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The Czech lower house approved on Thursday two agreements, with the United States and Australia, which bind air carriers to pass passenger data on to each country’s authorities. Czech lawmakers approved the agreements that Washington and Canberra had drafted as part of the two countries’ fight against terrorism. The agreements were originally brought before the lower house in March 2008, but a vote on the matter has repeatedly been postponed. Speaking after Thursday’s vote, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Kohout said the agreement with the US provided guarantees for passengers’ personal data to be handled appropriately. American authorities are now entitled to hold on to passenger data provided by this country’s airlines for up to eight years. Five EU states are still to approve such an agreement with the United States on grounds of civil liberties issues.

Exiled Uighur activist Rabia Kadir is also attending Václav Havel’s two-day conference in Prague, newspaper Mladá fronta Dnes has reported. The Chinese Embassy has made a formal complaint to the Czech Foreign Ministry about Miss Kadir’s visit, the newspaper said. A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Prague told the paper that the embassy had made the decision to protest against the visit, and that Miss Kadir’s reception could have a negative impact upon Czech-Chinese relations. Organisers of the Forum 2000 conference on human rights in Asia said that Miss Kadir, as one of the foremost campaigners for China’s Uighur minority’s human rights, would certainly have a great deal to add to the next two days’ discussion.

Czech firms have improved their standing in Deloitte’s list of Central Europe’s Top 500 companies this year, news website iHNed.cz reported on Thursday. Five Czech firms rank in Deloitte’s top 25 companies in the region. The highest ranking Czech firms are Škoda Auto and ČEZ for the second year running. Poland dominates the Central European Top 500, with petrochemical giant PKN Orlen ranking first on the list. Companies were ranked on the basis of 2008 turnover, iHNed.cz explained. In total, some 69 Czech companies made their way into the Top 500 this year, meaning the Czechs finished second behind Poland in this year’s survey.

The Chamber of Deputies has overturned a presidential veto to pass a law supporting economic growth and social stability. The law will introduce scrap automobile incentives and other anti-crisis measures. It passed the lower house with 101 votes, the minimum needed in order to overturn the veto. The bill was primarily advocated by the Social Democratic Party on the grounds that it included not only scrap incentives but also temporary tax allowances and unemployment benefits. Czech President Václav Klaus vetoed the package in July, complaining that it was discriminatory and unsystematic. The scrap incentive he said favoured one sector with a powerful lobby at the expense of other parts of the economy.