Press Review
Today's papers make rather depressing reading - with little else happening, the grim road death statistics get front page coverage in Mlada Fronta Dnes. Lidove Noviny meanwhile leads with news that the investigation into the "robbery of the century" has collapsed through lack of forensic evidence, while Pravo claims that the Russian mafia is slowly but surely infiltrating the Czech authorities.
Let's start with death on the roads, a story covered in some depth by Mlada Fronta Dnes. Czechs can now claim to be world champions in two, perhaps not unrelated disciplines: the amount of beer they drink and the willingness they show to kill themselves and others on the roads. Mlada Fronta Dnes has a raft of hair-raising statistics to back up that assertion, and they don't make pleasant reading.
Last year, 1,431 people were killed in road accidents in the Czech Republic, an increase of more than a hundred on 2001. And Czech drivers look likely set a new record this year - 762 people died in the first six months of 2003. If you count road deaths by population, says Mlada Fronta Dnes, the Czech Republic has the fourth deadliest roads in Europe, and the seventh deadliest in the world.
Why? There are two major factors, says Mlada Fronta Dnes: First, Czechs are terrible drivers. They show no respect for the rules of the road. A particular problem is speed limits, which Czech drivers exceed almost as a matter of course. Second, the police are largely incapable of dealing with bad drivers, because drivers don't respect them and their hands are tied by the country's own laws.
One example, writes Mlada Fronta Dnes: under new legislation police can no longer confiscate driving licenses from persistent offenders, making it difficult to tackle the problem. That particular law will be reviewed at the end of this year. A ray of hope in an otherwise bleak situation.
Turning to Lidove Noviny, and news that the investigation into the "robbery of the century" has collapsed through lack of evidence. A record 153 million crowns was stolen last September, when a Group 4 security van was held up by three masked men carrying guns and explosives. But after eleven months police have drawn a blank and have shelved the case through lack of forensic evidence.
Finally to Pravo, and a story to put you off eating dumplings, for life perhaps. Kamil Hamersky, an unemployed man from Central Bohemia, broke a new record on Sunday, by eating a total of 191 plum dumplings. "I feel fine," he told reporters after organisers clocked their stopwatches and began counting the discarded pits. Kamil's recipe for success is simple: "just chew them properly" he told Pravo, adding that regular training at home helped him achieve the unique - and disgusting - feat.
Meanwhile the chief organiser of the event looked back with nostalgia at past dumpling-eating competitions. "I've been running this thing for 26 years, and I remember a time when 100 was enough to secure victory," he told Pravo. "Surely 191 dumplings is the limit of human endurance." Guess we'll have to wait until next year to find out.
