Archive of articles - November 2009, page 8
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Bus driver still in serious condition after crash in Slovak tunnel
On November 15, a car with two Czech citizens crashed into a bus in the Branisko tunnel in eastern Slovakia and the frontal collision left the driver and passenger in the car dead and the driver of the bus injured, the TASR newswire reported.
Voter indifference has bottomed out in Slovakia says sociologist
Sociologist Pavel Haulík told the TASR newswire on November 15 that he was quite surprised that the regions most affected by high unemployment rates saw the highest turnout in the regional (VÚC) elections the day earlier, as he expected the opposite results.
VÚC election results mirror party sympathies at national level
The results of the first round of the region (VÚC) elections on Saturday mirrored the public's sympathies vis-a-vis political parties at the national level, political analyst Juraj Marušiak told the TASR on Sunday, November 15. According to him, the four re-elected governors in Nitra, Žilina, Trnava and Košice regions have confirmed their strong position. Marušiak noted that the third-place finish of incumbent Banská Bystrica governor Milan Murgaš, who had lost the support of the main governing party Smer, is a testament to the fact that certain potential tensions exist within the governing coalition.
Four of 16 Central Election Committee members refuse to sign election protocol
Four out of 16 members of the Central Election Committee (ÚVK) on Sunday, November 15, refused to sign the election protocol for what they alleged were violations of the law during the regional elections on Saturday, the TASR newswire reported. ÚVK records clerk Lívia Škultétyová said at a press conference that ÚVK members have a right to do so. Their reasons for refusing to sign the document are recorded and make up part of the protocol. This doesn't mean, however, that the protocol is invalid. One of the ÚVK members who refused to put a signature on the document - Andrej Trnovec for the Slovak People's Party (SĽS) - thinks that the elections weren't carried out in accordance with the law. The other three - Jana Kiššová (Freedom and Solidarity/SaS), Michal Luciak (Slovak Democratic and Christian Union, SDKÚ) and Ivan Weiss (Party of the Democratic Left/SDĽ) - refused to sign due to a possible breach of the requirement on counting votes by the district election committees.
Remembering our epiphanies
NOVEMBER was descending on Bratislava’s streets and its cold breath froze even the hardiest leaves of the city’s trees but somehow that particular November melted the ice of indifference and disinterest and lifted the fears and concerns from the hearts of hundreds of thousands of young people in a small central European country called, at that time, Czechoslovakia.
IT organisations in Slovakia
ITAS – IT Association of Slovakia, www.itas.sk
NBS issues 1989 memorial coin
ON NOVEMBER 10, the National Bank of Slovakia (NBS) issued a memorial coin with a face value of €2 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Day of the Fight for Democracy and Freedom, November 17. Anyone can buy the memorial coin, but purchases are limited to 50 per person.
Anniversary of November 17, 1989
On November 17, Slovakia will commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution in which the former communist Czechoslovakia and generally all of eastern and central Europe freed itself from domination by the Soviet Union. Three years after the revolution Czechoslovakia peacefully separated into two countries, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. In addition to dissidents who had worked against the totalitarian regime for many years, students in 1989 were a key part of the Velvet Revolution. Sociologists and student leaders note that students has neither much property nor good positions to be lost and believed in the values and ideals of a different system and that is why they were the first to flood the streets of the country and show resistance to the communist regime. Students dared to take on the authorities in the streets – especially in Prague where the events were most violent – without knowing whether the ruling regime would or would not send troops and police to suppress the demonstrations.
Expropriation law goes to court
THE CONSTITUTIONAL Court has accepted a proposal by a group of opposition members of parliament to open further proceedings in a case contesting the constitutionality of some provisions of the law commonly known as the expropriation law, permitting one-time extraordinary measures in preparation of some of Slovakia’s highway projects, the SITA newswire wrote.
Inflation dips to historic low
THE INFLATION rate in October 2009 was the lowest ever recorded, according to data from the Slovak Statistics Office which reported that the rate was 0.4 percent y-o-y, a further deceleration from September’s previously historical low of 0.6 percent, the SITA newswire wrote.
Illegal software most common in SMEs
IN SLOVAKIA, most illegal software can be found in small and medium-sized companies (SMEs).
Some IT companies in Slovakia
-Accenture, www.accenture.sk
The comprehensive process of an IT audit
WHEN looking up “audit” online, one will likely come across definitions and phrases like “an audit is an evaluation (of a person, a product…)” and that an audit provides reasonable assurance that the statements are free of material errors. These definitions, however, are commonly used only when referring in general to financial audits. An information technology (or information systems) audit differs in that it evaluates the IT/IS processes, systems infrastructure and settings.
Loan rules change
CLIENTS should receive more precise information about consumer loans which they apply for or are offered. The Finance Ministry has prepared a draft bill on consumer loans which obliges a creditor or a loan mediator to provide information which clients need in order for them to make a knowledgeable decision about concluding a loan contract, the SITA newswire reported.
E-government is underway, slowly
INFORMATISATION of society and so-called e-government has become something like a magic formula for the future development of the country as Slovaks still need to queue in person at most public administration offices to deal with government matters. Slovakia’s high ambitions are pinned on drawing European Union funds available from the EU’s Operational Programme for the Information Society (OPIS).
Third PPP agreement to be inked soon
THE CONCESSION agreement for the last, third public-private partnership (PPP) project for construction and operation of the D1 highway stretch between Žilina and Martin should be signed around mid December, the SITA newswire reported.
Looking upwards
EVEN a non-observant observer might remark on the medley of symbols atop Bratislava’s churches and throughout the country, knowing the one established Roman Catholic sign from the Eternal City is basically the single Latin cross ‘immisa’. Why alternate it here in Slovakia with a double one? The fact requires an explanation rooted back into history and time.
Quote of the week
A man must remain a man, even in this situation.
November 17: When freedom came
The November revolution carries the attribute Velvet in Czech, and Nežná (Tender) in Slovak, because no violence was used to enforce the changes.
EC: Sólyom case is a national concern
ANYONE who has been affected by measures by an EU-member state that restrict their right to free movement within the European Union can turn to the courts in the country that adopted the measures, but the European Commission has no right to intervene, a spokesman for Jacques Barrot, the EU Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security, said on November 9, as reported by the TASR newswire.
- 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 ›
