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The editor-in-chief of Právo says he has been repeatedly warned recently that the newspaper would lose advertisers if it continues to portray the opposition Social Democrats in an unfavourable light. In an article in Wednesday’s edition, Zdeněk Porybný said the advertisers concerned were companies whose management were appointed or influenced by the state. The leader of the Social Democrats, Jiří Paroubek, has denied the allegations, calling on Mr Porybný to back up his statements. The left-leaning Právo grew out of the former communist newspaper Rudé Právo.

Czech power giant ČEZ has announced a record net profit of 47.4 billion crowns in 2008, an increase of 11 percent on the previous year. The company predicts this year’s profits will rise even higher, to 50.2 billion crowns. This is largely thanks to the fact that it sold a lot of this year’s power production at high prices before the financial crisis hit. The almost 70 percent state-owned company says it will scale back its acquisition ambitions for the moment because of the crisis by removing Russia and Ukraine from its target areas.

The Supreme Court confirmed earlier court rulings that the public exhibition of a baseball bat with the message “for gypsies” in a restaurant does not constitute discrimination and did not affect human dignity. An earlier court decision said that although Roma might feel offended they had no right to damages or an apology. The court case dates back to 2001 when Roma activists and non-profit organizations launched a complaint against the restaurant in Pošumaví.

The Ministry for Regional Development has warned that 40,000 households could face severe problems when rent regulation ends in 2010. Two thousand households could be thrown out on the street as a result, it adds. Local authorities are now facing growing demand for social housing from the elderly, disabled, unemployed and low paid. The ministry is looking at ways of boosting the construction of cheap, social housing.