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Making headlines in the papers today - claims that British Prime Minister Tony Blair is worried about an influx of Czech Romanies following EU enlargement, a dispute in the cabinet over registered partnerships for gay couples, and denials from Labour and Social Affairs Minister Zdenek Skromach that the government has reached an agreement over regulated rent.

All the papers lead with different stories today, ranging from the first suspected case of bird flu in Europe to the impact of the government's finance reform plan on Czech households.

Changes to the country's VAT system make headline in all the dailies today - Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla features on three front pages after chairing Sunday's cabinet talks. Also making news today: the crushing to death of 244 pilgrims on their way to Mecca, and threats by al Qaeda to unleash biological weapons on passenger jets.

Some of the attention grabbing stories on today's front pages are: the first official photograph of the latest Skoda model Octavia, news that senator Vladimir Zelezny, the controversial former media mogul, is running for elections to the European Parliament and the President's sudden desire to move house in the wake of a revelation that the presidential villa -located in a prestigious Prague district - was confiscated from a German family under the post war Benes decrees.

Tony Blair's exoneration by the Hutton inquiry makes front pages on all the Czech dailies today - "Blair triumphs" reads the headline in Mlada Fronta Dnes. Also making headlines: proposals by the opposition Civic Democrats for a "TV tax" to replace the existing licence system, and news that the American company Monsanto has been given the go-ahead to test a new type of genetically-modified corn in the Czech Republic.

In today's papers U.S. Microsoft magnate Bill Gates' visit to Prague and the Czech film Zelary's nomination for Best Foreign Language film at the Academy awards vie for top story - with featuring a photo of U.S. actress Sigourney Weaver and the chairman of the film academy Frank Pierson announcing the nominees. Writes the paper Zelary will face off against the Swedish drama "Evil", as well as a Japanese historic film called "The Twilight Samurai", the Dutch film "Twin Sisters", and French-Canadian satire "The Barbarian Invasions", directed by

The arrival of Bill Gates in Prague, the Golden Globe Awards and the salaries of Czech deputies to the European Parliament - those are the main stories on today's front pages. The papers have also devoted plenty of space to the tragic death of Hungarian football player Miklos Feher and freestyle aerial skiing Olympic champion Ales Valenta's victory in a World Cup event.

Lidove Noviny writes that some MPs for the ruling Social Democrats want the US authorities to abolish visas for Czech citizens in return for Czech participation in US-led military missions. The head of the foreign affairs committee in the lower house, Social Democrat Vladimir Lastuvka, tells Lidove Noviny that the situation is unsustainable. According to him, either the US should abolish visas for Czechs, or the Czech Republic should introduce visas for Americans.

The year of the Monkey has started - that appears to be the main international story in today's Czech papers. On the domestic front, the dailies offer a mixed bag of stories on their front pages.

One person is featured on most covers of today's dailies and that is Czech actress Jirina Bohdalova, the popular star of countless movies, who won an important case in court on Wednesday against the Interior Ministry. Mrs Bohdalova filed charges after the ministry included her name on a list last year outlining collaborators with the former communist regime's secret police, the StB. However, MLADA FRONTA DNES indicates that in spite of her success the actress remains unhappy with the ruling. The reason? At the end of day her name will not be struck