Archive of articles - June 2009, page 2
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Two solar plants may emerge
THE REGIONAL electricity distributor Východoslovenská Energetika (VSE) is considering construction of a solar power plant. The company is actively seeking options to erect or acquire power-generating sources.
British Council seeks long-term links
BACK in 2007, the British Council, the UK’s leading cultural relations organisation altered the way it operates in Europe. While its teaching and examination activities remained unchanged, it has changed from being a traditional bilateral cultural relations institute, which promotes culture abroad and provides grants to support events, into a partnership and network organiser supporting dialogue and links between countries and cultures. This change has already brought visible results in Slovakia. In April it launched the Slovakia Cultural Profiles website and completed the first years of its regional projects Intercultural Navigators and Challenge Europe, among others.
Ireland: General facts
Political system: parliamentary democracyCapital: DublinTotal area: 70,282 square kilometresPopulation: 4.2 millionOfficial languages: Irish and EnglishCurrency: euroNumber of Irish citizens living in Slovakia: about 100
Watchdog grades government poorly
TRANSPARENCY International Slovakia (TIS) has presented its evaluation of Robert Fico’s government in the area of fighting corruption and has given it an overall grade of 4.3, on a scale ranging from 1 (optimum) to 5 (failure).
Countrywide Events
Western SLOVAKIA Bratislava EXHIBITION: MAJOLICA Masters Today is the title of an exhibition presenting works by 22 contemporary Slovak artists being held in Bratislava until September 12. Jugs, pitchers, vases, tiles or little figures collected by ethnologist Eva Ševčíková illustrate the exceptional ability of the authors to combine traditional forms with modern motifs and vice versa. Majolica Masters Today is available for free at the ÚĽUV Gallery at Obchodná 64 from Tuesday to Friday between 12:00 and 18:00 and on Saturday between 10:00 and 14:00. More information can be found at www.uluv.sk.
Multiculturalism needs to 'show attitude'
I’M A LONDONER, and usually I’m proud of it. Ours is a city where races and cultures converge – from all over Britain and all over the world. That’s what gives London its colour and its buzz.
UK business relations stretch far back
THE UNITED Kingdom is a traditional economic partner for Slovakia, with UK companies having established businesses in Slovakia back in the 1990s as well as trade increasing along with direct foreign investments by UK businesses into Slovakia. And in spite of the global economic downturn, there are still many business opportunities waiting to be seized.
A good standing in the EU
IRELAND’S Ambassador to Slovakia Kathryn Coll believes that the key to benefiting from EU membership is the same in bad economic times as in good: it is to be committed and active at the heart of the EU along with being engaged across the EU agenda, but most of all to be perceived as a member in good standing. According to her, becoming adept at accessing EU support should not be pursued in isolation from a member state’s overall standing in the Union.
Institutions of Ireland in Slovakia
Embassy of IrelandAmbassador: Kathryn Collwww.embassyofireland.sk
Study and training grants
Each year thousands of international students travel to study in the UK. There are a huge number of degree courses available. These range from medicine, law, accountancy and architecture to the arts, media, humanities, science and business.
Slovakia’s appeal for Irish investors grows
SLOVAKIA used to be overshadowed by its larger central European neighbours as a destination for investments. But the adoption of the euro, Slovakia’s favourable tax system, and residents’ knowledge of English are making the country more appealing to potential investors compared to other countries of central and eastern Europe (CEE). And even though the global economic downturn has affected business, the strong support provided by the Embassy of Ireland and the recently-established Irish Chamber of Commerce in Slovakia makes Slovakia more visible on the Irish investment map.
Dzurinda rejects any deal with Smer
DESPITE the current cabinet of Robert Fico still having up to one more year in office, the Slovak political scene has lately been animated by occasional bouts of speculation over the possible outcome of the elections due in 2010. Most recently came a statement by the leader of the opposition Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ) in which he categorically ruled out any post-election cooperation with Fico’s Smer party.
New books in English
Rivals. Bill Emmott. Paperback: 352 pages. Penguin, 2009.The world is changing, as political and economic power shift further towards Asia. Emmott, a former editor of The Economist, shows the ways in which our future will be dominated not by one, but by three Asian giants - China, India and a newly resurgent Japan. Rivals is an essential book for understanding how this new power game will shape the twenty-first century, the cover page notes read.
