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Carolina (English) No 434
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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 ISSN 121-5040
tel: (+4202) 22112252, fax: (+4202) 22112219
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
C A R O L I N A No 434, Friday, October 26, 2001.
FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK (October 17 - October 24)
Farewell to Carolina in English
The Carolina e-mail news service is commemorating its 10th
birthday. Carolina was born in October 1991, after Charles University
was linked to the European Academic network EARN, and before
Czechoslovakia officially joined the Internet in 1992. The only
connection to cyberspace in 1991 was then a 48kbit/s fixed telephone
line between Prague and Linz (Austria), just for e-mail services. From
the very beginning, Carolina offered an English version.
Until 1995 Carolina was - besides the RFE/RL mail service - the
only Internet source of information about the Czech Republic in English.
One turning point came in 1995 when the foreign broadcasting service
Radio Praha and the wire agency CTK put their headlines and news on the
web. Since then, the amount of Internet sources in English has markedly
increased.
At the address http://www.radio.cz/english/ you can subscribe to
a similar e-mail news service provided by Czech Radio. There are also
other news sources available, e.g.:
http://www.ctk.cz/english/index.html
http://www.ce-review.org/links/news.html
http://www.europeaninternet.com/czech/
http://www.pbj.cz
http://www.praguepost.cz
(If our subscribers want to enlarge this list we can complete it
and distribute it to all members of the CAR-ENG mailing list.)
The first English versions were organized by the founding father of
Carolina, Vaclav Trojan, who sent the Czech stories to our compatriots
abroad, who made English translations in 24 hours and sent them via
e-mail back to Prague. Trojan did it free of charge in his extra hours,
besides his job as the school's computer network administrator.
When the number of Carolina's pages increased, the English version
was translated and edited by Ross Daly, who was a staff member in the
Center for Independent Journalism in Prague. After his departure to the
U.S. Alex Zucker, a former editor of Prague's Prognosis and now a Czech
literature translator in New York, took Ross' chair. However, Alex left
the Czech Republic in 1995, when our graduate Michael Bluhm,
a journalism lecturer here today, became editor of the English version
of Carolina.
Among translators who stayed with Carolina more than one school
year, voluntarily and without any remuneration, were our foreign
students Andrea Snyder and Sofia Karakeva, both now living abroad. Only
Mirek Langer, who translated sports for the English Carolina, surpassed
them in the number of translated items. Carolina is thankful for their
years of cooperation.
The Carolina archive is available at http://www.cuni.cz/Carolina.
An anonymous Charles University FTP server ftp.ruk.cuni.cz offers the
English issues of Carolina in zip form at the directory "pub/Carolina"
The story of English Carolina has ended, Czech Carolina goes on and
will soon have its own html version. Many thanks to our readers.
Milan Smid
Prime Minister Zeman Wants to Destroy Independent Weekly Respekt
Prime Minister Milos Zeman said at a press conference after the
October 22 Cabinet session that his government is going to sue Petr
Holub, editor-in-chief of the independent weekly Respekt, who described
the present government in an editorial as corrupt. According to Zeman,
all 17 members of his Cabinet decided to file libel charges against the
weekly with a demand for punitive damages of 170 million crowns, which
would ruin the weekly.
Holub said in the October 22 issue: "Three years ago the
anti-corruption program of the Social Democrats promoted Zeman to the
position of prime minister. His government lost the fight with
corruption, the evidence of which is a report of Transparency
International and the corrupt behavior of all Cabinet members, from the
youngest one, Brezina, to the oldest one, Gregr." Holub did not specify
the ministers' corrupt behavior.
Zeman's attack on Respekt shocked some freedom-of-expression
defenders. "It is a scandalous act," said Chairwoman of the Czech
Helsinki Committee Jana Chrzova in the daily MF DNES October 24. It is
not sure if the government as a whole will file the libel suit according
to the Penal Code, or if particular Ministers will start separate legal
cases in civil proceedings. The daily Pravo quoted lawyer Josef Lzicar
saying some ministers, but not all of them, might win their cases.
