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Carolina (English) No 336
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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
tel: (+4202) 22112252, fax: (+4202) 24810987
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
C A R O L I N A No 336, Friday, June 11, 1999.
FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK (June 2 - June 9)
Global Street Party Ended in Disarray
After the end of the Global Street Party June 5, some 5,000 mostly
young people marched through the streets of Prague and attacked the
American Embassy. The third such action to take place in the heart of
Prague (along with last year's party and the recent May 1
demonstrations) followed the traditional plan: to present alternative
lifestyles in the center of the capital city and to protest against
globalization, social inequality and against the ignorance of serious
ecological problems.
There was sunny weather and several thousands of people in
attendance. At several tents disc jockeys served up recorded music,
while live bands appeared at one tent. Some of the partygoers brought
their own drums.
Around 7 p.m. the Street Party came to a peak - the crowd set out
toward the nearby highway, Prague's biggest traffic artery. Forming one
of the largest demonstrations since November 1989, the partygoers were
not a homogenous crowd: there were left-wing intellectuals, radical
anarchists and punkers, ecological activists, but also dozens of vandals
enjoying the chance to become part of an anonymous crowd. The police
resisted provocations and concentrated on monitoring the demonstration.
The expected riot finally broke out around the American Embassy in the
Lesser Quarter (Mala Strana). A whistle sounded and the most radical
partygoers began hurling bottles and stones at the building. At this
moment the procession split up. Some demonstrators headed toward the
McDonalds in Mostecka street, where they faced a special police unit,
which managed to disperse the crowd. By 11 p.m. the center of Prague was
calm again.
The police detained 114 people, seven were charged with of illegal
firearm possession, damaging private property and attacking a public
official. Almost 1,000 policemen were assigned to the party, three
policemen were seriously injured. Czech Prime Minister Milos Zeman
praised the work of the police and said he favors punishing those who
attacked the American Embassy.
Tomas Polacek/Sofia Karakeva
Battle over TV NOVA Escalates
The eight weeks of warfare between Vladimir Zelezny, majority owner
of TV NOVA license holder CET 21, and the American company CME,
represented by its Czech subsidiary CNTS (see Carolina 329), come to
a head at noon June 5, when Zelezny's regular Saturday self-promotion
program Call the Director was blacked out seconds after newly appointed
CNTS General Director Jan Vavra appeared on the screen. Zelezny, the
former general director of CNTS, used his authority with Czech
Radiocommunication (Ceske Radiokomunikace), which distributes the
terrestrial signal of TV NOVA and interrupted the broadcasting of
Vavra's show, labelled a pirate program in the videotext information
remaining on the screen for nearly half an hour.
The regulatory Czech Broadcasting Council (Rada CR pro rozhlasove
a televizni vysilani) warned both parties not to use the television
screen as a battleground and recommended restraint and an end to the
disputed program.
Tomas Polacek/Milan Smid
Transplants in Ostrava Will Be Investigated by Parliament
Speculation about rules violations for withdrawing human organs for
transplants in the Ostrava State Hospital appeared last week. The case
is being investigated by the police, the Czech Physicians' Chamber and
Parliament's Chamber of Deputies, which accepted the proposal of
Christian Democrat Josef Janecek and established a fact-finding
commission.
The affair was sparked by former hospital Director Jaroslav Lux,
who was fired by Health Minister Ivan David for improper management.
Janecek said that in 60 per cent of transplants there is no
documentation of the organs. Another deputy, Radim Chadima of the Civic
Democratic Party (ODS), said organ smuggling is not out of the question.
David said the affair is only the result of a fight between two groups
of doctors in the hospital.
Tomas Polacek/Jakub Jirovec
NEWS IN BRIEF
* Parliament's Chamber of Deputies June 8 approved the Government's
proposal for establishing the institution of ombudsman. Apart from the
ruling Social Democrat, the Christian Democrats and some Freedom Union
deputies supported were in favor, but they all requested revision of the
bill. The ombudsman should protect citizens from unjust bureaucratic
practices and ensure that laws and regulations are upheld.
* Chamber of Deputies and Civic Democratic Party (ODS) Chairman
Vaclav Klaus June 6 probably became the first foreign politician to
visit two Czech citizens imprisoned in Bangkok for heroin smuggling.
