Archive of articles - July 2009, page 11
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Interior Ministry registers new Most-Híd political party
THE NEW political party Most-Híd, established by renegade MPs from the Hungarian Coalition Party (SMK) around former SMK chairman Béla Bugár, was officially registered by Slovakia’s Interior Ministry on July 3.
We must sensibly manage our limited energy resources
The German multi-utility company RWE has now been operating in eastern Slovakia for seven years. Through its 49-percent ownership of Východoslovenská energetika a. s. (VSE) it has been distributing electrical power to almost 600,000 customers. Apart from a reliable power supply, VSE wants to offer comprehensive energy services to its clients. Through launching its services in the field of energy efficiency, VSE has also become a more attractive partner regarding potential new customers. Moreover, saving energy is a matter of responsible approach towards the environment for our company. We talked with the CEO of VSE Norbert Schürmann, who is also the company’s Chairman of the Board of Directors, about what the company has managed to do so far in energy efficiency.
Silver lining at Art Film
THE SEVENTEEN-year-old Art Film Fest this year acted its age. Like a true teenager it at first frowned on its visitors, sending rain and eleven thunderstorms in eight days down on them, but in the end it made up for the outbursts by putting on its most successful event so far.
Countrywide Events
Western SLOVAKIA Bratislava EXHIBITION:TO SYMBOLICALLY celebrate one hundred years since the Futurist Manifesto was first published in Italy, the Italian Cultural Institute and the Slovak National Gallery in Bratislava have prepared a comprehensive display of works by famous Italian artists such as Umberto Boccioni, Giacomo Balla, Luigi Russolo, Gino Severini, Mario Sironi and Fortunato Depero. Their fantastic visions glorifying speed, violence and technological progress, collected under the title Carte futuriste and presented within the second edition of the Dolce Vitaj festival, are available for €3.32, daily except Mondays from 10:00 to 17:30, until July 26. For more information, call 02/5443-2081 or go to www.sng.sk.
Indian dance icon in Slovakia
AS PART of a cultural exchange programme between India and Slovakia, Bratislava residents had an opportunity to witness the performance of Yamini Reddy, the renowned icon of the classical Indian dance known as Kuchipudi. She danced at the Dúbravka House of Culture on June 22. Kuchipudi enjoys a unique place among Indian dance forms with all its vigorous and vibrating leaps and turns and lyrical tones. It derives its name from the village of Kuchelapuram in Andhra Pradesh, southern India, where it developed largely from the Bhakti (devotion) movement of the seventh century AD.
Slovaks across the country run for cancer research
A RECORD number of citizens of the eastern-Slovak town of Prešov gave their support to cancer research when 1,130 of them ran in the national charity programme called Run for Life on June 20, almost three times the number of runners last year.
Broken promises of inclusion
A SINGLE poorly chosen gesture can extinguish a person’s hopes, illusions or confidence. A single ham-fisted statement can sometimes do more damage than negligence or inept attitudes. Such a gesture or sentence can also ruin the utterer’s career, depending upon its context. Sometimes it deserves to, especially if the utterance is made by a politician. But that is not likely to happen in a country where a politician who deliberately makes anti-Semitic comments can continue to serve as justice minister.
Business emits signs of hope
SLOVAKIA’S business leaders were feeling slightly better about the economy in June after growing pessimism during the previous three months. Beginning in February 2009, the index of economic sentiment which reflects the expectations of all the players in the business environment, had hit historical lows recalling the bleakest times in 1997.
Germany: Study and training grants
Germany’s attractiveness as a country for students has been increasing, according to the website of the German Embassy to Slovakia. Germany offers internationally-acknowledged university education, study courses in the English language and a credit system enabling the transfer of course results.
Prison sentences in Transpetrol trial
A PACKAGE of shares – 34 percent in total – of the oil transport company Transpetrol, never changed ownership from state hands to a group of businessmen around Ignác I., the Regional Court in Žilina ruled on June 30, the SITA newswire reported.
Slovak rosé holds high worldwide ranking
THE FIRST Festival of Rosé Wine and Strawberries took place in Nitra on June 20. Within this special event, which the organiser hopes to hold annually, visitors could taste dozens of Slovak and foreign rosé wines as well as various gastronomic specialities, the TASR newswire wrote. As many as 27 winemakers participated in the event while 25 restaurants served meals paired with rosé wines.
Music by El Tanbura wows Slovak audience
THE FAMOUS El Tanbura group from the Egyptian port city of Port Said performed in the culture house Zrkadlový Háj in Bratislava on May 21. Their performance was the result of a joint effort by the Egyptian Embassy and its ambassador to Slovakia, Hassan El-Laithy, the Slovak culture ministry and the Mind the Gap organisation which seeks to bridge cultural differences between Europe and the Orient. Although this kind of music is quite strange to a European ear – it is not even similar to Oriental pop music – the vitality and joy of life evidenced by the performers took the audience by storm, with wild applause, rhythmical movements and, in the end, a complete standing ovation. So it seems that any cultural gap was easily forgotten for at least this one evening.
Dissolution of Pospolitosť annulled
SLOVAKIA’s Supreme Court ruled on July 1 that action taken by the Interior Ministry to dissolve the ultra-right-wing Slovenská Pospolitosť civic organisation in November 2008 was not supported by the law as the ministry did not meet all conditions necessary to order that the association be disbanded. The head of Slovenská Pospolitosť, Ivan Sýkora, confirmed that the association would resume its activities, the SITA newswire reported.
Decade of Roma Inclusion now led by Slovakia
SLOVAKIA assumed the twelve-month presidency of the Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005-2015 programme on July 1, 2009, with an expectation that it would boost the integration of Roma into society in a variety of ways. But representatives of the non-governmental sector dealing with Roma issues used the occasion to criticise the government for what they see as its lack of activity and willingness to solve the problems of the Roma.
SPP inks deals for western gas supply
SLOVENSKÝ Plynárenský Priemysel (SPP) and E.ON Ruhrgas have signed a 10-year contract on natural gas supplies to Slovakia.
Quote of the week
“If I am a racist, then I really do not know who I am.” Deputy Prime Minister Dušan Čaplovič reacts to critical remarks by the Roma Institute, the Milan Šimečka Foundation and the Institute of Roma Public Policy, which have called his recent statements regarding the vacant post of government plenipotentiary for Roma communities racist and sexist.
Smer continues to lead opinion polls
THE LARGEST ruling coalition party, Smer, is maintaining its leading position with the party being backed by 45 percent of respondents in a recent survey. However, another ruling coalition party, the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS), would not make it into parliament, as only 4 percent of those polled said they would cast ballots for it.
Napoleon's troops return to Petržalka city park
IN SAD Janka Kráľa city park on the Petržalka bank of the Danube River history fans returned to the year 1809 to witness the great siege of Bratislava when the French army of Emperor Napoleon clashed with the Great Hungarian army at this exact site.
German institutions in Slovakia
Embassy of the Federal Republic of GermanyAmbassador: Jochen Trebeschwww.pressburg.diplo.de
Employee revolt ousts state firm management
WHAT started as an open letter by one employee who said he had lost all reasons to be proud of his employer swelled into a massive employee revolt within the state forestry company against what they called complete mismanagement of public funds. It finally resulted in the prime minister calling on the agriculture minister to sack the entire management of the company.
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- Liberal MP's boxing challenge backfires as far-right MEP seizes the moment
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- 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
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- Digital Jarvis is real now. He is coming for your to-do list
- 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
- A mayor resigns over €2.7 million fraud scandal at town hall
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- 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 ›
