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Carolina (English) No 345
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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 345, Friday, September 24, 1999.
FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST TWO WEEKS (September 8 - September 22)
Government Approves Budget Proposal
The Government of Prime Minister Milos Zeman September 20 approved
its budget proposal for next year with a planned deficit of 39.777
billion crowns. In one month Parliament deputies will judge the budget,
which projects expenses of 633.8 billion crowns and income of 594
billion crowns. The Finance Ministry's earlier version of the budget
proposal planned for the same deficit, but incomes and expenses were
each 23.3 billion crowns lower. The Finance Ministry, however, raised
its estimate for GDP growth in 2000 to 1.4 per cent, which would more
income from taxes.
Zeman said he hopes the Chamber of Deputies will pass the bill,
because budget instability could upset the Czech Republic's alleged good
name abroad.
Pavlina Hodkova/Jakub Jirovec
Major Zeman Back on Television
The communist propaganda television series The Thirty Cases of
Major Zeman (Tricet pripadu majora Zemana) is back in the programming of
Czech Television as part of evenings called Thirty Returns. The
programming includes the original Zeman film, an explicatory documentary
and a discussion by historians, journalists, writers and others. The
Thirty Cases of Major Zeman were filmed in the 70's in close cooperation
with the Interior Ministry as a celebration of the anniversary of the
founding of the Communist police. The individual episodes pervert actual
historical events to show the police and communism in a positive light.
The management of the Czech Television has been criticized from all
sides for airing Major Zeman again. The Confederation of Political
Prisoners, the Writers' Community, Parliament deputies and the Council
for Radio and Television Broadcasting have protested against the Zeman
being broadcast. Czech Television said it believes the series will open
serious debate about the crimes of communism in the former
Czechoslovakia.
Lenka Nejezchlebova/Jakub Jirovec
Annonce Publisher Offers Five Million for Klaus' Removal
On the front page of the classified-advertising publication Annonce
September 8 was a photograph of Chamber of Deputies Chairman Vaclav
Klaus with the text: Five million for the removal of Klaus, the number
one detriment to this country. The explanation that the removal
concerned only Klaus' removal from the political scene appeared on the
third page. The author of the advertisement was Annonce publisher Josef
Kudlacek.
Klaus said he is considering filing a criminal complaint. Kudlacek,
in an interview on TV NOVA, did not deny that he would welcome Klaus'
physical liquidation. Kudlacek said Klaus is the main obstacle to the
Czech Republic's development.
According to lawyer Josef Lzicar, who has represented Klaus in the
past, Kudlacek could face up to two years in prison for inciting
a criminal act.
President Vaclav Havel and many other politicians condemned the
advertisement. "It is not a good joke, it exceeds the bounds of decency
and shows the general decline of public morals, which I, as you know,
have criticized for a long time," said the president to Czech Radio.
Prime Minister Milos Zeman said he would welcome criminal charges
against Kudlacek. "In my opinion Mr. Kudlacek belongs partly in an
asylum and partly in prison, preferably in both institutions at the same
time, if that were physically possible," said Zeman.
Marketa Lajdova/Sofia Karakeva
Klaus' Official Residence Robbed
The official residence of the Chamber of Deputies Chairman Vaclav
Klaus was robbed on the night of September 18-19. The plunderers did not
steal any documents concerning the political activity of Klaus, who is
also chairman of the Civic Democratic Party (ODS). The thieves
concentrated on the personal property of Klaus and his wife Livia,
stealing much of her jewelery, with an estimated value of 4 million
crowns. The robbers forced their way into the building although the
house was being watched by a private security firm. A small political
tiff broke out over the fact that an official residence was guarded by
a private firm and not the police.
Petr Novy/Zuzana Janeckova
Data Stolen on Millions of Czech Savings Bank Clients
Personal information about some 2.5 million clients of the Czech
Savings Bank (Ceska Sporitelna) was offered on the Internet by an
unknown source. The anonymous offer would sell any bank customer's name,
address, account number, account balance and transactions. The offer's
veracity was proven by information provided about four random
depositors, who later confirmed the information.
