Prague - Czech energy company CEZ has offered retail customers a price freeze for 2010, amid fears that high energy costs would hurt households and small businesses in the economic downturn, a company executive said Tuesday.

The offer came days after the state-controlled firm said it plans to hike electricity prices by nearly 10 per cent in 2009, a move that outraged businesses, worried that expensive energy would send them under in a slowing economy.

Prague  - The Czech parliament's upper house Thursday began debating treaties that allow the United States to place its missile defence base on Czech territory.

The Senate is expected to approve the pacts as the three-party governing coalition of Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek has a majority of 45 in the 81-seat house.

The missile shield treaties face a hurdle in parliament's closely-divided lower house where Topolanek lacks a clear majority for the US project.

In a bid to win over plan's opponents, the premier would prefer the final lower house vote to take place after US president-elect Barack Obama takes office on January 20.

Prague - The Czech Republic's Constitutional Court Tuesday opened a public hearing after which it may rule on whether the European Union's reform treaty is consistent with the country's constitution.

The Czech Republic is the last of the 27 EU members that has yet to vote on the treaty, which has been stalled since Irish voters rejected it in a June referendum. Ireland was the only member state to put the treaty to a public vote.

The long-awaited Czech ruling will either open the way for a vote on the accord in country's bicameral parliament or bring it closer to its death.

Prague - Russia's largest oil producer Lukoil would like to buy into a Czech refinery, the business daily Hospodarske Noviny reported Friday, citing Lukoil president Vagit Alekperov.

Lukoil, which already owns a chain of 44 petrol stations in the Czech Republic, was especially interested in a share in Ceska Rafinerska, the country's largest crude processing firm.

"We would be satisfied with 16 per cent," the Hospodarske Noviny business daily cited Alekperov as saying.

Prague - Czech coal company New World Resources NV (NWR) said Thursday its annual net profit rose 6 per cent in the third quarter of 2008, a result that was below market expectations.

NWR's third-quarter net income grew to 70.3 million euros (88 million dollars) this year from 66.3 million euros in 2007, according to the unaudited consolidated results.

The July-September revenues more than doubled year-on-year to 515.5 million euros in 2008 from 324.4 million euros last year.