Archive of articles - October 1999, page 6

Three women take the leadership of the SNS

Leaders of the opposition HZDS party and other politicians have said they are ready to work with the new leader of the opposition Slovak National Party, previous vice-chairwoman Anna Malíková.After a difficult week in which former chairman Ján Slota refused to recognise a vote which pushed him out of the party chair, Malíková's leadership was confirmed October 2 by 251 of 346 delegates at a Nitra party congress. The formerly 'macho' SNS party is now led by three women: Malíková and her two vice-chairwomen, Anna Slavkovská and Zora Klazarová.Slota did not attend the rally, instead retreating to his private yacht in Croatia. As he has also been dismissed from his seat as chair of the Parliamentary Committee for the Control of the Slovak Intelligence Service, his official titles are now restricted to that of Member of Parliament and Mayor of Žilina.

Čarnogursky helps clean up Roma ghetto

Labour needs better protection

The sense that Slovak workers are fighting a losing battle against international capital has increased markedly this year.It has become a mantra of the current government that attracting FDI is essential to the country's economic well-being.But in its attempt to attract that capital, the government is in danger of abandoning its workers to the remorseless logic of the free market - let us do what we want, companies say, or we will go elsewhere.

Migaš trip to Russia raises MP's eyebrows

Jozef Migaš, the Speaker of the Slovak Parliament, returned on October 2 from a seven-day visit to Russia. Some members of the Slovak parliament say they'd like to know what he was doing there in the first place.Migaš explained that he had been helping to advance negotiations on the settlement of Russia's debt to Slovakia. "I opened the door, and now it's up to Slovak ministries to rush into Russia to negotiate," Migaš said at a press conference on October 4.

More refugees seek shelter in Slovakia

Hillary offers NGOs belated kudos

The current state of Slovak politics may not be perfect, but you wouldn't know it to hear US First Lady Hillary Clinton. During her brief visit to Slovakia October 4, she lavished praise on non-governmental organisation leaders for helping bring radical change in the 1998 parliamentary election, a result which she cited as "an example to other countries in the region and in the world."Clinton devoted the bulk of her remarks during the hour-long meeting to praising the rise of Slovak NGOs since her last visit to the country in 1996. Though the name of former Prime Minister Vladimír Mečiar was not mentioned directly, her strong critique of his government's policies was clear.

Košice winner Štefko disappointed, blames heat

KOŠICE: Róbert Štefko, the winner of the 69th International Peace Marathon in Košice on October 3, sat on the hot asphalt behind the finish line breathing deeply and cursing softly. Although having moments ago won Slovakia's most famous - and Europe's oldest - marathon in a time of 2 hours, 14 minutes and 10 seconds, Štefko was bitterly disappointed at not having set a course record. Korean Go-Tchun-son had run 2:13:34 in 1978, and Štefko, a sub-2:10 marathoner, had been confident of a better time.

State budget deficit 12.4 bilion Sk at end September

Austria accuses Slovak Embassy in Libya of corruption

Labour law amendments concern foreign firms

Foreign companies in Slovakia say that proposed amendments to Slovakia's existing labour laws will make the country less attractive to potential investors. They are so worried, in fact, that they have called for a meeting with the Members of Parliament currently discussing the amendments.The foreign executives dislike two of the proposals in particular - one restricting the practice of issuing temporary or renewable contracts, and another requiring companies to notify the local labour office whenever 20 or more employees leave the company over a three month span.

Radio Ragtime leaves airwaves

When Radio Ragtime signed off for the last time on September 30, 24-year-old Vladimír Forró shook his head in disgust. For him, as for other devoted Ragtime fans, the radio had been the only Slovak station devoted to non-commerical and progressive music. It gave way on October 1 to another mainstream channel, B1 Radio, in a sure sign that ecomonic pressures are weighing heavily on Slovakia's developing media market.Deep economic troubles at small Radio Ragtime were behind the change, which swept away Ragtime's former owners, conception and programme director. Ragtime's frequency, 106.6 FM, is now occupied by B1 Radio (Bratislava 1), using a license issued to Ragtime by the Slovak National Council for Radio Broadcasting and altered on September 7.With a looser programme structure than other private stations and more autonomy for DJ's, Radio Ragtime had attracted a young, international audience, concentrated in the Slovak capital. The behaviour of DJ's was also different from that of other private stations, as they were not required to speak in constantly bright tones or to put on a violently good mood in the early morning.

Are these questions OK to ask in a job interview in the US?

VSŽ stock finally rebounds after inactivity on BSE

KK brewery attracts investment from Austrian partner

Roma arrive home from Belgian detention camps

The first group of Romany asylum seekers returned home from Belgium October 6 and quietly expressed hopes that the Slovak government would now better attend to their needs, the SITA news agency reported.The Slovak Romanies made international headlines October 3 when about 150 Belgians protested against their repatriation in Brussles. Though it began calmly, the protest was later broken up by police with water cannons as some of the demonstrators attempted to tear down the fence surrounding the Roma's refugee camp.

HypoVereinsbank Slovakia opens first branch office

Tatra Banka 1H99 profit down 145 million Sk on 1H98

FNM says 10 billion Sk enough to reimburse bonds

Lexa's lawyers to lodge human rights complaint