Archive of articles - October 2009, page 13
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Eight-month profit of Slovakia's banking sector falls by half
Profit of Slovakia's banking sector was €235.5 million at the end of August, according to figures from the National Bank of Slovakia (NBS), the SITA newswire wrote.
It’s time for a new deal on migration
IN TODAY’s world of economic recession, lost jobs and ever greater burdens on health care and other public services, migration has become a hotly debated issue in many of the countries to which migrants go. Unfortunately, much of that debate focuses on the apparent burden migrants bring to troubled economies. The minority who have irregular status become the centre of attention. Fear and xenophobia can come to the fore. Lost in this debate are the largely positive outcomes of migration for the majority of people concerned.
SMK convention to hold confidence vote in Chairman Pál Csáky
The ethnic Hungarian SMK's national executive board voted to grant party chairman Pál Csáky's wish for a confidence vote in his leadership at a convention later this month in Rimavská Sobota, the TASR newswire reported.
Slovak public officials welcome Irish yes vote on Lisbon Treaty
Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajčák welcomes the ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon in the Irish referendum, Ministry spokesman Peter Stano told TASR on October 3. Lajčák considers the Irish "yes" to be an important step for the European Union, since the treaty addresses its further functioning as well as the future institutional arrangement. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico hopes that thanks to the Irish voters passing the treaty in the repeat referendum the last obstacle in the EU-wide ratification process will disappear.
Signers of ‘5 Sentence’ statement disapprove of Prime Minister's reaction
Three judges, representatives of the 105 judges who were signatories to the September 26 petition (‘5 Sentences’) protesting the state of Slovakia's justice sector, have expressed their strong disapproval of Prime Minster Robert Fico's reaction on Friday, October 2, that this is an internal affair of judges that they must work out for themselves, the TASR newswire reported. “The judiciary is a public matter concerning the whole of society and every citizen. It is therefore not only judges who are responsible for the state it is in but representatives of the executive and legislative powers are equally responsible,” the three judges told TASR. Supreme Court judge Miroslav Gavalec, Bratislava Regional Court judge Katarína Javorčíková and Dušan Cimo a judge of the Trnava Regional Court had signed and unveiled the document entitled Five Sentences on Thursday, October 1.
Slovak opposition KDH party will oppose 2010 government budget
The Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) said on Saturday, October 3, that it would not back the government’s budget plan for 2010, saying that its projections are confusing and irresponsible, the TASR newswire wrote.
Countrywide Events
Western SLOVAKIA
Tourism Day closes summer
TRADITIONAL crafts, historical fencing shows, theatre on stilts and local music – all these and more have been part of celebrations which showcased the unique atmosphere of seven Slovak towns in honour of World Tourism Day. September 27, the official date of WTD, was not chosen randomly: this is the day when the summer tourist season ends in the northern hemisphere and begins in the southern. This year’s motif in Slovakia celebrates the many facets of tourism. “The aim of WTD in Slovakia is mainly to support domestic tourism. Celebrations will be organised by the Slovak Tourist Board (SACR) and regional bodies,” the general manager of SACR, Svetlana Gavorová, said.
Supreme Court president wins another libel suit
SLOVAK media can add yet another lost trial to their headachy list of libel cases brought by public officials against the country’s publishers. A senate of the Supreme Court ruled on September 30 that the publisher of the Plus 7 Dní weekly, the 7 Plus company, must pay Supreme Court President, Štefan Harabin over €31,000 for an article published in April 2005, the Sme daily reported.
SND opera claims Dosky Award
SLOVAKIA'S Dosky Awards, recognising the best creative activities in the sphere of professional theatre, were hosted for the 14th time by Divadelná Nitra. The top prize-winner of the 2008/2009 season was Orfeo ed Eurdice staged by the Slovak National Theatre in Bratislava, directed by Mariusz Treliński. All the award-winners were chosen by 34 distinguished panellists drawn from the Theatre Institute, the Theatre and Film cabinet of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, the College of Music and Dramatic Arts as well as from among other colleges, reviewers and critics.
