Europe Intelligence Wire articles from December 2002, page 330

Europe Intelligence Wire archives from December 2002

Modern craftsmanship.
December 2, 2002... (From The Slovak Spectator) Design Days 2002 highlights international and Slovak trends "IT'S difficult to speak of national elements in design because [Slovak design] has become very internationalised in recent years. But still, there...

Emmy Award for Slovakia.
December 2, 2002... (From The Slovak Spectator) MATEJ Minae's documentary Sila 1/4udskosti (The Power of Good) has become the first Slovak film to win an International Emmy Award. The prize, which is given annually to the best non-US film made for...

Christmas at the Old Town Hall.
December 2, 2002... (From The Slovak Spectator) BRATISLAVA City Museum has prepared two exhibits for the Christmas season. One is a large-scale nativity scene, which was erected in the courtyard of the Old Town Hall on December 1. The scene and the...

Mineral meeting on Saturday.
December 2, 2002... (From The Slovak Spectator) AROUND 70 mineral collectors from Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia will come to present their minerals and fossils on December 7 at the Slovak National Museum in Bratislava. From 9:00 to 16:00 visitors...

You Want Me To Eat That?
December 2, 2002... (From The Slovak Spectator) ONE Friday night, I was invited by some friends to a restaurant in Nizke Tatry (the Low Tatras) to experience a national phenomenon called husacie hody. It is a tradition that originated in southern Slovakia,...

When God was not watching.
December 2, 2002... (From The Slovak Spectator) The Night of the Barbarians Written by: Jan Chryzostom Cardinal Korec, S.J. Forewords by: Pope John Paul II and Vaclav Havel Pages: 475 Available at: Eurobooks, Jesenskeho 5-9, Bratislava Price: Sk399...

Play in English at Stoka.
December 2, 2002... (From The Slovak Spectator) ALTERNATIVE Bratislava theatre ensemble Stoka (Sewer) will premiere their English-language play Commission on December 2 at 20:00. "'Commission' in this case means something like an order or a system that...

Another side of Mucha.
December 2, 2002... (From The Slovak Spectator) Art nouveau artist Alphons Mucha (1860-1939) returns to Bratislava THE CURATOR of a new exhibition of works by the prominent Czech art nouveau painter Alphons Mucha had a particularly hard time finding a...

SLUGGISH INTERNAL DEMAND UNDERMINES EU RECOVERY.
December 2, 2002... (From Market - Europe) Lackluster demand for goods and services in the EU this year is increasing the chances of another economic slowdown. Another cause for concern is that weak internal sales are increasing the EU's dependence on...

IRISH INFLATION HITS HOUSEHOLD BUDGETS.
December 2, 2002... (From Market - Europe) As of the third quarter of this year, year-on-year inflation of about 4.5 percent began to crimp Irish household budgets. Year-on-year growth in retail sales stood at 1.4 percent (excluding price effects) at the...

DECLINING ITALIAN CONFIDENCE HURTS SALES.
December 2, 2002... (From Market - Europe) Recent protests and work stoppages organized by Italy's left-leaning labor unions and sympathetic politicians have battered the confidence of consumers and business leaders alike. The result is a deceleration in...

THE UK ENTERS A PERIOD OF DECELERATION.
December 2, 2002... (From Market - Europe) As the second half of this year progressed, it became increasingly apparent that the UK's prolonged private sector spending spree is winding down. In spite of a healthy macroeconomic climate of low inflation and...

GERMANY STUCK IN LOW GEAR.
December 2, 2002... (From Market - Europe) The German economy is stuck in low gear and it looks as though President Schroeder lacks the political gumption to stimulate private sector consumption any time soon. The biggest obstacle to private spending during...

POLAND- A STABLE UNDERPERFORMER.
December 2, 2002... (From Market - Europe) Poland has made considerable headway in establishing macroeconomic and sociopolitical stability in recent years, but that has done little to boost private sector spending. With consumer confidence at low ebb and...

