Archive of articles - October 2009, page 7
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US politician weighs in on Slovak language law
LAST WEEK witnessed another protest against Slovakia’s State Language Law – but this time it was not in the form of a mass demonstration, such as the one which occurred on September 1 in Dunajská Streda. Instead it came in the form of a single man: respected US politician George Pataki. The former governor of New York, whose family hails from eastern Hungary, visited Slovakia in mid-October and made comments which have caused some upset to the Slovak government.
Slovenskooooo
WANT TO root for the Slovaks at next year’s football World Cup? Lucky for you, the main chants of fans are not too difficult to learn, even for a tongue-twisted foreigner. There is “Slovenskooooo! Slovenskooooo!” and the somewhat more creative “Slovenskooooo, Slovenskooooo, hea-yaa, hea-yaa, hea-yaa Slovensko”, and finally, to the delight of the national team’s main sponsor from the automotive industry, “Kia – kia – Slo – va – kia!”
Stop the presses - Slovakia gets lucky
PART of being a young and small country is that your major sports achievements get dissected for what they say about the national psyche. Slovakia's qualifying for the football World Cup with an improbable away-from-home victory against Poland on October 14 was one of those moments.
Slovakia qualifies for its first-ever World Cup
NO ONE ever said it was going to be easy, but after putting their exasperated supporters through 180 minutes of agony in the past week, Slovakia's footballers left it until late on a snowy Wednesday night in Poland to finally book their place at next summer’s World Cup finals in South Africa.
Making a connection
TELEMARKETING is not a very widely used marketing technique in Slovakia. People still often connect it with badly conducted campaigns from the late 1990s and early 2000s. But the situation is improving and more people now accept their being offered goods or services via telephone. The economic crisis is forcing companies to cut costs and search for more effective ways of marketing, but is also providing them with new chances to improve their operations and communication with customers.
Road toll devices to be EU-compatible
ON-BOARD units (OBU) which road transport companies will use in the Slovak electronic toll collection system will also be compatible with the system of the planned European Electronic Toll Service. However, full inter-operability of the e-toll systems will require agreements to be concluded among individual EU states. SkyToll, which will operate the e-toll system in Slovakia as of January 1, 2010 estimates that this process will take several years, the SITA newswire wrote.
Telecom companies in Slovakia
Dial Telecom – www.dial.sk
Over 15,000 foreigners work in Slovakia
THERE are around 15,300 foreigners working legally in Slovakia, according to Centre of Labour, Social Affairs and Family data from August 2009, the SITA newswire reported.
Away We Go
Director: Sam Mendes
Slovak Telekom and T-Mobile to merge
TWO major telecom companies operating in Slovakia, fixed-line operator Slovak Telekom and mobile operator T-Mobile Slovensko plan to merge next year. T-Mobile Slovensko is currently a wholly-owned subsidiary of Slovak Telekom, which is controlled by Deutsche Telekom. The merger plans were announced on October 15.
Slovak jobless rate 3rd highest in OECD
THE AUGUST unemployment rate in Slovakia reached 11.6 percent and was the third highest within states belonging to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
Inflation remains dormant - for now
CONSUMER prices in Slovakia had one of their calmest months ever in September when core inflation was reported to be only only 0.6 percent year-on-year. The autumn months should keep price increases tamed but market watchers say November might bring an end in the slowdown in the growth of consumer prices. The rate of inflation already hit one record in August when its growth was measured as only 1.3 percent year-on-year.
Quote of the week
“You show up [here], as cowards who are attacking a woman.”
Replica of ancient Greek bireme ship sails into Trenčín
INHABITANTS and visitors to Trenčín can now imagine they are in ancient Greece. On October 3, on the beach of a nearby river island, a replica of an ancient Greek ship arrived. The boat was made by craftsmen in the Moravian town of Přerov. A replica military rowing boat, it was commissioned by members of the Wandering Knights historical fencing group who plan to give rides to tourists in the unusual vessel on the River Váh. The ship will also act as a floating museum.
Industry's decline slows
THE FIGURES posted by the Slovak economy for August this year might have been expected to catch the attention of market watchers more – had it not been for the fact that the apparent improvement in Slovakia’s industrial performance was largely down to the already weak numbers posted in August 2008. In August 2009, industrial production fell once more – but only by 5.7 percent year-on-year.
Machanka cooking contest
ON OCTOBER 3, in the Svidník amphitheatre in eastern Slovakia, eight teams competed in a competition to cook the best machanka, a traditional Ruthenian meal made of mushrooms.
Optical networks bring Slovakia into EU top ten
DURING the past few years Slovakia has witnessed a fast acceleration in the development of optical networks, enabling some Slovaks to use the best technologies and services. The operators of optical networks confirm a palpable demand for their services and it is propelling them to extend their networks and enhance their services. Slovakia has now been listed among the top 10 countries in the European Union in the penetration of optical networks.
Opposition floats judiciary proposals
FORMER Justice Minister and current opposition deputy Lucia Žitňanská has submitted a draft proposal to parliament’s constitutional and legislative committee suggesting ways to prevent the abuse of disciplinary procedures against judges, the SITA newswire reported.
Euro had little inflationary effect
THE CHANGEOVER to the euro had only minimal impact on inflation in Slovakia. According to calculations of the Finance Ministry’s Financial Policy Institute (IFP), the changeover added to inflation only by 0.18 percentage points, which conforms to previous analyses by Slovakia’s central bank.
EU-harmonised inflation at zero in Slovakia in September
Annual inflation in Slovakia measured according to EU methodology dropped to a record low of zero percent with average consumer prices unchanged year-on-year in September, the Slovak Statistics Office reported on Thursday, October 15, the TASR newswire wrote.
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- 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
- 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
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- 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
- 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
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- 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
- A mayor resigns over €2.7 million fraud scandal at town hall
- 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
- He designed Gatwick. But this is his masterpiece
- 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
- Slovakia plans to restrict access to new medicines amid funding shortfall
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process More articles ›
