZK Australia 1 AUD 22.690 Great Britain 1 GBP 59.704 Denmark 1 DKK 4.869 Japan 100 JPY 35.961 Canada 1 CAD 25.934 IMF 1 XDR 50.745 Hungary 100 HUF 13.999 Norway 1 NOK 4.460 New Zealand 1 NZD 18.895 Poland 1 PLN 9.967 Greece 100 GRD 10.833 Slovakia 100 SKK 87.107 Slovenia 100 SIT 17.824 Sweden 1 SEK 4.370 Switzerland 1 CHF 23.045 USA 1 USD 37.648 Exchange Rates of countries participating in the euro (converted from the euro rate) country currency CZK - Germany 1 DEM 18.552 Belgium 100 BEF 89.948 Finland 1 FIM 6.103 France 1 FRF 5.532 Ireland 1 IEP 46.072 Italy 1000 ITL 18.740 Luxemburg 100 LUF 89.948 Netherlands 1 NLG 16.465 Portugal 100 PTE 18.099 Austria 1 ATS 2.637 Spain 100 ESP 21.808 CULTURE Topol Charms United States Czech writer Jachym Topol toured the US in connection with the release of the English translation of his Czech novel Sestra, in English as City Sister Silver. The novel was translated by Alex Zucker, former editor of the English version of Carolina. The Czech daily MF DNES wrote April 3 that Topol's tour was a success: the New York Times compared the novel to Salman Rushdie's Children of Midnight. Talk Magazine included Topol's work among its 10 best books of the month. The novel was published in America by Catbird Press. Topol's father Josef is a famous Czech playwright and his brother Filip is a pianist and composer and legend of the underground Czech music scene. Jachym has also released a collection of poetry and the novel Angel (Andel). Jan Vedral Jr./Jakub Jirovec Tibet 2000 in Prague Castle Tibet 2000 is the name of an exhibit on the geography, landscape and lifestyle of the Himalayan country open March 22 - May 7 in three rooms of the gothic Old Kings' Palace at the Prague Castle. The exhibit is divided in three parts according the Tibetan concept of living creatures composed of body (earth), speech (people and material culture) and thought (spiritual culture). The exhibit was organized by the Potala and Lunga Foundation with the Prague Castle Administration, all pieces are from private collections. More information is available at the URL http://www.tibet2000.cz. Gabriela Bobkova/Milan Smid Duel between Mary Stuart and Elizabeth Appears in Estates Theater The premiere of Friedrich Schiller's play Mary Stuart took place March 30 on the stage of Prague's Estates Theater (Stavovske divadlo). The play's females leads will alternate - Elizabeth is played by Iva Janzurova and Tatjana Medvecka, Mary Stuart by Jana Preissova and Eva Salzmannova. Veronika Hankusova/Veronika Hankusova CULTURE IN BRIEF * The case of the Mlada fronta publishing house (see Carolina 369) has developed into a libel case. Representantives of the Children and Youth Fund filed a criminal complaint for libel against several distinguished writers, including Josef Hirsal, Jiri Kolar, Pavel Kohout and Ludvik Vaculik. They signed a petition supporting former publishing house director Vladimir Pistorius and calling fund representatives "managers from a circle of persons in which billions of crowns from the assets of the one-time state youth organization dissolved." * The film Return of the Idiot by Sasa Gedeon, which won five Czech Lions, was awarded the Jury Prize at a European film festival in Mamers, France. The picture is being shown in French movie theaters. * Fans of internet and literature can attend the 10th Writers Festival in Prague live at the URL http://www.pwf.globalone.cz. * Joe Cocker sang for about 90 minutes March 30 in front of some 8,000 spectators in the Rondo hall in Brno. Simon Dominik, Pavel Novotny/Milan Smid SPORTS Soccer Euro 2000 Preparation: Czech Republic - Australia 3-1 The wonderful combination that led to the Czech team's third goal was the highlight of the national team's performance in a preparation game against Australia March 29. Karel Poborsky took the ball from Jan Koller on a counterattack and returned it with his heel. Koller