Budapest  - German courier DHL confirmed on Friday that it would close its logistics base at the FlyBalaton airport, in another blow to the struggling provincial airport in western Hungary, next to Central Europe's largest lake.

DHL established a cargo base at the airport in the autumn of 2007, but last summer stopped running daily flights from Dresden in Germany. The base is to close by the end of February.

Budapest - Hungary's cash-strapped national airline Malev told staff on Friday that they would be receiving their wages in two installments this month as it cannot afford to pay in full.

The airline, which was privatised for a token sum in 2007, blamed its inability to meet its payroll costs on the worsening economic situation in Hungary and the global financial crisis.

Malev spokeswoman Krisztina Nemeth said in a statement on Friday that low passenger numbers and a drop in turnover through the winter season were to blame for the company's embarrassing announcement.

Budapest  - Delegations from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Union arrived in Budapest Wednesday to ensure Hungary is meeting commitments to strict financial housekeeping that were a condition for a huge rescue loan package last year.

The IMF, EU and the World Bank offered Hungary a 25 billion-dollar credit line last October as its economy teetered on the brink of collapse.

Budapest  - Political parties of all stripes on Wednesday slammed provocative plans by a Roma group to set up its own "Gypsy Guard" in response to the controversial extreme right-wing, paramilitary "Hungarian Guard".

Laszlo Padar, head of a Roma interest group in western Hungary, told the local press on Tuesday of plans to set up a "Gypsy Self- Defence Guard" in the near future.

However, Padar - who is also a socialist councillor in the town of Gyor - withdrew his plans on Wednesday afternoon after provoking a storm of protest.

"The setting up of a Roma Guard could lead to accusations of incitement," said Attila Horvath, the head of the local Roma minority council.

Budapest  - Hungary's Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany on Monday expressed concern over the ongoing rapid weakening of Hungary's currency, the forint, after signalling that euro adoption is now a matter of urgency.

"The government is distinctly worried by the rapid fall in the value of the forint, and the fact that it is very difficult for businesses and individuals to get credit from banks," Gyurcsany said on Monday.

Budapest - The Hungarian energy firm MOL and the Croatian government signed a deal on Friday over the unbundling of the gas unit of Croatian firm INA, in which MOL holds the largest stake.

In the buyout deal, Croatian state-owned Plinacro will pay 514 million Croatian kuna (89.44 million dollars) for INA's gas interests, which include the large Okoli storage facility near the capital Zagreb, MOL said in a statement.

The contracts were signed in Zagreb by Croatian Deputy Prime Minister Damir Polancec and the CEO of MOL, Zsolt Hernadi.