Slovakia - Factors To Watch on April 16

                                
 BRATISLAVA, April 16 (Reuters) - Here are news stories,
press reports and events to watch which may affect Slovak
financial markets on Wednesday.
                                
 
                                
 EU-NORM INFLATION
                                
 The Statistics Office will publish March EU-norm inflation
data, 0700 GMT. Analysts expected EU-norm inflation of 0.2
percent on the month and 3.5 percent on the year in March.
                                
 
                                
 C.BANK ON INFLATION
                                
 The central bank will issue a comment on March EU-norm
inflation data.
                                
 
                                
 GOVERNMENT MEETING
                                
 The government will hold a regular weekly meeting, 0800 GMT.
                                
 
                                
 EU BANS SLOVAKIA'S PIG EXPORTS DUE TO SWINE FEVER
                                
 The European Commission has banned export of Slovak pigs to
the European Union and third countries and barred intra-state
transport due to swine fever, State Veterinary and Food Office
(SVPS) on Tuesday.
                                
 [ID:nL15825430] [RTRS-LIV-FOD-HEA-SK]
                                
 
                                
 C.BANK DRAINS SKK 126 BLN IN REPO TENDER
                                
 The Slovak central bank (NBS) accepted all bids in its
regular two-week repo tender on Tuesday, draining 125.951
billion crowns ($6.17 billion) from the market, NBS data showed.
                                
 [ID:nL15676974] [RTRS-CEN-INT-FRX]
                                
 
                                
 PRESS DIGEST
                                
 ------------
                                
 HIGHWAY FRAUD
                                
 The Slovak police have filed fraud charges against 10 state
officials, including three former top-executives at the Slovak
Road Office, in a 260 million crowns ($12.73 million) fraud
during construction of a 7.5 billion crown highway tunnel
Branisko.
 Sme, page 1
                                
 
                                
 MEDIA BILL
                                
 Editors-in-chief of the five major daily broadsheets in the
neighbouring Czech Republic have asked Slovak President Ivan
Gasparovic not to sign the widely criticised media bill.
                                
 Sme, page 2
                                
 
                                
 Q1 FDI DEALS 103 MLN EUROS
                                
 Slovakia sealed foreign direct investment projects worth 103
million euro ($163.1 million) in the first quarter of this year.
 Sme, page 8
                                
 
                                
 HIGHWAY TENDER
                                
 The state-run National Highway Company has launched a 5
billion crown tender to pick a constructor and provider for a
highway project. Bidders are due to submit letters of interest
by May 14, binding bids are due by June 5.
                                
 Hospodarske Noviny, page 4
                                
 
                                
 Reuters has not verified the media reports, nor does it
vouch for their accuracy
                                
 
                                
 News editor of the day: Peter Laca, +421 2 5341 8402; fax
+421 2 5341 8403
                                
 E-mail: editorial@reuters.sk
                                
 For real-time index quotes, double click in brackets:
                                
 Warsaw WIG20 <.WIG20>  Budapest BUX <.BUX>  Prague PX50
<.PX50>
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