Archive of articles - October 2008, page 8
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Antitrust Office fines gas transmitter
THE SLOVAK Antitrust Office (PMÚ) has imposed a fine of Sk98.9 million (€3.282 million) on eustream, a member of the gas company SPP group, which transmits gas from Russia to Western Europe, for abuse of its dominant market position.
Slovakia hopes for Blind luck at Oscars
Director Juraj Lehotský’s Slepé lásky (Blind Loves) has been selected by the Slovak Film Academy to represent Slovak cinema at the 81st Oscar awards in Los Angeles in February 2009.
When firms are part of the community
AN OLD proverb says that if someone wants bad things to befall someone else, all the first person has to do is wish a bad neighbour on him.
Hotels riding Eastern Slovak industrial boom
The age-old rivalry between Western and Eastern Slovakia always ends in a draw, and the hotel business is no different. A year from now, one five-star hotel will have opened in the capital, while another one will adorn the High Tatras. A number of other high-end projects are being prepared across the whole country, with no area suffering from lack of interest.
Pezinok gets dumped on
A massive garbage dump to be located near the center of the town of Pezinok has been given final approval by the state authorities, leaving a court case as the only legal option for opponents of the project.
Not on my watch
A new guard contingent of 45 Slovak troops left in early September for Tarin Kowt, the capital of the southern Uruzghan province about 150 kilometers north of Kandahar, where Slovakia already has some 70 troops. Their assignment will be to look after 1,200 Dutch men and women in Camp Holland.
Minister spits profanity, racial jibes
Justice Minister Štefan Harabin swore at an opposition MP and taunted him about his Jewish ancestors in a parliamentary outburst that was censured even by his coalition partners.
The true face of government
STATE budgets are probably one of the best snapshots of a government’s true face. The numbers often say more about political priorities than impassioned speeches, party manifestoes packed with utopian ideas or blacklists of public bogeymen. Far too often, promises are blown away by the cold autumn wind as soon as the final talks over the state budget near parliament.
Gratification delayed
The headquarters of the BEZ Group transformers producer in Bratislava could use more than just a lick of paint. The executive parking lot is a patchwork of cracked asphalt, while the main office building, a stodgy Communist low-rise on the outskirts of the Slovak capital, advertises space for rent. Inside, the furniture and fittings date back to the 1970s.
Population crisis in view
The European Commission’s statistical arm, Eurostat, predicts that there will be nearly 850,000 fewer people living in Slovakia in 2060 than today.
Bratislava will not suffer Prague’s fate
Slovakia’s first five-star hotel – if one doesn’t count the Arcade boutique hotel in Bratislava – will be the Grandhotel Kempinski in Štrbské Pleso in the High Tatras mountain resort. Kempinski Slovakia director Konstantin Zeuke talked about his company’s prospects at a time when the hotel business seems to be entering a downturn.
Karvay wins violin competition
DALIBOR Karvay took first place from among nearly 100 talented violinists from around the world at the David Oistrakh International Violin Competition in Moscow. During the demanding competition, held at the Moscow Conservatory between September 29 and October 8, the young musicians had to show their abilities in three rounds, playing virtuoso works by Paganini, Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Prokofiev and others, the Feeling agency said in a press release.
The new face of activism
They are leading the movement to save Vegetka and Diétka, popular vegetarian restaurants in Bratislava which could be forced to close by the end of the year. The city leases floor space to the restaurants, which are housed in the Motešický Palace on Laurinská Street, but CDC, a real estate developer, owns a majority of the apartments in the building. Hodál and Kadašiová contend, and several media reports have confirmed, that CDC is pressuring all the occupants to move out so it can acquire the entire building from the city and take it upscale.
Mild bubble maybe, but no catastrophe
ALTHOUGH the current mortgage crisis might tighten the conditions under which mortgages are provided in Slovakia, no dramatic changes or steep growth in prices are expected. As mortgage products are still relatively new in Slovakia, in contrast to the situation in the US, they have been granted only after careful inquiry into the borrower’s ability to pay. Moreover, the overall loan exposure of Slovaks is still very low compared to western countries.
The hardest part is yet to come
BANKS have been preparing for Slovakia’s adoption of the euro for more than two years. Now they, as well as the National Bank of Slovakia and the government proxy for euro adoption, say that the conversion process should occur smoothly, unthreatened by major risks.
Police in turmoil
Michal Hrbáček, a former secret service agent who allegedly organized the kidnapping of the former president’s son in 1995, was taken into custody on September 12 as an investigatio into shadowy commando units of current and former policemen continued (see story, Phone call lands former SIS officer in hot water).
STV stung by talk of crisis
CURRENT and former managers of the public broadcaster Slovak Television (STV) have spoken out recently about the dire financial situation at the station, which they attribute to gross mismanagement.
Zoo unveils white tiger cubs
BRATISLAVA Zoo marked World Animal Day a week late on October 11 by naming two Indian white tiger cubs that were born in the Slovak capital on August 25.
Countrywide Events
Western SLOVAKIA Bratislava CONCERT:ENGLISH pop, rock and folk singer James Blunt is visiting Bratislava during his autumn tour on October 26. This award-winning singer soared to fame with his hit single You’re Beautiful in 2005 and has charmed the public with his melancholy but unsentimental songs ever since. This concert promoting his second album All the Lost Souls will take place at the Incheba Expo Arena at Viedenská cesta 3-7, starting at 20:00. Tickets cost between Sk1,099 (€36.48) and Sk1,499 (€49.76). For more information, call 041/5004-136 or go to www.vivien.sk.
Yacht leak plugged
After a long investigation, the National Bank of Slovakia (NBS) said in early September that no information concerning the revaluation of the Slovak crown had been leaked earlier this year, even though Finance Minister Ján Počiatek (above, left) was spotted on a Monaco yacht with a partner in the J&T financial group shortly before the currency was revalued.
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- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
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- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Convicted of multiple murders, Slovakia’s mafia boss seeks release from prison
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- News digest: Prosecutor seeks jail for NBS Governor Kažimír as his political support wanes
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
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- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
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- Digital Jarvis is real now. He is coming for your to-do list
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- A mayor resigns over €2.7 million fraud scandal at town hall
- Fico praises China and Vietnam as models, says liberal democracy has failed
- He designed Gatwick. But this is his masterpiece
- News digest: Violent gang in Bratislava is under arrest
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- 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 More articles ›
