Archive of articles - December 2008, page 2
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Discovering Slovakia through dishes
Since getting to know a country necessarily includes tasting its dishes, nine branches of the Slovak National Museum have decided to open a unique joint exhibition called The Tastes and Aromas of Slovakia.
Svetozár Ilavský
Sculptures and paintings by Svetozár Ilavský, one of the first multimedia artists in Slovakia, are being shown in the Danubiana modern art museum.
Top banker debunks Fico pension myths
Unless Slovakia increases its retirement age, the country’s pension system will become unsustainable, according to the vice-governor of the National Bank of Slovakia, Martin Barto.
Bubbles in the bottle
Even though Slovaks have never been great sparkling wine drinkers, there is one day in the year when a bottle of bubbly appears on the tables of most families – New Year’s Eve.
Carmakers send mixed signals on production plans
After years of warnings from economic analysts that the Slovak economy was becoming too dependent on the automotive sector, the global financial crisis has finally given shape to those fears.
Russia to provide all of Slovakia’s nuclear fuel
Russia's TVEL signed a €500 million contract with the Slovenské elektrárne energy utility in November covering fuel supplies to Slovak nuclear power plants.
Mečiar rebels against coalition allies
Relations between feisty former PM Vladimír Mečiar and his senior government partners worsened in November, with Mečiar aiming verbal jabs at his allies and second-guessing government policy.
The Nays have it
Ján Tomáš is an unusual kind of businessman in Slovakia. He didn’t privatize anything, he didn’t win any big state tenders or benefit from a close relationship with a political party. Instead, he grew his electronics retailing business over 16 years literally from out of the back of a Škoda to a network of several dozen stores across Slovakia. In December 2008, Nay opened its first two stores in the Czech Republic, the first step in a strategy of regional expansion and possible acquisitions.
Slota’s minister rewards Slota’s friends
The Construction Ministry, which is run by a nominee of the Slovak National Party (SNS), awarded a Sk3.6 billion contract to a firm close to SNS chairman Ján Slota to provide exclusive advertising and translating services until the year 2015.
OECD: Crisis will hit Slovak economy
Slovakia’s economy will cool rapidly next year but then recover in 2010 to a solid 5.6% rate of growth, according to a report released in late November by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
Work begins on new Mochovce units
Italian electricity utility Enel has begun construction on units 3 and 4 of the Mochovce nuclear power plant in central Slovakia.
Fico: Journalists are “idiots”
Prime Minister Robert Fico described journalists from the country’s major dailies as “idiots” for how they covered his official visit to Vietnam, the reconstruction of the government's offices, the Belarus Embassy and the financial crisis.
Unknown Slovakia
Slovakia might be relatively 'unknown' to your average English-speaking tourist, but a quick flick through past editions of Spectacular Slovakia (an annual sister publication of SPEX) reveals that there are in fact few places in this country to which its previous writers have not traveled at some time (and often several) in the past 13 years.
High Tatras soils show toxic nitrogen levels
A long history of human-influenced nitrogen deposition has left soils in the Western Tatra Mountains of Slovakia highly acidic.
All hands against him
At the height of his powers, Mikuláš Černák was almost a caricature of an Eastern European gangster. He sported a cheesy moustache, sunglasses and a massive chest. He kept Siberian tigers at his house, and had his 30th birthday party televised on the most-watched channel, Markíza.
Tastes of Slovaks change
To please taste buds of consumers with a well selected wine is not a simple task as a number of factors as age, genre, or origin affect the selection and preference of people. The current trend in Slovakia indicates the return to quality local products. This is valid also when picking up silent and sparkling wine.
Eurozone entry brings better ratings
Standard & Poor's raised its sovereign ratings on Slovakia to "A+" from "A" in late November, saying that the continued improvement in the country's economic competitiveness would be supported by its 2009 entry into the euro zone.
Slovakia extends Russian gas contract by 20 years
Gazprom Export, the export arm of Russian energy giant Gazprom, has extended a contract to supply natural gas to Slovakia until 2028.
Welcome to Slovakia! Now fill in this form...
There are many reasons why foreigners come to live and work in Slovakia. The bureaucratic obstacle course outlined below is not one of them. But all countries impose obligations on incomers. Here are some of Slovakia's, from the point of view of an EU citizen, for whom clearing the hurdles is a time-consuming if relatively straightforward affair. If you are from anywhere else, things can be more complicated.
The president
He has a reputation as a peace broker because of his contribution to the peaceful separation of Czechoslovakia as the speaker of the federal assembly in 1992. On the other hand, after becoming Slovakia’s first post-revolution president from 1993 to 1998, he found himself in serious conflict with the new country’s authoritarian prime minister, Vladimír Mečiar, and experienced a turbulent few years both in office and in his private life.
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