SPANISH SPENDING DECELERATES.
December 2, 2002... (From Market - Europe) Economic activity in Spain outpaced that in the other leading economies of the European Union over the past year, but it looks as though the days of healthy growth in private sector spending are over. Gross...

SWEDISH SPENDING ON THE RISE.
December 2, 2002... (From Market - Europe) The deceleration in Swedish private sector expenditure in 2001 and 2002 was less severe than in most of the rest of Europe and it appears that slow but steady growth is on the horizon for 2003 and 2004 Overall...

SLOVAK CONSUMERS LOSING GROUND.
December 2, 2002... (From Market - Europe) The average income of Slovak households has declined modestly over the past four years and an upward spike in inflation will probably cause further deterioration in 2003. Nevertheless, increased bank lending will...

RUSSIA PULLS OUT OF THE DOLDRUMS.
December 2, 2002... (From Market - Europe) In June of 2002, the US Department of Commerce changed Russia's designation to a "market economy." That designation is well deserved considering that few nations in the world offer greater potential for growth in...

HUNGARIAN HOUSEHOLD DEMAND BOUNCES BACK.
December 2, 2002... (From Market - Europe) Hungary's internal demand for goods and services slacked off through the first three quarters of 2002, but increased spending is on the horizon. With export sales depressed and the demand for imported goods on the...

At least 47 dead in devastating Caracas nightclub fire.
December 2, 2002... (From Agence France Presse) Fire swept through a packed Caracas nightclub that fire officials said did not meet safety standards, killing at least 47 people. The fire at the "La Goajira" nightclub, located in the basement of an old...

Zsa Zsa Gabor still in serious condition after car accident.
December 2, 2002... (From Agence France Presse) Hollywood star Zsa Zsa Gabor remained in serious condition in a Los Angeles hospital following a car accident. Hospital spokeswoman Leslie Porras declined to give out other details about the 85-year-old...

Two Palestinians killed in Gaza raid, criticism of Mossad "failure".
December 2, 2002... (From Agence France Presse) Two Palestinians were killed in an Israeli incursion in the Gaza Strip, as Israel continued its crackdown on militants while its intelligence services faced criticism over the Kenya attacks. In the wake of...

Saudis to control money to charities more tightly: report.
December 2, 2002... (From Agence France Presse) The Saudi government is set to announce tight new controls on money sent to charities as it tries to broaden anti-terrorism cooperation with the United States. Newsweek magazine said the Saudis are...

Czech press survey.
December 2, 2002... (From Czech News Agency) PRAGUE, Dec 2 (CTK) - The idea of creating a joint Czech- Slovak defence of their airspace is good, Frantisek Sulc writes in Lidove noviny. The contemplations of involving Poland and Hungary are quite all...

Attention Subscribers,.
December 2, 2002... (From Czech News Agency) CTK's English Business News Service does not expect to send any more important news tonight.

The CTK English-language service does not expect any more.
December 2, 2002... (From Czech News Agency) important news to follow tonight.

Australian PM faces Asian backlash over pre-emptive strike warning.
December 2, 2002... (From Agence France Presse) Prime Minister John Howard faced a storm of protest by Asian neighbours and political opponents over his threat to launch pre-emptive strikes overseas to prevent a terrorist attack on Australia. His...

Boothferry Park memories.
December 2, 2002... (From Hull Daily Mail) I always enjoyed the games between Hull City and Sheffield United wherever it was and whoever of the two I was playing for, and my favourite goal at Boothferry Park was against Walsall when I ran nearly the full...

Boothferry Park memories.
December 2, 2002... (From Hull Daily Mail) I think my favourite game at Boothferry Park was in the fifth round of the FA Cup against Liverpool in 1989, even though were beaten 3-2. We had started to do well after returning from a mid-season trip to...

Financial directions.
December 1, 2002... (From Financial Director) Interest rates Viewed in isolation, rather than relative to forecasts, recent economic data has continued to paint a sufficiently downbeat picture of the global recovery that interest rate cuts are again seen...

