Archive of articles - September 2008, page 3
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Biggest ever haul of heroin
POLICE seized the biggest amount of heroin in the history of Slovakia - almost 12 kilogrammes – on September 18 and 19 in the district of Poprad and Kežmarok. On Thursday, police detained four men near a shopping mall, who were found to have 1.7 kilograms of the drug. After consequent house and office searches, they found a further 10 kg of high quality heroin in a guest house in eastern Slovakia, the SITA newswire wrote.
Accreditation process could result in university mergers
EDUCATION Minister Ján Mikolaj believes that there will be fewer universities in Slovakia in the future. He thinks that after completion of the current accreditation process, which all 19 universities are having to undergo, their number will shrink, the SITA newswire wrote.
Car insurance gets more expensive
SWITCHING insurers, a popular money-saving tactic by drivers who are looking to renew their third party liability car insurance, might not bring the reductions it has done in recent years. The number of drivers who are having to pay increased prices for third party car insurance – often by as much as several hundreds crowns - is increasing, the Sme daily has reported.
Traumatised till the end of time?
SO IS ONE of the most traumatising moments in Slovakia’s modern history about to sink into oblivion? Amnesty comes from the Greek word “amnestia”, which also means oblivion. Dictionaries suggest that the word “amnestia” has the same root as amnesia, which indeed offers a bottomless well for philosophical contemplations about the meaning of guilt, pardons, forgiveness, forgetfulness, justice and injustice.
Quote of the Week:
“They [prosecutors] walk with pistols on their arses, although they know that this is unnecessary. Since if they [mafiosi] wanted to, they would kill them [the prosecutors].” General Prosecutor Dobroslav Trnka describes to journalists how prosecutors (apparently in vain) equip themselves.
HR executives 'shouldn’t complain' about CEE talent
ACCORDING to Daniel Thorniley, the senior vice-president of the Economist Group, human resources in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) are “the best in the world” – well educated, and relatively deep in talent.
Tank ride offers Slovak adrenaline rush
THE SLOVAK village of Podbiel has an attraction for would-be tank commanders. Local businessman Jozef Krupa is the owner of an old armoured vehicle to which he has made technical adjustments to allow him to take passengers on a white-knuckle ride. After fifteen minutes’ driving on muddy tracks in the tank – as locals of the village, in the Orava region, call the vehicle – tourists usually applaud, the ČTK newswire wrote.
Strengthening crown dampens inflation, but not for long
Inflation in Slovakia was dampened by the significant strengthening of the Slovak crown after the official crown/euro changeover rate was set, but price developments on global markets will affect inflation estimates for the rest of this year and in the future, it was announced on September 25.
International labour market conference opens in Bratislava
A two-day international labour conference designed to gauge the current state of the labour market in new EU-member states and find ways of securing a qualified workforce opened in Bratislava on September 25.
EU Ministers approve immigration policy, Blue Card still unresolved
At a meeting in Brussels on September 25, EU Interior Ministers approved the 'Treaty on Immigration and Asylum', establishing the principles of joint EU migration policy. The treaty details the common procedures in the sphere of legal and illegal migration, including more efficient protection of the EU's borders. The treaty is expected to be approved by European leaders at the EU summit in October. No agreement was reached, however, concerning the 'Blue Cards', designed for highly qualified professionals from third countries. The 'Blue Card', analogous to the American Green Card, was meant to contribute to reducing the lack of highly qualified workers on the European labour market. At the beginning of the process, there were about 200 reservations which have been removed one by one, with the exception of the Czech reservations.
Fico announces plans to re-open second pillar of pension system
The government at its session on October 1 will approve a bill amending the law on old-age pension savings that will once again open the private second pillar, allowing anyone who wishes to either leave or join it.
U.S. ambassador did not confirm October for cancellation of visa duty
The American ambassador to Slovakia, Vincent Obsitnik, has said he cannot confirm whether an announcement about the cancellation of the visa obligations for Slovak tourists wanting to travel to the U.S.A. will be made during a meeting between Slovak President Ivan Gašparovič and U.S. President George W. Bush scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C. on October 10.
Former minister Nemcsics to start collecting signatures for new party
Robert Nemcsics, a former economy minister in the second cabinet of Mikuláš Dzurinda, says he plans to begin collecting the signatures he needs to establish a new political party.
Education Minister expects Slovak universities to merge
Higher education institutions in Slovakia should merge, Education Minister Ján Mikolaj told a press conference after a meeting of the Slovak Rectors Conference (SRK) in Žilina on Thursday, September 25.
Slovakia will rent cargo terminal in Dobra to Russian railways
Slovakia wants to rent a cargo railway terminal in Dobra, in the district of Trebišov, near the Slovak-Ukrainian border, to the Russian Railways Company, the SITA newswire wrote.
Opposition takes Press Code to Constitutional Court
Opposition MPs turned to the Constitutional Court for a ruling on whether the Press Act is constitutional, the TASR newswire was told on September 24 by Pavol Gmitter, Iveta Radičová's (SDKÚ nominee and a presidential candidate) consultant.
Government approves new Slovak Land Fund director
The government on September 24 approved the Agriculture Ministry's proposal to appoint Miroslav Mihálik, a former member of the Slovak Land Fund (SPF) supervisory board, as the new SPF director as of September 25, 2008.
Eurowallet: Government sets up Pricing Council
The government on September 24 set up a Pricing Council to supervise price developments during Slovakia's euro-adoption process. Slovak Trade and Industry Chamber chairman Peter Mihók will head the new body.
Fico suggests Mečiar amnesties can’t be repealed
Prime Minister Robert Fico said on September 24 that the European Court of Human Rights (EHCR) ruling in favour of former Slovak Information Service (SIS) chief Ivan Lexa has made it impossible to argue that the amnesty protecting Lexa should be repealed.
Finance Ministry says inflation in Slovakia is relatively low
The Finance Ministry says that Slovakia has relatively low inflation compared to other countries.
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- Fico praises China and Vietnam as models, says liberal democracy has failed
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- News digest: Prosecutor seeks jail for NBS Governor Kažimír as his political support wanes
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- News digest: Fico’s bloc wants to save money by restricting electoral access
- Slovakia plans to restrict access to new medicines amid funding shortfall
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners More articles ›