During the private visit Klaus said he asked about the prisoners'
conditions, their treatment and the possibility of moving them to
a Czech prison. It is not clear whether Klaus will continue his
engagement in the case.
* From October of next year the Tourist Industry Act should come into
force, bringing stricter regulation to the industry and greater security
for clients of travel agencies, which will be required to have
insurance. Parliament's Chamber of Deputies approved the bill June 2.
Tourists should be protected from a travel agency going bankrupt and
leaving its clients abroad without a way to get home. Opponents of the
legislation claim it will cause a price increase for package tours.
Klara Nedvedova/Sofia Karakeva
FROM SLOVAKIA
TV Markiza: Ducky Signed Huge Promissory Notes
TV Markiza announced June 8 that former Economy Minister and former
Slovak Gas Industry (Slovensky plynarensky priemysl) Director Jan Ducky,
who was murdered in January (see Carolina 315), signed 28 promissory
notes worth billions of crowns. According to TV Markiza, half of the
notes have been verified by the police and their worth is 2.3 billion
Slovak crowns. Two of the notes are for the Czech companies SEZOOZ and
Sigma Lutin. Slovak Interior Minister Ladislav Pittner said the debt
could endanger the Government of Premier Mikulas Dzurinda, because the
notes will be due in September and October.
Slovak Gas Industry, which some say is to be privatized, has
can get out of the debts only if it can be proved that Ducky signed the
notes with the intent of damaging the state.
Marketa Kaclova/Jakub Jirovec
SIAD 99: Two People Die in Plane Crash
Two people died when a Hawk 200 training jet crashed at the fifth
International Air Show in Bratislava June 6. The victims of the accident
were 45-year-old British pilot Graham Wardell and a female spectator,
who was the wife of an airport employee. Fifteen people were slightly
injured.
The cause of the crash has not yet been determined. According to
unofficial information, the plane could have come into a wind shear or
the experienced, former RAF pilot misjudged his altitude during an
acrobatic trick. The spectator, who was on a roof outside the grounds of
the airport, was probably killed by debris from the falling plane.
Marketa Kaclova/Katerina Kolarova
ECONOMY
Czech Insurance Company's Auto-Insurance Monopoly to End
With the exception of Communist deputies, members of Parliament's
Chamber of Deputies June 3 voted for a bill opening the market for
mandatory auto insurance. Beginning next year, the Czech Insurance
Company (Ceska pojistovna) will lose its monopoly position in this
market.
As a consequence, insurance rates should not increase as
drastically as expected. The minimum rate will stay the same as in 1999
and will increase in future years by the rate of inflation; the maximum
rate will be regulated by law.
The new norm was especially welcomed by insurance companies that
have been trying to end the monopoly for years and want to provide
insurance.
Michaela Prokopova/Denisa Vitkova
Unemployment Benefits Should Rise in October
Parliament's Chamber of Deputies June 2 passed amendments to
several laws, increasing the maximums for unemployment benefits. If the
amendments come into force, an unemployed individual could receive
during his first three months without a job up to 8,575 crowns monthly.
Today, one is able to claim 50 per cent of one's average net wage, with
a monthly maximum of 5,145 crowns. A requalified unemployed individual
may now claim a maximum of 6,174 crowns per month, whereas the
amendments provide a ceiling of 9,604 crowns.
The minority Social Democrat Cabinet could not push through its
proposal in its original form. The opposition claimed recent amendments
increased demands on the state budget. The amendments must still be
approved by the Senate.
The unemployment rate in the Czech Republic should increase in the
next months; the 8-per-cent level will be considerably influenced by new
graduates.
Michaela Prokopova/Denisa Vitkova
Zeman Supports Skoda Pilsen Management
Government support for Skoda Pilsen was the main topic of Prime
Minister Milos Zeman's visit to the Pilsen (Plzen) concern June 4. The
Government should ensure that the engineering giant will not be put into
bankruptcy. In a meeting with union leaders, Zeman rejected providing
a financial injection, but promised to initiate concrete steps in the
Cabinet to help Skoda. The prime minister also gave clear support to
current management and General Director Jiri Hlavica, whose position has
been shaky for some time.
