Archive of articles - September 2002, page 3

Fico bows out, takes opposition seat

Supreme Court judges rewarded for freeing Lexa

Černák may soon go free

Parliament younger, more women

Arms export commission scrapped

Schuster to wait until Friday to crown new cabinet

Lexa loses parliamentary immunity, could be going back to jail

Right wing wins majority

A STRONG election result for Prime Minister Mikuláš Dzurinda's Slovak Democratic and Christian Union has left four Western-oriented right-wing parties positioned to form the country's next majority government.The outcome has reassured Western governments about the maturity of Slovakia's young democracy, and about the sincerity of the country's commitment to joining the European Union and Nato in the coming months."This is positive news, as we now know practically for sure that a government can be shaped that will continue Slovakia's efforts towards European integration," said Eric van der Linden, head of the European Commission delegation in Bratislava.

Delphi picks Slovakia over Czech Republic

Forests in ruinous state

Slovak kids want more junk for breakfast

Cabinet approves Jewish compensation

THE CABINET has agreed to pay Sk850 million ($19 million) in compensation to Slovak Jews for property confiscated and suffering endured under the country's Nazi-collaborator second world war government.The money is to be deposited in an account at the central bank, with Sk60-65 million to be paid out yearly through 2012 to support direct compensation as well as social, educational and cultural programmes for the Jewish community.

Losing it

IT WAS NO knockout blow, but the punch thrown by an irate Vladimír Mečiar at a reporter a week before elections destroyed the three-time Slovak prime minister's last chance of proving he had changed his heavy-handed ways."If you ask me that one more time, I'll punch you so fucking hard you won't know what hit you," Mečiar told Joj TV reporter Ľuboslav Choluj before aiming a blow that the reporter deflected with his microphone.The attack occurred on September 13 outside the public Slovak Radio building, where Mečiar had been due to appear on a political talk show ahead of September 20-21 elections. Choluj had twice asked Mečiar where he got the money to pay for his sprawling Elektra villa in west Slovakia's Trenčianské Teplice.

High Tatras town dying slow death

Reader feedback: Don't blame Slovak students for US woes

Sky flies high in first half-year

STARTING with a single 30-seat airplane on a shuttle run between Bratislava and the country's second-largest city Košice last February, low-cost carrier SkyEurope has since become Slovakia's dominant airline and a viable player in Europe's crowded air travel market.In its first seven months of operations, SkyEurope has connected its Bratislava hub to 10 international and domestic destinations and chalked up strong gains in income and ridership. Now operating two aircraft, the company forecasts Sk150 million ($3.4 million) in sales this year and plans to expand its fleet to five aircraft by next year."If we had said in January [2001] that we would have 11 destinations by now, I don't think we would have been believed," said Sky's commercial director Pavol Mladý, adding that: "Maybe it's a sad fact, but after seven months we are the largest air transport company in Slovakia."

Foreign investment down sharply from 2000

Mojžiš ditches Drukos fund

Fico: We had university while US overrun by buffalo, Indians