Financial directions - Much needed gains on equity markets.
December 1, 2002... (From Financial Director) After the falls experienced in August and September there was finally some good news on the equity market with the FTSE World Index rising by 8% in sterling terms. However, there are still question marks over...

Insight - NETA sparks a crisis.
December 1, 2002... (From Financial Director) Byline: Anthony Harrington. When Financial Director interviewed Paul Marsh, former FD and now COO of TXU Europe, some months back, Marsh used the analogy of a three-legged stool to describe his company's...

Insight - Factors beyond regulatory control.
December 1, 2002... (From Financial Director) Byline: Anthony Harrington. Ask any player, in any section of the economy, from the utility companies to the big insurance houses, whether they'd prefer regulation imposed from outside, or self regulation,...

Lack of knowledge.
December 1, 2002... (From Financial Director) Many non-execs feel their knowledge is limited regarding non-financial indicators such as environmental and employment issues, and are keen to receive more training, according to a KPMG survey. The majority of...

Insight bites - Award winners.
December 1, 2002... (From Financial Director) Congratulations to Financial Director's Tom Berry who won the Magazine Journalist Award from the Work Foundation, the think-tank and consultancy formerly known as The Industrial Society. Berry beat a large field...

ISC statement welcomed.
December 1, 2002... (From Financial Director) The government has welcomed the Institutional Shareholders' Committee's (ISC) statement setting out strengthened responsibilities of institutional shareholders in ensuring good business practice. The ISC has...

Pound is over-valued.
December 1, 2002... (From Financial Director) The pound is fundamentally over-valued and needs a dramatic fall in value to restore UK exporters' competitiveness in the world market and help return the economy to a more balanced growth path, says the...

Providing for all your needs - E-provisioning.
December 1, 2002... (From Financial Director) A group of vendors, most not yet household names, even among many industry watchers, are behind e-provisioning. And although this new term may not be catchy, it's starting to ring bells in its target...

Financial directions - US chief financial officers see just 1% pay increase.
December 1, 2002... (From Financial Director) CFOs' small pay rise Pay for US chief financial officers remained virtually flat over the past year, according to Mercer Human Resource Consulting. The 2002 Finance, Accounting & Legal Compensation Survey of...

Unknown quantity - The Financial Director interview.
December 1, 2002... (From Financial Director) Standard Chartered has been in the FTSE-100 for donkey's years but it is probably less well known in the UK than smaller, high street fare like Northern Rock. And the bank hasn't made the PR job any easier - it...

Financial directions - Image attracts and retains employees.
December 1, 2002... (From Financial Director) The majority of FTSE-350 finance directors believe that communicating with all stakeholders can increase stock market value. The study* of FDs' attitudes towards corporate responsibility and image, by PR...

Europe needs a strong Germany.
December 1, 2002... (From Financial Director) Byline: Dennis Turner, chief economist for HSBC. In the coming months, the Treasury will complete its assessment of the five economic tests that will determine whether there will be a referendum in Britain...

Movers & shakers.
December 1, 2002... (From Financial Director) Andrew Tyler is the new FD of corporate online video communications service company Cantos. He qualified with Price Waterhouse in 1991, spent five years in accounting roles with major companies in the oil and...

Sports marketing group.
December 1, 2002... (From Financial Director) Podia has dismissed FD Hatim Dungarwalla for "gross misconduct". This follows his recent suspension during an investigation into accounting irregularities as the company. And pub chain group SFI suspended share...

Shares are not the only option.
December 1, 2002... (From Financial Director) Byline: Peter Williams, a chartered accountant and freelance journalist. If there's one element of the annual reports and accounts that's universally read, it's the section on directors' pay. While the...

Project clarifies standards.
December 1, 2002... (From Financial Director) Insight Investment, the asset manager of HBOS, has launched its Global Business Principles Project in which it will work with companies and investors to clarify standards of corporate governance. It argues that,...

