Archive of articles - May 2009, page 5
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Slovak banks cannot entirely escape crisis
SLOVAKIA’s banks cannot entirely escape the global financial and economic crisis. But thanks to the healthy condition of the domestic banking sector and rather conservative behaviour by Slovakia’s bankers, the global crisis does not appear to be a serious threat to their balance sheets.
A spa with glory and shame
IN 1891, this picturesque spa resort was built seven kilometres south of the town of Spišská Nová Ves. It lured visitors with its beautiful surroundings as well as its luxurious facilities. A bowling alley, a piano hall and the fact that the spa housed its own permanent group of musicians in one of its villas contributed to its stylish atmosphere.
Tulips and bicycles in Slovakia
A WEEK-LONG celebration of Dutch culture entitled re: Made in Holland, organised by the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Bratislava, took place between May 16 and May 23. Its main aim was to present Dutch values including sustainability, energy, design, creativity and corporate responsibility.
Countrywide Events
Western SLOVAKIA Bratislava EXHIBITION: THE PICTURESQUE region of Punjab in the north of India can be admired in paintings, drawings and photographs by Max Kandhola, a renowned British artist with Sikh roots, who has brought his new exhibition Flatland: A Landscape of Punjab to Bratislava. Visitors are invited to follow his “tracing family history through an odyssey of ancestral narratives which explore Diaspora and identity,” as stated in the book with the same title published in 2007. The exhibition, organised on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the India Club in Slovakia, is available at the Central European House of Photography (Prepoštská 4) Tuesday through Sunday from 13:00 to 18:00 until June 6. For more information, see www.sedf.sk.
Košice dances the quadrille
KOŠICE'S Main Street transformed itself into a gigantic dance floor at noon on May 15 when many inhabitants of the city, especially students from elementary and secondary schools, joined in the European Quadrille Dance Festival.
Slovakia’s banks in the black in Q1 2009Slovakia’s banks in the black in Q1 2009
SLOVAKIA’s banking sector closed the first quarter of 2009 with after-tax profit of €112.1 million. Compared with the same period a year ago after-tax profit shrank by 29.4 percent, the SITA newswire wrote, citing data from the National Bank of Slovakia (NBS).
Uhrovec Castle to get new access bridge
AT UHROVEC Castle, which towers over the village of Uhro- vské Podhradie in Bánovce nad Bebravou district, the wooden access bridge is being rebuilt using traditional methods and as an exact copy of the original bridge that no longer exists.
Unemployment nears 11 percent
THE REGISTERED unemployment rate in Slovakia rose by 0.59 percentage points month-on-month in April, to stand at 10.92 percent at the end of the month.
The root of the problem
IF THE UNDERWORLD in Slovakia has its own festival calendar, May 20 will in future be marked as a red-letter day. Think of it as a sort of Christmas or Thanksgiving for the mob.
Leasing deals shrank by 43 percent in Q1 in Slovakia
AFTER several years of consecutive, robust growth in the Slovak leasing market, the global financial and economic crisis has also put a hard brake on this aspect of the country’s economy. While the leasing market grew by 6.5 percent overall in 2008, its new contracts fell by almost 43 percent during the first quarter of 2009.
Pulling notes from a piano (video included)
THERE is perhaps no way to adequately describe the Bowed Piano Ensemble experience – you have to be there to believe what you’re hearing, and seeing – 10 people gathered around a grand piano literally pulling sounds from it by bowing and plucking the strings from inside its belly, producing ethereal sounds as rich and complex as a symphonic orchestra.
