Archive of articles - December 2004, page 7

Slovakia's Christmas traditions delight the senses

When it comes to spending the holiday season abroad, many foreigners are excited to participate in the customs of their host country. This is especially the case in Slovakia, where special food, music festivals and handicrafts with a Christmas theme reign supreme.The Slovak Spectator asked various representatives of foreign countries and international organizations how they are spending the two biggest holidays in winter this year: Christmas and New Year's Eve.

VÚB bank issues bonds

Left-wing parties unite

THE DEMOCRATIC Left (SDĽ) voted December 4 to disband so it could join popular opposition party Smer. Its objective is to regain the parliamentary influence it lost in 2002 after an internal battle resulted in the defection of several high-standing members.Based on the merger decision, the SDĽ will dissolve December 31 and all of its 9,500 members will register with Smer on January 1, 2005. Of the 159 SDĽ delegates present at December 4 meeting, 151 supported the merger.

HZDS takes crucial post

JÁN Jasovský from the opposition Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) was elected the new chairman of the Supreme Audit Office (NKÚ), the Slovak government's top financial oversight organization. Zora Dobríková of the ruling Slovak Democratic and Christian Union will become the NKÚ's new deputy chairwoman.In a second round of secret ballot voting December 7, Jasovský earned 79 parliamentary votes - 19 more votes than there are opposition members of parliament.

Reporters for the Roma

This past spring, Kristína Magdolenová of the Roma Press Agency (RPA) grew accustomed to chaos in the workplace. Inundated by a continuous stream of phone calls, emails and visitors, she worked 12 to 14 hours a day responding to inquiries from journalists throughout Europe. They all asked the same question: Will the Roma migrate en masse to the West when Slovakia joins the European Union?

Smer plans to oust Labour Minister

Rebirth of a cult band

Živé KvetyNa mojej ulici (On My Street)Published by: Slnko RecordsAvailable at: most music storesCost: Sk249 to Sk299A FEW years ago, the quintet Živé Kvety (Live Flowers) changed drummer and bassist, dropped the piano, added a guitar player and took on a punkier sound. They had been an eclectic medium-soft rock band, sometimes compared to the Irish group The Cranberries.

Fraud discovered at car company

Earthquake shakes it up

EARTHQUAKES measuring 4.5 on the Richter scale rocked Slovakia last week. Although the epicentre was in Poland, near Zakopane, many Slovaks felt the ground shift thousands of kilometres away, especially in the Tatra mountains and in the Orava region.In fact, the ground shook in more than half of Slovakia when the quakes hit on Tuesday, November 30, and Thursday, December 2.

New jazz talents

THE ANNUAL New Faces of Slovak Jazz contest, which took place December 5 at Slovak Radio, honoured newcomers to the scene.

Economic growth at 5.4 percent for Jan-Sep 2004

Government to grant investor €54.5 million

US Ambassador Weiser leaving Slovakia

Average wage rises to Sk15,105

Smooth approval for 2005 budget

Prices down in November

Cabinet approves Enel deal

Cabinet approve Šramko as Governor of Central Bank

Culture Minister confirms departure