Slovakia - Factors To Watch on Aug 15

                                
 BRATISLAVA, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press
reports and events to watch which may affect Slovak financial
markets on Friday.
                                
 
                                
 BUDGET DRAFT
                                
 The finance ministry is expected to submit the 2009 state
budget draft to government.
                                
 
                                
 FOREX RESERVES
                                
 The central bank will publish its weekly foreign currency
reserves data, 1200 GMT.
                                
 
                                
 INFLATION COMMENT
                                
 The central bank is expected to publish comments on July
EU-norm inflation released on Thursday.
                                
 
                                
 Q2 GDP SLOWS TO 7.6 PCT, AS EXPECTED
                                
 Slovakia's economic growth slowed to a real 7.6 percent in
the second quarter of 2008, from 8.7 percent growth in the first
three months, but the country  remained one of the fastest
growing economies in the EU.
                                
 [ID:nLE725479] [RTRS-MCE-PLCY-ECI-SK-LEN]
                                
 
                                
 JULY EU-NORM CPI BELOW FCAST
                                
 Slovak EU-norm consumer prices were flat on the month in
July, putting the annual inflation rate at 4.4 percent, the
Slovak Statistics Office said on Thursday .
                                
 [ID:nLE482015] [RTRS-MCE-ECI-SK-LEN]
                                
 
                                
 PRESS DIGEST
                                
 ------------
                                
 AGRICULTURE MINISTER SACKED
                                
 Vladimir Meciar, the leader of a junior government party
HZDS, has asked Prime Minister Robert Fico to dismiss
Agriculture Minister Zdenka Kramplova. Meciar wanted to replace
Kramplova, a senior HZDS member, due to unclear party financing.
Stanislav Becik will become the new Agriculture Minister.
                                
 Sme, page 1
                                
 
                                
 MOBILE PROVIDERS LOSE CLIENTS
                                
 The three mobile network services providers Orange Slovakia,
a unit of France Telecom <FTE.PA>, T-Mobile Slovakia, a unit of
Deutsche Telekom <DTEGn.DE>, and Telefonica O2 Slovakia, a unit
of Telefonica O2 Czech Republic <SPTTsp.PR>, lost 41,000 mostly
pre-paid clients in the three months to June.
 Pravda, page 6
 
                                
 SONY SUPPLIERS
                                
 Suppliers to Sony <6758.T> factory in Slovakia will need
1,000 employees in the next two years but are facing shortage of
skilled workers.
                                
 Pravda, page 14
                                
 
                                
 Reuters has not verified the media reports, nor does it
vouch for their accuracy
                                
 
                                
 News editor of the day: Peter Laca on +421 2 5341 8402; fax:
+421 2 5341 8403
                                
 E-mail: editorial@reuters.sk, peter.laca@thomsonreuters.com
                                
 
                                
 For real-time index quotes, double click in brackets:
                                
 Warsaw WIG20 <.WIG20>  Budapest BUX <.BUX>  Prague PX50
<.PX50>
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