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Four days after the disastrous earthquake hit Iran, the rising death toll and international humanitarian efforts continue to make headlines in the Czech papers. LIDOVE NOVINY and PRAVO write that Czech rescuers, who arrived in the worst-affected city of Bam three days ago, managed to rescue a woman from under the rubble.

Since Czechs celebrate Christmas on the 24th, Tuesday's papers are the last to come out before the Christmas holidays and all of them are brightly garbed and bearing the annual message of goodwill. Mlada Fronta Dnes has covered its front page with infants - the offspring of eight famous couples. Pravo has last minute advice for parents: spinning tops and stinking plastic figures known as "stinkers" are the hottest presents for kids this year.

Although all the main dailies lead with different stories today, they all feature the same photo of Czech cross-country skier Katerina Neumannova hugging her baby after winning a competition in Austria just five months after giving birth.

There's no single issue dominating today's papers. While MLADA FRONTA DNES leads with an article on the forthcoming Czech military police mission to Iraq, the first story in HOSPODARSKE NOVINY looks at corruption in Czech football and PRAVO's main headline reads "Klaus teaches politicians a lesson with his Skoda Superb".

Several items feature heavily in today's headlines, not least amongst them George Bush's comment in an interview with American journalist Diane Sawyer that Saddam Hussein was a tyrant who deserved the "ultimate penalty". MLADA FRONTA DNES and other dailies speculate on the cultural clash between the U.S. and Europe on the death penalty, with the daily noting that 152 criminals were executed during Mr Bush's governorship of Texas.

The government tender on fighter jets for the Czech Air Force, the future of the European Union following discord over the European Constitution and the situation on Czech roads in the wake of the first heavy snowfall - those are the main stories on today's front pages.

All of today's dailies follow the continuing drama surrounding the arrest of Saddam Hussein - with every paper from MLADA FRONTA DNES to PRAVO speculating on the former dictator's grim future. MLADA FRONTA DNES features a grisly Iraqi quote that reads "We will execute Saddam" while PRAVO's headline reads "I am Saddam Hussein and I want to negotiate"- a last ditch effort by the former strongman as he was taken into US custody. PRAVO writes that the capture of Mr Hussein was far more dramatic than had been previously reported. The daily says had

The obvious story that gets the most attention in today's papers is the capture of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein. Large photos of the now run-down and scraggly former leader dominate the dailies without exception. "Saddam Hussein hunted down", "The end of Saddam" or "Saddam caught" read the headlines across the front pages.

The first pardons granted by President Vaclav Klaus, the crucial summit on the EU constitution in Brussels and last minute US efforts to influence the outcome of a tender which is to help the Czech government decide on the lease of a fleet of modern fighter jets for the Czech Air Force : those are the main stories on today's front pages.

There are many interesting stories in today's dailies, not least the opening of Yoko Ono's new exhibition in Prague, a decision by the Christian Democrats to support a government commission's recommendation on buying 14 new fighter jets, and the chilling story of a prostitute who killed several clients for money - after being released from prison. Those stories all get in-depth attention on today's front pages.