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Carolina (English) No 210
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STUDENTS' E-MAIL NEWS FROM CZECH REPUBLIC
Faculty of Social Science of Charles University
Smetanovo nabr. 6
110 01 Prague 1
Czech Republic
e-mail: CAROLINA@cuni.cz
tel: (+42 2) 24810804, ext. 252, fax: (+42 2) 24810987
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C A R O L I N A No 210, Thursday, July 4, 1996.
FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK (June 26-July 4)
Havel Names New Government
At the recommendation of Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus, President
Vaclav Havel named a new government July 4. Havel had July 2 accepted
the resignation of the independent Czech Republic's first government,
and on the same day renamed Klaus prime minister. Klaus is chairman of
the Civic Democratic Party (ODS), which won the Parliamentary elections
with 29.62 per cent of the vote. As with the previous government, the
coalition consists of ODS, the Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak
Peoples' Party (KDU-CSL) and the Civic Democratic Alliance (ODA).
The new government is as follows (excerpted from Carolina 209):
ODS Cabinet Members:
Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus (age 55)
Minister of Foreign Affairs
and Government Vice-Chairman Josef Zieleniec (50)
Minister of Finance
and Government Vice-Chairman Ivan Kocarnik (52)
Minister of the Interior Jan Ruml (43)
Minister of Education Ivan Pilip (33)
Minister of Health Jan Strasky (56)
Minister of Transport Martin Riman (35)
Minister of Social Affairs Jindrich Vodicka (44)
KDU-CSL Cabinet Members:
Minister of Agriculture Josef Lux (40)
Minister of Culture Jaromir Talir (46)
Minister of Defense Miloslav Vyborny (44)
Minister for Development of
Regions and Communities Jaromir Schneider (56)
ODA Cabinet Members:
Minister of Industry Vladimir Dlouhy (43)
Minister of Justice Jan Kalvoda (43)
Minister of the Environment Jiri Skalicky (40)
Minister without Portfolio Pavel Bratinka (50)
ODS, KDU-CSL and ODA Sign Coalition Agreement
Coalition party Chairmen Vaclav Klaus (Civic Democratic Party),
Josef Lux (Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party) and
Jan Kalvoda (Civic Democratic Alliance) signed a coalition agreement
June 27 which they ran in full in local papers such as Svobodne slovo
and Pravo. Key points in the coalition agreement include healthcare,
transportation, agriculture and housing.
The parties agreed it is necessary to increase residential
construction and contribute to making housing more accessible, and to
finance changes in the healthcare system. Coalition partners want to
reach international standards in transportation (highways, airports,
railways) and to improve public transportation for villages. In the last
few years, many public transportation routes were discontinued for lack
of profit, and it was even more difficult to get into town from the
countryside for employment, school, professional medical assistance and
cultural events. The agreement thus attempts to address the most urgent
problems the common citizen has suffered from in the past few years.
The agreement states all decisions will be made with the
participation of the full coalition. Eight-four-four, the ratio agreed
upon for party representation in the government, will be maintained in
the case of government restructuring.
Parliamentary Committee Leaders Announced
Parliamentary committee leaders were announced following the June
3 meeting. The ruling Civic Democratic Party (ODS) leads five committees
for economy, defense and security, constitutional law, petitions,
mandates and immunity. The Social Democrats are also in charge of five,
including the budget, social policy and healthcare, agricultural,
oganizational and the public authority, regional development and
environmental committees. The Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak
People's Party (KDU-CSL) has one parliamentary chairman, for foreign
affairs, as does coalition partner the Civic Democratic Alliance (ODA),
for science, education, culture, youth and physical education.
Parliament confirmed the election of leaders July 4. The most
recent Minister of Justice, Jiri Novak (ODS), leads the Petition
Committee, and Vilem Holan (KDU-CSL), Minister of Defense in Klaus' last
cabinet, heads the Foreign Affairs Committee.
Prague Zoo Tiger Kills College Student
A 23-year-old student of Charles University's School of Physical
Education and Sport was celebrating the end of the school year together
with two schoolmates at the Prague Zoo June 25. Evidently just for fun,
and under the influence of alcohol, he decided to take a swim in the
feline area, not noticing the sleeping male tiger.
According to witnesses the student was trying to escape the cage
when seeing the animal, but the tiger's paw knocked him down and took
him by the neck. The student did not survive the tiger's bite and an
emergency doctor immediately pronounced the student's death.
"It was a useless death. The student had broken the animal's
territory and logically the animal was defending it," said the tiger's
attendant to daily Pravo. According to the attendant's words, this
animal is the kindest in the Zoo.
FROM SLOVAKIA
Kovac Barred from Germany
The Slovak president's son, Michal Kovac Jr., had his passport
confiscated at the Bratislava-Berg border crossing June 26. He was to
have been heading through Austria on his way to Germany, where he wanted
to prove his innocence in financial frauds concerning the Technopol
company. The amount in question is more than 2.3 million USD.
In relation to the Technopol case, Kovac had been barred from
leaving Slovakia, in order to make escape attempts impossible, daily
Lidove noviny reported in a story from the Czech Press Agency.
ECONOMY
Trade Deficit Rises in First Half of Year
The foreign trade deficit for the first five months of 1996 was
about 55 billion Czech crowns, which is 20 billion Czech crowns more
than in the same period last year, according to data published by the
Czech Statistics Office.
While import has reached 302 billion Czech crowns this year, the
value of export is 247.1 billion Czech crowns. Except for machine and
transportation sectors, the import increased mainly (20 per cent) in the
category of agriculture products and food stuff, The daily Lidove noviny
June 27 said that.
