Archive of articles - January 2010
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Guantánamo detainees enter Slovakia
THREE detainees from the US facility in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba arrived in Slovakia early on the morning of January 25, the spokesman for the Police Corps Presidium, Martin Korch, told the TASR newswire.
Some of the companies and investors in Žilina Region
ECCO Shoes Slovakia, Martin, www.ecco.com
Quote of the week
"How can we talk about a democratic political system if such a suspicious political party aspires to power in the state?"
Nature, history and other attractions
SLOVAKIA is sometimes dubbed the tourist destination with everything but the sea. It has beautiful flora and fauna, mountains and lakes, as well as historical and modern sites and is suitable for both summer as well as winter tourism. The regions of Banská Bystrica and Žilina are no exception, offering a whole range of visitor attractions.
Rača’s Lutheran church
THE PRESENT-DAY Bratislava district of Rača was once a separate settlement known as Račišdorf, and was visited by people from the nearby city mainly to sample its excellent wine. Račišdorf used to be ethnically diverse. The majority of its inhabitants were Slovaks, who lived mostly at the “Lower End” (Dolný Koniec). The “Upper End” (Horný Koniec) was inhabited by a large German community. The range of ethnicities also included a group of Croatian residents.
Overcoming inter-regional disparities is a priority
BANSKÁ Bystrica Region is the most rural region in Slovakia and even though its labour force ranks as the second best-educated among Slovakia’s eight regions, this central part of the country is seeking to overcome long-term inter-regional disparities. New, innovative policies and differentiated support to districts are ways of reducing the disparities according to Vladimír Maňka, the newly-elected president of the Banská Bystrica Self-Governing Region. The Slovak Spectator spoke to Maňka about his plans as president, the most pressing problems of the region and his ideas for solutions.
Slovaks rue social conflict with Roma
SLOVAKS regard ethnic tensions as more powerful than any other kind of social conflict in the country, according to the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) 2009-2010 conducted by the sociology department of the Slovak Academy of Sciences.
Foxes steal the show
ALŽBETA, a Slovak girl in her early twenties, desperately seeks a new life in Dublin where she wants to work as au-pair. Too proud and jealous, she constantly refuses any help from her older sister Tina, who is engaged to a local, Steve. Only after the two sisters decide to discuss a long-buried secret can their relationship finally be restored.
Banská Bystrica Region institutions
Banská Bystrica Self-Governing Region (Bansko-Bystrický samosprávny kraj - BBSK)
Bizarre twist in emissions deal
FOR A MOMENT it seemed like some real, breathing people were emerging from the fog surrounding the US-based garage firm Interblue Group – the company which bought Slovakia’s excess emission quotas for an amount well below the price received by neighbouring countries for their quotas in a deal that has been heavily criticised for more than a year and has cost two environment ministers their jobs.
Žilina Region targets EU funds for development
BEING RE-ELECTED as the president of the Žilina Self-Governing Region enables Juraj Blanár to continue the regional development activities he had started in his previous term. The economic crisis and its impacts have not avoided Žilina Region either while he sees massive spending of EU funds as a way to combat its impacts over the region. The Slovak Spectator spoke to Blanár about his plans, most urgent issues of the region and solutions he proposes.
Unwitting 'courier' to be compensated
A MAN from Poprad who flew to Dublin with high explosive in his luggage after it had been out there without his knowledge by police wants Interior Minister Robert Kaliňák not to publish the amount he is to receive as compensation for the inconvenience he experienced, the TASR newswire reported.
Sniffing the foul air of prejudice
THE DWINDLING of prejudices, stereotypes and tensions between minorities and the majority population should be signs of a nation’s society coming of age, say the philosophers among us when making their contributions to post-modern discourse. Over the past couple of years, however, it seems that some nations are relapsing into childhood rather than advancing toward maturity in erasing prejudices, reducing conflicts between groups of citizens, and scouring racism, sexism and homophobia from society.