Holub defends his editorial, in which he said not all the ministers
were corrupt, but all of them enabled the existence of a corrupt
environment. He says he plans to approach international institutions, as
well as the Constitutional Court, in response to the Czech government's
filing of charges.
Milan Brunclik/Milan Smid
NEWS IN BRIEF
* Agriculture Minister Jan Fencl is being criticized heavily for
having cooperated with the former communist secret police (StB), as
reported in a Czech Television public-affairs program. Fencl admitted he
knowingly gave information to members of the secret police, while
opposition politicians have used the revelation to demand his
resignation. Prime Minister Milos Zeman has stood behind Fencl, saying
"I fear the campaign against Minister Fencl is led by journalistic
prostitutes." Fencl, it was also recently revealed, was involved in
a questionable land transaction involving state land in a lucrative
locale.
* Police have tracked down individuals suspected of sending letters
threatening anthrax poisoning. One 11-year-old girl, who sent her
classmates flour, had her case forgiven, while one Brno woman could face
charges for spreading a false alarm. Authorities have been called more
than 1,000 times to investigate suspicious packages and letters, but no
anthrax has been found.
* President Vaclav Havel has been in hospital since October 23 and is
taking antibiotics for a fever and a worsening of his chronic sinus
infection.
Jakub Svestka, Milan Brunclik, Monika Millianova/Michael Bluhm
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Verheugen for Closing Czech-Austrian Negotiations on Temelin
EU Commissar Gunter Verheugen, in a letter sent October 15 to the
prime ministers of Austria and the Czech Republic, called the Melk
Process - bilateral negotiations on the Temelin nuclear power plant
- complete and urged the conclusion of the process. Verheugen wrote that
EU experts believe the Czech side has fulfilled all conditions and
discussions on Temelin's safety can be concluded.
Austria's Green Party is proposing a nationwide summit on Temelin,
and say Austria should not allow the Czech Republic to close the chapter
on energy in its membership talks with the EU.
About 100 demonstrators protested against Temelin on the
Czech-Austrian border crossing at Weigetschlag-Studanky October 21.
Czech politicians and nuclear experts welcomed Verheugen's letter.
Michaela Novakova/Michael Bluhm
Brixen celebrates Havlicek
The Italian town of Brixen (Bressanone) organized a number of
ceremonies October 19-20 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the
internment of Czech journalist and writer Karel Havlicek Borovsky. Poet
and Czech ambassador to Austria Jiri Grusa spoke. Havlicek was not
complimentary of Brixen (Brixen is "wretched, a nest ruined by the abuse
of religion and full of idiots and hypocrites"), although he wrote some
significant works there (Tyrolean Elegy, King Lavra, The Christening of
St. Vladimir).
Karla Stepankova/Michael Bluhm
FROM SLOVAKIA
Vladimir Zelezny and TV NOVA to Enter Slovak TV Market
The private station TV Nova will enter the Slovak television market
after the Slovak Broadcasting Council October 23 awarded the Slovak TV
Global company frequencies in three Slovak areas, including the capital
Bratislava. The main investor in TV Nova, Ceska produkcni 2000, recently
bought a majority stake in the association of regional TV stations
controlled by TV Global, which will cover up to 70 per cent of the
Slovak population with the newly acquired licenses.
The licensing procedure was preceded by a series of slanderous
articles in Slovak newspapers on Vladimir Zelezny, the controversial CEO
and founder of the Czech Republic's most popular television station, TV
Nova. Pavol Rusko, the owner of the Slovak Republic's most popular
station, TV Markiza, called Zelezny a man without integrity and
character who should first take care of his court cases and problems in
the Czech Republic. Rusko founded the political party ANO this spring
and could lose his dominant position on the Slovak television market.
Linda Vavrikova/Milan Smid
ECONOMY
Parliament Rejects Budget in First Reading
Parliament, as long expected, rejected the government's 2002 budget
proposal in its first reading October 18. The proposal calls for
expenses of 752 billion crowns and income of 700 billion crowns, the
opposition Civic Democratic Party (ODS) and the Four-Party Coalition
criticize the proposal for excessive spending and unrealistic estimates
of income.
