Archive of articles - June 2009, page 3

Quote of the week

“A diplomat is also just a human; I have seen diplomats breaking windows before now.”

Fairy-tale village in Donovaly

FAIRY-TALE village called Habakuky was opened for the public in the Donovaly resort in Banská Bystrica district on June 13. The village offers visitors fairy tales from the traditional Slovak tales-collector, Pavol Dobšinský, as well as ensemble performances for children, concerts, social events, and more during the whole summer season and into winter.

Institutions of UK in Slovakia

British EmbassyAmbassador: Michael Robertswww.ukinslovakia.fco.gov.uk/

Peeking under Jablonica skirts

FOLK costumes are an interesting and long chapter in Slovak history. The costumes are so numerous and varied that several experts have dedicated their careers to studying and comparing them.

Next 6-12 months will be difficult, but better times are ahead

A DIFFERENT corporate culture is one of the features which Irish businesspeople face when arriving in Slovakia to do business. But once the differences are understood and accepted, mainly through better communication and trust, the result is a richer and stronger company, they say. Irish businesspeople add that they have found in Slovakia qualified and ambitious workers, and a promising market which they can use as a springboard into new emerging markets.

Layoffs hit hundreds at Komárno shipyard

SLOVENSKÉ Lodenice Komárno shipyard has announced mass layoffs. Of 685 employees, 198 will lose their jobs by the end of this year, the SITA newswire reported.

Companies connected to the Irish community

United Kingdom: general facts

Political system: constitutional monarchyCapital: LondonTotal area: 242,500 square kilometresPopulation: 60.975 million in mid-2007Official language: EnglishCurrency: pound sterlingNumber of British citizens living in Slovakia: about 1,000

Old steam locomotives attract fans in Bratislava

FANS of historical railway equipment were able to admire steam locomotives, ancient gang cars or handcars as well as dispatchers in uniforms and white gloves at the old Bratislava-East depot on June 13. Both steam and diesel motor locomotives were displayed at the 11th Slovak showcase of old railway equipment.

SkyEurope Airlines is now operating under protection

SLOVAKIA’S low-cost air carrier SkyEurope Airlines is now operating under protection from its creditors while it undergoes restructuring of its business over the next three months. SkyEurope said that it has not filed for insolvency or bankruptcy and that it will pay its suppliers for goods and services provided during the reorganisation. The Slovak Spectator spoke to Adriana Kováčiková, a lawyer at the Ružička Csekes law firm, about conditions for granting protection from creditors and the impact that this has on a company’s operations.

PSA Peugeot-Citroen to suspend production for two weeks

The Trnava facility of car-maker PSA Peugeot-Citroen is planning a 10-day production suspension from July 27 to August 9, company spokesman Peter Śvec told the TASR newswire on Thursday, June 25.

Danube floods embankment in Bratislava and neighbouring areas

The Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute stated on its internet site that the level of the Danube River continued rising overnight. After flooding areas around Devín, the river began to flood the Bratislava borough of Petržalka during the evening of June 25.

SDKÚ publishes list of ‘scandals’ allegedly costing Slovakia €2.6 billion

The opposition SDKÚ party of former prime minister Mikuláš Dzurinda announced on June 25 that it has published a list of what it calls the 32 most scandalous cases under the current ruling coalition that the part says has deprived the state of over Sk80 billion (more than €2.65 billion) on a website, www.ukradli.sk.

Man with life-sentence set free from custody

Jaroslav P., sentenced to life in prison as part of an alleged criminal group from eastern Slovakia lead by Róbert Ó. was freed on June 24, the SITA newswire wrote. The Slovak Supreme Court could have left him behind bars but it missed the deadline to prolong his custody, TV Markíza reported in its Thursday evening evening news.

Slovakia has lowest taxes in the EU

THE TAX burden in Slovakia, together with Romania, was the lowest in the whole European Union in 2007, according to data comparing overall government income to the countries’ overall GDP published by Eurostat for that year, the SITA newswire reported.

Flašíková-Beňová elected deputy chairwoman of EP Socialists

Monika Flašíková-Beňová who was elected as a member of the European Parliament earlier in June representing Slovakia’s Smer party has been elected a deputy chairwoman of the Party of European Socialists (PES), the SITA newswire wrote.

Former PM Mečiar joins opposition in vote on emissions quotas sale

Slovakia’s Environment Minister, Viliam Turský, nominated by the Slovak National Party, will have to file a report with the Slovak parliament concerning the ministry’s sale of excess CO2 emission quotas and the manner in which the purchasing company was chosen, the TASR newswire wrote.

Slovakia faces impending flood along Danube on Thursday

The recent heavy rains have caused river levels to rise, especially in the Danube and Morava Rivers. The water-level of the Danube River in the Bratislava district of Devin is expected to reach 780 centimetres on June 25 and as much as 830 centimetres on June 26, the mayor of Devin, Ľubica Kolková, told the TASR newswire. The Slovak Hydro Meteorological Institute has announced a first-degree flood alert.

Two more A/H1N1 flu cases confirmed in Slovakia

Two more cases of A/H1N1 novel flu infection in Slovakia were confirmed by the country's chief public health officer, Ivan Rovny, on June 24 to the TASR newswire, bringing the total number of reported infections in Slovakia to six.