Archive of articles - November 2008, page 2

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Doubts over security chief

FRANTIŠEK Blanárik, the head of Slovakia’s National Security Office (NBÚ), probably informed on an army colleague during the communist era, documents unearthed from the former Czechoslovak Army Counter-intelligence (VKR) archives suggest. TV Markíza reported the archive find on November 26.

Ľuba Lesná

Uhrovec Castle is hidden amid the Strážovské Vrchy mountains.

Salvaging a national treasure in their free time

A GENTLE touch on the sandstone walls of Uhrovec Castle causes them to disintegrate beneath your fingers – a reminder that even stone doesn’t last forever. Rain, frost and wind have battered the castle, which has been neglected for decades. But there are people who are resisting the flow of time to preserve the values these old walls represent.

Jana Liptáková

Several generations of dancers and singers have performed in Lúčnica, keeping it young throughout its history.

‘Rolling Stones of Folklore’ celebrate 60 years

GO TO a rock concert for the music, to a club for the dancing, to a cabaret show for a good laugh, or to a performance by Lúčnica for all three.

Dominika Uhríková

Finance Minister Počiatek attending a parliamentary session on the state budget.

Deficit target widens, but budget should pass

THE ONE annual vote which has the potential to bring cabinets to their knees promises no nail-biting experiences for the Slovak government this year. Robert Fico and his team delivered this year’s state budget to parliament on November 26 after amending some of the numbers in the October 15 cabinet-approved draft and citing the looming global economic slowdown as the main reason for doing so.

Beata Balogová

Highway construction rules revised

HIGHWAY construction on disputed property will no longer be limited to the priority D1 and R1 highways projects. Parliament on November 26 approved a revision to the law enabling the state to build roads on land whose ownership rights are not settled and extended the state’s rights in this area, the Sme daily wrote.

Compiled by Spectator staff

Bojnice Castle, whose romantic curves were inspired by the Loire valley chateaux, hosts visitors and marriages.

The joys of the west

EVEN THOUGH the western part of Slovakia does not have any sites on UNESCO’s world heritage list, it offers tourists a long list of cultural and historical monuments, hiking trails, attractive castles and ruins, as well as world-famous spas.

Jana Liptáková

Construction of Pezinok dump halted

THE SLOVAK Environment Ministry has temporarily halted construction of a waste dump in the western Slovak town of Pezinok, ministry spokesperson Peter Višváder told the ČTK newswire on November 25. Pezinok citizens and other activists have been protesting against construction of the waste dump since it began, arguing that siting a dump close to the town’s historical city centre is illegal.

Compiled by Spectator staff

Investors get a new fund

SLOVAKS are slowly getting used to investment funds. The majority of retail investment funds, such as mutual funds and pension funds, have gained a foothold on the Slovak financial market. But investment funds requiring long-term, considerable investment, such as qualified investor funds, remain largely unknown to Slovak investors and legislation.

Marta Ďurianová

Culture Minister Marek Maďarič described the Slovak language as "perhaps the most precious thing we have as a nation".

Slovaks could be fined for using poor Slovak

SLOVAKS who make mistakes when using their own language could face financial penalties from next year. The Culture Ministry has proposed an amendment to the existing language law which would impose fines of €100 (Sk3,012.60) to €500 (Sk150,630) for those whose use of the Slovak language does not conform to (as yet unspecified) official guidelines. If approved, the amendment would come into force on July 1, 2009, the SITA newswire reported.

Ľuba Lesná

Fico: It is up to parliament whether to pay for Tipos now

If parliament approves the amendment to the Civil Court Rule, the state won't pay yet for the lost dispute of state-owned betting and lottery company Tipos, Prime Minister Robert Fico said following the special Government session on November 27.

Mass lay-offs announced in Myjava and Stara Turá

As many as 400 hundred people are to be dismissed in the districts of Nove Mesto nad Vahom and Myjava (both south-western Trencin region) in the near future, the TASR newswire was told by Marián Mesiarik of the Nové Mesto nad Váhom Employment Office on November 27.

Governor General of Canada speaks about need for social solidarity

Governor General of Canada Michaelle Jean on November 27 attended a panel discussion on Solidarity in a Global World at Comenius University (which has the pre-eminent Canadian Studies faculty in Slovakia) held on the occasion of her ongoing visit to Slovakia.

Opposition to submit no-confidence motions against Janušek and Počiatek

If the opposition decides to submit no-confidence motions against Construction Minister Marián Janušek (Slovak National Party/SNS) and Finance Minister Ján Počiatek (Smer-SD), it will do so during the current parliamentary session, KDH chairman Pavol Hrušovský said on November 27. He added that KDH MPs have already begun to draw up the no-confidence motion proposal. He also expressed interest in results of the parliamentary financial committee research at the Construction Ministry.

Planned wind park to supply electricity to 30,000 households

A wind park will be built in the Nitra County and supply electricity to 30,000 households. Bratislava-based company Green Energy Slovakia wants to build the park with wind turbines supplied by the Danish company Vestas. The park should reduce production of carbon dioxide by over 95,000 tons annually. The wind turbines will be situated at least 800 metres from the nearest residential area. Based on an agreement on cooperation, all the afflicted towns and villages will get a financial share from each generated kilowatt-hour of electric energy.

New Slovak ambassador to US presents his goals

Slovakia will start preparing a bilateral agreement on social welfare with the United States of America, said Peter Burian, the new Slovak Ambassador to the US on November 27.

Electricity prices for households to rise slightly next year

As of the beginning of next year, electricity prices for most households will go up by 0.11 percent on average. Jozef Holječík, head of the Regulatory Office for Network Industries, told a press conference on November 27 that this increase will affect approximately 80.5 percent of households.

Ruling coalition expresses trust in NBÚ chief

The HZDS affirmed its trust in National Security Office (NBÚ) chief František Blanárik, pointing out that recent media reports alleging that he collaborated with the communist-era military counterintelligence service have not been verified.

Vážny: Supplier agreement for new BTS terminal possible this week

Following the government session in Bratislava on November 26, Transport, Posts and Telecommunications Minister Ľubomír Vážny said that the winner of the tender for the construction of new terminal at M.R. Štefánik Airport (Bratislava Airport/BTS) could be known by the end of this week.

Vážny: State to support Post Office in legal case against EC

The state will be a party of interest in the Slovak Post Office's appeal against the European Commission's ruling involving hybrid post-services, Transportation, Posts and Telecommunications Minister Ľubomír Vážny said on November 26 in Bratislava.

Tipos agreement not disclosed to finance committee

Parliament's Finance, Budget and Currency Committee should have been informed about the agreement on settling the legal case between Tipos and Czech businessman Radovan Vitek, but the Finance Ministry didn't submit the document, asserting it's a trade secret, Finance Ministry state secretary Peter Kazimír said on November 26.

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