Russian gas might stop again in July over dispute with Ukraine
THE SLOVAK Economy Ministry confirmed on June 22 that Slovakia may well face another natural gas crisis if Russia cuts all Europe-bound gas supplies through what it sees as its undisciplined customer Ukraine, the SITA newswire reported. The ministry said that Ukraine might fail to meet an early July payment deadline agreed in a deal in January 2009.
A lot of pieces of Ireland in Slovakia
EVEN though Ireland and Slovakia are not large countries in terms of area or population, and despite not being neighbours and even having sea between them, cultural contacts between them are lively. It is not just big literary names such as James Joyce, Samuel Beckett or William Butler Yeats that are well known in Slovakia: works by contemporary Irish dramatists and writers have also been staged and translated in Slovakia.
Dostál
DOSTÁL – “He who has quit standing”. This name, reminiscent of an apathetic Indian chief, actually belongs among one of the younger and more active elders of the not-too-populous tribe of Slovak conservatives.
No mass exodus from 2nd pillar
ONLY A FEW days remain for participants in the privately-managed second pension pillar to freely transfer back to the pay-as-you-go component of Slovakia’s old-age pension system. Though a lot of campaigning has gone on, it appears that history will not record any mass exodus among the 1.5 million people who are saving for their retirement in Slovakia’s second pillar, which was initiated by the previous centre-right government. During the voluntary opt-out period, the Labour Ministry, the government-run social insurer Sociálna Poisťovňa and private pension fund management companies have all swamped citizens with brochures vigorously arguing the pros and cons of staying in the second pillar.
Archaeologists hope to date Trnava rotunda
ARCHAEOLOGISTS in Trnava are continuing for a second summer to uncover the remnants of the oldest known stone religious building.
More than 30 Slovaks hurt in bus crash
A CZECH bus carrying Slovak students on a return trip from a holiday in Italy crashed in the Styria region of Austria on Sunday, June 21.
Harabin regains top post at Supreme Court
AMIDST protests by political ethics groups opposing Štefan Harabin’s desire to become the country’s Supreme Court president, Slovakia’s Judicial Council almost unanimously elected him to that post on June 22.
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- News digest: Slovakia is being hurt by its failure to integrate foreign workers, says auditor
- Hollywood turns Slovak highlands into high-speed playground Video
- News digest: ‘Charlatans and quacks’: Pandemic investigator accuses scientists, pushes for jab ban Video
- Authoritarian echoes from Delhi to Bratislava
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- A café in an ice cellar, sand dunes and a flower shop at the border
- Forget the spa – Bojnice’s trails are the real therapy Photo
- A café in an ice cellar, sand dunes and a flower shop at the border
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- Bratislava opens new support centre for foreigners
- News digest: ‘Charlatans and quacks’: Pandemic investigator accuses scientists, pushes for jab ban Video
- You say nazdar, I say dovi
- Pastoral letter divides Slovaks
- Neuroimmunologist Norbert Žilka: Slovakia in Alzheimer's research premier league
- Hollywood turns Slovak highlands into high-speed playground Video
- Bratislava opens new support centre for foreigners
- Hollywood turns Slovak highlands into high-speed playground Video
- You say nazdar, I say dovi
- A café in an ice cellar, sand dunes and a flower shop at the border
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- Independent cultural space on Bratislava embankment to end soon
- Záhorie uncovered: Slovakia’s quiet corner full of surprises Photo
- Chicken Jockey! Chicken Jockey! Chicken Jockey! Video
- Last Week: And then they came for the NGOs
- What abides: Giving a shit
- Slovakia brings back border checks with Hungary and Austria starting April 8
- Bratislava opens new support centre for foreigners
- Hollywood turns Slovak highlands into high-speed playground Video
- Štítnik resumes hand-crafting Christmas ornaments after 25 years
- You say nazdar, I say dovi
- A café in an ice cellar, sand dunes and a flower shop at the border
- News digest: Slovakia is being hurt by its failure to integrate foreign workers, says auditor
- Forget the spa – Bojnice’s trails are the real therapy Photo
- Košice steelworks sinks deeper into the red
- A 'pink moon' will grace Slovak skies this Sunday
- Authoritarian echoes from Delhi to Bratislava
- Weekend: A sports event to get your running fix Photo
- Record-breaking Bratislava Marathon supports visually impaired athletes
- News digest: ‘Charlatans and quacks’: Pandemic investigator accuses scientists, pushes for jab ban Video More articles ›
