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Carolina (English) No 338
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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 338, Friday, June 25, 1999.
FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK (June 16 - June 23)
Second Try in Local Elections Brings Little Change
Political parties which abdicated their positions in 21 voting
districts and made June 19's supplementary municipal elections
necessary, did not realize any significant gains. Some of the parties
lost ground to independent candidates.
Despite the best finish of a parliamentary party in the elections
(47 seats), the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) lost its battle in the
largest contested district, Ceske Budejovice, when the election changed
the balance of power there: the Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) and
Communists (KSCM) increased their representation in the district's
political leadership, while ODS and their Opposition Contract partner,
the Social Democrats (CSSD), were on the losing side. Because ODS and
Christian Democrat politicians in Ceske Budejovice cannot work together,
a coalition of the Social Democrats, Christian Democrats, Freedom Union
(US) and the Communists seems inevitable. The elected representatives
will then elect a city council and mayor in 15 days.
The Communists surprisingly brought in the second best returns in
the supplementary elections with 29 seats, ahead of the Social Democrats
(24 seats) and Christian Democrats (23 seats). The Freedom Union won
five seats, four of them in Ceske Budejovice.
Petr Novy/Milan Smid
One Year after - Two MiG-21 Fighters Collide Again
Two Czech Army MiG-21 planes collided while returning from
a training flight and crashed in an uninhabited forest area in the
Havlickuv Brod district near the villages of Macourov and Ceska Bela
June 17. In contrast to a similar crash one year ago in Ceske Budejovice
without casualties (see Carolina 293), this accident was fatal for two
of the three pilots aboard the planes. The collision happened 10 seconds
after the planes changed positions. All pilots were ejected from their
planes.
Whether the accident was caused by a technical flaw or by pilot
error is not yet known. Czech Army Air Force Commander Ladislav Klima
stopped all training flights of army planes until technical failure can
be ruled out.
Petr Novy/Milan Smid
New Street Party without Incident
The Street Party called for June 18 - and forbidden by the Prague
1 City Hall - took place without incident. Throughout the world radical
ecologists and anarchists organized demonstrations that day against
economic globalization, while Prague demonstration organizer Slavomir
Tesarek from the Against the Flow and Rainbow Keepers movements read the
letter from City Hall denying permission to demonstrate to those
gathered on Prague's Jungmann Square (Jungmannovo namesti) and then
walked with them down National Avenue (Narodni trida) and across
Legions' Bridge (Most legii).
Petr Novy/Michael Bluhm
General Pika Executed 50 Years Ago
Fifty years ago, on June 21, 1949, General Heliodor Pika was
sentenced to death for supposed military treason by the State Court in
Prague. Participants in the trial included the new Czechoslovak StB
secret police and the Soviet secret services and the sentence was
confirmed by a five-member group of the Communist Party's Central
Committee led by President Klement Gottwald. Pika was rehabilitated in
1968 by a military Court. His execution was the first capital punishment
in Czechoslovakia after the Communists took power in a coup in February
1948.
Jakub Jirovec/Jakub Jirovec
NEWS IN BRIEF
* Macedonia President Kiro Gligorov arrived June 21 in Prague for
a one-day visit. Gligorov was welcomed by President Vaclav Havel at
Prague Castle, where they talked mainly about the situation in Kosovo.
Gligorov said he supported free elections in Kosovo as soon as possible
under the supervision of international forces. He also said to the daily
Pravo that Macedonia's priority is joining the European Union and NATO.
Vladimir Vorechovsky/Jakub Jirovec
FROM SLOVAKIA
Singer Jozo Raz in Accident
Pop group Elan's singer Jozo Raz June 20 was struck by a car while
on his motorcycle. The accident was evidently not his fault, because the
car, driven by a German, did not respect Raz's right of way. Raz is in
a coma in a Bratislava hospital. Doctors have not given very optimistic
prognoses.
Vladimir Vorechovsky/Jakub Jirovec
ECONOMY
Czech GDP Plummets in First Quarter
The Czech Statistics Office June 22 announced the Czech Republic's
GDP for the first quarter of 1999 declined by 4.5 per cent, the worst
decline since 1993. The greatest fall (7.1 per cent) was recorded in the
area of fixed investments, while government consumption increased by
3.9 per cent and household consumption increased by 0.5 per cent.
Prime Minister Milos Zeman said the feeble state of the Czech
economy is the fault of former governments and in particular the
recovery packages of 1997. Zeman also said his Government is halting the
decline. Former Finance Minister Ivan Pilip (Freedom Union) rejected
Zeman's claims, saying the Government does not have the growing budget
deficit under control and is not trying to make structural changes in
the economy.
