Archive of articles - January 2008, page 10
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President won’t sack constitutional court judge
PRESIDENT Ivan Gašparovič will not recall Juraj Horváth from his post as a constitutional court judge for now, the SITA newswire wrote.
Viewing life through cultural goggles
AFTER years of living and working as an English teacher in Slovakia, I recently became self-employed. (Stal/a som sa živnostíčkou/kom.) I was thrilled about this accomplishment, but when I shared the news (podelil/a som sa o novinu), I noticed very different reactions from the people back home and those I know here.
Bratislava goes ice skating again
AFTER years with nowhere to enjoy the tradition of outdoor ice skating in the centre of Bratislava, residents and visitors got a new skating rink just in time for Christmas.
About 100,000 people celebrated arrival of New Year in Bratislava streets
NO SERIOUS incident occurred during celebrations of the end of 2007 and the arrival of the new year in Bratislava, which changed into Partyslava again. The city council prepared a rich programme, which culminated with welcoming the New Year by Richard Rikkon on piano and fireworks, which unfortunately were drawn in dense fog.
Highway law arrives, but for how long?
SINCE the beginning of the year, the government has had a new tool to expropriate the land needed to complete the cross-country highway that Prime Minister Robert Fico promised to finish by 2010. Though Ivan Gašparovič pleased the government by signing the bill into law, the opposition is still determined to halt the controversial package of one-time special measures.
Second pension pillar is now open
SLOVAKS can now change their minds about how they want to save for their pensions. One of Prime Minister Robert Fico’s pet laws has opened up the capitalisation pillar of the pension system for six months, allowing more than 1.5 million people who have been saving for their pensions in private accounts administered by pension fund management companies to quit from now until June.
Winter weather woes keep going
WINTER has not been able to settle down properly in Slovakia yet. Even though there is some snow in the mountains, the snow base is still relatively thin.
Slovakia fails to reduce death tolls on the roads
THE NUMBER of people killed on Slovak roads rose for the second year in a row in 2007, dimming hope that the country will meet its goal of halving the number of road fatalities by 2010.
Two expelled bidders back in toll tender
TWO CONSORTIUMS that were dropped from the tender to build and run Slovakia’s electronic toll collection system are back in the running.
Metalworkers union declares strike alert
THE OZ KOVO metalworkers trade union declared a strike alert on January 8 after wage negotiations with employers from the Slovak Engineering Industry Association (ZSP) ground to a halt.
What health care shows about a country
Written, produced and directed by: Michael Moore, Running time: 122 min, Language: in English, with Czech subtitles, Rating: 8 of 10
Special Prosecutor's Office opens investigation into SPP privatization
Based on an order from Prosecutor General Dobroslav Trnka, the Office of the Special Prosecutor on January 10 began looking into the choice of privatization advisor for the Slovak gas utility SPP in 2000, the General Prosecutor´s spokesperson, Svetlana Husárová, told SLOVAKIA.
Kašický sees off troops bound for KFOR and ALTHEA missions
Defense Minister František Kašický and Armed Forces Chief-of-Staff Ľubomír Bulík were in Michalovce on January 10 to see off 160 members of the Slovak armed forces who are heading for the KFOR and ALTHEA missions in the Balkans.
INEKO Poll: Likelihood of Euro adoption rises to 78 percent
The likelihood of Slovakia being able to adopt the euro as scheduled on January 1, 2009 rose from 75 percent in November to 78 percent in December, a return to the record-high levels of the summer of 2007, according to the latest survey carried out by the Institute for Economic and Social Affairs (INEKO) in co-operation with the Club of Economic Analysts (KEA), SLOVAKIA was told by Peter Goliáš of INEKO.
Opposition takes new highway law to Constitutional Court
Opposition MPs have filed a complaint with the Constitutional Court against the new act on highways, Lucia Žitňanská (SDKÚ-DS), Daniel Lipšic (Christian Democrats/KDH) and Gábor Gál (ethnic-Hungarian SMK) announced at a press conference on January 10. The Opposition is opposed to allowing the state to build motorways on privately-owned land without the consent of the owners.
