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In Business News: the government has distributed 700 million crowns to finance EU presidency preparations, Czech companies are hoping to contribute to the modernisation of Bulgaria's railways, the Czech power giant CEZ is hoping to become a strategic partner in a Romanian power plant modernisation project, roughly one in three Czechs are working in the industrial sector, a new poll suggests that three in four entrepreneurs has to deal with corruption.

In Business News: Prague is set to get its second international airport within three years; after years of letting people go, Czech banks are now hiring again; the famous Czech piano-maker Petrof has avoided bankruptcy after a legal challenge from an American distributor; the Environment Ministry has given the green light for the cultivation of genetically modified flax; total Czech fuel consumption had grown by almost 40 percent since the year 2000; and the consumption of meat has fallen by 17 percent since 1989.

In Business News: the government is planning a slew of privatisations to pay for new transport infrastructure; Skoda Auto is the Czech Republic's biggest firm - and the biggest exporter; Heineken buys Krusovice and now controls eight percent of the Czech beer market; Patria is hoping TV ads turn Czechs on to buying shares; and the increasing popularity of air conditioning is affecting power consumption patterns.

In Business News this week: the Czech Republic posts record export figures; the country is set to produce a million cars a year, says an industry leader; the Czech economy continues to grow at over 6 percent; unemployment falls further to 6.4 percent; Czech firms are among Europe's worst when it comes to paying their debts on time; and Czech female managers make half as much as their male counterparts.

In Business News this week: the EC raps the Czech Republic on the knuckles for breaking a promise to bring the public finance gap below 3.3 percent; the Czech central bank increased interest rates by a quarter of a percent; the number of ASDL internet connections doubles in one year; the Czech government takes the first step towards privatising Budejovicky Budvar, while European beer enthusiasts urge it not to; and Czech drinks maker Kofola increases its sales by 20 percent in one year.

In Business News: the government approves a package of tax and public spending reforms; the EC is to warn the Czech Republic that it is failing to keep its public deficit under the limit of three percent of GDP; the OECD forecasts a slightly slower economic growth for the Czech Republic; Czech companies have won a 120-million-dollar contract in Iraq.

In Business News: an increase in exports countries allows power producer CEZ to achieve record profits in the first quarter; a new player, U:fon, enters the Czech telecoms market; a UK firm has plans to greatly increase passenger numbers at the regional airport in Pardubice; the number of pirated computer programmes used here is nearing the EU average; and the number of Chinese tourists visiting the Czech Republic is rising rapidly.

In Business News this week: the EC says it expects the Czech Republic's GDP growth to fall below 5 percent this year and also worsens the outlook for the country's public finance gap; March was the best month ever for the export of goods; unemployment falls below 7 percent; interesting figures have been released regarding the sectors in which Czechs work; and the agriculture minister wants to speed up the sale of state land to give Czech farmers an advantage before an EU accession transition period ends.

In Business News: Czech firms are to pay out their highest dividends ever, but most of the money could flow out of the country; over 30 international firms have opened development or distribution centres in the Czech Republic in the last year; Skype is opening a programming centre in Prague's revitalised Karlin district; inspectors find numerous shortcomings at Czech internet retailers; and the Czech economy is one of the most 'energy demanding' in the EU.

In Business news this week: Czech investment firm PPF enters a major new joint-venture with the Generali insurance firm, Billa is to take over the Czech Republic's Delvita supermarkets in June, a new bill to regulate relations between supermarket chains and suppliers has failed to get past its first reading in parliament, and the Czech National Bank raises its economic-growth forecast.