Press Review
The presidential ambitions of former Prime Minister Milos Zeman receive in-depth coverage in all the papers today, and many feature an identical photo of Mr Zeman sitting in an armchair with pipe and slippers at his cottage in the country. "Some people told me I'd soon get bored of country life," he tells MLADA FRONTA DNES. "But after four months here I can say with absolute sincerity that I'm 100 percent happy. I do not want to move back to Prague."
The presidential ambitions of former Prime Minister Milos Zeman receive in-depth coverage in all the papers today, and many feature an identical photo of Mr Zeman sitting in an armchair with pipe and slippers at his cottage in the country. "Some people told me I'd soon get bored of country life," he tells MLADA FRONTA DNES. "But after four months here I can say with absolute sincerity that I'm 100 percent happy. I do not want to move back to Prague."
But for many Social Democrats the prospect of Milos Zeman spending the rest of his days at the cottage is but a distant dream. The Social Democrats are deeply unnerved by his chances in the presidential election, and the tension is beginning to show.
PRAVO spoke to one senior Social Democrat who attended a party dinner held on Saturday by Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla. The prime minister is clearly petrified at the prospect of Mr Zeman getting the job, reportedly telling the assembled guests: "If Milos Zeman becomes president, this party is in deep..." and unfortunately we can't repeat that word on the radio, and the paper prefers not to spell it out in full, either.
MLADA FRONTA DNES is worried about the authorities collecting sensitive personal data on people with serious illnesses. The procedure, says the paper, borders on the illegal, and the data could be abused. When a patient is diagnosed with tuberculosis or any sexually-transmitted disease, the doctor is obliged by the Health Ministry to fill out a form which contains sensitive personal information. This includes, for example, whether the patient is of Roma origin, or whether he or she is homosexual.
The authorities have shrugged off criticism from human rights groups, says MLADA FRONTA DNES. "Ethnic origin and sexual orientation are important factors in determining the spread of infection," says Prague's chief hygiene officer Vladimir Polanecky. "In the USA they keep details of five ethnic groups. And if someone doesn't like it, well then they should make sure they don't catch syphilis."
Defence Minister Jaroslav Tvrdik tells HOSPODARSKE NOVINY today that he's completely opposed to the idea of a joint Central European Air Force. The Czech Republic and Slovakia recently agreed to look at ways to create a joint air defence system - something Mr Tvrdik appears to support - but the opposition Civic Democrats have suggested expanding the force to include Poland and Hungary.
This is nonsense, says Minister Tvrdik. A Czech fighter can reach the Dukovany nuclear power plant within three minutes. A jet taking off in Poland or Hungary, however, would take 10 minutes or even longer. He says the idea of a joint air force is feasible, but only if it's restricted to the Czech Republic and Slovakia. And even then, he says, this country will still need its own jet fighters to guarantee its airspace. Otherwise the Czechs will lose their national sovereignty.
In its Prague section MLADA FRONTA DNES prints its traditional warning in the run-up to Christmas - Beware of Pickpockets. All it takes is a few seconds and you could find yourself without your wallet, says the paper. Always keep a close eye on your belongings in crowded department stores and shopping centres, says the paper, although police warn that pickpockets can strike anywhere and anytime - on the tram, in the metro, even just walking down the street.
