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The minister of finance, Miroslav Kalousek, says a threatened transport strike has been averted. It would have affected all train and intercity bus services. At a meeting with trade union leaders on Wednesday, Mr Kalousek temporarily withdrew a government decision to tax certain benefits received by transport workers. However, he said he had not given up on a plan to do away with a number of tax exemptions in a new legal code, a proposal strongly opposed by the unions.

Thursday marks 20 years since the unveiling of the country’s first ATM machine. It was located at a branch of the then Czech State Savings Bank on Wenceslas Square, and was initially only intended for use by bank employees. There are 3,500 ATMs in the Czech Republic the; Česká spořitelna bank, with over 1,000, has the most extensive network.

Bulgaria has said it is deeply offended by its representation in the EU mosaic in Brussels made by the controversial Czech artist David Černý. The massive temporary art installation uses stereotypes to depict EU member states in a highly provocative way, with Bulgaria depicted as a Turkish toilet. Bulgaria’s spokesperson at the European Council Bettina Yotevova said the work was extremely insulting. The artwork, which was put up on Monday and is expected to be unveiled on Thursday, has sparked enormous controversy. Moreover it has come to light that the group of 26 international artists who were said to have cooperated on the project with the controversial young artist David Černý do not exist and the work is Černý’s alone. After issuing a denial, the artist allegedly admitted the fact to the Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Alexander Vondra. Mr. Vondra said he was deeply shocked by the revelation. The artist has apologized for misleading government officials. He tried to defend his action by explaining that mystification was part of modern art.

Health Minister Tomas Julínek has criticized Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek’s decision to replace him, calling it shortsighted. Mr. Julínek is leaving the post after two years in office, with Mr Topolánek saying he had failed to explain his health care reform to the public and gain the coalition parties' support for it. The health fees which he introduced at the beginning of last year were believed to be one of the main reasons for the coalition’s poor showing in October’s regional and Senate elections. Mr. Julínek said on Tuesday that the decision to replace him had come at the worst possible moment, in view of the global economic crisis. He said that the Czech health sector would most likely be in the red this year and predicted that next year could be even worse, arguing that he was the most competent person to deal with such an emergency.