Slovakia - Factors To Watch on March 17

                                
 BRATISLAVA, March 17 (Reuters) - Here are news stories,
press reports and events to watch which may affect Slovak
financial markets on Thursday.
                                
 
                                
 SPECIAL PARLIAMENT SESSION ON TAXES
                                
 The parliament will hold a special session, initated by the
leftist opposition party SMER, to debate the party's proposal to
levy a special tax on banks, cut the value added tax on selected
products, 0800 GMT.
                                
 
                                
 FEB INFLATION RISES IN LINE WITH FORECASTS
                                
 Slovak EU-norm consumer prices rose in line with
expectations by 0.3 percent month-on-month in February, putting
the annual inflation rate at 3.5 percent, the Slovak Statistics
Office said on Wednesday.
                                
 [ID:nLDE72F0GU] related news [RTRS-ECI-EZC-CEEU-EZ-LEN]
                                
 
                                
 INDONESIA TO CONTINUE PLANNING FOR NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
                                
 Indonesia will continue planning to build nuclear power
plants in the earthquake prone archipelago, despite a nuclear
radiation crisis threatening Japan, an official from the
national energy board said on Wednesday.
                                
 [ID:nL3E7EG191] related news [RTRS-ENR-ID-SK-LEN]
                                
 
                                
 SLOVAKS TO CUT 5,000 JOBS AT RAILWAYS, LEASE AIRPORT
                                
 Slovaks plan to cut more than 5,000 jobs in state's
debt-laden railway companies to return them to profitability,
the government said on Wednesday, while the country's jobless
rate hovers near six-year high.
                                
 [ID:nLDE72F28Y  ] related news [RTRS-GVD-DBT-EMRG-EZC-LEN]
                                
 
======================== ECONOMIC DATA ========================
  Real-time economic data releases....................<ECONSK>
  Previous stories on Slovak data.............[SK-RTRS-LEN-ECI]
  Overview of economic data and forecasts.......... <SK/ECON04>
======================== PRESS DIGEST =========================
                                
 
                                
 FOOD PRICES TO RISE BY 10 PCT
                                
 Food prices could jump by 10 percent on the annual basis in
the coming months driven by higher oil prices, lower grain
supplies, market speculations and lower subsidies for farmers,
the food producers and sector analysts said. 
                                
 Sme, page 8
                                
 
                                
 JAPAN NUCLEAR CATASTROPHE NO THREAT TO SLOVAKS
                                
 Slovakia was not endangered by the explosion at Japan's
nuclear power plant  and following spread of radiation, the
government said, adding security at Slovak nuclear power plant
was intact and they are capable to cope with earthquakes.
                                
 Hospodarske noviny, page 5 
                                
 
                                
 TELECOMMUNICATION PROVIDERS TO PAY FOR LICENCE
                                
 Mobile and internet services providers Orange Slovakia, unit
of France Telecom <FTE.PA>, and T-Mobile Slovakia, unit of
Deutsche Telekom, will need to pay to prolong their licenses,
due in August, the government said.
                                
 Hospodarske noviny, page 13
                                
 
                                
 Reuters has not verified the media reports, nor does it
vouch for their accuracy.
                                
 News editor of the day: Martin Santa on +421 905 602 845
fax: +421 5341 8403 e-mail: martin.santa@thomsonreuters.com,
martin.santa@thomsonreuters.com, Reuters Messaging:
matin.santa.reuters.com@reuters.net
                                
 
                                
 For real-time index quotes, double click in brackets:
Warsaw WIG20 <.WIG20>  Budapest BUX <.BUX>  Prague PX50 <.PX50>
                                
 Other related news:
Slovak equities  [SK-E]  E.Europe equities    [.CEE]
Slovak money     [SK-M]  Czech debt           [CZ-D]
Slovak Indicators  [SK-ECI]  Emerging forex   [EMRG/FRX]
Eastern European  [EEU]   All emerging markets [EMRG]
Hot stocks        [HOT]   Stock markets        [STX]
Market debt news  [DBT]   Forex news           [FRX]
TOP NEWS -- Emerging markets     [TOP/EMRG]
TOP NEWS -- Convergence watch    [TOP/EAST]
                                
  
                                
 (Compiled by Petra Kovacova and Martin Santa in Bratislava)