Prague/Vienna  - Contracts were signed Friday for the takeover of 92.4 per cent of the Prague stock exchange by the Vienna bourse, Vienna Bourse AG announced.

The bourses were mum on the price paid for the takeover, but Czech media estimated the value of the Prague exchange at between 200 and 400 million euros (257-514 million dollars).

"The Prague bourse is an important partner for us and strengthens the already existing Budapest-Ljubljana-Vienna bourse axis," said Michael Buhl, the chairman of Vienna Bourse AG.

Vienna - The oil cartel OPEC said Friday th

Vienna - OPEC said Thursday t

Vienna - The price for crude oil produced by the Organization of

Vienna -

Vienna  - Austria on Monday nationalized a troubled bank for the first time since the global financial crisis hit, paying a token 2 euros (2.55 dollars) to rescue the nation's eighth-largest lender.

Kommunalkredit Austria, which expanded into Central and Eastern Europe in recent years, was sold to the Austrian government by Austrian financial company Oesterreichische Volksbank AG and French-Belgian group Dexia, the banks said in statements.