Žilina Region institutions
Žilina Self-Governing Region (Žilinský samosprávny kraj - ŽSK)
Žilina Region general facts
Capital: Žilina
Žilina Region moves ahead despite economic crunch
ŽILINA Region has successfully recovered from the collapse of its traditional armaments industry and has recently drawn huge investments particularly from the automotive industry. But the region’s strong connection to car production and its related sectors has shown itself to be not entirely favourable during the current economic crisis and has highlighted the need for more economic diversification.
Bear census postponed after agreement is delayed
A PROJECT to count all the bears in Slovakia has been delayed and may only be launched fully this spring. State Nature Protection (ŠOP), the body in charge of the project, had intended for it to begin in the autumn but instead waited for the signing of an agreement with the Environment Ministry that was only completed in mid December. Both Vladimír Antal of ŠOP and ministry spokesperson Jana Kaplanová confirmed the details to the ČTK newswire. The ministry is waiting for the census results in order to resolve an argument about the number of bears living in Slovakia: environmentalists claim there are too few of them, while forest managers claim there are too many.
Searching for a brighter future
BANSKÁ Bystrica Region is one of the least developed regions of Slovakia. This is partly due to a heavy burden from the past when the collapse of markets in the Eastern Bloc caused large companies in the region to abruptly shut down. More recently, the insufficiently developed highway infrastructure has become a sore point with regional officials, who say it discourages foreign investors from locating within the region.
Old scandal spells new trouble for SDKÚ
PRIME Minister Robert Fico’s decision to dig up a long-dormant case concerning unexplained financing of the opposition Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ), and to season it with some new information about what he called money laundering, fictitious firms and tax-haven bank accounts, has signalled that the political fight in the lead-up to this year’s parliamentary election will be merciless and possibly dirty. With the renewed claims, aired in mid January, Fico now asserts that the SDKÚ, which has accused his own ruling coalition of corruption and theft, channelled money through foreign accounts supervised by its officials.
Cargo Slovakia to reduce one shift
RAILWAY freight company Cargo Slovakia (ZSSK Cargo) and its employee representatives agreed to a working week which will be reduced by one shift beginning February 1 due to work obstacles on the employer’s part, the SITA newswire reported.
- Číž spa water once even sent to USA
- Slovakia clings to its gas transit dream, even as pipelines burn
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- Strange romance: Slovak leaders’ affection for Russia has yo-yoed
- What abides: Giving a shit
- A paper that wasn’t supposed to last
- Volkswagen Slovakia posts strong 2024 results despite tariff threat
- Flats in Bratislava are getting smaller, otherwise no one would buy them
- News digest: 350 brown bears to be culled as Slovakia declares emergency
- Foot-and-mouth outbreak hits major Slovak cattle farm near Austrian and Czech borders Photo
- Číž spa water once even sent to USA
- A diplomat who thrives on building bridges…and making things happen
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- Flats in Bratislava are getting smaller, otherwise no one would buy them
- Strange romance: Slovak leaders’ affection for Russia has yo-yoed
- What abides: Giving a shit
- Foot-and-mouth outbreak hits major Slovak cattle farm near Austrian and Czech borders Photo
- Trading McDonald’s for the front lines
- From Mexico to Slovakia – finding a new life Audio
- A paper that wasn’t supposed to last
- News digest: Bear suspected of killing man in central Slovakia
- Bratislava satellite town breaks records and keeps expanding
- News digest: 350 brown bears to be culled as Slovakia declares emergency
- We are partners, friends and Allies
- Slovak dad drops everything for son’s NHL debut — even a flight
- Foot-and-mouth outbreak hits major Slovak cattle farm near Austrian and Czech borders Photo
- The Slovak-American who wants the world to witness the quality of Slovak wines
- France and Slovakia: Believing, loving, and working together
- Then … Now
- Last Week: As disease spreads, Fico no longer insists on a “different opinion”
- Trading McDonald’s for the front lines
- Dialects: can west understand east?
- Slovakia clings to its gas transit dream, even as pipelines burn
- Volkswagen Slovakia posts strong 2024 results despite tariff threat
- Syrian about to finally finish hotel in Bratislava started 17 years ago
- Číž spa water once even sent to USA
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- Strange romance: Slovak leaders’ affection for Russia has yo-yoed
- What abides: Giving a shit
- Slovakia’s rising stars are changing what it means to lead More articles ›