"Data about our clients is secured completely standardly," said
bank spokesman Pavel Jirousek. Most bank clients did not panic and did
not close their accounts. Bank management has not determined the source
of the leak. Experts said that a bank employee would have the easiest
access to the information. Bank General Director Dusan Baran said
someone wanted to damage the bank's good name. Suspicions also exist
that the scandal is related to the upcoming privatization of the bank,
with the scandal an attempt to the bank's price down.
The chances of finding the culprit are small. To present the
database the perpetrator used a public e-mail address where users can be
anonymous. Operators at Yahoo, where the e-mail box was located, gave
investigators all information on the registration of the mailbox, but
these were likely false. Investigators have contacted the seller of the
information, but the investigation has not brought any results.
After deadline: Czech police September 22 arrested a 21-year-old
employee of the Czech Savings Bank and accused him of stealing the data
and offering it on the Internet. He allegedly copied the data onto
a CD-ROM, which was found in his home.
Alena Smrzova/Sofia Karakeva
CNTS Lets Most of Its Employees Go
The Czech Independent Television Company (CNTS) let go most of its
employees September 9 because of financial reasons. Internet
broadcasting was not paying off for CNTS, the former service provider of
TV NOVA license-holder CET 21.
The CNTS news broadcast appeared on the Internet a few days after
CET 21 owner Vladimir Zelezny August 5 dumped CNTS and began
broadcasting on his own. The cost of one month's broadcasting for the
few hundred viewers of CNTS came to 150 million crowns. CME, the
American owner of CNTS, decided to release 270 of the 350 employees of
CNTS. CME media flak Michael Donath of Burson Marsteller tried to shift
blame for the firings, saying they represent the CNTS reaction to
repeated refusals by the Council for Radio and Television Broadcasting
to take any action in the conflict between CET 21 and CNTS (see Carolina
342). CNTS retained its management, technicians and some reporters.
Marketa Lajdova/Sofia Karakeva
Would Every Fifth Czech Vote Communist?
According to the latest opinion poll taken by the STEM agency,
20.5 per cent of respondents gave their preference to the Communist
Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM), the highest preference for the
Communists since November 1989. The Communists finished 0.4 per cent
behind the leader of the poll, the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) of
Vaclav Klaus. Voter preferences for the ruling Social Democrats (CSSD)
continue to fall, this month to 15 per cent. ODS and CSSD tried to
discount the importance of the poll, saying it reflects momentary
discontent with the economy. Analysts say the shift toward the
Communists is being made by disappointed Social Democrat supporters and
former voters of the neo-Fascist Republicans.
Petr Novy/Milan Smid
FROM SLOVAKIA
Havel and Schuster Discuss Final Divison of Former Federal Property
On his first official state visit to independent Slovakia September
17-18, Czech President Vaclav Havel met Slovak Premier Mikulas Dzurinda
and President Rudolf Schuster. Havel discussed with his Slovak
counterpart the unsettled issue of the division of property of the
former Czechoslovak federation. The visit was interpreted as a sign that
relations are finally warming up between the two nations, as Havel had
not visited Slovakia while former Premier Vladimir Meciar was in power.
Havel said a solution to the property question could be found by
the end of the year without hurting the interests of either side. The
presidents rejected the idea of a resolution in which both parties would
renounce their claims. This resolution had been discussed by former
leaders Vaclav Klaus and Meciar in the past. The technical details of
a solution should be determined during meetings planned between Dzurinda
and Czech Prime Minister Milos Zeman.
Alena Smrzova/Milan Smid
ECONOMY
Cabinet Celebrates Second-Quarter GDP Growth of 0.3 Per Cent
"After one year in office, this is my happiest moment," said Prime
Minister Milos Zeman September 14 upon the release of the figures on GDP
development for the second quarter of 1999: growth of 0.3 per cent from
the second quarter of 1998 and growth of 3.6 per cent over the first
quarter of this year. Zeman said the growth proves the economy is coming
out of its crisis.
Finance Minister Pavel Mertlik said, "Although the GDP result is
optimistic, we can't hold our heads too high. It does show, however,
that a deficit policy during the recession was correct, and in the
future we will support the demand side." Mertlik said he fears the
unemployment rate will rise along with GDP. He said it is necessary to
support domestic and foreign investment and finish privatizing
state-owned companies.
