The Czech parliament passed a new media law on Wednesday that includes a call to ban advertising on the two main Czech public TV channels. The new legislation, which would come into effect on November 11 if approved by the Senate and signed into law by President Václav Klaus, would boost the share of the two nationwide commercial channels to an estimated 95 percent of the TV advertising market.

On the surface of it, Prague 13 district mayor David Vodrážka can be proud as a peacock that unlike his counterparts from Prague 6 (Marie Kousalíková) and Prague 10 (Milan Richter) he no longer has to lose any sleep over recovering council money entrusted to the troubled brokerage Key Investments. But his nightmare should not be over. In fact, the FinMin’s special auditing arm, the FAÚ, should step in.

Analysts from Czech bank Komerční banka predict the Prague Stock Exchange’s (BCPP) main PX index will climb by 6 percent by the end of the year and by 9 percent over the next 12 months. Broadcaster CME, cigarette producer Philip Morris and synthetic fibers maker Pegas Nonwovens are forecast to be among the star shares.

Josef Šťáva, the former owner of  Diag Human, gave a lengthy interview to the Czech media about his near 20 year battle with the state over a failed blood plasma joint venture. In this edited version, he describes how he was publicly pilloried while in private politicians tried to do a deal. He says he only sold Diag Human when he realized that the Czech state would rather settle with someone else.