Friday News Briefing

NEWS  

HAVEL Renaming Prague's Ruzyně Airport after former President Václav Havel, who died Dec. 18, will cost some 15 million Kč, Prime Minister Petr Nečas told the daily Hospodářské noviny (HN) Jan. 13. The government will discuss the measure in the spring, with the consent of Havel's family. More than 80,000 people signed an online petition for the name change in the days following Havel's death.  

IRAQ Nouri al-Maliki, Iraq's prime minister, has canceled his plans to visit Prague following an escalation of unrest in his country, the Czech News Agency (ČTK) reported Jan. 12. An Iraqi government delegation will travel to the Czech Republic Jan. 23-24 to negotiate the purchase of L-159 fighter jets, which the Czech Army has been trying to sell for several years.  

PICASSO A former central Bohemian gallery director who attempted to transport a Picasso painting out of the Czech Republic without government permission went on trial Jan. 13, ČTK reported. As director of the Central Bohemian Gallery in Kutná Hora, Jan Třeštík issued an invalid permit for the painting's export without alerting the Culture Ministry. He faces two-year imprisonment if convicted.  

BUSINESS  

ENTREPRENEURS The number of foreign entrepreneurs running their own business in the Czech Republic rose to 93,059 in 2011, an increase of 2,100 year on year, according to data from the Labor and Social Affairs Ministry. The number of foreign business owners has been steadily increasing since 2004. Ukrainians were the made up the largest group of foreign trade license holders, followed by Vietnamese and Slovaks.  

PUBLIC TENDERS The coalition government is likely to reject the Senate version of the public procurement law in the lower house, HN reported. The law would require increased transparency of both the corporate structure of companies bidding on public contracts and the bidding process itself. The Justice Ministry says it now plans to add some of the requirements to a separate law on anonymous shares currently making its way through Parliament.  

INSURANCE Gaming company Sazka may be looking to enter a deal with banks and other institutions to sell banking and insurance products from their lottery terminals, HN reported. Air Bank, Česká pojištovna and other companies under the PPF group may be interested in the cooperation. Sazka also wants their terminals to be equipped to make bill payments.  

WEATHER

Prague, Czech Republic; chance of rain: High: 3 C, Low: 1 C    

News Desk can be reached at
news@praguepost.com