Press Review

Teary farewells are shown strongly on the front pages of most of Monday's Czech dailies: American soldiers saying goodbye to their families as they prepare to ship out to the Persian Gulf in preparation for possible war against Iraq. LIDOVE NOVINY features a sergeant kissing his wife, their young son distraught. The papers write that the US is sending an additional 62, 000 soldiers into the region, strengthening the number of troops on the ground. Meanwhile, in the Czech Republic the growing possibility of war has led President Vaclav Havel to stress the need for solidarity with the US, writes PRAVO, quoting the president in an interview with Respekt magazine: Mr Havel warns the Czech political elite, as well as the head of the armed services, to carefully weigh the risks of not responding to Saddam Hussein's regime - this at the beginning of a week that will see Czech Republic decide whether or not to meet a US request for direct support in the possible military conflict.

And of course there is no shortage of news this Monday surrounding Mr Havel, since the Czech Republic is getting ready to elect his successor - MLADA FRONTA DNES writes that matching Mr Havel's achievements will be a tall order for whoever is elected, according to a public opinion poll.

According to the survey more than half of the population views his presidency in a positive light. Asked whether any candidate was likely to be a better president than Mr Havel, all answers were negative - though among the choices at hand Civic Democrat Vaclav Klaus was deemed best positioned to come close. Petr Pithart was second with Jaroslav Bures third, and communist candidate Miroslav Krizenecky was fourth.

Remember when you were a kid - how would you have reacted to more hours in school? Monday's PRAVO reports about the Education Ministry's plan to create a longer school day for students in higher grades as of September, and for elementary school children within one year - this in an effort to improve the general standard of education to compete with more elite high schools that accept new students earlier on.

But, the paper questions the strategy of lengthening the school day as not necessarily being a guarantee of quality. And, PRAVO reports, many pedagogical experts warn the lengthening of the school day could have an overall negative effect: in their words children will begin to hate the classroom. Some pedagogues point out that schools should spend more time teaching social interaction and moral values, than to squeeze children to commit more and more facts to memory.

And finally - how's this for a weird news item? MLADA FRONTA DNES reports on one of the most unusual of football games ever: over the weekend Bohemian and Moravian scuba divers played football under water, under several inches of ice at a Moravian quarry.

Apparently the divers played "head down", moving along the wrong side of the ice! Goals were scored by kicking the ball through triangular openings in the ice. It must have been something to see: the scuba diver in flippers running to fetch the ball. The paper offers a picture of two scuba players, peeping out of their goals like mad otters - it is unclear which side, if any, won the game.