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Carolina (English) No 420
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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 420, Friday, May 25, 2001.
FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK (May 16 - May 23)
Defense Ministry Shake-up, General Klima Leaving
New Defense Minister Jaroslav Tvrdik decided after 12 days in
office to replace all the incumbent deputy ministers. He also iniciated
personnel reforms in the ministry that will cost hundreds of people
their posts, mostly soldiers. Tvrdik has decided to employ only
civilians, who will focus on the most important projects concerning
military development. According to Tvrdik, soldiers can be employed only
in the general staff and combat units under its command.
Tvrdik named three new deputies May 17: Josef Jehlik for finances,
Stefan Fule for security policy and Jaroslava Pribylova for personnel.
They should bring to the ministry qualified and independent experts.
Chief of the general staff Jiri Sedivy said he does not fear that
personnel reform will have a negative influence on the ongoing army
reforms - he said things cannot get any worse.
Tvrdik said he expects these changes will launch a re-evaluation or
a reduction of multi-billion-crown weapons projects. For example, the
purchase of L-159 combat fighter planes from Aero Vodochody is to be
reduced from 72 planes for 50 billion crowns to 36 planes, and the
remaining 36 planes could be exchanged for products of Slovak
arms-makers, such as the self-propelled howitzer Zuzana from ZTS Dubnica
nad Vahom. The ministry's new management will examine other large
contracts, such as those concerning hundreds of unusable parachutes, the
modernization of T-72CZ tanks and the non-functional information system.
General Ladislav Klima, the respected leader of the military's air
force, decided to leave. He will remain in the post until November 30,
despite Tvrdik's attempts to dissuade him from leaving - Tvrdik offered
Klima the position of deputy chief of the general staff. Klima, 52, has
flown 2,000 hours and has led the air force since 1997. He decided to
leave for personal reasons.
Marie Sternova/Sofia Karakeva
Broadcasting Bill Passes the Senate Hurdle
The new Broadcasting Bill, which was the subject of a controversy
in the Chamber of Deputies in April (see Carolina 414), was approved by
the upper chamber of Parliament, the Senate, by two votes May 17. The
approval came as a surprise, because the Four-Party Coalition, which,
together with two independents controls the Senate, criticized the bill
and tried to make several amendments. However, three Christian Democrats
(KDU-CSL) abandoned the party line and voted for the bill.
The Four-Party Coalition's criticism focused on how the Czech
Broadcasting Council, a 13-member regulatory body, is appointed and
recalled. The bill supposes that the Chamber of Deputies continues to be
the only chamber involved with the Council, while some senators asked
that the Senate be included in the procedure as well.
Another key issue was the provision on the automatic extension of
licenses, which guarantees existing broadcasters one more license term
without any re-evaluation of license conditions. Some senators
criticized it as discrimination against new potential broadcasters,
other proposed auctioning licenses.
It is assumed that the danger of new licensing procedures, with the
possibility of licenses being lost, mobilized private radio and
television broadcasters to lobby senators not to change the automatic
extension of licenses. If President Vaclav Havel signs the bill, it will
become law and the two nationwide private television channels - TV NOVA
and TV PRIMA - will continue broadcasting for at least the next 12
years.
Marie Sternova/Milan Smid
NEWS IN BRIEF
* About 500 people, among them Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla,
gathered in Terezin (Theresienstadt, a former Nazi transport camp) to
pay their respects to the victims of Nazism May 20. The ceremony was
organized by the Czech Union of Freedom Fighters. Representatives of the
Jewish community stated in a letter their "displeasure that in the Czech
Republic the activity of neo-Nazis are tolerated," and called upon
Parliament, the government and the courts to stop overlooking the rise
of neo-Nazism.
* In Nymburk May 19, members of the Communist Party of Bohemia and
Moravia (KSCM) celebrated the 80th anniversary of the establishment of
the Czechoslovak Communist Party (KSC). KSCM's Chairman Miroslav
Grebenicek said the party will no longer apologize for the mistakes of
the past, because it has done so many times and no one has appreciated
such apologies. "We will not follow the path of self-flagellation, let
those who do some wrong punish themselves," he said.
* Foreign Minister Jan Kavan completed his one-week visit to the
United States, where he also suffered a mild heart attack (see Carolina
419). According to the Czech daily Pravo, Kavan did not have insurance
and the expenses for his two-day stay in the hospital will be covered by
the Czech government.
Gabriela Pribilova, Marie Sternova/Sofia Karakeva
FROM SLOVAKIA
Cabinet Shuffle
The Slovak government, in very tense times, negotiated on Cabinet
reconstruction in Trencianske Teplice May 18 from 4 p.m. into the night.
The tension has been rising since Premier Mikulas Dzurinda removed
Pavol Hamzik (see Carolina 419), deputy premier and chairman of the
Party of Civic Understanding (SOP), from office in relation to the
alleged embezzlement of money from EU development funds. The Christian
Democrat Movement (KDH) and the SOP proposed shuffling ministries
according to representation in the National Assembly. The KDH spoke
about the possibility of replacing Dzurinda.