Skeptics said the growth was caused by increased household and
government spending and by the increase in export, while investments,
which should be the engine of growth, declined for the quarter. Freedom
Union (US) Vice Chairman and former Trade Minister Karel Kuhnl said he
considers the numbers inflated, because he cannot see how growth can
result from increased household consumption, decreased production and
increased export.
Pavlina Hodkova/Michael Bluhm
Low Trade-Balance Deficit Probably Will Not Last
The Czech Republic's trade-balance deficit for August was 3.2
billion crowns, according to figures published September 22 in the daily
Hospodarske noviny. Experts expect the deficit to remain low in
September, with a surplus possible. The last months of the year,
however, are expected to show a greater deficit because of the rise in
the price of oil and other commodities.
Causes of the low deficit are the domestic economic recession,
which is forcing Czech companies to look abroad for markets, and renewed
economic growth in Western Europe. Export to EU countries over the last
12 months is up about 30 per cent. Automobiles and other transportation
vehicles have recorded some of the most dynamic growth in export.
Estimates of the trade deficit for 1999 now range between 60
billion crowns and 70 billion crowns, after a deficit of 34.8 billion
for the first eight months of the year.
Pavlina Hodkova/Michael Bluhm
ECONOMY IN BRIEF
* Unpaid taxes at the end of August came to 90.5 billion crowns,
according to Finance Ministry figures released September 21. Unpaid VAT
taxes made up 32.4 billion crowns of that total, while income taxes
comprise 25.8 billion crowns.
* The scheduled increase in state rents and electricity will be
postponed until January 1, 2000. Trade Minister Miroslav Gregr and
Finance Minister Pavel Mertlik said they agreed on a new plan for the
increase in energy prices, which they should present to the Cabinet in
three weeks and which calls for an average increase of 15 per cent.
* The Government should begin a tender by the end of the year to
select a consultant for the sale of the state's 51-per-cent share in SPT
Telecom. It is not clear how many shares will be acquired by TelSource,
which now controls 33 per cent of SPT Telecom.
Pavlina Hodkova/Michael Bluhm
Exchange Rates at the Czech National Bank (valid September 24)
--------------------------------------------------------------
1 EUR = 36.115
country currency CZK
------------------------------------------
Australia 1 AUD 22.398
Great Britain 1 GBP 56.372
Denmark 1 DKK 4.861
Japan 100 JPY 33.143
Canada 1 CAD 23.501
IMF 1 XDR 47.809
Hungary 100 HUF 14.134
Norway 1 NOK 4.407
New Zealand 1 NZD 18.067
Poland 1 PLN 8.445
Greece 100 GRD 11.036
Slovakia 100 SKK 83.027
Slovenia 100 SIT 18.414
Sweden 1 SEK 4.195
Switzerland 1 CHF 22.519
USA 1 USD 34.548
Exchange Rates of countries participating in the euro
(converted from the euro rate)
country currency CZK
-----------------------------------------
Germany 1 DEM 18.465
Belgium 100 BEF 89.527
Finland 1 FIM 6.074
France 1 FRF 5.506
Ireland 1 IEP 45.857
Italy 1000 ITL 18.652
Luxemburg 100 LUF 89.527
Netherlands 1 NLG 16.388
Portugal 100 PTE 18.014
Austria 1 ATS 2.625
Spain 100 ESP 21.706
CULTURE
Prague's Ambit Gallery Shows World Press Photo Exhibit
In its 42nd year, the World Press Photo exhibit is presenting
almost 200 award-winning photographs in Prague's Ambit Gallery. Although
this year belongs mostly to simple black-and-white photography, Dayna
Smith's photograph of the year A Kosovo woman over her dead husband is
in colour. Eyal Warshavsky pictures showing the conflict in Izrael
awarded in the Actualities category are in colour as well.
Lenka Nejezchlebova/Zuzana Janeckova
Prague Fall Coming to an End
Brahms' Deutsche Requiem opened the ninth year of the Prague Fall
music festival September 10. Seventeen concertos will be performed by
30 international philharmonic orchestras until September 26. Composers
performed include Mozart, Debussy, Beethoven, Verdi and Bach. To this
point the highlight of the festival was the performance of American
soprano Janice Chandler. Similar to the traditional closing performance
of Bedrich Smetana's My Homeland in every Prague Spring festival, the
Prague Fall will be brought to a close by Antonin Dvorak's Concert for
Violin Cello and in Orchestra in B Minor.
