Press Review

It's impossible to glance at any of today's papers without appreciating the triumph of Jiri Novak shouting in joy after downing tennis star Andre Agassi at the Masters tournament in Shanghai on Wednesday. Novak's photo is featured across the board, even dwarfing the tiny image of Belarussian strongman Alexander Lukashenko on the cover of PRAVO; the president of Belarus is threatening to flood western Europe with illegal migrants and drug dealers unless he is given an entry visa to the Czech Republic for next week's NATO summit.

Speaking of the summit, as the kick-off date approaches apprehensions are growing over security and the thousands of anti-NATO and anti-globalisation protestors apparently on their way to the Czech capital. PRAVO features an interview with security expert at the Interior Ministry Michal Mazel, who says that fascists from Russia and Serbia may be among them.

But, Czech police are more sceptical saying they don't expect a large wave of demonstrators from countries like Russia, Serbia, or the Ukraine, since they would have difficulties making it across the tightened border. Other protestors that are believed will try to take part are well-organised extremists from the radical Left in Germany, Italy, and France.

Continuing with summit news in a somewhat lighter vein LIDOVE NOVINY reports on how designers and architects have come up with designs as part of an official package to humanise the cold and sterile spaces of Prague's Congress Centre, the main site for the NATO summit next week.

The paper quotes the architects involved as saying they tried to find simple solutions to the problem, looking towards the future, without making silly references to the centre's history - it was originally built by the communists. According to LIDOVE NOVINY those involved in the project tried to view the centre through the eyes of foreigners. Featured in the paper are computer simulations of the centre's main hall, including a giant viewing screen showing the NATO logo. Moving on to other items making today's papers: how would you like to get just under a million crowns, or about 300, 000 US dollars for being fired from your job? Well, those are the kinds of golden handshakes some top managers at Czech TV have been promised in contracts recently signed with the public station's director Jiri Balvin, writes MLADA FRONTA DNES.

According to the paper, the Council for Czech TV is far from happy about it, with members saying they were not informed about the packages in advance. That and other complaints over Mr Balvin's leadership have led the council to call a vote on his continuing as head of the station, scheduled for Monday next week. Some members already wanted to have the vote over and done with, but refrained for the sake of good form, since Mr Balvin is currently away, in Asia on a business trip.

Had enough television for one day? Well, it seems that those who shunned TV and got out of the house Wednesday evening to see the blues band the Holmes Brothers perform in Prague had little to regret; LIDOVE NOVINY writes that this year's performance of the Virginia band that includes guitarist Wendell Holmes, bass player Sherman Holmes, and drummer Popsy Dixon, was impressive.

Writes the paper: the mood at Prague's Lucerna Music Bar was intimate, the acoustics just right; LIDOVE NOVINY describes the band's musical style as requiring full concentration. Its overall verdict: five stars out of five.