Interfax: Czech Republic & Slovakia news report of 09.01.2009

Weekly news:

COMPANY NEWS

CHEMICALS

U.S. Hexicon cancels sale of epoxy resins unit to Czech Spolchemie

REAL ESTATE

U.K. fund Invesco buys Czech shopping center in spa town Karlovy Vary for EUR 49.6 mln

ENERGY NEWS

OIL & PETROCHEMICALS

Prague-listed Unipetrol’s trade subsidiary restructures, projects EUR 2.5 mln in annual savings

Czech retail fuel prices drop; top-selling Natural 95 down to CZK 22.63/liter

GAS

Czech PM Topolanek to meet Russian counterpart Putin on Saturday in Moscow over gas row

Czech Republic to supply gas to Slovakia to partly offset halt in Russian deliveries

Czech PM heading to Kyiv on Friday to discuss Russian gas row, observers’ deployment

Czech EU Presidency to convene special Energy Council next week over Russia-Ukraine gas row

Czech gas group Ceska plynarenska secures more Norwegian gas to offset Russian cutoff

Slovakia still receiving no Russian gas via Ukraine - Slovak pipeline operator SPP

Slovak PM says newly closed nuclear unit may be restarted to counter Russian gas cut-off

Russia has ’strong political will’ to resolve gas crisis, Russian ambassador tells Czech president

Slovak pipeline operator SPP confirms Russian gas supplies via Ukraine fully halted

Slovakia to declare ’state of emergency’ over Russian gas supply cuts – Economy Minister

Czech president calls Russian ambassador to Prague Castle to discuss gas supply cuts

COAL

Mining group Czech Coal to re-launch brown coal auction

FINANCIAL MARKETS

EQUITIES

Prague bourse PX index adds 0.76% w/w Friday, developer Orco biggest gainer

Prague Stock Exchange (PSE), SPAD trading, 02-09/01/2009

FIXED INCOME

Prague Stock Exchange (PSE) Treasury bonds, Direct trading, 19/12/2008-09/01/2009

CURRENCY

Czech National Bank (CNB) foreign exchange rates, 02-09/01/2009

CALENDAR

Czech Republic – calendar of upcoming events, 12-19/01/2009

Nb: This news report features only the headline of each news.

Agency Interfax