could have tried to score his 13th goal in his 12th national team game, but instead he passed to an open Ivo Ulich. Ulich scored his first goal for the national team. The Czechs then led 3-0. "It was super cooperation," said Ulich. Milan Fukal (also his first national-team goal) and Koller scored the first two goals of the game. Australia's team was a disappointment in Teplice, with but two impressive moments - the solo charge of Marc Viduka, cleared by goalkeeper Jaromir Blazek, and, in the 89th minute, when Foster scored the only Australian goal. "I am not fully satisfied with our performance," said Czech team coach Jozef Chovanec, who tested some new players in the squad. "The players are tired after a demanding season, they were missing ease." Martin Moravec/Mirek Langer Slavia Squeaks by, Remains in First Slavia fans endured a nerve-racking game in the 23rd round of the top soccer league. Drnovice almost took a point for a tie in the first-place team's stadium. However, eight minutes before the end Ludek Zelenka changing the potential catastrophe into a 2-1 win. Second-place Sparta produced one goal against Bohemians and stayed four points behind Slavia. Third-place Drnovice is 21 points behind first place, fourth-place Teplice would need 30 points to move to the top, a total 10 teams in the league have not yet reached for the season. Results of the 23rd round: Slavia Praha - Drnovice 2-1, Bohemians Praha - Sparta Praha 0-1, Olomouc - Pribram 1-0, Blsany - Zizkov 0-2, Liberec - Opava 1-0, Ostrava - Teplice 2-2, Hradec Kralove - Jablonec 0-0, Brno - Ceske Budejovice 2-0. Standings: 1. Slavia Praha 61, 2. Sparta Praha 57, 3. Drnovice 40, 4. Teplice 31, 5. Bohemians Praha 31, 6. Blsany 30, 7. Brno 29, 8. Liberec 28, 9. Ostrava 27, 10. Pribram 27, 11. Ceske Budejovice 27, 12. Olomouc 26, 13. Zizkov 25, 14. Opava 23, 15. Hradec Kralove 19, 16. Jablonec 19. David Luksu/Mirek Langer Sparta and Vsetin in Hockey Extraleague Finals The finals of the hockey extraleague will probably break attendance records, as Sparta and Vsetin have been heading here inexorably - both swept their opponents out of the semifinals. Sparta won the regular-season league crown, 11 points ahead of its nearest opponent. Vsetin, the five-time reigning champion, had trouble at the beginning of the season, but in the playoffs performed like it had in previous playoff conquests. Both semifinal sweeps were decided by overtime games, with Sparta's going to penalty shots. Sparta won in Litvinov after Richard Zemlicka converted the deciding penalty shot, while Jan Tomajko moved Vsetin into the finals with his sudden-death goal in Pilsen. Prague's Paegas Arena is sold-out for the first game April 9. Results of the semifinal series: Sparta - Litvinov 3-0 (4-1, 3-1, 4-3 on penalty shots), Vsetin - Plzen 3-0 (2-0, 3-2, 3-2 in overtime) Darina Johanidesova/Mirek Langer WEATHER St. Peter, who in Czech mythology not only minds the gates of heaven but also controls the weather, has been benevolent to the people of the Czech Republic last week. He prepared a beautiful, sunny weekend with temperatures around 15 degrees Celsius/59 degrees Fahrenheit for them right in the middle of a cloudy and overcast Europe. And when the weekend was over and the workweek began again, cold air with temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius/50 degrees Fahrenheit returned to Prague and Central Europe. Michaela Kleckova, Radka Kohutova 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. You can temporarily stop receiving Carolina by sending the command: SET CAR-ENG NOMAIL All Listserv commands should be sent to the address: LISTSERV@cesnet.cz Please, don't send the commands SUB, SIGNOFF, NOMAIL etc to the address CAR-CS@listserv.cesnet.cz or CAR-ENG@cesnet.cz! Past issues of Carolina are available at the address www.cuni.cz/carolina. | |
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