Archive of articles - January 2003, page 6

Trial of alleged crime boss Borža begins

STV gets new boss

Budget tax income higher than expected

Tourism income up, tourists down

Slovak visa issue getting tougher

Unions protest labour code revision

Animated origin of the world

Telecoms monopoly ends, but market not yet open

ALTHOUGH the monopoly enjoyed by Slovak Telecom expired at the end of 2002, alternative telecoms providers have lashed out at the dominant operator and the state regulator, saying that market liberalisation so far exists only on paper.Despite a requirement to ensure an open telecom market at the beginning of the year, say officials from the Association of Telecoms Operators (ATO), Slovakia's market-regulating Telecoms Office (TÚ) has done little to ensure free competition."The TÚ has, in our opinion, not been functional for a long time," said ATO head Vladimír Ondrovič in a late December letter to Speaker of Parliament Pavol Hrušovský.

Review: Traditional dining in a shepherd's cottage

THE SLOVAK word koliba refers to a small wooden cottage used by shepherds while they tend their flock at pasture. With the passing of time, the word koliba has been transferred from the pastures to the city, where it has come to mean a Slovak restaurant with typical dishes and design.The Koliba Expo, located in the woods near Bratislava's Kamzík television tower, is one such place. Waiters are dressed in folk costumes, the walls are decorated with animal pelts and Slovak ceramics, and the menu consists of traditional and invented Slovak dishes.

EU vote set for May

THE PARLIAMENTARY EU referendum committee set a definite date for Slovaks to go to the polls and cast their ballots for or against EU entry, while analysts voiced their concerns about an apparent absence of public debate.The nationwide referendum, asking the question, "Do you agree with the Slovak Republic becoming a member of the European Union?" will be held on May 16 and 17 this year, a full month earlier than many had expected.Parliament is scheduled to pass a final resolution on the calling of a referendum at an extraordinary session on January 21. The resolution will serve as a basis for President Rudolf Schuster to call a referendum, although it seems that act will be a mere formality.

Lodging in Piešťany

Taking the waters: Treat or treatment?

SLOVAKIA has a rather schizophrenic relationship with its many spa towns, of which well-heeled Piešťany, 80 kilometres north of Bratislava, is the best known.On the one hand, thermal waters have been considered therapeutic since ancient times, so it's no surprise that Piešťany's sulphur-laden springs - hot at 67 degrees Celsius - have provided treatment to thousands of people suffering from a range of illnesses for centuries. The water and mud are particularly good for "inflammatory and degenerative rheumatic diseases", publicity literature states.On the other hand, thermal water is fun. The Romans knew that, building extensive recreational baths in every corner of their empire. So did the Turks. And now Western hoteliers are just getting the hang of it, putting in "spa facilities" wherever space and money allows in the hope that they will attract more guests as a result.

Health-care reform takes another step

Mečiar protects position as head of HZDS

VLADIMÍR Mečiar, the leader of the opposition Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) party, emerged victorious from a showdown with party rebels led by vice-chair Vojtech Tkáč, who had objected to Mečiar's authoritarian leadership.While Tkáč resigned his party function and urged other HZDS members to follow him, few did, and Mečiar emerged from the January 11 meeting of the party's national council in Nitra with the strong support of grass-roots members.Tkáč said dissenters within the HZDS were fed up with Mečiar's autocratic practices and his failure to "account for disappointing results in national and municipal elections and the party's domestic and international isolation."

Bathing with sick naked people

A TRIP to Piešťany's public baths on Spa Island can be unforgettable. I'll certainly never forget my first visit, on a cold grey day in November.I found the women's side of the baths complex presided over by an authoritarian male attendant, who hustled me to a cubicle equipped with a narrow bed and hooks for my clothes. I was briskly motioned to strip, and a few minutes later, clad in my swimsuit, I was shown to a doorway opening onto a silent twilit space. Steps disappeared into warm dark water, and I strode down them confidently, believing that I had the place to myself.Gradually I realised that far from being alone, I was actually in the company of some 15 other women, floating around the edge of the small pool as still and menacing as crocodiles. And none of them were wearing any clothes.

Neglect gets parents 7.5 years

Train tender scandal draws bribery charge

Letter to the Editor: Keep religion out of schools

Halušky: Like gnocchi only smaller and tastier

WHEN describing their national dish, halušky, Slovaks often say it is like gnocchi, the small Italian dumplings made out of flour and potato. In flavour, halušky is very similar to its Mediterranean cousin, but there are fundamental differences in the way the two dishes are made and served that give the Slovak dish its unique pizzazz.For example, gnocchi dough is usually made out of cooked potatoes mixed with flour, while halušky dough is a runnier affair, created with liquidised raw potatoes. The shell-shaped gnocchi are cut off a roll of dough, but halušky are pushed into boiling water through round holes in a pan specially designed for the purpose. They come out like fat little asymmetric worms, and are traditionally eaten smothered in the local sheep's cheese bryndza and sprinkled with fried bacon bits.Vegetarians can substitute the bacon for fried onions, scrambled eggs, cooked cabbage or sauerkraut.