GDP Household consumption will have to increase for gross domestic product growth to continue accelerating, said Martin Jahn, deputy prime minister for the economy, Sept. 9. His statement followed an announcement that GDP growth exceeded 5 percent in the second quarter. Jahn has said it is possible for Czech GDP growth to reach 6 percent annually.

SQUEEZE San Consulting (SC), the majority owner of Czech fittings maker MSA, decided Sept. 8 to buy out minority shareholders. SC controls 90.67 percent of MSA, a company that saw profits spike to 30 million Kč ($1.3 million) last year. Sales at MSA increased 20 percent to 1.4 billion Kč in the same period.

APPROVAL The Anti-Monopoly Office (ÚOHS) has given retailer Ahold Czech Republic the go-ahead to purchase 67 Julius Meinl outlets here, the agency announced through a representative Sept. 8. The sale, which the ÚOHS said it does not believe will create unfair market conditions, should be completed before year's end.

FUEL The ÚOHS will ask fuel distributors to explain the recent sharp increase in fuel prices, the agency said through a representative Sept. 8. "We will make sure that the law [has not been] violated because fuel prices affect the whole market, the whole competition, the economy," said Martin Pecina, the new head of the ÚOHS.

OUTPUT Industrial output growth increased to 11.2 percent in July thanks to automotive and refinery production, the Czech Statistical Office said Sept. 8. It was the largest growth in the last year. In June industrial output increased 3.7 percent. Economic analysts are calling this the most prosperous period for the Czech economy since the 1989 revolution.

SALE Industry Minister Milan Urban said the government could make a decision about selling the Severočeské doly coal mines to ČEZ earlier than expected. He said the Cabinet could receive information about the sale, which was originally slated for the end of this year, as early as the end of September.

JUDGE The Supreme Court removed Petra Hušková from her post Sept. 8 for failing to resolve commercial and bankruptcy cases in a timely manner, making her the first judge to be removed from the court for failures relating to business cases. The court found that she made no progress on 24 commercial cases and 22 bankruptcy cases over a span of 22 months.