Financial directions - Financial bites.
December 1, 2002... (From Financial Director) "Companies have stronger inducements to be corrupt, and more secure in their corruption than single men; which is a very good reason for demolishing all of them, which are not necessary to the good of the...

*RUSSIA*NUCLEAR ENERGY MINISTRY*A-PLANT*ASIA PACIFIC* WATER-BORNE NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS - RUSSIA'S NEW SPECIALTY IN PEACEFUL UTILIZATION OF ATOMIC ENERGY.
December 1, 2002... (From Russian Economic News) Russian-made water-borne nuclear power plants can be of great interest to the Asia Pacific countries, most of which are experiencing shortage of fresh water. Such power plants are capable not only of...

Karvina loses with Montpellier in handball Champions' League.
December 1, 2002... (From Czech News Agency) KARVINA, North Moravia, Dec 1 (CTK) - The Czech men's handball team Banik Karvina lost with the French Montpellier 23- 26 in the Champions' League, Group C, today. Banik Karvina vs HB Montpellier 23-26...

Temelin's 1st unit shut down.
December 1, 2002... (From Czech News Agency) TEMELIN, South Bohemia, Dec 1 (CTK) - The first unit of the Temelin power plant was shut down for about a month according to a plan last night. It is to resume operation in January, spokesman Milan Nebesar...

Schuster leaving for Ukraine.
December 1, 2002... (From Czech News Agency) BRATISLAVA/KIEV, Dec 1 (CTK) - President Rudolf Schuster today starts a three-day official visit to Ukraine, accompanied by Foreign Minister Eduard Kukan. The trip is devised to improve bilateral relations....

Zeman not to take part in first round of presidential elections.
December 1, 2002... (From Czech News Agency) NOVE VESELI, South Moravia, Dec 1 (CTK) - Former premier Milos Zeman has ruled out that he would take part in the first round of the forthcoming presidential elections, Zeman told CTK today. He said that he...

Austrian artists support Czech counterparts hit by floods.
December 1, 2002... (From Czech News Agency) VIENNA, Dec 1 (CTK) - Austrian artists today staged performances to the benefits of Prague theatres, galleries, museums and archives hit by the devastating flood in August. The charity morning performance in...

Czechoslovakia's division -- its protagonists ten years later.
December 1, 2002... (From Czech News Agency) PRAGUE, Dec 1 (CTK) - The talks about the new form of Czechoslovakia started soon after the end of the communist regime in November 1989 and culminated on January 1, 1993 with the establishment of two independent...

Czechoslovakia's division -- basic data ten years later.
December 1, 2002... (From Czech News Agency) PRAGUE, Dec 1 (CTK) - Given Slovakia's slower pace of integration into NATO and OECD it is often stressed that Slovakia is still lagging behind its former partner in Czechoslovakia, the Czech Republic. ...

Tvrdik thanks troops from foreign missions.
December 1, 2002... (From Czech News Agency) PLZEN, West Bohemia, Dec 1 (CTK) - Defence Minister Jaroslav Tvrdik thanked the soldiers serving in foreign missions at the Plzen square today when 130 members of the 6th field hospital, who served for six...

Czechoslovakia's division -- its history ten years ago.
December 1, 2002... (From Czech News Agency) PRAGUE, Dec 1 (CTK) - At midnight of December 31, 1992 the history of the joint state of Czechs and Slovaks ended. Shortly before it celebrated its 74th anniversary. The establishment of two independent...

Ceske drahy to dismiss 2,000 staff in 2003.
December 1, 2002... (From Czech News Agency) PRAGUE, Dec 1 (CTK) - Railway operator Ceske drahy (CD) wants to trim down its workforce next year from the current 80,000 by some 2,000 employees, Petr Stahlavsky of CD press department has told CTK. He said...

Czechoslovakia's division -- equal partnership ten years later.
December 1, 2002... (From Czech News Agency) PRAGUE, Dec 1 (CTK) - After ten years of independent existence the Czech Republic and Slovakia are two sovereign countries following their own ways, but with evidently similar destinations. The two countries...