Parliament's Budget Committee returned the budget with a series of
recommendations: more realistic estimates of income, use privatization
proceeds to reduce the state's debt and increase the money sent to
regional governments. The Four-Party Coalition and ODS have said
a 52-billion-crown deficit is unacceptable.
Deputies obligated the government to present a revised version by
November 9, as Parliament tries to avoid beginning next year under
a provisional budget. Prime Minister Milos Zeman said the Cabinet will
incorporate all the committee's proposed changes, while Finance Minister
Jiri Rusnok announced losses for the Consolidation Bank will be 5 to 6
billion crowns lower than expected, which should reduce the planned
deficit. Parliament and ODS Chairman Vaclav Klaus has hinted he might
support a budget satisfying the committee's recommendations.
Michal Eichler/Michael Bluhm
ECONOMY IN BRIEF
* The crown has continued to rise, setting a record with the October
17 exchange rate of 33.43 crowns to the euro. Experts say speculators
are behind the rise, with a belief that the government will be needing
crowns quickly to convert the currency received for the sale of state
shares in the Commerce Bank (Komercni banka) and Czech
Radiocommunications (Ceske radiokomunikace). The crown was also
strengthened by the news October 23 that September's trade balance
finished with a surplus of 1.8 billion crowns, the first monthly surplus
in two years. Exporters, however, continue to voice complaints about the
strong currency.
* More than 120,000 people visited the exhibits of 842 organizations
from October 15-19 at the 11th Invex Computer information technology
fair. One of the biggest events of the fair was the announcement that
the consortium of Autocont On Line-Czech Telecom won the tender to
provide Internet to Czech schools.
Ondrej Jurik/Michael Bluhm
Rates at the Czech National Bank (valid October 26)
--------------------------------------------------------------
1 EUR = 33.345
country currency CZK
------------------------------------------
Australia 1 AUD 18.938
Great Britain 1 GBP 53.360
Denmark 1 DKK 4.485
Japan 100 JPY 30.355
Canada 1 CAD 23.778
IMF 1 XDR 47.500
Hungary 100 HUF 13.237
Norway 1 NOK 4.197
New Zealand 1 NZD 15.524
Poland 1 PLN 9.063
Slovakia 100 SKK 76.549
Slovenia 100 SIT 15.136
Sweden 1 SEK 3.529
Switzerland 1 CHF 22.536
USA 1 USD 37.439
Exchange Rates of countries participating in the euro
(converted from the euro rate)
country currency CZK
-----------------------------------------
Germany 1 DEM 17.049
Belgium 100 BEF 82.660
Finland 1 FIM 5.608
France 1 FRF 5.083
Ireland 1 IEP 42.339
Italy 1000 ITL 17.221
Luxemburg 100 LUF 82.660
Netherlands 1 NLG 15.131
Portugal 100 PTE 16.632
Austria 1 ATS 2.423
Greece 100 GRD 9.786
Spain 100 ESP 20.041
CULTURE
Singer Hana Hegerova Celebrates 70th Birthday
Hana Hegerova celebrated her 70th birthday October 21 with
a concert in the Vinohrady Theater. Her actual birthday was one day
earlier. The first lady of the Czech chanson, as Hegerova is sometimes
known, opened the concert with a recitation of the lyrics of the song
I Like to Recall (Ja rada vzpominam) and then presented a number of her
biggest hits. The highlight of the first half of the concert was the
song Lavender, probably her most famous hit. She was also given 70 red
roses by pop diva Lucie Bila just before the break. In the second half
Hegerova performed with guests - blind singer Katerina Tlusta, folk
singer Karel Plihal, Vaclav Koubek, Yvonne Sanchez with Dan Barta and
Hegerova's singing manager Nora Harazimova. Hana Hegerova recieved
standing ovations and the audience called her back for several encores.
The concert's promoters, Febio and Jakubisko Film, decided to organize
another concert on October 28.
