PRAGUE, May 22 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press
reports and events to watch which may affect Czech financial
markets on Thursday:
ALL TIMES GMT (Czech Republic: GMT + 1 hours)
======================== ECONOMIC DATA ========================
Real-time economic data releases....................<ECONCZ>
Previous stories on Czech data.............[]
Overview of economic data and forecasts..........<CZ/ECON15>
Updates on Czech currency.............................[]
========================= EVENTS ===============================
PRAGUE - Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek and EC President
Jose Manuel Barroso meet to discuss Czech chairmanship in EU.
News conference at 1130 GMT.
Related news: []
PRAGUE - Microsoft <MSFT.O> <MSFT.O> Chief Executive Steve
Ballmer to visit the Czech Republic. Scheduled to speak at the
European Science and Technology Forum (1130 GMT).
Related news: []
PRAGUE - Czech central bank governing board to hold a
regular weekly meeting. It is not scheduled to discuss monetary
policy issues.
Related news: []
PRAGUE - Prime Ministers of the Visegrad Four group of
countries (Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary), Baltic
Prime Ministers, Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa to meet EC
President Jose Manuel Barroso at 1600 GMT.
Related news: []
======================= TOP NEWS ===============================
CEZ BUYBACK: Shareholders of Czech power producer CEZ
<> approved a proposal on Wednesday to cancel shares
bought in a buyback, and to launch a new buyback programme.
[] Related news: []
CEZ DIVIDEND: Shareholders of Czech power producer CEZ
<> approved a proposal on Wednesday to pay a 40 crown
per share gross dividend for 2007, as expected.
[] Related news: []
KOSOVO RECOGNITION: The Czech government recognised Kosovo
as an independent state on Wednesday, joining the ranks of
mostly western countries that backed the small Balkan nation's
secession from Serbia earlier this year.
[] Related news: []
==================== ELSEWHERE IN NEWS =========================
BOND AUCTION: The Czech Finance Ministry sold 4.01 billion
crowns ($250.3 million) worth of 3.55 percent
coupon government bonds <CZ1001887=> <CZ4YT=RR> in the first,
competitive round of bidding at Wednesday's auction.
[] Related news: []
Second round: []
====================== PRESS DIGEST ============================
MINING PERMISSION: Czech largest lignite miner Severoceske
Doly, owned by power firm CEZ <>, has been mining coal
without proper permission for three years as it failed to make a
new study assessing environmental impacts of its activities.
Hospodarske Noviny, page 1
CEZ INCENTIVE PROGRAMME: Shareholders of power firm CEZ
approved a plan to expand its option programme to five more
managers, while reducing benefits for top executives.
Hospodarske Noviny, page 15
NUCLEAR SUPPORT: Some 190 out of 200 Czech MPs support
construction of two more blocks at the Temelin nuclear plant,
owned by CEZ, a survey by weekly Ekonom showed.
Ekonom, page 36
HEALTH CARE SAVINGS: The introduction of fees for medical
checks has brought around 2 billion crowns ($125.7 million) into
the health care system, while insurers' spending on medicine
fell 18 percent year-on-year in the first quarter, Health
Minister Tomas Julinek said.
Hospodarske Noviny, page 1
AIRPORT PRIVATISATION: The finance ministry expects to
finalise privatisation of the Prague airport operator Letiste
Praha in the second half of next year. The ministry plans to
wrap up a sale of Czech Airlines (CSA) by June 2009 at the
latest.
Hospodarske Noviny, page 18
CSA FLEET SALE: Czech Airlines, slated for privatisation,
approved a plan to sell two Airbus 310 aircraft, confirming its
departure from long-range flights. It will also lease two new
Airbus 319 planes for mid-range routes.
Mlada Fronta Dnes, page B1
Reuters has not verified the media reports, nor does it
vouch for their accuracy.
For Instant Views of key economic data click on []
For summary of economic data and forecasts <CZ/ECON01>
For diary of forthcoming Czech events []
For calendar of east European economic indicators []
TOP NEWS -- Emerging markets []
TOP NEWS -- Convergence watch []
For an economic indicator diary for the euro zone, the United
States and other Group of Seven countries see <G7TODAY>
For real-time stock market index quotes click in brackets:
Warsaw WIG20 <> Budapest BUX <> Prague PX <>
News editor of the day: Jan Lopatka on +420 224 190 477;
fax: +420 224 229 935
E-mail: prague.newsroom@reuters.com
(Reporting by Martin Dokoupil)
