Press Review | All stories

The European Commission's Monitoring Report on the candidate states is the top story on all front pages with the papers featuring a list of the European Commission's main objections. The general tone though is upbeat with the papers commenting on how the Czech Republic had improved its position in recent years. "Today's report is a very nice B plus" reads the lead headline in Mlada Fronta Dnes.

While today's Czech newspapers lead with a wide variety of stories, almost all the front pages feature photographs of the British pop singer Robbie Williams, who played in Prague on Tuesday night. Tickets for the long sold-out concert were being sold for ten or more times their face value, such was the demand to see the singer, reports PRAVO.

There's a mix of stories on today's front pages, from the launch of Krystof II - the second nationwide police crackdown on bad driving - to allegations of serious mismanagement of the entrance exams for one of the most prestigious academic bodies in the country: the law faculty of Charles University. LIDOVE NOVINY, meanwhile, features a front-page photo of Spanish heir to the throne Prince Filipe, showing off his bride-to-be, 31-year-old TV presenter Letizia Ortiz. And why that is of interest to anyone in the Czech Republic is beyond me...

Two stories feature prominently on the covers of today's Czech dailies, the first being tragedy in Iraq over the weekend, the second, President Vaclav Klaus' visit to Moscow, where he met officially with Vladimir Putin. On its cover MLADA FRONTA DNES shows a Blackhawk landing at the site of a downed Chinook helicopter, where fifteen U.S. soldiers died, while PRAVO features a photo of Mr Putin in discussion with Vaclav Klaus while his wife Livia looks on. Both Mr Putin and Mr Klaus saw their meeting - the first of its kind in ten years - as an historic

Two stories dominate today's front pages: Thursday's appeals hearing in the case of former Foreign Ministry official Karel Srba and the probable end of short-term work contracts. LIDOVE NOVINY and PRAVO lead with the verdict of the Prague High Court which on Thursday rejected the appeals of Karel Srba and his four accomplices; a lower court had previously found them guilty of plotting to murder an investigative journalist.

The determined rescue efforts that went into saving a group of eleven Russian miners trapped 700 metres underground for six long days has been a closely watched story - and today's papers finally bring relief - the struggle is over and the blackened, tired faces of the rescued miners look out from the front pages. It was a nightmare but it is over, one of them says.

Without exception all of today's dailies highlight Tuesday's commemoration of the founding of Czechoslovakia 85 years ago - the precursor to today's Czech Republic. Vaclav Klaus commemorated the state holiday for his first time as president, discussing the country's future, calling on Czechs not to give in to pessimism, and stressing hope the country's statehood would remain strong even after joining the European Union. As is traditional on October the 28th the president then awarded the Order of the White Lion, the Order of T.G. Masaryk, honours

A wide variety of stories jostle for attention on Monday's front pages. There is coverage of tragedies at home and abroad: a deadly fire at a disco in east Moravia that killed a seventeen year old girl and injured 61 young people, the train collision in Switzerland in which a young Czech woman lost her life and Sunday's rocket attacks on the al Rashid Hotel in Baghdad, in which at least one Czech national is reported injured.

Quite a variety of stories on today's front pages - PRAVO and the economic daily HOSPODARSKE NOVINY lead with the removal of Jaroslav Mil from the post of chairman of the board of directors of the state-run power utility CEZ. PRAVO writes that Mr Mil remains general director of CEZ but it is not certain for how long. The state disliked, among other things, CEZ's participation in the privatisation of coal producers Sokolovska uhelna and Severoceske doly.

The man dominating the papers today is clearly Finance Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, who has been appointed deputy prime minister by Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla, and has been given the task of coordinating the public finance reform process.