Katerina Krenova/Veronika Hankusova
CULTURE IN BRIEF
* Members of the Czech Film and Television Academy decided that Jan
Sverak's film Wild Blue Yonder (Tmavomodry svet) will be the Czech
Republic's candidate for the Oscar for best foreign-language film. The
nomination was Sverak's third; his first was for the film Elementary
School (Obecna skola) in 1992, while his 1997 film Kolya won the Oscar
for the director, the son of screenwriter, actor and the star of Kolya
Zdenek Sverak.
* Mezzosoprano Magdalena Kozena won a British Gramophone Award for
her vocal performance of works by Janacek, Martinu and Dvorak, which she
recorded with pianist Graham Johnson. The awards are known as the Oscars
of classical music and her victory is the greatest success of her career
so far.
* Artist Jiri Kolar, 87, was present for the October 19 opening of an
exhibit of his private collection in Prague's Expo Palace (Veletrzni
palac). The first part of the exhibit concentrates on artists from Group
42, while the second part includes 88 works by Vladimir Boudnik, as well
as works by Milan Kniza, Kamil Lhotak, Josef Capek and Kolar's
correspondence.
Zdenek Mihalco, Monika Millianova/Michael Bluhm
SPORTS
Sparta Stays Undefeated in Champions League
The tough game in freezing weather against Spartak in Moscow
October 23 was the fifth stop on the schedule of Sparta Praha's
Champions League campaign. The home team played great, but did not
manage to defeat Sparta. It led after five minutes of play as Brazil's
Robson beat goalkeeper Peter Cech, breaking his more than 20-hour long
shutout streak. After Radim Holub tied the game, Vladimir Beschastnykh
put Spartak in the lead again. The Czechs took the initiative after the
break, having chances they failed to convert. In injury time Sparta's
goalkeeper moved into the opposition's penalty box to strengthen
Sparta's offense - and after his header and a deflection Peter Babnic
scored the final, tying goal.
Spartak Moscow - Sparta Praha 2-2 (2-1). Goals: 5 Robson, 34
Beschastnykh - 29 Holub, 90 Babnic.
Standings: 1. Bayern Munich 11, 2. Sparta Praha 11, 3. Spartak
Moscow 2, 4. Feyenoord 2
Ondrej Hodalik/Mirek Langer
Poor Performances by Czech Teams in UEFA Cup
Two Czech teams advanced to the UEFA Cup second round, but after
the first games October 18, their chances to go on seem to have
disappeared. Slovan Liberec visited the second-place team of the Spanish
first league. Celta Vigo's coach let seven players rest, but it did not
affect Celta's offensive power. Home star Alexander Mostovoy decided the
game with a hat trick, Slovan Liberec was helped by McCarthy's own goal
to complete the scoring at 3-1. The home team was full of activity and
was better in all aspects of play than Pribram, which helped it with
many mistakes on defense.
Results: Celta Vigo - Slovan Liberec 3-1 (1-0) Goals: 35, 76 and
90 Mostovoy - 66 own goal McCarthy.
PAOK Thessaloniki - Marila Pribram 6-1 (3-0) Goals: 23, 28
Yasemakis, 38, 88 Okkas, 51 Konstantinidis, 75 Luciano - 57 Siegl.
Ondrej Hodalik/Mirek Langer
Sparta Confirms Its Top Form in Soccer League
The 11th round of the soccer league confirmed Sparta Praha's
excellent form October 19. Sparta defeated Banik Ostrava, one of the big
surprises of the league, 4-0. The runner-up of the last league season,
Slavia Praha, on the contrary prolonged its recent poor play with a loss
in Liberec. However, Opava's first win of the season (under new coach
Mentel) was the biggest upset of the round.
Results of the 11th round: Bohemians Praha - Hradec Kralove 2-2,
Stare Mesto - Brno 1-2, Blsany - Teplice 1-3, Sparta Praha - Ostrava
4-0, Liberec - Slavia Praha 2-0, Opava - Jablonec 1-0, Pribram -Drnovice
1-0, Olomouc -Zizkov 0-2.