Czechoslovakia's division - elections ten years ago made it.
December 1, 2002... (From Czech News Agency) PRAGUE, Dec 1 (CTK) - Czechoslovakia, officially called the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic (CSFR), only survived for six months after the June 1992 general elections. The feuds, which accompanied CSFR...

Interest in home building savings down, number of loans rising.
December 1, 2002... (From Czech News Agency) PRAGUE, Dec 1 (CTK) - Building societies operating in the Czech market signed 1.16 million new contracts in Jan-Oct, down by 15,000 from the same period last year, Jan Patek of the Association of Czech Building...

Tax arrears up at Kc103.8bn at end-Oct.
December 1, 2002... (From Czech News Agency) PRAGUE, Dec 1 (CTK) - Accumulated tax arrears grew to Kc103.8bn at the end of October, up by Kc4.2bn from end-October last year, the Finance Ministry has reported. Corporate income tax accounted for the...

Results of Czech ice-hockey extraleague 27th round.
December 1, 2002... (From Czech News Agency) PRAGUE, Dec 1 (CTK) - The following are the results of the Czech ice-hockey extraleague 27th round matches played today. Vsetin vs Plzen 6-1 (3-0, 2-1, 1-0), Vitkovice vs Slavia Praha 3-4 (0-1, 2-3, 1-0),...

Parliament composition good for Motejl -- Rychetsky.
December 1, 2002... (From Czech News Agency) PRAGUE, Dec 1 (CTK) - Given the composition of parliament, if Milos Zeman does not take part in the first round of presidential elections, Otakar Motejl has a real chance of being elected the head of state,...

Results of Slovak Ice Hockey Extraleague 30th round matches.
December 1, 2002... (From Czech News Agency) BRATISLAVA, Dec 1 (CTK) - The results of the Slovak Ice Hockey Extraleague 30th round matches played today: SKP Poprad vs HK 36 Skalica 5-3 (2-1, 1-1, 2-1) HK VTJ Spisska Nova Ves vs MHk 32 Liptovsky...

Women confirm first woman at conference.
December 1, 2002... (From Czech News Agency) PRAGUE, Dec 1 (CTK) - Zdenka Hajna will head the Czech Association of Women (CSZ) for another five years since she was confirmed in the post by the delegates to the national conference which was held in Benesov,...

Economies of CzechRep, Slovakia 10 yrs after split.
December 1, 2002... (From Czech News Agency) PRAGUE, Dec 1 (CTK) - The comparison of selected sectors and areas of economies of the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic 10 years after the joint state of Czechs and Slovaks ended on December 31, 1992. ...

Farmers announce protest march on Wednesday.
December 1, 2002... (From Czech News Agency) PRAGUE, Dec 1 (CTK) - Today's meeting of the government and farmers has not headed off another protest demonstration planned for Wednesday, Dec 4, when farmers will march through Prague to fight for equal...

Czech TV says Setuza falsifies results, Setuza rejects it.
December 1, 2002... (From Czech News Agency) PRAGUE, Dec 1 (CTK) - North Bohemian food company Setuza has probably falsified its economic results pretending it was making a profit, and the difference between the real and published results allegedly is in...

CeR's shift to reprocessing refinery may not be smooth --press.
December 1, 2002... (From Czech News Agency) PRAGUE, Dec 1 (CTK) - Ceska rafinerska may not shift to the regime of a reprocessing refinery as smoothly as was expected since CeR majority owner Unipetrol is beginning to pull back, and is asking for...

CKA plans to sell Korado to Odien but ASOK offers more --press.
December 1, 2002... (From Czech News Agency) PRAGUE, Dec 1 (CTK) - Bail-out Ceska konsolidacni agentura (CKA) wants to sell the shares and claims of radiator producer Korado to Czech Radiators partially owned by Odien, although the rival offer of ASOK was...