Lenka Nejezchlebova/Zuzana Janeckova
SPORTS
Whitewater Canoeing World Championships: Three Titles for Czech Republic
The Czech Republic's canoeists were the most successful team in the
whitewater World Championships in Seu d'Urgell, Spain. Stepanka
Hilgertova (single kayak) won after an excellent second round and added
another victory to her total, which includes a gold in the Atlanta
Olympics and the 1998 World Cup.
Two other titles came from Marek Jiras and Tomas Mader (double
canoe) and from the teams competition, in which the Czech Republic won
a third place. The single-canoeists' performance was a disappointment as
Olympic champion Lukas Pollert could not advance from the qualification.
Petr Novy/Mirek Langer
Sparta Praha in Champions League: Two Games, Two Draws
The Sparta Praha soccer team started its Champions League campaign
September 15 against the French champion Girordins Bordeaux. The
well-played game finished in a scoreless tie. Horst Siegl could not
score on a penalty shot in the 55th minute.
In the second match, Sparta visited Moscow September 21 to meet
Spartak and it played excellently. Sparta led from the 17th minute after
Vratislav Lokvenc's header, but after the break it allowed the Russians
to create pressure and tie the game. Both teams had chances later, but
they could not convert them.
Ondrej Trunecka/Mirek Langer
UEFA Cup: Teplice Wins, Slavia Ties, Olomouc Loses
Teplice hosted Ferencvaros Budapest September 16 and was losing
after 17 minutes 0-1, but in the end won thanks to Martin Frydek, Michal
Kolomaznik and Marian Rizek's goals. On the same day Slavia Praha came
home from Macedonia with a satisfying 0-0 draw against Vojvodina Novi
Sad (a Yugoslav team which had to play in Macedonia), although it could
have won on Tomas Dosek's good scoring chance in the 82nd minute. Also
September 16 Sigma Olomouc probably buried its chances to advance after
its loss against Real Mallorca 1-3 at home. Olomouc's goal was scored by
David Kobylik.
The rematches are scheduled for September 30.
Petr Novy/Mirek Langer
Soccer League: Slavia Still Leads, Sparta Second
Two rounds of the soccer league were played between September 10
and September 20. The sixth round offered an interesting fight for
second place. Sparta hosted Ceske Budejovice and led after nine minutes
3-0, and by the end of the game had trounced the southern Bohemian team
7-0. First-place Slavia lost two points in Pribram, where goalkeeper
Zdenek Janos performed excellently.
It was, however, his last game - Janos died in a car accident
September 15. Janos, 32, played 283 games in the league, 105 of them
shutouts and scored three goals.
Dukla Pribram, disconsolate from the loss, was easy prey for Ceske
Budejovice in the next round. The game between Sparta and Brno was
attended by 23,800 fans, a high for the year. Slavia keeps its first
place in the standings after beating an out-of-sync Olomouc.
Results of the 6th round: Jablonec - Bohemians Praha 1-2, Sparta
Praha - Ceske Budejovice 7-0, Pribram - Slavia Praha 1-1, Zizkov
- Hradec 2-1, Teplice - Brno 2-1, Drnovice - Liberec 1-1, Opava
- Ostrava 2-3, Olomouc - Blsany 0-1.
Results of the 7th round: Liberec - Zizkov 1-0, Brno - Sparta Praha
1-1, Ostrava - Jablonec 1-1, Ceske Budejovice - Pribram 5-0, Hradec
Kralove - Opava 2-2, Blsany - Drnovice 0-2, Bohemians Praha - Teplice
0-0, Slavia Praha - Olomouc 2-0.
Standings: 1. Slavia Praha 17, 2. Sparta Praha 14, 3. Drnovice 13,
4. Ceske Budejovice 13, 5. Bohemians Praha 12, 6. Liberec 11, 7. Teplice
11, 8. Brno 10, 9. Ostrava 9, 10. Pribram 8, 11. Jablonec 7, 12. Blsany
7, 13. Opava 6, 14. Zizkov 6, 15. Olomouc 4, 16. Hradec Kralove 2.
