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Agricultural trade deficit deepened to CZK 16.6 billion in H1 this year and the year-on-year increase amounted to CZK 1.3 billion, according to data of the Czech Agricultural Association.

Developer ECM Real Estates Investments deepened its loss to EUR 41.1 million (around CZK 1.03 billion) in H1 against a loss of EUR 18.6 million in the same period a year ago, the firm said yesterday.

Building societies signed almost 293,000 new contracts on home-building savings with clients in the first half of this year, a year-on-year growth of around 12,000, the Finance Ministry announced on its website.

The Czech Republic is a heaven for non-transparent firms, the daily Lidové noviny reported yesterday.

The number of private pension insurance clients in the Czech Republic grew to 4.47 million in H1, up by 80,000 against the end of 2009, the Finance Ministry said yesterday.

Penzijní fond České pojištovny, the largest pension fund by client numbers, saw H1 profit soar by 116% on the year to CZK 557 million and assets managed by the fund rose by 12% to CZK 52.2 billion at end-June, the fund told ČTK yesterday.

Fortuna Entertainment Group, the biggest betting operator in central Europe, generated EUR 192 million (CZK 4.76 billion) revenues in H1 this year, up 12% on the year.

Jiří Švorc is new CEO of Roads and Motorways Directorate, replacing Alfred Brunclík who was removed from the post yesterday, Transport Minister Vít Barta announced.

Confidence in the Czech economy decreased by 0.8 point in August on the month, the composite confidence indicator 16.3 points higher compared to a low comparative base in Aug 2009, the Czech Statistical Office (CSU) said yesterday.

Alternative power suppliers acquired tens of thousands of new clients in the Czech Republic in H1, as many people turned away from main players on the market such as ČEZ, Pražská energetika and E.ON.

The Defence Ministry signed a 10-year contract with the Trade Fides company for technical guarding of two ammunition storage areas worth over CZK 1.1 billion in 2009 even though the company was suspected of corruption, Nova TV channel reported yesterday.

The Czech Republic is in an unusual situation where its government has two almost equally strong parties, one of which is up-and-coming, the other traditional and declining, Erik Tabery writes in the latest issue of weekly Respekt out yesterday.

Prime Minister Petr Nečas and the CMKOS umbrella union leaders yesterday failed to reach consensus on the government-planned reform of civil servants' base pay, Nečas and CMKOS head Jaroslav Zavadil told reporters after the meeting, adding that talks will continue.

Joint protection of bats will be discussed at a conference of the parties to the Agreement on the Conservation of Populations of European Bats (EUROBATS) that the Czech Environment Ministry has scheduled for 20-22 September.

Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg yesterday spoke about his stance on the Romany issue and the repatriation of Roma from France to the Balkans in a meeting with the French president's foreign policy adviser Jean-David Levitte.

ČSSD leader Bohuslav Sobotka yesterday demanded that Prime Minister Petr Nečas supports the ČSSD call for a special parliament session to deal with suspicious military orders.

Czech expatriates who arrived from all parts of the world to meet in Prague yesterday want to point out that cultural activities of Czech communities abroad should be subsidised even at a time of big cuts in the state budget.

The state wants to deny parents whose children aren't attending school a portion of welfare benefits in order to improve education among Roma.

Beginning teachers will not receive a one-time recruitment bonus of CZK 180,000, as promised by Education Minister Josef Dobeš, since Dobeš has decided to divide the sum up among all qualified teachers, he told ČTK yesterday.

A gang of children has been stealing in the small town of Protivín, south Bohemia, so shamelessly that locals are implementing vigilante patrols, daily Mladá fronta Dnes reported yesterday.