Standings: 1. Sparta Praha 27 points., 2. Zizkov 25, 3. Bohemians
Praha 24, 4. Ostrava 20, 5. Liberec 19, 6. Slavia Praha 16, 7. Brno 16,
8. Drnovice 14, 9. Stare Mesto 13, 10. Hradec Kralove 13, 11. Teplice
12, 12. Jablonec 12, 13. Pribram 11, 14. Blsany 10, 15. Olomouc 10, 16.
Opava 4
Ondrej Hodalik/Mirek Langer
Patera Returns to Kladno after Five Years
Olympic gold medal winner and world champion Pavel Patera's return
to Kladno was the main event of the hockey extraleague's 15th round.
Patera played three games for his old team before departing to his new
engagement in the Russian team Omsk. Patera recorded only one assist and
Kladno won only one of those three games. Ceske Budejovice surprisingly
defeated the leader of the standings Pardubice in the 16th round, while
Zlin hammered Havirov in a game. Trinec won in Plzen thanks to
a stunning turnaround in the last five minutes.
Results of the 15th round: Sparta Praha - Znojmo 2-3 OT, Litvinov
- Slavia Praha 2-5, Vsetin - Vitkovice 1-4, Kladno - Ceske Budejovice
2-4, Havirov - Zlin 4-9, Pardubice - Trinec 2-3 OT, Plzen - Karlovy Vary
1-0.
Results of the 16th round: Havirov - Sparta Praha 2-2, Plzen
- Trinec 4-5, Znojmo - Vsetin 1-1, Karlovy Vary - Kladno 6-0, Ceske
Budejovice - Pardubice 4-1, Zlin - Litvinov 5-2, Slavia Praha
- Vitkovice 6-4.
Results of the 17th round: Plzen - Sparta Praha 0-2, Pardubice
- Vitkovice 3-1, Litvinov - Ceske Budejovice 4-2, Kladno - Trinec 3-2
OT, Slavia Praha - Karlovy Vary 1-2, Havirov - Znojmo 2-4.
Standings: 1. Pardubice 37 points, 2. Zlin 34, 3. Sparta Praha 34,
4. Trinec 32, 5. Slavia Praha 29, 6.Vitkovice 24, 7. Litvinov 22, 8.
Vsetin 21, 9. Ceske Budejovice 20, 10. Znojmo 19, 11. Plzen 17, 12.
Karlovy Vary 16, 13. Havirov 14, 14. Kladno 14.
Tomas Fliegl/Mirek Langer
Jagr Signs New Contract in NHL
The top scoring NHL player of the last four years, Czech-born right
wing Jaromir Jagr, signed a new contract with the Washington Capitals
October 18. The seven-year contract with a one-year option ensures Jagr
an average yearly salary of 11 million USD, which makes Jagr the best-
paid hockey player in history. Jagr came to Washington after 11 years
with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Last season he asked Penguins management
to let him go to another team. Although the New York Rangers were the
hottest candidate, the Czech star wound up in Washington.
Tomas Fliegl/Mirek Langer
SPORTS IN BRIEF
* Jaroslav Hules finished 16th in the penultimate race of the
motorcycle road racing world championships in Malaysia, Jakub Smrz did
not complete the race.
* Russian chess player and former world champion Garry Kasparov
defeated the team of the Czech Republic 5 1/2 - 2 1/2 in Prague. In two
day of simultaneous matches Kasparov met four top Czech grandmasters:
Sergei Movsesian, Zbynek Hracek, Vlastimil Babula and Tomas Oral. Oral
on the fourth board was the surprising winner of the first game, the
only Czech win in the tie. Kasparov then won all 25 games of a charity
simultaneous match in Brno October 21.
Jirka Sochor/Mirek Langer
WEATHER
Indian summer has left for good. It's cold (daytime highs of 10-15
degrees Celsius/50-59 degrees Fahrenheit) and foggy and might get worse.
It's better to be someplace warm, like the offices of Carolina, and
watch the world from the window. Prague's typically gray and
less-than-tropical weather is settling in, and it will be some time
before we have anything better to report.
English verison of Carolina edited by Michael Bluhm.
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