Czech National Bank Governor Josef Tosovsky said growth or at least
stagnation of the decline should occur in the second half of this year.
Jakub Jirovec/Michael Bluhm
ECONOMY IN BRIEF
* The Czech Republic's trade deficit for May was 900 million crowns,
according to data released by the Czech Statistics Office June 22. Over
the last 12 months imports have increased by 3.9 per cent, while exports
have recorded a leap of 15.2 per cent, which some experts interpreted as
a sign of Czech industry coming to life. The main source of the increase
is the 28-per-cent increase in exports to Germany over the last 12
months. A trading deficit continues to exist with overseas nations and
developing countries, while the Czech Republic maintains a positive
trade balance with the countries of the EU.
* At SPT Telecom's general meeting June 18, its two largest
shareholders - the National Property Fund and the Transportation
Ministry - succeeded in recalling almost all of company management,
including General Director Stanislav Novak. Board of directors member
Karel Zeman was elected chairman.
Jakub Jirovec/Michael Bluhm
Exchange Rates at the Czech National Bank (valid June 25)
------------------------------------------------------------
1 EUR = 36.950
country currency CZK
------------------------------------------
Australia 1 AUD 23.504
Great Britain 1 GBP 56.390
Denmark 1 DKK 4.972
Japan 100 JPY 29.354
Canada 1 CAD 24.305
IMF 1 XDR 47.619
Hungary 100 HUF 14.804
Norway 1 NOK 4.554
New Zealand 1 NZD 19.170
Poland 1 PLN 9.128
Greece 100 GRD 11.384
Slovakia 100 SKK 81.432
Slovenia 100 SIT 18.944
Sweden 1 SEK 4.226
Switzerland 1 CHF 23.111
USA 1 USD 35.709
Exchange Rates of countries participating in the euro
(converted from the euro rate)
country currency CZK
-----------------------------------------
Germany 1 DEM 18.892
Belgium 100 BEF 91.597
Finland 1 FIM 6.215
France 1 FRF 5.633
Ireland 1 IEP 46.917
Italy 1000 ITL 19.083
Luxemburg 100 LUF 91.597
Netherlands 1 NLG 16.767
Portugal 100 PTE 18.431
Austria 1 ATS 2.685
Spain 100 ESP 22.207
CULTURE
E.T. Jam 99 in Prague
Almost 10,000 people came to see and hear Alanis Morissette, Bryan
Adams, Suzanne Vega, Crash Test Dummies at Prague's Dzban June 19 in
this year's E.T. Jam festival. The Czech groups November Second,
Despondancing and Syndrom Snopp opened the festival. The Finnish folk
group Varttina also performed.
Pavel Sladky/Zuzana Janeckova
Respect 99 Earns Audiences' Respect
In its second year, the Respect festival presented Romany music
from various European countries, Tuaregy Ensemble Tartit from Africa and
Musafir from India. The performance of Romania's Fanfare Ciocarlia
- billed as the world's fastest brass band - was a great success, while
the Czech groups Alom and Cilagos were also warmly received.
The festival will be part of the Praha 2000 project next year.
Pavel Sladky/Zuzana Janeckova
Summer Shakespeare Celebrations Begin at Prague Castle
The Summer Shakespeare Celebrations, carried out under President
Vaclav Havel's patronage, started June 12 in the Highest Burgravery at
Prague Castle. A different Shakespeare play will be performed every day
in the unique historical environment - theater troupes have prepared
MacBeth, As You Like It, The Twelfth Night, King Lear and The Merry
Wives of Windsor.
Pavel Sladky/Jakub Jirovec
CULTURE IN BRIEF
* The Prague Dance 99 festival kicked off June 21 in Prague's State
Opera. Opening night belonged to the renowned American group the Martha
Graham Dance Company.
* Famed American soprano Sylvia McNair June 17 performed George
Gershwin's music in Prague's Rudolfinum.
* The American underground group The Residents played three concerts
June 19-21 in Prague. The Residents appeared live for the first time in
eight years and performed material primarily from their new Wormwood
project.
Katerina Kolarova/Jakub Jirovec
SPORTS
Soccer League Champion Sparta Praha Changes Owner and Coach
Gambrinus Soccer League winner Sparta Praha, which advanced to the
basic group of the 1999-2000 Champions League, got a new owner June 20.
The publishing corporation Vltava-Labe-Press, owned by Germany's
Passauer Neue Presse publishers, bought a majority share from the Slovak
VSZ Kosice ironworks.
Vltava-Labe-Press General Director Vlastimil Kostal signed
a contract with the VSZ Kosice President Gabriel Eichler worth more than
300 million crowns. Sparta's books also contain 500 million crowns of
debt.
