Press Review

In today's papers you can take your pick from either Yasser Arafat, shown in Pravo as free to travel for the first time in a month from his base in Ramallah, or David Rath the president of the Czech Doctor's Association whose battle in defence of compulsory membership of doctor's associations has made him a subject of focus all week - he's photographed in Lidove noviny.

But, comments Lidove noviny, Mr Rath's victory against the proposal was probably short-lived since the matter is likely to be debated in parliament again, after general elections in June. The paper also criticises Mr Rath for what it calls exaggerated and hysterical rhetoric, pointing out that Mr Rath's powerful stance ultimately did the medical chambers a disservice by escalating political tensions between them and supporters of the bill, especially the Civic Democrats.

In other doctor-related news Mlada fronta Dnes writes that police have charged a doctor from the Sokolov region in west Bohemia for brutally beating-up one his patients. The victim, a 58-year-old lady who had come to the doctor for a prescription, was reportedly assaulted in his waiting room after she indicated she was planning to transfer to another general practitioner. The paper reports that the doctor allegedly grabbed the woman by the hair, hit her head against the wall, then kicked her down a flight of stairs; the woman had to be treated in an emergency room for her injuries.

But the doctor has denied the assault, claiming the whole story was cooked up by his patient and her neighbour, a police officer, as a means of enacting personal revenge. There were no witnesses at the scene to confirm the attack, and the Czech Doctor's Association has so far responded by saying that that it would take no action in the matter until the police investigation came to a close, says Mlada fronta Dnes. If found guilty the Sokolov doctor could face up to two years in jail.

Speaking of jail Pravo writes that a Catholic priest from the northern region of Liberec is in police custody for theft: the 39-year-old man, along with two accomplices, are suspects in a series of wide-range robberies of churches in the region, stealing sacramental objects.

Police found more than 200 stolen objects in the suspects' homes, and damages have been estimated at 9 million crowns, though in terms of cultural and historical significance it is impossible to set a price, a police spokeswoman told the daily. I shouldn't say it but I will: is nothing sacred?

And before things get better they're bound to get worse: Pravo features another story today on mosquitos and says we're in for a record season of the meddlesome insect. The paper says that the first mosquitos have already begun to hatch, which is two weeks earlier than last year. The paper quotes an ecologist as saying the "waters are completely black with millions of larva" - if that doesn't make your skin crawl I don't know what will - so before you head out to the forests in the Czech Republic you'll want to take some repellent.