Archive of articles - January 2010, page 9
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Books in English now available
The Geopolitics of Emotion. Dominique Moisi. Doubleday, 2009.
Snowless January
HALF of the coldest month of the year is over, and it seems that there is more snow in Prague, for instance, than at Štrbské Pleso. And nothing much is expected to change. The cold air will stay in Slovakia but no major snowfalls are expected. So, it seems, the skiing will continue, but just on machine-made snow. During the week, cloudy weather with mild snowfall is expected; while at the weekend the weather should brighten up.
Some Slovak companies which have successfully established themselves worldwide
Aerospool – The roots of the Aerospool company date back to
From garage to global success
DURING the communist regime Slovakia’s economy was under central command, with large-scale producers manufacturing to satisfy not only local demand but also the needs of other countries within the so-called Soviet bloc. The fall of the Iron Curtain and the subsequent revolution of free-market economics meant the end for many such giants, but also provided new opportunities for Slovaks courageous enough to start their own businesses. Some of them managed to make it – literally from their garage to the world market – and their products are now sold around the globe.
New Slovak Architecture
SLOVAKIA has experienced a nonpareil construction boom during recent years. Skylines of Slovak cities and towns, and the general appearance of the countryside as well, have changed – with new skyscraper buildings erected, new residential areas constructed and old facilities torn down. Henrieta Moravčíková, the head of the Department of Architecture at the Institute of Construction and Architecture of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, has selected 101 buildings constructed or renovated between 1999 and 2009 to illustrate current trends and developments in Slovak architecture. Slovart publishing house published the Slovak-English book, titled New Slovak Architecture, at the end of 2009.
Via Bona nominations open
COMPANIES with a distinct approach to corporate social responsibility (CSR) can enter the running to win a Via Bona 2010 award. These will be the tenth such awards, which are presented by the Pontis Foundation.
Some traditional Slovak brands
Zlatý Bažant (Golden Pheasant)
Quote of the week
"The Economy Ministry doesn't presently control anything. It seems to us somehow deaf-mute."
Thousands sign petition against casino
THOUSANDS of Slovaks have already signed a petition against the construction of a multi-purpose complex called Metropolis, known also as the ‘mega-casino’, planned for Jarovce, on the outskirts of Bratislava.
DSS companies earn €150,000
THE SIX pension fund management companies (DSS) operating in Slovakia succeeded in growing the savings of about 1.5 million savers in the last six months and thus earned additional payments that they are entitled to from the proceeds. Together, they received over €150,000 from the yields, the Pravda daily reported.
Považie Museum presents its most attractive acquisitions
The most beautiful and rarest items in the collections of Považie Museum in Žilina are on exhibit until the end of January 2010 in the complex of Budatín Castle, Adriana Brziaková, the cultural manager of the museum told the TASR newswire. Brziaková said the exhibition makes available just a torso of the current collection of the museum because annually about 800 items are added to its vaults. Brziaková also explained that this exhibition provides basic information about the way new artefacts are acquired and processed and presents individual departments and their collections in a more detailed way.
Slovak cabinet to hold an extraordinary session today
A bill proposed by Prime Minister Robert Fico to reduce the number of ministries will be discussed at an extraordinary session of Slovak Cabinet held on Friday, January 15, the SITA newswire wrote. The bill deals with the overall organisation of government activities and central public administration.
USB key with sensitive Slovak army data found by youth
The Slovak army lost a USB key with personal data concerning professional soldiers, the JOJ TV channel reported on January 14 on its evening news. The young man who found it at a bus stop gave it to a TV journalist. The USB key contained property declarations of soldiers, evaluation tests, day-off schedules and sample signatures.
Slovak National Party lays out its proposal for merger of ministries
The Slovak National Party (SNS) agrees with the idea of reducing the number of Slovakia's ministries after the general election in June and is ready to present its proposals to the government, said SNS chairman Jan Slota at a press conference on January 14, the TASR newswire wrote.
Spanish PM visits Slovakia at start of Spain's EU presidency
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, while meeting his Slovak counterpart Robert Fico on January 14, congratulated the country on its economic growth in the face of the severe global economic crisis, the TASR newswire wrote.
Truckers meet with Slovak Transport Minister about e-toll system
Representatives of truckers dissatisfied with the way the e-toll collection system was introduced, as well as the opposition political parties, have called upon Transport Minister Ľubomír Vážny to suspend the system’s operations because of its many flaws, the SITA newswire wrote.
Tolls on Slovak first-category roads suspended until February
Trucks and buses weighing more than 3.5 tonnes will not have to pay tolls to use almost 1,500 kilometres of first-category roads between January 14 and January 31 of this year, the Transport Ministry has announced.
Slovak government seeks obligatory basic service package from all banks
Commercial banks in Slovakia are likely to be obliged to offer a so-called basic banking product in the near future, which will be the same in all banks. At its January 13 session, the cabinet gave the go-ahead for the new product as part of a new bill on consumer loans and other lending to consumers.
Employment in industry down 16.8 percent in November compared to 2008
The number of people employed in Slovak industry in November 2009 was 16.8 percent lower than the same month a year earlier. According to data released by the Statistics Office of the Slovak Republic, the number of employees also fell year-on-year in the wholesale sector (by 27.3 percent), pubs and restaurants (21.8 percent), distribution and repair of motor vehicles (10.1 percent), selected market services (5.9 percent), accommodation (5.8 percent), retail (3.9 percent), construction (2 percent) and in transport and storage (1 percent). Year-on-year growth in employment was reported in the information and telecommunications technology sector, which was up by 1.2 percent, the SITA newswire wrote.
Interblue Group owners revealed
Several documents published on Wednesday, January 13, have revealed that the US-based company Interblue Group, which is at the centre of a long-running scandal over the below-market-rate sale of Slovakia’s unused national greenhouse gas emissions quotas, was actually owned by the firm's two executive directors, Jana Lütken and Hans Grob. Lütken had previously been identified only as a manager of the firm, about which neither Interblue nor the Slovak government, its partner as vendor in the sale, have chosen to reveal many details.
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- When to shop over Easter: Opening hours for supermarkets in Slovakia
- Danish shoemaker to shut Slovak factory, axing 650 jobs in fresh blow to struggling region
- Ambulance hit by Russian drone goes on display in centre of Bratislava
- “Return not,” the ocean cried. But I returned for her
- Bratislava’s embassy-backed events you don’t want to miss
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- Slovakia's latest basketball star is destined for great things in the USA
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- US giant pulls plug on Slovak factory, axing 137 jobs
- “Return not,” the ocean cried. But I returned for her
- Ambulance hit by Russian drone goes on display in centre of Bratislava
- German shoemaker Lowa joins wave of factory closures in Slovakia
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- US giant pulls plug on Slovak factory, axing 137 jobs
- When to shop over Easter: Opening hours for supermarkets in Slovakia
- Danish shoemaker to shut Slovak factory, axing 650 jobs in fresh blow to struggling region
- Hundreds of people ousted from Bratislava’s Volkswagen
- What is Pope Francis’s message to the powerful?
- Slovakia mourns Pope Francis, a shepherd of hope and humility Photo
- Confetti, chants and history: Hejková’s dream goodbye after nearly 40 years at the top
- Slovakia’s public finances remain in deep trouble
- Ambulance hit by Russian drone goes on display in centre of Bratislava
- Why this gorge deserves a spot on your bucket list Photo
- The British Film Institute shines a light on Slovak cinema’s boldest chapter Video
- Bratislava’s embassy-backed events you don’t want to miss More articles ›