The new owner hired Miroslav Pelta as Sparta general director.
Pelta, who came to Sparta from first-league club FK Jablonec,
immediately hired a new coach - Ivan Hasek. Hasek replaces Zdenek
Scasny, who once played with Hasek for Sparta and who led the club for
two years and won two league titles.
Hasek, who recently earned his professional coach's license, will
leave his post as general secretary of the Czech Soccer Union and will
probably continue his job as assistant of national team coach Jozef
Chovanec.
Josef Koukolicek/Mirek Langer
Goalie Dominik Hasek Not Pleased after Losing Stanley Cup
A goal in the 15th minute of the third overtime decided the sixth
game of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Buffalo Sabres and the Dallas
Stars. Dallas won the game 2-1, the series 4-2 and so the only Czech
name to be engraved into the cup this year will be that of Dallas
substitute goalkeeper Roman Turek. Buffalo has four Czech players: star
goalie Dominik Hasek, defenseman Richard Smehlik and forwards Vaclav
Varada and Michal Grosek.
Hasek, who made 49 saves in the deciding game, was angry about
Brett Hull's winning goal. "We had bad luck. Our shots hit the bar twice
and we got an improper goal at the end. The video confirmed it. The
video goal judge was probably asleep, or he was in the toilet," Hasek
said, remarking on Hull's skate being in the goal crease when the goal
was scored.
Dallas' celebrations opened with a farewell to Turek, who was
traded to the St. Louis Blues immediately after the finals.
Stepan Etrych/Mirek Langer
Jagr Is NHL's Most Valuable Player, Hasek Wins Fifth Vezina Trophy
Jaromir Jagr, right winger of the Pittsburgh Penguins, won the Hart
Trophy as most valuable player of the National Hockey League. He
received the trophy from Wayne Gretzky. Jagr, who won the NHL regular
season's scoring title with 44 goals and 83 assists, was also presented
with the Lester B. Pearson Award, given to the most outstanding player
as voted by the NHL Players' Association.
Buffalo goalkeeper Dominik Hasek, who won the Hart Trophy the last
two years, was nominated again, but in the end received "only" the
Vezina Trophy as best goalkeeper. Hasek led in all the major goalie
statistics for the regular season (goals-against average, save
percentage and shutouts) and took his fifth Vezina Trophy. "I was
thinking I would give up the Vezina to play Game Seven in the Stanley
Cup Finals," Hasek said.
Colorado Avalanche forward Milan Hejduk was a Calder Trophy
finalist, but in the battle of the best rookies he was defeated by
teammate Chris Drury.
Mirek Langer/Mirek Langer
SPORTS IN BRIEF
* The Czech men's basketball team advanced from the basic group of
the European Championships in France with two wins and one loss. It
defeated Lithuania 78-62 and Greece 83-72 and lost to Germany 77-68.
* Three Czech players advanced to the second round of Wimbledon: Jana
Novotna, Jiri Novak and Daniel Vacek, who defeated compatriot Bohdan
Ulihrach. Denisa Chladkova, Kvetoslava Hrdlickova, Sandra Kleinova,
Ctislav Dosedel and Martin Damm were eliminated.
* Banik Ostrava soccer players refused to start preparing for next
season because the club has not paid their salaries since March.
* Phenomenal soccer scorer of the 1940's Josef Bican and 1962 top
European soccer player Josef Masopust are among the candidates for World
Soccer Player of the Century. The poll is organized by the International
Federation of the Soccer Historiographers and Statisticians.
* Karel Gut remains Czech Ice Hockey Union president after the
Union's congress. The second candidate, Frantisek Cernik, withdrew his
candidacy and was elected first vice president. Miloslav Seba will be
the second vice president.
* The hockey extraleague changed its general sponsor after five years
and will also have to change its name: instead of the Staropramen
Extraleague, its new name will be the Czech Telecom Extraleague.
Josef Koukolicek and Stepan Etrych/Mirek Langer
WEATHER
It's gray and wet. Temperatures, which had still fluctuated around
20 degrees Celsius/68 degrees Fahrenheit little more than a week ago,
are now struggling to get past 15 degrees Celsius/59 degrees Fahrenheit.
The forecast for July calls for even more gray and wet weather.
Residents of Moravia do not find much humor in the weather these days,
after 50 houses were flooded in the Karvina region, the Havirov-Ostrava
highway disappeared under water and some rivers have reached the third
degree of flood emergency, meaning a disaster threatens.
Pavel Sladky, Vladimir Vorechovsky/Michael Bluhm
English version edited by Michael Bluhm.
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