Archive of articles - September 2002, page 15

Auto sector 25% of industrial exports

Review: Authentic cuisine wins over cheesy Corrida exterior

IF I HAD not needed to write a restaurant review this week I probably would not have chosen Corrida de Toros for dinner. With its large store-like front windows, its outdoor seating in the Slovak capital's pedestrian zone, and the loud music which plays at disco volume all day long, Corrida gives the impression it is one of Bratislava's 'see and be seen' places.I'm not very familiar with Spanish cuisine, so I took a Spanish-speaking friend along to judge the quality of the menu. It was a wise decision, because we encountered some confusion even while choosing soups.

Poll: Slovaks want Mečiar amnesties cancelled

Gašparovič: "No way" to coalition with HZDS

AFTER spending 12 years in the shadow of Vladimír Mečiar, Slovakia's most popular politician, Ivan Gašparovič has struck out on his own, successfully launching a new party last month 10 days before a deadline for participation in September elections.Gašparovič's Movement for Democracy (HZD) is, not surprisingly, a virtual carbon copy of Mečiar's opposition Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS). Many members of the HZD list of candidates for elections are former HZDS local and national politicians. The HZD's leftist orientation is a self-described return to the 1990 roots of the HZDS. Even its logo and name are difficult to distinguish from the parent party's public face.But Gašparovič, for eight years the speaker of parliament, says there is a crucial difference between the two political forces - the younger is more democratic and open to suggestions by party members, unlike the authoritarian HZDS, which has long been dominated by Mečiar.

Reader feedback: Painting it too black

Czechs bet on HZDS election score

New rules regarding Slovak income taxation

The Slovak Income Tax Law has been amended again. However, this time, several new rules that are advantageous for taxpayers have been introduced. They are as follows:* The base for tax depreciation of cars has been increased from Sk450,000 to Sk800,000. This should reduce the unfairness of the Slovak Income Tax Law, which had actually penalized taxpayers purchasing safe and first-rate cars. As previously, this limit applies for the whole depreciation period and to taxpayers who do not directly use their cars to provide services, i.e. almost all taxpayers apart from, for example, taxi drivers. The new limit also applies to cars that were purchased in the past.

Reader feedback: A moot point

Small cinemas finding ways to resist multiplexes

OPERATORS of small Slovak cinemas have for years struggled with decreasing attendance figures, and recently opened multiplexes in the Bratislava area have not helped, pushing many smaller competitors to cut performances or close altogether.Two well-known cinemas in Bratislava's downtown core have closed this summer due to what industry insiders say is the pull of more comfortable and better-equipped multiplexes located in suburban shopping centres."Other cinemas have felt the impact of multiplexes for sure. We experienced a drop at all individual [Bratislava] cinemas," reported Ivan Sollár, head of the Slovak Union of Film Distributors.

Exhibits of European masters extended at Danubiana

WITH TWO outstanding exhibitions having been held over at the Danubiana Art Museum near Bratislava, culture buffs still have a chance to see some of the highlights of Slovakia's summer cultural season.The work of Slovak-Canadian sculptor Jan Stohl will remain on display until September 5. The exhibition, entitled Mirror of Destiny - Narcissus' Odyssey, as the name suggests is inspired by Greek mythology.The Narcissus myth tells the story of a beautiful boy born with a prophecy that he will live a long life unless he comes to know himself. The strange prophecy is fulfilled when Narcissus drinks water from a spring in a meadow, sees his reflection and falls in love with his own image. The youth soon dies, tormented by his love for himself, and is changed into a flower which to this day bears his name.

Reader feedback: No country without discrimination

Košice moves out of debt crisis

ST wins competition reprieve

With five months to go before the scheduled end of Slovak Telecom's (ST) fixed-line monopoly, the company has received a reprieve of sorts with the Slovak parliament's failure to pass an updated Telecoms Law.In its final session in mid-August, parliament could not muster the necessary votes to override a presidential veto on the controversial law, meaning that the existing Telecoms Law remains valid and ST will still lose its monopoly status on January 1, 2003.However, ST will not be required to open its local loops to competition for 'last-mile' connections with households and businesses as planned in the law's revision. This means that while competitors will be allowed on the market, they will not actually have access to the cables that connect end users with local telecom hubs.

Nový Calex finally sold

SMK wants to be in government, but "not at any price"

BÉLA Bugár, head of the ruling Hungarian Coalition Party (SMK), says he is already losing his voice from talking to people at election rallies, even though the campaign only started a few days ago.Analysts describe the right-leaning SMK as the most stable and reliable coalition party in the broad-spectrum Mikuláš Dzurinda government these past four years, one that has kept agreements and worked to keep the often fractious government united.It's a reputation Bugár says he is proud of, but one that has come with some hard lessons. After failing to secure some of its key goals from 1998-2002 due to opposition from its coalition partners, the SMK says it will not agree to form part of the next government at any cost.

Voters increasingly likely to participate

Times: Mečiar could "blow Slovakia's liberal hopes"

A MAJOR western newspaper has compared three-time former Slovak Prime Minister Vladimír Mečiar to Austria's discredited Jörg Haider, but has questioned western diplomats' practice of ostracising Mečiar ahead of September national elections in Slovakia.British daily The Times on August 26 described popular opposition leader Mečiar, head of the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia, as a "former boxer" who "despite having learned to tone down his nationalist rhetoric, has had an immense polarising effect on everyday life in Slovakia."

Around Slovakia

Kindergarten robbers behind barsHomeless man threatens suicidePensioner takes up taggingInterior Minister caught speeding to election rallyBrutal killer on the loose, police continue intense searchFour Roma attack group of 20 youths

Reader feedback: A Slovak pastime