Press Review

All Czech daily newspapers today feature photographs of popular Czech actor Vlastimil Brodsky who died on Saturday at the age of 81. The sad news for the Czech theatre scene shares front page space with the French presidential elections, where in the first round, where, to the shock of many, the ultra-right-wing nationalist Jean-Marie Le Pen came in second.

Commenting on the outcome of the French presidential elections, LIDOVE NOVINY writes that the socialist policies of the current Prime Minister Lionel Jospin failed to bring the desired benefits - a 35-hour working week actually meant more work for current employees but did not create expected new jobs. Immigrants somehow did not integrate in the society, and there had been a growing violence: the only one to offer a simple solution was extremist Le Pen.

Today's PRAVO carries an interview with Milan Stech, who has been elected chairman of the Czech Confederation of Trade Unions, replacing highly popular Richard Falbr. Mr. Stech says demonstrations and strikes will not be the primary tools of the Trade Union's policy. He told PRAVO that the main goals of the Trade Unions under his leadership will be support for the creation of a strong middle class with a strong purchasing power, and the adoption of EU social model.

MLADA FRONTA DNES reports that Czech doctors have to face a growing opposition to compulsory inoculation of children. Various groups, which often prefer alternative medical approaches, have launched a campaign informing parents that their children might suffer negative side effects from vaccination.

Citing the international treaty on human rights and biomedicine, they claim that everybody has the right to decide on his or her own health. The paper writes that Czech pediatricians are horrified by the idea that not all children would be inoculated - they warn that such a move would definitely cause a return of dangerous diseases.