Archive of articles - August 2004, page 5

Minorities unite on stage

THE TWELVE registered minorities in Slovakia tend to organise festivals celebrating their cultures individually but never as a collective. Until this year, festivalgoers have had few chances to do a side-by-side comparison of the Ruthenian culture with that of the Roma, or of the German regional history with that of the Hungarian.With the debut of the first Festival of National Minorities opening in the central-southern town of Tornaľa this weekend, there is now a chance to see them all at once.

Designers exhibit at Zvolen Castle

THE MOST talented and creative young designers from northwestern Hungary and southwestern Slovakia are exhibiting their models and prototypes in a project entitled Formal 2 at the Zvolen Castle.

July jobless rate down to 13.65 percent

ANO sticks together

THE RULING New Citizen's Alliance (ANO) will stay united and no more deputies will be quitting the liberal party's parliamentary caucus, ANO chairman Pavol Rusko announced after a recent meeting of ANO leaders.The meeting was called in order for the party to regroup itself following the elections to the European Parliament (EP) in which the liberals suffered a fiasco by not gaining a single seat in Brussels.

Family bill in three versions

Energy producer awaits new owner

A NEW owner of the state power producer Slovenské elektrárne (SE) will be announced in September this year.After opening bids for the potential 66 percent share of SE on August 12, the privatisation commission has now recommended that the bidding companies clarify and revise their offers.

Events Countrywide

BRATISLAVAWESTERN SLOVAKIACENTRAL SLOVAKIA EASTERN SLOVAKIAPrepared by Jana Liptáková

Freedom of speech á la Slovakia

TWICE in recent months, the Slovak media and Slovak intellectuals have raised the issue of freedom of speech.The topic first made headlines in the brouhaha over the showing of the documentary, Love Your Neighbour, on the second channel of Slovak Television.Slovak Television's general director, Richard Rybníček, first banned the show because it included strongly anti-Semitic comments made by an individual from a city that had persecuted its Jews under the World War II Slovak state, and driven many of the rest away through a vicious pogrom in 1946.

Roma leader says funds mishandled

Finance Ministry tightens budget belt

THE FINANCE Ministry has published its latest plans for the state coffers over the upcoming three years.The three-year draft state budget for 2005 to 2007 has immediately raised concerns among the ministries and affected institutions.Though some ministries are disappointed by the low amount they will get from the state pocket, Finance Minister Ivan Mikloš is confident that the budget is modern, effective, and will encourage economic growth in Slovakia.

Russians accused of sabotage in Slovakia

The state strikes back

THE DISPUTE over the land intended for the Kia investment marches on. The Slovak government, backed into a corner by landowners' demands and businessman Marián Kočner, who recently bought around 9,000 square metres of the land where the future plant of the car giant Kia is to be built, has changed its tactics: It now plans to expropriate the land.

Slovaks over-represented

IN CONTINUATION of its survey of honorary consuls of the Slovak Republic to the United States, begun in The other Slovak nation, Volume 10, Issue 31, The Slovak Spectator spoke to Joseph T Senko, honorary consul of PennsylvaniaThe Slovak Spectator (TSS): Do you feel that the Slovak communities abroad are unified enough? What should be the main focus of their activities?

Free Forum presents alternative health plan

THE FREE Forum (SF) party has presented its own healthcare reform plan as an alternative to the Health Ministry's reform package, arguing that the ministry's take was too radical.On August 17, SF Chairwoman Zuzana Martináková told journalists that the party's proposal was to be taken as an alternative by MPs who will discuss the ministry's proposals in their second reading this September.

Learn Czech and Slovak in the US

THE EMBASSY of the Slovak Republic in the US has announced that the Czech and Slovak Language School is currently accepting registrations for its fall semester Slovak and Czech languages courses. The courses begin on Saturday, September 11, 2004, at the Maryland School for the Blind, 3501 Taylor Avenue, in Parkville, MD.

Living in Hungary Slovak-style

IN CONTINUATION of its series on foreign Slovaks, The Slovak Spectator looked at the Slovaks living in neighbouring Hungary. There we addressed Anna Istvánová, the director of the Čaba Organisation of Slovaks from Békešská Čaba (Békéscsaba), the capital of one of the Hungarian regions most densely populated by ethnic Slovaks.The Slovak Spectator (TSS): How many ethnic Slovaks live on the territory of Hungary and where are they concentrated?

Figeľ to oversee culture and education in EC

OKS campaigns against EU constitution

Paris Montmartre settles in Prešov

A HINT of the atmosphere of Montmartre, the famous art centre in Paris with a bohemian-life spirit, will arrive in the eastern Slovak town of Prešov on August 26. Visitors will be able to have their portraits painted by professional artists or simply stroll through the pedestrain zone while listening music.Well-known local artists - Anna Gajová, Juraj Kresila, and Milan Johanides - along with young Prešov student Milan Ladyka and an Ecuadorian artist living in the town, Eduardo Sosa, will offer their services to passers-by in front of the Šariš Gallery from 14:00 to around 18:00.