Archive of articles - December 2004, page 10

Talks on Turkey approved

Human rights group criticises asylum plans

Police break up organised car theft group

The long and winding road

A FEW months ago, I decided to take a drive from Hriňová to Detva to buy some Slovak candy at a local grocery store. Although I was not speeding or breaking any other law, a traffic police officer waved a small wand in front of my vehicle near the town of Kriváň, signaling me to stop. "Oh no," I thought, "What have I done now?"The smartly dressed officer politely asked me in Slovak for my car papers, passport, and license. He wanted to make sure that the car - a silver Mercedes rented in Austria - was not stolen. After inspecting the documents, he saluted and let me go.

Reader feedback: A taxing ending

Tourists take their travel plans online

SLOWLY but surely, Slovaks are booking their holidays over the Internet. They are discovering that online reservation portals provide them with wider variety, better information and greater convenience than they can find with traditional "brick-and-mortal" agencies.Although there are no official statistics on the volume of online reservations made by holidaymakers, industry analysts say the practice is on the rise. Online travel and tour sites say business is increasing every year.

OECD: Economy on track

SLOVAKIA is the best reformer in the central European region according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).In its two-year economic outlook for the country presented in Paris on November 30, the OECD predicted that Slovakia's gross domestic product (GDP) would grow about 5 percent from 2004 to 2006. Slovakia's GDP growth figure exceeds previous expectations.

Getrag picks Slovakia

SLOVAKIA continues to compete for the biggest players in the automobile industry. This time, the country has attracted German auto supplier, Getrag Ford Transmissions.After Volkswagen, PSA Peugeot Citroen, and Hyundai/KIA Motors, Getrag Ford Transmissions is yet another large company in the automobile sector to find a home in Slovakia.Slovak Economy Minister Pavol Rusko confirmed at a December 2 press conference that Getrag Ford Transmissions intends to start production of Ford gear boxes in 2007.

SDA says "yes" to Smer merger

Tatras down, not out

SKI season in the Tatras, Slovakia's tallest mountains, begins in the wake of a November 19 windstorm the destroyed half its trees. Now residents and authorities are telling Tatra admirers that the best way to help is to spend their next holidays there.Authorities are emphasising that although trees have been damaged, most hotels, resorts and transport facilities were either spared by the wind or have already been repaired. Tatra residents even hope the disaster could bring modernisation and tourist development to the mountains.

Budget deficit at 3.8 percent in 2004

Pensions up 3.4 percent

New army ready by 2010

Ukraine's East-West clash

UKRAINE is at boiling point. The nation faces a choice between moving towards a European-style democracy and relapse, back to the sinister embrace of Soviet Eurasia.Ambassadors to Ukraine and Ukrainian ambassadors to other countries have been busier than ever, the former voicing concerns over the Ukrainian presidential run-off elections and related fraud suspicions, and the latter calming fears.The international community is questioning the preliminary results of the election and is calling for an immediate investigation.

Bickering plagues Tatras regrowth

ONE WEEK after unprecedented windstorms in Slovakia damaged and destroyed large areas of spruce forest in the High Tatras, top officials are bickering over how revitalisation efforts should proceed. Some favour modernising the country's alpine region. Others worry commercialisation would threaten Slovakia's biodiversity and damage the national symbol.Immediately after the November 20 catastrophe, the Slovak cabinet hoped to unite opposing voices by establishing a bipartisan committee to oversee the revitalisation and development of the High Tatras.

Ministry justifies costs

FOR THE LAST few years, Slovakia has been juggling two major priorities: keeping the state deficit as low as possible and state guarantees at a minimum; and tempting private and corporate enterprises to invest in Slovakia's less developed regions. The first is a matter of strategic fiscal policies. The latter depends on physical infrastructure - motorways and highways to provide easy access to remote areas.Slovakia's motorways, it seems, are the most expensive in Europe.

AIDS hits Slovak gays

How far can art go?

SWISS artist Christoph Büchel came up with a somewhat unusual idea for an artistic performance. All he needed was a police car and a performer clad in an authentic-looking uniform. The pretend cop was to "sleep" in the car for 24 hours, parked in a public area of Trnava. The alarm system was to be on - but just the roof lights, not the siren. Curious passers-by could wander over, if they dared.

Under the festive spell

ONE might be forgiven for thinking that the Christmas season begins somewhere around the middle of October, when twinkling fairy lights and canned snow start to appear in shop windows. Although the number of shopping days to go before Christmas may be a priority for some, a large part of Europe's population adheres to the Christian calendar with its period of Advent, starting on the fourth Sunday before Christmas.Although the same is true of much of Slovakia, many of the country's oldest seasonal traditions have their roots in ancient folklore and superstition.