ROCHE ROG

ROCHE (ROG.VX) Monthly injections of Roche's Lucentis can significantlyimprove sight in people with retinal vein occlusion, which leadsto vision loss, according to research released by the company'sGenentech unit on Thursday. For related news, click on [ROG.VX] Japan confirmed its first case of a genetic mutation to thenew H1N1 influenza virus that shows resistance to Tamiflu. For related news, click on [ROG.VX] BURCKHARDT COMPRESSION (BCHN.S) Company holds Annual General Meeting For related news, click on [BCHN.S] ECONOMY [M-CH] Swiss June CPI data due at 0715 GMT COMPANY STATEMENTS [CNR-CH] EQUITY RESEARCH [CH-RCH] HSBC ups Zurich ZURN.S to "neutral"-traders FOR COMPANIES TRADING EX-DIVIDEND, PLEASE CLICK ON: .EX.S for all Swiss stocks .EXSMI.S for blue chips .EXNSMI.S for other stocks Japan. Japan The Swiss blue-chip index SMI.SSMI was indicated to open18 points higher at 5,373 points, pre-market data provided bybank Clariden Leu showed.CLPRE The following are some of the main factors expected toaffect Swiss stocks on Friday. ZURICH, (Reuters) - Swiss stocks are set to open slightlyhigher up on Friday, with trading expected to be subdued due toa market holiday in the United States. The put option can beexcercised within a year of completion of the transaction. CME, which operates in seven central and eastern Europeancountries including the Czech Republic and Romania, has been hitby lower advertising spending in the economic downturn.

It reported a 37 percent drop in first-quarter revenue andwarned ad spending would continue to decline this year. [ID:nLT90650]Last month, Time Warner (TWX.N) completed a $241.5 millioninvestment in Bermuda-registered CME, giving the U.S group a 31percent stake (Reporting by Jana Mlcochova; Editing by Dan Lalor). Kolomoisky has also granted CME a put option to sell its 51percent stake to him for $300 million. It's not a big story any more," he said.But if UNHCR did not continue its work, Iraqi refugees would be "stuck in limbo for a long time," Riza said.(Editing by Michael Roddy) Barack Obama. PRAGUE, July 3 (Reuters) - Ukrainian businessman IgorKolomoisky has agreed to provide a $100 million cash injectioninto the Ukrainian operations of Central European MediaEnterprises (CETV.O) (CME). Kolomoisky also agreed to merge his and media group CME's TVchannels in the ex-Soviet country, TET TV and Studio 1+1, CMEsaid in a statement on Thursday.

In exchange, Kolomoisky, a CME shareholder and a member ofits board, will get a 49 percent stake in its Ukrainianbusiness. troops who invaded in 2003 handed control of Iraq's cities to its domestic security forces this week.Iraqi refugees still cite insecurity as a reason for not going back home, but less than they did a year ago, Riza said, while concerns about jobs, shelter and restitution of property had grown in importance.UNHCR had asked donors for $397 million to fund operations inside and outside Iraq this year, but only $164 million was available, he said."My big worry is that everything that's been built up in, for example, Syria or Jordan or Lebanon to provide a much better protection and assistance situation for these Iraqis is going to start eroding if we don't have at least some more resources," he said."A lot of people want to look away from Iraq They are looking at other places. High Commissioner for Refugees' (UNHCR) representative in Amman, told Reuters in an interview."People are going back and forth ... they are looking, but they are not definitely repatriating -- certainly not the people from Jordan -- at this point," he said on Thursday.Around 450,000 Iraqis live in Jordan and about 1.2 million in Syria. Barack Obama"What we were hoping for was that the situation within Iraq would improve to the extent that people decide to start going back That hasn't happened up till now," Imran Riza, the U.N. LONDON (Reuters) - Iraq needs to do more to encourage people who have fled conflict to return home, the U.N refugee agency's representative in neighboring Jordan said.

[ID:nSYD392864] "The supportive outlook for commodity prices and positiveinterest rate differentials should keep the Aussie well supportedand one does not rule out a near-term move above $0.81," KennethBroux, an economist at Lloyds TSB, said in the poll. "Strong demand from China for Australian commodities may alsohelp the Aussie to outperform in the near term." For an index of FOREX POLL stories, click on [ID:nL2134628] (Additional reporting by Rika Otsuka and Aiko Hayashi; Editingby Chris Gallagher) Currencies China. The Aussie is expected to remain strong at $0.80 in the nextmonth, according to a Reuters poll published on Friday,underpinned by speculation that interest rates at home havebottomed. Investors are also likely to show continued demand forhigh-yielding New Zealand assets, with the kiwi dollar NZD=D4expected to rise to $0.6400 in a month's time, from around$0.6300 now.