EFJ: Press Act would be “un-European”
On January 10, the Hospodárske noviny daily reported that the Press Act approved by the Cabinet on January 9, and now headed to parliament for approval, requires newspapers to grant equal space to any politician who wishes to react to an article written about them. The paper must provide the space within three days and feature the reaction as prominently as the original article. And it doesn’t matter whether the information printed in the article can be proven.
Capitalization pension pillar draws thousands of new savers
From the first quarter of 2005, when the capitalization pillar for old-age pension saving started operating, until the end of last year, a total of 33,400 people joined the capitalization pillar of the pension scheme. The total number of savers reached over 1.56 million by the end of last year.
Wine imports rose in 2007
In the first nine months of 2007, Slovakia imported 432,100 hectolitres (hl) of wine, valued at Sk954.2 million. Wine imports rose 84.4 percent from the same period of 2006, when Slovakia imported 234,300 hl of wine for Sk708.5 million.
Briza's job in limbo until summer
On January 10, the Sme daily wrote that ĽS-HZDS nominee Branislav Bríza, who nearly caused the collapse of the ruling coalition, will remain in his post as chairman of the supervisory board of the Slovak Land Fund (SPF) until summer.
Czech president visiting Slovakia
Czech President Václav Klaus and his wife Livia arrive in Slovakia for a two-day visit on Thursday, January 10. In the morning, the couple will be welcomed by Slovak President Ivan Gašparovič and his wife Silvia. An official lunch at the Government Office hosted by Prime Minister Robert Fico will follow.
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Slovak physicist: I do not employ doctoral students; I make them go abroad. I expect them to push us forward
- Weekend: Summer kick-offs around every corner Photo
- News digest: Ex-judge Harabin cleared of charges over pro-Russian war comments
- Where can vegetarians and gluten-free diners eat out in Bratislava?
- New modern buildings in Bratislava Photo
- Irish outlet hails Slovak spa town Piešťany as a top European holiday spot
- Why a British teacher chose Slovakia as home Audio
- Man appeals for help finding strangers who saved his life
- Slovak physicist: I do not employ doctoral students; I make them go abroad. I expect them to push us forward
- Weekend: Summer kick-offs around every corner Photo
- After years of straddling two worlds, this American is now reconnecting with his Slovak roots
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- Where can vegetarians and gluten-free diners eat out in Bratislava?
- News digest: Renaissance lady vanishes, ministry brushes off ‘stupid questions’
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- Slovakia’s secret weapon is living abroad
- Why a British teacher chose Slovakia as home Audio
- Where can vegetarians and gluten-free diners eat out in Bratislava?
- Slovak physicist: I do not employ doctoral students; I make them go abroad. I expect them to push us forward
- Man appeals for help finding strangers who saved his life
- Fico turns to X to shape his global image
- Bratislava unveils its first 3D-printed bus stop Photo
- After years of straddling two worlds, this American is now reconnecting with his Slovak roots
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Why a British teacher chose Slovakia as home Audio
- Bratislava unveils its first 3D-printed bus stop Photo
- Slovakia’s secret weapon is living abroad
- Where can vegetarians and gluten-free diners eat out in Bratislava?
- Slovak physicist: I do not employ doctoral students; I make them go abroad. I expect them to push us forward
- Irish metal band to make long-awaited debut in Bratislava Video
- Man appeals for help finding strangers who saved his life
- News digest: Ex-judge Harabin cleared of charges over pro-Russian war comments
- Slovak universities, SAV, local governments top 2025 trust rankings
- Irish outlet hails Slovak spa town Piešťany as a top European holiday spot
- “We, the European Ministers of Culture, are calling to open our eyes to the richness of our own cinema”
- Weekend: Summer kick-offs around every corner Photo
- With more tax irregularities detected, Slovakia still collects less
- Slovak brewers win hearts in Porto with beer inspired by a childhood favourite
- News digest: Renaissance lady vanishes, ministry brushes off ‘stupid questions’ More articles ›
