Press Review

"The Irish have given the green light to enlargement", "The Irish have opened the door to the EU" - these and similar headlines dominate today's front pages. Nearly all the papers also feature photos of a group of young Irish EU enthusiasts waving the European Union flag.

MLADA FRONTA DNES looks at the development of President Havel's popularity among Czechs. According to the latest opinion poll, only 45 percent of the population trust Mr Havel, which is the record low during his 13-year presidential career.

The paper reports that Mr Havel's popularity has been decreasing steadily for some time but the latest sharp decline occurred after Vaclav Havel failed to return home immediately from his holiday house in Portugal, when the Czech Republic was fighting the devastating floods in mid-August.

The Prague supplement in MLADA FRONTA DNES reports on Saturday's reopening of Florenc metro station, one of the most damaged by the August flood. Although the station is open again, there still remain visible traces of the recent disaster. The granite platform still bears dirt smudges impossible to remove and the air coming from the tunnel still reeks of mildew, the paper reports.

The entrance hall which was given a smart make-over shortly before the floods is dead now and the bakery, the florist's shop and the tobacconist's are not likely to open for some time. But still, Prague citizens are greatly relieved as they can travel on almost the full length of the C line, MLADA FRONTA DNES writes.

LIDOVE NOVINY writes that global warming may be behind the growing number of infected insects in the country. Experts warn that this year the number of people who have contracted Lyme disease or encephalitis from infected ticks might reach an all-time high. The incidence of encephalitis is startling, doctors say, especially as more and more people get vaccinated against the disease and the trend should be just the opposite. LIDOVE NOVINY writes that the Health Ministry is considering a nationwide vaccination programme.

Staying with LIDOVE NOVINY, the paper carries a proposal by the Education Minister, Petra Buzkova, to raise the salaries of those teachers who continue to improve their qualifications. The paper's commentator, Petr Fischer, says that although the proposal sounds very sensible, better qualification doesn't automatically make somebody a better teacher and the country could easily end up having a lot of "overeducated torturers of children's souls".

PRAVO carries a story about the oldest candidate in the upcoming local elections. Ninety-five year-old Jan Zahradnicek is running for the post of mayor in the village of Vicemerice near Prostejov, North Moravia. Mr Zahradnicek has been a member of the Social Democratic Party since 1926 and is the party's fifth oldest member. PRAVO quotes the citizens of Vicemerice as saying they are going to give their vote to Mr Zahradnicek just to have the oldest mayor in the Czech Republic.