Michaela Prokopova/Denisa Vitkova
Exchange Rates at the Czech National Bank (valid June 10)
------------------------------------------------------------
1 EUR = 37.315
country currency CZK
------------------------------------------
Australia 1 AUD 23.582
Great Britain 1 GBP 57.183
Denmark 1 DKK 5.023
Japan 100 JPY 29.883
Canada 1 CAD 24.198
IMF 1 XDR 47.823
Hungary 100 HUF 14.958
Norway 1 NOK 4.544
New Zealand 1 NZD 19.022
Poland 1 PLN 9.015
Greece 100 GRD 11.523
Slovakia 100 SKK 82.015
Slovenia 100 SIT 19.146
Sweden 1 SEK 4.179
Switzerland 1 CHF 23.440
USA 1 USD 35.689
Exchange Rates of countries particpating in the euro
(converted from the euro rate)
country currency CZK
-----------------------------------------
Germany 1 DEM 19.079
Belgium 100 BEF 92.501
Finland 1 FIM 6.276
France 1 FRF 5.689
Ireland 1 IEP 47.380
Italy 1000 ITL 19.272
Luxemburg 100 LUF 92.501
Netherlands 1 NLG 16.933
Portugal 100 PTE 18.613
Austria 1 ATS 2.712
Spain 100 ESP 22.427
CULTURE
Prague Spring Ends
After three weeks, the Prague Spring international music festival
came to an end July 3. The last tones of the festival, following
tradition, were of Beethoven's 9th Symphony and Schiller's Ode to Joy,
performed by the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Inge
Metzmacher.
This year's 54th festival was a collage of classical pieces from
Smetana, Beethoven, Brahms and 20th-century music, represented by Glass
and Piazollo. American soprano Deborah Voigt and Latvian violinist Gidon
Kremer, both from New York's Metropolitan Opera, were the festival's
biggest draws.
Two operas also had their premieres during the festival. The Prague
State Opera opened Glass' The Fall of the House of Usher, while the
National Theater prepared a non-traditional version of Smetana's The
Bartered Bride (Prodana nevesta).
Petr Kupec/Zuzana Janeckova
Prague Hosts World Scenography Fair
In its ninth year, the Prague Quadriennale world exhibit of
scenography and theater architecture, is hosting displays from 47
countries in Prague's Vystaviste Palace.
The exhibit is divided into three sections - the national section
showing scenery and costumes from the different countries (Jana Perkova,
Simona Rybakova, Katerina Stefkova, Simon Caban, Daniel Dvorak, Petr
Matasek, Ondrej Nekvasil and Jindrich Smetana represent Czech
scenography), the architectonic section and a section honoring foremost
scenographic personalities (among those honored is Bedrich Feuerstein,
a pupil of Slovenian architect Josip Plecnik).
Petr Kupec/Zuzana Janeckova
SPORTS
Czech Soccer Team Advances to Euro 2000
The Czech national team leads its Euro 2000 qualification group
with a perfect record after wins over Estonia and Scotland, and has
secured itself a place in the final tournament. The Czech Republic won
all seven of its matches, scoring 17 goals and allowing five.
Estonia - Czech Republic 0-2
The Czech team arrived in Estonia to take three points from a weak
opponent June 5. Thanks to good play by the Czech defense, Estonia had
no chance to score. "Nobody had to worry about the result for a minute,
we played wonderfully," said captain Jiri Nemec. During the first half
three Czech shots hit the bar, but Patrik Berger broke through in the
last minute. The second goal came seven minutes before the end of the
match, as Belgian league top scorer Jan Koller converted Karel
Poborsky's pass.
Czech Republic - Scotland 3-2
The sold-out Letna Stadium in Prague watched a great match June 9.
Scotland, with three forwards, made sharp counterattacks and took the
lead on Paul Ritchie's header after a free kick. After the break, the
Czech team became more active, defender Paul Lambert saved Scotland from
one goal at the goal-line. However, substitute Miroslav Baranek allowed
Allan Johnston's header and Scotland led 2-0. Two minutes later Tomas
Repka cut into the Scottish lead after Pavel Nedved's corner kick. Two
other substitutions by coach Jozef Chovanec were successful, as he sent
Pavel Kuka and Jan Koller onto the field. Kuka, on Nedved's second
assist, tied the score. Koller's header completed the miraculous
comeback three minutes before the end of the match.
Stepan Etrych and Radan Dolejs/Mirek Langer
Young Soccer Players Allow First Goal in Qualification
The under-21 Czech soccer team's qualification continued with games
against previous opponents. The Czech team won in Estonia 3-0 and beat
Scotland 3-2, although it trailed 1-2. It leads the standings with 19
points, nine points ahead of Lithuania and Belgium.