Banks in Slovakia
Československá Obchodná Banka, www.csob.skDexia Banka Slovensko,www.dexia.skEuropean Bank for Reconstruction and Development,www.ebrd.comING Bank, www.ing.skIstrobanka, www.istrobanka.skJ&T Bank, www.jtfg.skKomerční Banka, www.koba.skOberbank, www.oberbank.skOTP Banka Slovensko, www.otpbanka.skPoštová Banka, www.pabk.skPrivatbanka, www.privatbanka.skPrvá Stavebná Sporiteľňa, www.pss.skSlovenská Sporiteľňa, www.slsp.skSlovak Guarantee and Development Bank (SZRB),www.szrb.skTatra Banka, www.tatrabanka.skUniCredit Bank Slovakia, www.unicreditbank.skVolksbank Slovensko, www.volksbank.skVÚB, www.vub.skWüstenrot Stavebná Sporiteľňa, www.wustenrot.sk
Sharper GDP fall in Q1
THE ECONOMIC downturn has tuned market watchers’ ears to pessimistic news. Though a decline in Slovakia’s economy in 2009 had been widely expected, the steep fall in GDP for the first three months of the year came across even gloomier than market watchers had expected.
Institutions and organisations
Ministry of Financewww.finance.gov.skMinister: Ján Počiatek
Banks' caution grows when it comes to loans
BANKS in Slovakia, unlike financial institutions in western Europe or the United States have not been hit directly by the economic crisis and their portfolios are relatively free of ‘toxic assets’. But banks in general are feeling the indirect effects of the crisis, in particular the worsening of conditions for financing and higher credit risk stemming from the reduced ability on the part of clients to pay back their debts.
EU topics still seem distant
THE EUROPEAN elections are approaching and, despite their varying or in some cases even non-existent election programmes, all the political parties running candidates in the elections claim to have one thing in common. They want to persuade as many voters as possible to cast their ballots, in an attempt to erase the poor image which Slovakia earned five years ago by recording the lowest turnout in any EU member state.
Dzurinda to lead SDKÚ into elections
THE PRESIDIUM of the largest opposition party, the Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ), has confirmed that Mikuláš Dzurinda will remain the party’s election leader in the 2010 parliamentary elections. As no other candidate was proposed as a challenger, the presidium passed a resolution on May 16 waiving a party primary ahead of next year’s parliamentary elections, the SITA newswire reported.
EC warns over telecoms regulator
SLOVAKIA has found itself increasingly under the spotlight of the European Commission (EC) lately. A dubious tender at the Construction Ministry which Slovakia’s own official audit bodies declared illegal made the commission nervous about the way Slovakia has been using EU funds. The EC also expressed concern over the way Slovakia selected a firm to build and operate its first electronic highway toll system. More recently, it chided Slovakia for what it called a failure to ensure non-discriminatory access to its electrical transmission system.
Slovak ministries defend Sri Lanka arms deal
THE MILITARY phase of Sri Lanka’s 25-year-long civil conflict may be over, but questions remain over Slovakia’s decision last year to approve a shipment of 10,000 rockets to that country’s armed forces. The deal appeared to violate the European Union’s Code of Conduct on Arms Exports, to which Slovakia is a signatory.
SMK representatives agree to agree
THE REPUBLICAN Council of the Hungarian Coalition Party (SMK) and its three estranged MPs – Béla Bugár, Gábor Gál and László Nagy – pledged to reach agreement at a May 16 meeting in Rožňava.
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- Convicted of multiple murders, Slovakia’s mafia boss seeks release from prison
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- News digest: Prosecutor seeks jail for NBS Governor Kažimír as his political support wanes
- UK appoints Bilal Zahid as new ambassador to Slovakia
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- News digest: Prosecutor seeks jail for NBS Governor Kažimír as his political support wanes
- Convicted of multiple murders, Slovakia’s mafia boss seeks release from prison
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- News digest: Fico’s bloc wants to save money by restricting electoral access
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- 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
- The disinformation scene has become a tool of media capture
- 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
- He designed Gatwick. But this is his masterpiece
- Fico praises China and Vietnam as models, says liberal democracy has failed
- News digest: Violent gang in Bratislava is under arrest
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- The compass points to Kúty, and people are starting to follow
- 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 ›
