Press Review
All the Czech newspapers today report on the premiere of the most expensive Czech movie ever made, the Dark Blue World, from the authors of the Oscar-winning film Kolja, the father-and-son team Zdenek and Jan Sverak. The movie is about Czechoslovak pilots who served in the RAF during World War II.
ZEMSKE NOVINY resports that the first screening of the movie was attended by nearly three dozen World War II veterans - former Czechoslovak RAF pilots. The paper quotes the director, Jan Sverak, as saying that the movie was meant as an expression of gratitude to these brave people who joined a foreign army to fight for the liberation of their occupied country.
Today's LIDOVE NOVINY comments on the latest EU directive against tobacco. The paper is convinced that the measures will not be very effective. Eurocrats have decided to cut the volume of dangerous substances a cigarette may contain. That means that smokers will have to smoke more cigarettes to get enough nicotine and so on, which will increase sales, the paper writes. Besides that, no warning messages or nasty pictures are enough to make tobacco addicts give up their habit.
Staying with addictions - and PRAVO reports on its front page that some municipalities have declared war on alcohol drinkers who sate their thirst in public. For example, the town of Mlada Boleslav in Central Bohemia, has prohibited the drinking of wine, beer and spirits in selected streets, parks and squares. However, most Czech towns and cities remain more tolerant.
MLADA FRONTA DNES writes that stress and psychological problems are frequent causes of death in Europe. The paper quotes medical experts who warn that stress at work is one of the most dangerous. What may seem to be a minor problem may develop into a serious health condition, says MLADA FRONTA DNES.
The business daily HOSPODARSKE NOVINY reports that prices of pharmaceutical products are expected to double after the Czech Republic joins the European Union. The paper quotes the head of the Czech Chamber of Pharmacists as saying that many Germans come to the Czech Republic to buy common drugs, such as aspirin or vitamins, because in their country, the same substances are two or three times more expensive.