Stepan Etrych/Mirek Langer
Czech Women's Basketball Team Will Not Advance to Olympic Games
The Czech women's basketball national team finished fifth in the
27th European Championships in Poland, the best finish for a Czech
Republic team.
The Czech team advanced to the quarterfinal from fourth place in
its group, drawing the other group's winner, Russia. The game was even,
Russia led by one point after the first half, but it finished better and
defeated the Czech team 61-51. "The game was so even that fortune could
have smiled on either side," said Kamila Vodickova.
Besides the hopes for a medal at the championships, the Czech team
lost any chance to advance to the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
In the remaining games, the Czechs defeated Croatia 67-52 and
reigning champion Lithuania 53-43 and finished in 5th place.
Stepan Etrych/Mirek Langer
Tennis Player Jana Novotna Ends French Open in Wheelchair
Jana Novotna's performances in the French Open in Paris finished
poorly: she hurt her ankle in the doubles quarterfinals. In a game in
the first set against the United States' Lindsay Davenport and France's
Mary Pierce, she collided with her partner, Belarus' Natalia Zvereva.
She stepped on Zvereva's foot and twisted her ankle. Although the injury
was very painful, ligaments were not injured. However, the injury
clouded Novotna's appearance at Wimbledon, where she won the title last
year. "I'll probably decide at the last minute," said Novotna.
Stepan Etrych/Mirek Langer
SPORTS IN BRIEF
* With his 35 saves, Dominik Hasek helped Buffalo Sabres to an
overtime 3-2 win in the first game of the NHL Stanley Cup finals against
the Dallas Stars. The second game finished with a 4-2 Dallas win, tying
the series at 1-1.
* Milan Hnilicka, the hockey goalie who was part of the teams that
won the Nagano Olympics and the 1999 World Championships, will stay with
Sparta Praha. It was his decision, although he had announced a move to
Trinec. Sparta had earlier signed a contract with former national team
goalie Petr Briza.
* Vladimir Vujtek, national hockey team player, came to Sparta Praha
from Vitkovice and will play there for the next three years. Znojmo got
Slovak national team player Peter Pucher from Kosice.
* Pavol Demitra (St. Louis Blues, NHL) was voted the top Slovak
hockey player of 1999, winning the Golden Puck. Zdeno Ciger (Slovan
Bratislava) finished second, ahead of Zigmund Palffy (N.Y. Islanders,
NHL).
* Czech cyclist Pavel Padrnos finished 18th in the Giro d'Italia
(Tour of Italy). It was the best Czech finish ever in the event.
* The 86th edition of the Prague Mayor's Race (Prazske primatorky)
belonged to Dukla Praha's rowers again. Skopal, Schindler, Knob,
Skalicky, Businsky, Blecha, Vabrousek, Malecek and their cox Hejdusek
recorded the 20th consecutive win for the club. Vaclav Chalupa won the
100th edition of the Rossler-Orovsky Skiff Race.
* The Czech men's volleyball team lost in Turkey 0-3 in the European
Championships qualification and has to beat Bulgaria in the last match
to advance directly from its first place in the group.
* The second soccer league's season ended with the 30th round.
Bohemians Praha and Ceske Budejovice advanced to the first league, Ceska
Lipa and Prerov will be relegated to the third leagues.
* Jan Zelezny finished second in his third event after his comeback.
His third attempt in Tartu, Estonia, was unusual: Zelezny threw the
javelin with such force that it broke in the air.
Stepan Etrych/Mirek Langer
After deadline: The Slavia Praha soccer team has a new coach. Jaroslav
Hrebik was replaced by Frantisek Cipro. When Cipro last coached Slavia,
the club won the Czech league title, the national cup and advanced to
the UEFA Cup semifinals.
Mirek Langer/Mirek Langer
WEATHER
There is an an old Czech saying that if Medard needs to take cover
because of rain then 40 days of rain will follow. Medard's day, June 8,
was a rainy day. Let us wait and see if the saying will prove to be
true, just as last year when a rainy and cold June and July followed
a summer-like May. For the time being, rather warm days with
temperatures exceeding 20 degrees Celsius/68 degrees Fahrenheit are
still around, but showers have appeared at least once a day since
Tuesday June 8.
English version edited by Michael Bluhm
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