The government has not announced any changes, except for Ivan
Simek, a new candidate for interior minister, nominated by Dzurinda in
an unusual way May 17.
Ivan Miklos, deputy premier for the economy, will face a vote of
confidence in the assembly at the end of the week. Other Cabinet members
have passed this test, but Miklos is expected to fall.
FROM SLOVAKIA IN BRIEF
* The population census, already taken in Austria, the Czech Republic
and Hungary, began in Slovakia May 19. Census-takers are distributing
forms, which, unlike the Czech ones, do not require citizens to identify
themselves. The census should cost about 670 million SVK.
* Pharmacists have been on strike since May 25. More than 70 per cent
of the nation's pharmacies are closed and long queues stand before the
rest. The Chamber of Pharmacists said it wants to force negotiations
with the government, which they accuse of causing a lack of funding for
pharmacists.
From Slovakia by Zdenek Sloboda/Adam Fendrych
ECONOMY
Another Stock-Market Fraud
The biggest Czech broker for American securities, Private
Investors, declared bankruptcy May 21. Some 2,000 people, whose assets
was managed by Private Investors, lost their money and shares.
In February the company announced its 2000 profits were about 11
million crowns on trades worth 17.2 billion USD. No more details about
Private Investors' fall were released.
According to company management, the reason for bankruptcy is the
decline of share prices on the American NASDAQ exchange, particularly
shares of IT and telecommunications firms. These shares lost more than
half of their value last year. Private Investors' U.S. partner was A. B.
Watley, which provided bank credits for some of the trades.
The company had about 2,400 clients, all of whom should get part of
their money back. The money will be returned if the newly created
Guarantee Fund, which pays out 90 per cent of the investments (up to
400,000 crowns) in state-licensed banks, traders and funds that go
bankrupt. The Czech Securities Commission (KCP), which supervises the
stock market, said it will likely file a lawsuit against Private
Investors.
ECONOMY IN BRIEF
* The consulting firm Accenture did a survey on the quality of
services provided by Czech banks, primarily on customer service,
employee knowledge and the overall level of the banks' branches. The
results show the best Czech banks to be the Commerce Bank (Komercni
banka) and the Czech Savings Bank (Ceska sporitelna). This year's
results were completely the opposite as last year. Last year's winner,
the Investment and Postal Bank (Investicni a postovni banka, IPB) is now
a subsidiary of the Czechoslovak Trade Bank (Ceskoslovenska obchodni
banka, CSOB) and has fallen rapidly, while the banks that ranked worst
last year are now on top. However, according to the analysis, the
overall level of Czech banking is still far from Western standards.
* A new director for the state-owned Consolidation Bank, which
controls bad loans, was appointed May 17. Pavel Rezabek will replace
former General Director and board of directors Chairman Ladislav
Reznicek, who was unexpectedly fired May 15 by Finance Minister Jiri
Rusnok.
Economy by David Pilar/Stepan Vorlicek
Rates at the Czech National Bank (valid May 18)
--------------------------------------------------------------
1 EUR = 34.275
country currency CZK
------------------------------------------
Australia 1 AUD 20.518
Great Britain 1 GBP 56.528
Denmark 1 DKK 4.597
Japan 100 JPY 33.350
Canada 1 CAD 25.748
IMF 1 XDR 50.148
Hungary 100 HUF 13.346
Norway 1 NOK 4.313
New Zealand 1 NZD 16.717
Poland 1 PLN 9.989
Slovakia 100 SKK 79.774
Slovenia 100 SIT 15.759
Sweden 1 SEK 3.798
Switzerland 1 CHF 22.477
USA 1 USD 39.922
Exchange Rates of countries participating in the euro
(converted from the euro rate)
country currency CZK
-----------------------------------------
Germany 1 DEM 17.525
Belgium 100 BEF 84.966
Finland 1 FIM 5.765
France 1 FRF 5.225
Ireland 1 IEP 43.520
Italy 1000 ITL 17.702
Luxemburg 100 LUF 84.966
Netherlands 1 NLG 15.553
Portugal 100 PTE 17.096
Austria 1 ATS 2.491
Greece 100 GRD 10.059
Spain 100 ESP 20.600
CULTURE
Dark-Blue World - Film Homage to Czechoslovak R.A.F. Pilots
Jan Sverak, director of the 1996 Oscar winner for best
foreign-language film Kolya, took five years to collect the money for
the most expensive Czech film ever, Dark-Blue World (Tmavomodry svet,
although a truer translation would be Wild Blue Yonder). The premiere of
the movie, in Prague's Svetozor cinema May 16, was attended by many
celebrities and politicians, including the presidential couple, as well
as by numerous veterans of the Second World War.
