Archive of articles - May 2009, page 12
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Large: We've used the crisis to look back
AFTER a recent robust growth in automotive logistics, also this segment is experiencing a drop in orders. Even though Gefco Slovakia also feels the heat of the crisis, it continues in its development and new projects. It diversifies the portfolio of its customers and apart from the automotive industry it implement its know-how in fast moving consumer goods, electronics, machinery and others .
Court awards damages to Roma women
EIGHT Roma women living in Slovakia who believe they were victims of sterilisation without their informed consent and who were subsequently denied the right to get photocopies of their medical records were awarded damages by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on April 28. Each of the plaintiffs is eligible for compensation of €3,500, the court ruled.
Slovakia flu-free, for now
DESPITE several suspected cases among travellers returning from Mexico and other areas considered at risk, the type A novel flu virus - otherwise known as swine flu – had not arrived in Slovakia as The Slovak Spectator went to press. If and when it does, the authorities say they are ready to fight it effectively.
More investments coming after crisis eases
HAN Seung-soo, the prime minister of South Korea, became the first leader of that country to visit Slovakia in late April.
Štefánik remembered, 90 years on
GENERAL Milan Rastislav Štefánik was the chief driving force behind the idea of forming a Slovak democratic nation for the first time in contemporary history, said Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajčák at the opening of a two-day international conference on Štefánik’s contributions to Slovakia and Europe, the SITA newswire reported.
Can the Blue Card beat the Green Card?
Highly-skilled workers looking for better job opportunities abroad have always been very attracted to the US labour market which has offered a more welcoming environment and transparent legal conditions for qualified immigrants than many other markets, including countries of the European Union.
EC delivers state deficit reality check
SQUEEZED by the crisis, Slovakia’s public funds will be in a considerably worse condition than the government of Prime Minister Robert Fico assumed when it first drafted the state budget for 2009 – at least according to the European Commission (EC). In its spring economic forecast the EC estimates that the general government deficit in 2009 could widen to 4.7 percent of GDP, more than double the 2.1 percent deficit target set out in the 2009 budget. Slovakia’s finance ministry, however, remains confident that the country will keep the deficit beneath 3 percent of GDP, the target defined by the eurozone Maastricht criteria.
Wines fit for a chateau
INSPIRING people to sophisticated wine drinking could be one way to fight alcoholism. So suggests Michal Lekýr during a wine tasting in Bojnice, the town in Trenčín Region which owes more fame to its picturesque French-Gothic style castle than to the local viticulture scene.
End of the ski season may help chamois
THE SKI season in the High Tatras ended on April 15, an event which may help some of the local wildlife.
Quote of the Week
"I don't need a minister who hides behind the skirt of the government."
Institutions operating in transport and shipping sector
Ministry of Transport, Posts and Telecommunicationswww.telecom.gov.skMinister: Ľubomír Vážny
World Fair Trade Day marked
SLOVAK non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are planning to offer chocolate and coffee to mark World Fair Trade Day, May 9, to anyone buying Fair Trade goods which support growers and producers.
Another SNS minister bites the dust
ANOTHER minister nominated by the Slovak National Party (SNS) has lost his job. Environment Minister Ján Chrbet, who had held office for less than a year, is the second SNS minister in just the past month to be forced out over a dubious public contract.
It’s summer season at Bratislava Zoo
BRATISLAVA Zoo’s summer season has begun; it will last until the end of October.“This year the winter was long, but since April the weather has been fine so we have all been very busy improving the premises,” Silvia Pirošková, the zoo’s head of education and promotion, told the SITA newswire. “All the zoo’s employees have been cleaning the pens, visitor areas, planting shrubs and installing things like branches, tree stumps, ropes, and sand,” Pirošková added.
Slovak wins film festival prize
AT THE END of April, the Czech city of Ostrava hosted the International Film Festival TUR (Permanently Sustainable Development), which culminated in awards being presented to the best films. Among those recognised was Slovak director Pavol Barabáš, who was awarded the International Jury Prize for his film Bhutan – In Search of Happiness (Bhután – Hľadanie šťastia).
State forestry company to get €67 million public loan
STATE-RUN forestry company Lesy SR should receive repayable financial assistance of €67 million from the state to help it overcome the economic and financial crisis, according to a document submitted by the Economy Ministry for interdepartmental review.
A quest for beauty
HIS FIRST sculpture was made from wood and was named Plum Wood Song. After the events of 1968, abstract works were deemed by the regime not to be “convenient”, so he had to start making portraits. Today, his busts of famous Slovaks can be found all around the country and he enjoys considerable prestige as one of the most renowned figures of the local arts scene.
Silent guardians of the Slovaks
SLOVAKIA'S numerous castles give the country a very ancient and well-protected atmosphere.These stone fortifications, virtually the safest places across the land, were usually inhabited just by the nobility, but in times of danger even ordinary people from the area could be given refuge if the aristocrats were willing to be jammed closer together.
Cargo transporters feel the crunch
THE GLOBAL economic downturn has hit not just product manufacturers, but also the companies which provide them with support services. Freight forwarding companies, operating either by road or rail, have found themselves badly affected by the economic crisis at the same time as they face other challenges, such as competition from abroad and the arrival of Slovakia’s new electronic road toll collection system.
Five years in the club
AFTER decades during which May 1 was used by the communist regime as an occasion to show off with all its artificial pomp, the same day now looks much less festive in the former communist-bloc countries of central and eastern Europe. This is despite the fact that for many of them, Slovakia included, there has been an alternative reason for celebration since 2004: May 1 is the day they joined the European Union (EU).
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Legendary captain Zdeno Chára inducted into IIHF Hall of Fame Video
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- Liberal MP's boxing challenge backfires as far-right MEP seizes the moment
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- From eight to thousands of runners. How Košice marathon rose to prominence Photo
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- From eight to thousands of runners. How Košice marathon rose to prominence Photo
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Iconic Slovak barn still draws crowds. Without donors, it might have been lost Photo
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- Fico praises China and Vietnam as models, says liberal democracy has failed
- News digest: Violent gang in Bratislava is under arrest
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- Legendary captain Zdeno Chára inducted into IIHF Hall of Fame Video
- Liberal MP's boxing challenge backfires as far-right MEP seizes the moment
- 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 More articles ›
