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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.

Czech-born Jesuit priest Tomas Spidlik - one of 30 Vatican priests elevated to cardinal by Pope John Paul II - is shown on several front pages this morning wearing his red cardinal's cap or "biretta" and receiving congratulations from his colleagues. Also on the front pages today - Health Minister Marie Souckova, who seems to have averted disaster after finding money for the country's indebted regional hospitals.

All the papers today lead with different stories. LIDOVE NOVINY features a photograph of the legendary Czech singer Hana Hegerova, who celebrated her 72nd birthday at Prague's National Theatre on Monday. PRAVO features a tired and exhausted David Blaine, who spent forty-four days in a glass cage in London with only water to keep him alive. The Czech- born former US Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, steals the show in MLADA FRONTA DNES, having been welcomed by hundreds of fans during a book signing in Prague.

Monday's Czech dailies don't find one main domestic story. While MLADA FRONTA DNES leads with changes in the prices of car insurance, the main headline in LIDOVE NOVINY shouts "Bomb on tracks stops trains". HOSPODARSKE NOVINY's main front-page story focuses on a widening gap between richer regions with a low unemployment-rate and poorer ones where the number of jobless people keeps rising.

President Vaclav Klaus's speech in the lower house on Thursday makes headlines in most Czech dailies. In his first address to the lower house as President, Mr Klaus criticised, among other things, the coalition government's reform of public finances. LIDOVE NOVINY writes his speech provoked mixed reactions in the chamber - only members of the opposition Civic Democrats, a party headed for many years by none other than Mr Klaus, agreed with what he said.

China's first man in space Yang Liwei makes a front-page appearance on all the Czech dailies today: the Chinese astronaut is shown waving to the crowds after orbiting the earth 14 times in his Shenzhou 5 craft. Also making headlines today - a record compensation payout for a man who lost a healthy kidney, and the Pirate of Prague Viktor Kozeny, counting his pennies as he gazes out at the turquoise sea of the Bahamas.

One man dominates the front pages today - and that man is the former president Vaclav Havel - shown receiving the country's highest state distinctions. The papers have all noted the public snub to him by President Klaus who absented himself from the ceremony on what the papers call a very flimsy excuse.