The movie, written by Kolya's scriptwriter and Jan Sverak's father
Zdenek, describes the story of former Czechoslovak R.A.F pilot
Lieutenant Slama (played by Ondrej Vetchy), who in a Czech prison in the
Stalinst 50's recounts his past. The story starts with Slama's escape
from the Nazi protectorate in the Czech lands in 1939, and continues in
Great Britain, where Slama received training in the Royal Air Force and
participated in cruel air battles. The film features a love story
pitting Slama against his best friend Vojtisek (Krystof Hadek) for the
love of a married woman.
Zdenek Sverak wrote, as usual, a story full of poetry and heroism,
where cowardice and cruelty are also present, mixed with love and
friendship that no love interest or jealousy could break. Czech press
reviews call Dark-Blue World a well made, good-looking film, without any
professional flaws, which, however, is a little too sentimental in an
effort to pay homage to WWII heroes.
Zdenek Sloboda/Milan Smid
CULTURE IN BRIEF
* The 3rd international festival of Romany culture Khamoro began in
Prague May 22 with a seminar called Romanies and the European Union.
Khamoro means "sun" in Romany. The festival will feature a number of
exhibits, concerts and theater performances of Romany artists.
* Actress Iva Janzurova celebrated her 60th birthday May 19. Born in
Pelhrimov, she finished the Theater Academy (DAMU) in Prague in 1963,
then spent one season in the F.X. Salda Theater in Liberec. From
1964-1987 she was a member of the Vinohrady Theater troupe (Divadlo na
Vinohradech), then she went to the National Theater. Janzurova is well
known as a comedienne in many film and television comedies, but the
center of her work was theater performance. She several times received
prestigious awards like the Czech Lion (for best actress in a Czech
film) or the Thalia Award (theater performance of the year).
* Vladimir Valenta, 78, well known to the Czech public as the
stationmaster in the 1967 Oscar-winning film Closely Watched Trains,
died in Edmonton, Canada May 13. Valenta wrote several screenplays after
1945, in the 50's he was jailed for political reasons but he managed to
return to the film industry as a dramaturgist in 6O's. After the 1968
occupation of Czechoslovakia he left the country. He worked as an actor
and dramaturgist and published the exile newspaper Telegram from
1969-75. Until his death he wrote columns for the exile magazine
Polygon.
Gabriela Pribilova/Milan Smid
SPORTS
Tanzanian Wins 7th Prague International Marathon
About 3,500 runners form more than 80 countries participated in the
7th Prague International Marathon May 20. The weather was sunny and not
very hot when the main race started at 9 a.m. on Old Town Square. The
marathon route went from the Old Town across the Charles Bridge to the
Lesser Quarter (Mala Strana) and then along the Vltava (Moldau) River
into the suburb of Zbraslav and back. Five Kenyan athletes took the lead
in the second half of the race together with Andrew Sambu from Tanzania,
who finished first with a time of 2:10:14. The first Czech to cross the
finish line was ninth-place Jan Blaha, who arrived five minutes after
Sambu. The women's race was won by Maura Viceconte (2:26:33) of Italy,
third-place was taken by Alena Peterkova of the Czech Republic.
Gabriela Pribilova
Soccer League: Three Teams Vie for Second Place
If Slavia Praha had defeated Blsany in the 28th round of the Czech
Gambrinus Soccer League, its second place and qualification for the
Champions League would have been assured. Due, however, to fatal mistake
by goalie Cerny, who in the 82nd minute missed the ball on the muddy
pitch and gave Blsany the chance to score the winning goal, Slavia's
hopes disappeared. However, because Slavia's competitors - Olomouc and
Pribram - also lost badly needed points in this round, second place will
be decided next week. Slavia's Champions League dream will come true
only if it beats Drnovice in the final, 30th round.
The team that will accompany Plzen into the second league for next
season is Ceske Budejovice.
Results of the 29th round: Ceske Budejovice - Drnovice 0-1, Olomouc
- Ostrava 0-0, Viktoria Zizkov - Viktoria Plzen 3-3, Teplice - Sparta
Praha 2-3, Jablonec - Nove Mesto 1-0, Brno - Bohemians Praha 0-0,
Pribram - Liberec 1-1.
Standings: 1. Sparta Praha 68 points, 2. Olomouc 49, 3. Slavia
Praha 49, 4. Pribram 48, 5. Viktoria Zizkov 46, 6. Liberec 44, 7.
Drnovice 41, 8. Teplice 40, 9-10. Bohemians + Blsany 37, 11. Stare Mesto
34, 12. Jablonec 32, 13. Ostrava 30, 14. Brno 29, 15. Ceske Budejovice
26, 16. Plzen 18.
David Pilar
WEATHER
While May 19 was rainy and marchers on the traditional trek from
Prague to Prcice had to wade through mud and puddles, clear and cold air
arrived in the Czech Republic the next day. Brisk mornings and evenings
have a temperature from 5-10 degrees Celsius/41-50 degrees Fahrenheit,
while daytime temperatures rise to 20-25 degrees Celsius/68-77 degrees
Fahrenheit.
English version edited by Michael Bluhm.
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