Slovakia - Factors To Watch on Jan 24

    Here are news stories, press 
repors and events to watch which may affect Slovak financial 
markets on Wednesday. 
     
    SDKU TO MEET SMER ON PENSION REFORM 
    The strongest opposition party SDK of former Prime Minister 
Mikulas Dzurinda will meet Prime Minister Robert Fico's party 
Smer to debate planned changes to the pension system (0800 GMT). 
     
    GOVERNMENT MEETING 
    The government will hold its regular weekly meeting (0900 
GMT) 
     
    ENERGY MARKET REGULATION 
    The parliament's finance and budget committee will debate a 
draft law designed to tighten regulation of energy companies. 
     
    TELEFONICA O2 NEWS CONFERENCE 
    Telefonica O2 Slovakia will hold a news conference on its 
plans (0930 GMT). 
     
    CBANK REJECTS REPO BIDS TO DETER SPECULATORS 
    The Slovak central bank (NBS) extended its effort to cap the 
rise of its currency on Tuesday, rejecting some of the bids made 
in a repo tender to leave banks with excess crown liquidity for 
the fourth week in a row. 
    [nL23918823] [RTRS-MMT-FRX-CEN-SK] 
     
    SAMSUNG SEEN SITING NEW LCD PLANT BY FEB -SLOVAKIA 
    Slovakia expects South Korea's Samsung Electronics 
 to decide by the end of February where to site a 
roughly $600 million LCD-panel plant, Slovak state investment 
agency SARIO said on Tuesday. 
    [nL2335271] [RTRS-EUROPE-ELC-SK] 
     
    SLOVAKIA CONFIRMS TESCO CAN'T BUY CARREFOUR STORES 
    Slovakia's Anti-Monopoly Office confirmed on Tuesday a ban 
on British retailer Tesco  buying the local stores of 
France's Carrefour . 
    [nL23895230] [RTRS-RET-EMRG-MRG-SK] 
     
    CROWN LOSES GROUND ON REGION, REPO TENDER 
    The Slovak crown eased 0.5 percent against the euro on 
Tuesday due to capital outflows from central European markets 
and the outcome of the central bank's (NBS) liquidity-draining 
tender, dealers said. 
    [nL2360035] [RTRS-MMT-FRX-SK] 
     
    PRESS DIGEST 
    ------------ 
    DZURINDA TO MEET MERKEL 
    Former Prime Minister and current opposition leader Mikulas 
Dzurinda will meet Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin 
on Tuesday, while current Prime Minister Robert Fico is not 
expected to meet Merkel until later in the year. 
    Sme, page 1 
     
    GOVT EYES PENSION SYSTEM CHANGES 
    The Ministry of Social Affairs said parameters of the 
private pension scheme, part of the pension system reform 
implemented by Dzurinda's cabinet, were unfavourable for workers 
older than 40-45 years. 
    Sme, page 7 
     
    MEDIA LAW DRAFT 
    Slovakia's Syndicate of Journalists has drafted a new media 
law and submitted it to president and culture ministry. The 
ministry said it would prepare its own draft in the first half 
of the year and incorporate syndicate's proposals. 
    Pravda, page 2 
     
    KIA'S OUTPUT 
    The Slovak plant of South Korean car maker Kia Motors Co. 
 has assembled 10,000 cars since the start of 
production in December last year. 
    Hospodarske Noviny, page 13 
     
    United States and other Group of Seven countries, see 
. For a diary of forthcoming Slovak events, double 
click [SK/DIARY], and a calendar of east European economic 
indicators, see [CONV/DIARY]. 
     
    News editor of the day: Peter Laca on +421 2 5341 8402; fax: 
+421 2 5341 8403 
    E-mail: editorial@reuters.sk 
    Reuters Messaging: martin.dokoupil.reuters.com@reuters.net 
     
 For real-time index quotes, double click in brackets: 
 Warsaw WIG20   Budapest BUX   Prague 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 Martin Santa; Bratislava Newsroom; Email: 
editorial@reuters.sk; +421-2-5341-8402)) 
 ($1=26.61 Slovak Crown) 
 ($1=26.61 Slovak Crown) 
  

[BRATISLAVA/Reuters/Finance.cz]