PRAGUE, March 12 (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 hour) ======================== 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 - 39-week T-bill auction.
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PRAGUE - Czech central bank governing board to hold a regular weekly meeting. It is not scheduled to discuss monetary policy issues.
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PRAGUE - Czech and other European farmers to protest against unequal conditions.
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PRAGUE - Czech Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Alexandr Vondra to meet Turkish State Minister for European Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egeman Bagis.
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PRAGUE - Czech Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Alexandr Vondra to meet the ICTY Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz.
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PRAGUE - Prime and Finance Minister of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg Jean-Claude Juncker to meet Czech Prime Minister and President of the European Council Mirek Topolanek, Czech Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Alexandr Vondra (1345 GMT) and Czech Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek. Preparations for the European Council on the schedule. News conference at 1050 GMT.
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PRAGUE - Czech President Vaclav Klaus to meet NATO Secretary General Hoop Scheffer at 1130 GMT.
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PRAGUE - Czech Agriculture Minister Petr Gandalovic and EU Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel to hold a news brifing at 1130 GMT.
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PRAGUE - NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer to give a lecture in uper house of Parliament (1545 GMT).
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PRAGUE - Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek to meet NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. Co-operation NATO - European Union (EU) and current process in Afghanistan on the schedule. News conference at 1640 GMT.
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] ============================NEWS================================GROWTH: The Czech economy is expected to be affected by a protracted drop in foreign demand in the first six months of 2009 but could recover in the second half, central bank board member Eva Zamrazilova was quoted on Thursday as saying.
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AID FOR ROMANIA: The EU will offer emergency aid to Romania if it agrees public spending cuts, its executive said on Wednesday, but commentators said the Balkan state may struggle to meet those demands ahead of elections this year.
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FX DEFY BLEAK DATA: Central European currencies defied a darkening regional outlook on Wednesday, with Poland's zloty and Hungary's forint leading gains and helping the Czech crown almost erase this year's losses.
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CEZ SEES DROP IN CONSUMPTION: Electricity consumption in the Czech Republic could fall in the next three to five years as an economic crisis dampens demand from the country's manufacturing sector, Czech power group CEZ <
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C.BANK SAYS ECON HIT HARD: The drop in global demand has hit the Czech economy faster and more deeply than the central bank had previously expected, the bank said.
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] Related news: [ ]CEE PICTURE BLEAK: Central and east European economies have entered a more severe downturn than apparent just weeks ago as their key export markets in the west collapse and domestic demand plunges, data showed.
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CEZ SIGNS DEAL IN ALBANIA: Czech power group CEZ <CEZPsp.> has signed a deal with Albania's government to buy a 76 percent stake in the Balkan country's power distributor DSO, a regulatory filing showed.
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Q4 GDP REVISED DOWN: The Czech economy shrunk by 0.9 percent in the final quarter of the last year, a worse result than the previously reported 0.6 percent fall due to new data on value added in the banking sector and the government sector.
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ZENTIVA GOING PRIVATE: Zentiva <
> board decided to initiated steps that will lead to delisting of the Czech drugs maker from both the Prague and London stock exchanges, the company said in a regulatory filing.Story: [
] Related news: [ ] ---------------------- MARKET SNAPSHOT ------------------------ Index/Crown Currency Latest Prev Pct change Pct changeclose on day in 2009 Czech Equities <
> 675.6 675.6 +0.00 n/a vs Euro <EURCZK=> 27.175 27.070 -0.39 -1.42 vs Dollar <CZK=> 21.260 21.417 +0.74 -10.11 U.S. Equities < > 6,930 6,926 +0.06 -21.03 Pvs close or current levels vs prior domestic close at 1600 GMT ===========================PRESS DIGEST=========================NUCLEAR POWER: The government's new energy strategy assumes doubling the share of nuclear power production by 2030, said Deputy Industry Minister Tomas Huener.
E15, page 2
Mlada Fronta Dnes, page 3B
Reuters has not verified the media reports, nor does it vouch for their accuracy.
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(Compiled by Jana Mlcochova)