Summary of the main business news published by CTK on Dec 1:.
December 1, 2002... (From Czech News Agency) TEMELIN, South Bohemia - The first unit of the Temelin power plant was shut down for about a month according to a plan last night. It is to resume operation in January, spokesman Milan Nebesar told CTK today....

Visegrad PMs Coordinate Positions for Final EU Entry Talks.
December 1, 2002... (From Hungarian News Agency (MTI)) Budapest, December 1 (MTI) - The prime ministers of the four countries involved in the Visegrad cooperation scheme (V4), meeting in Budapest on Sunday, agreed to adopt a united position and negotiation...

Former PM Speaks at Christian Democratic International Meeting.
December 1, 2002... (From Hungarian News Agency (MTI)) Corfu, December 1 (MTI) - European Union member countries and Hungary are equally interested in Hungary successfully joining the Union, former Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in Corfu, Greece, on...

BUX Rises 0.17pc Last Week.
December 1, 2002... (From Hungarian News Agency (MTI)) Budapest, December 1 (MTI) - The Budapest Stock Exchange's BUX index was up 0.17pc last week and finished at 7,945 points on Friday. The index rose above 8,000 points after a long time last Monday,...

Christian Democrat Conference for Europe Ends in Budapest.
December 1, 2002... (From Hungarian News Agency (MTI)) Budapest, December 1 (MTI) - Europe must not give up its Christian values and related intellectual traditions, said participants at an international conference, "For a Christian Democratic Europe",...

Opposition Party Chief Addresses Youth Arm's Conference.
December 1, 2002... (From Hungarian News Agency (MTI)) Budapest, December 1 (MTI) - Young people do not want drugs to be legalised in any way, Ibolya David, president of the junior opposition Hungarian Democratic Forum (HDF), told a national meeting of the...

Protest against Romanian-Hungarian PM Meeting - Police Intervene.
December 1, 2002... (From Hungarian News Agency (MTI)) Budapest, December 1 (MTI) - Some 120 people gathered outside Budapest's Kempinski hotel to protest against a meeting between Prime Ministers Adrian Nastase of Romania and Peter Medgyessy of Hungary on...

Lottery: No Winner, Jackpot Still Up for Grabs.
December 1, 2002... (From Hungarian News Agency (MTI)) Budapest, December 1 (MTI) - With no winning tickets found in the five-out-of-ninety lottery game over the weekend, Hungary's highest ever lottery jackpot has risen to HUF 2.340bn (EUR 9.87m). ...

Conference on Sustainable Development and Flood Control in.
December 1, 2002... (From Hungarian News Agency (MTI)) Budapest, December 1 (MTI) - A joint communique was issued on Sunday in Budapest by a Central European regional conference on sustainable development and flood control, organised at the initiative of...

Soccer - First Division Result/Standings.
December 1, 2002... (From Hungarian News Agency (MTI)) Budapest, December 1 (MTI) - One match was played on Sunday in the 17th round of Hungary's soccer championships in the first division: MTK - Ferencvaros 0-1 (0-1) On Saturday: Sopron -...

MTI's News Schedule for December 2-8.
December 1, 2002... (From Hungarian News Agency (MTI)) Budapest, December 1 (MTI) - MTI's daily news service in English will include coverage of the following events next week, December 2-8: Monday, December 2 - Parliament committees meet. -...

Weather Forecast for Monday.
December 1, 2002... (From Hungarian News Agency (MTI)) Budapest, December 1 (MTI) - Cloudy and misty, with rain expected at several places. Nighttime lows will be between 1 and 6 degrees Celsius and daytime highs between 4 and 7 degrees Celsius, the National...

Demonstration against Nastase-Medgyessy Meeting - Spokesman,.
December 1, 2002... (From Hungarian News Agency (MTI)) Budapest, December 1 (MTI) - Prime Ministers Adrian Nastase of Romania and Peter Medgyessy of Hungary attended a reception on Romania's national holiday in Budapest's Kempinski Hotel on Sunday evening....