GSM Finally on Sale
EuroTel, one of two co-licensees for operating GSM mobile
telephones in the Czech Republic, commenced GSM sales July 1, and
reduced the price of mobile telephone services 25 per cent. EuroTel, the
former monopoly mobile telephone operator with the NMT system, offers
four different rate cards in the GSM system, ranged between 695 Czech
crowns monthly (calls paid extra) and 2,495 Czech crowns monthly (300
call minutes included). The one-minute rate is 2.50 to 3.00 Czech crowns
in the GSM environment, but to be connected with the permanent phone
network shall cost up to 9.90 Czech crowns for one minute. The SIM card
costs 5,000 Czech crowns, in July 3,000 Czech crowns (a discount for
early buyers).
RadioMobil, the second co-licensee, is going to start GSM sales as
late as September, and wants to compete with EuroTel by means of lower
mobile phones prices (from 999 Czech crowns) and by lower monthly rates
(from 395 to 1,795 Czech crowns monthly).
The majority shareholder of EuroTel is SPT Telecom, the remaining
49 per cent is owned by the American consortium Atlantic West B.V., set
up by Baby Bell companies US West and Bell Atlantic.
RadioMobil, which won the public tender in March 1996 (see Carolina
195), consists of major shareholders Czech Radiocommunication and the
Deutsches Telecom daughter company DeTeMobil, with minor shares
belonging to Czech companies Podnik vypocetni techniky and Sporitelni
investicni spolecnost.
Exchange Rates at the Czech National Bank
(valid from July 7)
country currency
------------------------------------------
Australia 1 AUD 21.582
Belgium 100 BEF 87.696
Great Britain 1 GBP 42.937
Denmark 1 DKK 4.684
Finland 1 FIM 5.890
France 1 FRF 5.338
Ireland 1 IEP 44.016
Italy 1000 ITL 17.944
Japan 100 JPY 24.947
Canada 1 CAD 20.269
Luxemburg 100 LUF 87.696
Netherlands 1 NLG 16.094
Norway 1 NOK 4.233
New Zealand 1 NZD 18.816
Portugal 100 PTE 17.556
Austria 1 ATS 2.565
Greece 100 GRD 11.499
Slovakia 100 SKK 88.769
Germany 1 DEM 18.049
Spain 100 ESP 21.454
Sweden 1 SEK 4.117
Switzerland 1 CHF 22.000
USA 1 USD 27.579
ECU 1 XEU 34.229
SDR 1 XDR 39.776
CULTURE
International Film Festival Prague 96 Prizes
The international film festival Prague 96 ended June 29 when the
jury, headed by Swedish actor Max von Sydow, awarded the following
Golden Golem prizes:
Best film: The things I have never told you, (USA/Spain), director
Isabel Coixet.
Best Actress: Virginia Ledoyen (France, Unmarried Girl)
Best Actor: Alessandro Benvenuti (Italy, Genius Ivo)
Lifetime Achievement: Andrzej Wajda (Poland)
Due to the low artistic level of competing movies no prize for
direction was awarded, though the Icelandic film Stone Tears got
a special jury prize for camerawork.
Spejbl and Hurvinek Orphans
Milos Kirschner, the managing director and leading personality of
Spejbl and Hurvinek's Theater, died July 2 at the age of 69. Father
Spejbl and his rascal son Hurvinek are the popular puppets originally
invented by Josef Skupa. Kirschner came to the Skupa's puppet theater in
1951, and after Skupa's death he continued in the tradition and
developed both characters, well known not only in the former
Czechoslovakia, but also abroad, because the S+H theater frequently took
its plays on tours in many languages.
SPORT
EURO 96 Finale: Czech Republic - Germany 1:2
The sudden-death goal scored by Bierhoff in the 95th minute decided
that the German soccer team would become the winner of EURO 96 and thus
European champion. The prizes were awarded by Queen Elizabeth, who
attended the match with German Chancellor Helmut Kohl and Czech
President Vaclav Havel.
The first goal was scored by Berger on a penalty kick after
Sammer's foul on Poborsky in the 58th minute. The Germans evened the
score in the 73th minute with a goal by substitute forward Bierhoff.
When the game ended in a draw it came to overtime, with a new rule which
calls for the game to end when either team scores a goal.
In spite of the defeat, the Czech soccer players were welcomed as
heroes on the afternoon of July 1 at Old Town Square in Prague.
Czech Republic: Kouba - Kadlec, Hornak, Rada, Suchoparek - Poborsky
(88. Smicer), Nedved, Bejbl, Berger, Nemec - Kuka
Germany: Kopke - Sammer, Helmer, Babbel - Strunz, Scholl (69.Bierhoff)
Hassler, Eilts (46.Bode), Ziege - Kuntz, Klinsman
This issue was written by Milan Smid (economy), Jiri Trunecka (sport)
and Lida Truneckova (the rest).
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Dear Readers,
This was the last weekly Carolina of the 1995-1996 school year. The
schedule for summer-vacation issues of Carolina is as follows:
issue date editor
---------------------------------------------------------------
Carolina No. 211 July 19 Lida Truneckova
Carolina No. 212 August 2 Lida Truneckova
Carolina No. 213 August 16 Milan Smid
Carolina No. 214 August 30 Milan Smid
Carolina No. 215 September 13 Lida Truneckova
Carolina No. 216 September 27 Lida Truneckova
From October Carolina will again be produced weekly by incoming freshmen
at the School of Journalism.
Enjoy your summer.
English version was translated and edited by Andrea Snyder and Michael
Bluhm
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