Smuggled Ukrainian cigarettes found
SLOVAK customs officers found smuggled cigarettes on a train at Maťovce on the Ukrainian border on September 14, making this the first discovery of contraband since the resumption of operation of freight train inspection scanning. Ukrainian revenue stamps were on the 600 cartons of cigarettes packed in black plastic bags which were discovered under a pile of iron following a thorough inspection of one of the freight cars, the SITA newswire reported.
Tupý murder case closed for now
THE CASE of the murder four years ago of student Daniel Tupý has been closed after the General Prosecutor’s Office withdrew its appeal against the not-guilty verdict reached by the Bratislava district court on June 16, 2009. The police claim to have new evidence which might be used to reopen the case in the future but the father of the murdered student is no longer expecting justice from the police or the courts.
Economic crisis puts tax system in the spotlight
THE GLOBAL financial and economic crisis has laid a number of challenges at the doors of national governments as decreasing economic activity is cutting tax revenues and tempting officials to raise taxes to patch gaps in state budgets.
Bryndza-maker gets a memorial tablet
A MEMORIAL tablet dedicated to Ján Vagač was unveiled on the facade of the town office in Stará Turá in western Slovakia, paying tribute to the 250th anniversary of the birth of its native son and the founder of large-scale production of bryndza – the fermented sheep’s cheese famous to Slovakia.
Perennial student or unemployment statistic?
UNIVERSITIES that admitted more students in response to a call from the Education Ministry to do so were not sure they would end up with additional funds to help them cover the costs of those students’ studies. The ministry’s request was part of the government’s efforts to keep unemployment under control by making university students out of some of those who were likely to become employed.
AmCham survey finds that foreign investors intend to s
THE FOREIGN Investors Summit, organised on September 28 by the American Chamber of Commerce in Bratislava (AmCham) brought together high-level business representatives, representatives of ministries, members of the Slovak parliament, ambassadors, representatives of academia, leaders of NGOs and foreign experts. At the summit, AmCham presented the results of a survey it conducted among foreign investors in Slovakia in March-June 2009.
Eset strikes a great deal with Intel
ANTIVIRUS solutions by the Slovak company Eset will be distributed along with the hardware of the US company Intel, which is a deal of a lifetime for Eset, the Hospodárske Noviny (HN) daily reported.
Crisis changes tax laws in Slovakia
ECONOMIC crises, even those with a global effect, occur periodically and in all probability Slovakia will not escape those that might erupt in the future. Much has been written about the most recent economic and financial crisis and it has been said that the crisis is no longer discussed in polite society, meaning that most of us have heard enough negative information about this subject.
Kotrmelce
WHAT do gymnastics and Slovak politics have in common? Kotrmelce. It’s very practical to have a single word for “somersaults”, “flip-flops” and “screw-ups” because you really do have to be a sport to get over the sudden and inexplicable reversals in policy of local politicians. Justice Minister Viera Petríková showed us a full Olympic routine just last week. She first put District Judge Jana Dubovcová temporarily out of duty because she felt charges filed against the judge were too serious to leave her in the courtroom until the investigation was resolved. The judge’s alleged offense? Threatening the independence of the judiciary by giving a number of interviews in which she criticised former Justice Minister Štefan Harabin and for signing a petition against his election to the head of the Supreme Court.
Court dismisses charges against Karlin
THE BANSKÁ Bystrica district court ruled that former Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) deputy Gabriel Karlin, who allegedly accepted a Sk500,000 (€16,600) bribe in 2006, is innocent.
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- Bratislava unveils its first 3D-printed bus stop Photo
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- Irish metal band to make long-awaited debut in Bratislava Video
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- News digest: Fico tells Berlin Slovakia will not take lessons on Russia
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Why a British teacher chose Slovakia as home Audio
- Bratislava unveils its first 3D-printed bus stop Photo
- Slovakia’s secret weapon is living abroad
- Irish metal band to make long-awaited debut in Bratislava Video
- Fico turns to X to shape his global image
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- News digest: Renaissance lady vanishes, ministry brushes off ‘stupid questions’
- Man appeals for help finding strangers who saved his life
- Employers outline €6.5 billion in spending cuts, but Fico fires back
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- Slovak central bank chief found guilty of bribery
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