Petr Novy/Mirek Langer
Hockey Extraleague: Plzen Surprises, Favorites Lose
The new season of the top hockey league, renamed the Czech Telecom
Extraleague after its new sponsor, started September 10.
The beginning of the season brought a number of surprises. Plzen
has not lost yet and leads the standings ahead of Zlin. Slovnaft Vsetin,
league champion the last five seasons, has been weakened by the loss of
some players to the NHL, but now occupies fourth place. Sparta,
a preseason favorite, has played poorly.
Defenseman Milos Holan returned from Atlanta after he was sent to
their farm team during training camp. Holan is playing for Trinec, where
he is also an assistant coach.
Results of the 1st round: Slavia Praha - Vsetin 4-2, Trinec
- Litvinov 5-2, Kladno - Znojmo 4-3, Vitkovice - Havirov 3-0, Karlovy
Vary - Plzen 1-6, Pardubice - Ceske Budejovice 5-1, Zlin - Sparta Praha
4-2.
Results of the 2nd round: Sparta Praha - Trinec 2-4, Litvinov
- Pardubice 6-0, Karlovy Vary - Kladno 3-3, Plzen - Ceske Budejovice
6-1, Vsetin - Vitkovice 5-2, Havirov - Zlin 0-1, Znojmo - Slavia Praha
1-3.
Results of the 3rd round: Vitkovice - Znojmo 1-2, Zlin - Vsetin
4-4, Kladno - Plzen 1-3, Trinec - Havirov 2-1, Ceske Budejovice
- Litvinov 6-2, Pardubice - Sparta Praha 2-5, Slavia Praha - Karlovy
Vary 0-3.
Results of the 4th round: Havirov - Pardubice 1-8, Havirov
- Pardubice 1-8, Plzen - Litvinov 2-2, Kladno - Slavia 2-5, Vsetin
- Trinec 3-2, Znojmo - Zlin 2-2, Karlovy Vary - Vitkovice 2-2, Sparta
Praha - Ceske Budejovice 4-0.
Results of the 5th round: Slavia Praha - Plzen 0-3, Zlin - Karlovy
Vary 4-0, Pardubice - Vsetin 1-3, Trinec - Znojmo 3-3, Litvinov - Sparta
Praha 5-5, Vitkovice - Kladno 6-2, Ceske Budejovice - Havirov 4-3.
Standings: 1. Plzen 9, 2. Zlin 8, 3. Trinec 7, 4. Vsetin 7, 5.
Slavia Praha 6, 6. Vitkovice 5, 7. Sparta Praha 5, 8. Pardubice 4, 9.
Litvinov 4, 10. Znojmo 4, 11. Karlovy Vary 4, 12. Ceske Budejovice 4,
13. Kladno 3, 14. Havirov 0.
Tomas Kohout/Mirek Langer
SPORTS IN BRIEF
* Portugal's Antonio Pinto and Norway's Gunhild Halle won the Mattoni
Grand Prix 10-kilometer run in Prague. Pinto broke the record with
a time of 28 minutes and 16 seconds.
* World champion Ludmila Formanova (800m), Zuzana Hlavonova (high
jump) and Jan Zelezny (javelin) finished second in their respective
disciplines in the IAAF Grand Prix final meet in Munich September 12.
* The Slovnaft Vsetin hockey team lost in the opening game of the
European Hockey League in Russia's Magnitogorsk to Metallurg 2-5.
Petr Novy and Tomas Kohout/Mirek Langer
WEATHER
These are important days. Carolina 345 is heading off into the
world, summer is ending. The leaves are starting to turn into
a palette-full of colors, an unharvested apple will fall here and there
and the mornings will make your hands cold. The Prague Fall music
festival is ending, but the real fall is just beginning. Temperatures in
the morning are around 10 degrees Celsius/50 degrees Fahrenheit, with
highs during the day of 20 degrees Celsius to 25 degrees Celsius/68
degrees Fahrenheit to 77 degrees Fahrenheit.
Petr Novy/Zuzana Janeckova
English version edited by Michael Bluhm.
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