Archive of articles - March 2010, page 12
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Far-right activist Kotleba will run in general election
The former leader of far-right organisation Slovenská Pospolitosť (Slovak Togetherness), Marián Kotleba, confirmed on Tuesday, March 9, that he would take part in the general election scheduled for June 12, running as a candidate of the People's Party Our Slovakia (ĽSNS).
IT sector paid best in January, restaurants paid least
Employees in Slovakia’s information and communications sector were paid the highest average nominal monthly wage, of €1,530, in January of this year.
IPI to hold 60th anniversary World Congress in Vienna and Bratislava
The International Press Institute (IPI) will hold its annual World Congress in Vienna, Austria, and Bratislava, Slovakia, from 11 to 14 September 2010, the organisation officially announced at the beginning of March. The 2010 World Congress will mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of IPI, and the organisation will celebrate 60 years of defending press freedom in a series of events, culminating in the World Congress in the "twin cities" of Vienna and Bratislava.
SNS announces Minister Štefanov will not resign from his post
Minister of Construction and Regional Development Igor Štefanov (a nominee of the Slovak National Party, SNS) will not resign from his post, his party has declared. He will thus reject a request to this effect made by Prime Minister Robert Fico.
AIG sells another division, Slovak clients ‘not affected’
AIG, the parent company of Slovak insurance company Amslico, has sold the foreign division of its life insurer Alico to the US MetLife group, the biggest life insurer on the American stock market, the Sme daily wrote on March 8.
Interblue Group Europe: emissions quotas contract is still valid
Interblue Group Europe, which claims to be the successor to the US-based Interblue Group, the company that bought Slovakia's surplus CO2 emission quotas from the Environment Ministry in 2007, still considers the contract to be valid, said the company’s project manager František Jakoubek at a press conference on March 9.
VAT change might attract EC attention
As of the beginning of May, a reduced rate of value-added tax (VAT) will apply to selected farm products sold at farms. Parliament voted on March 4 to endorse a draft amendment to the law on VAT introducing a lower, 6-percent VAT rate instead of the current 19-percent rate on selected products sold directly at farms.
PM Fico asks Štefanov to go, Construction Ministry to be run by Mikolaj
Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Tuesday, March 9, that he would ask Construction and Regional Development Minister Igor Štefanov (Slovak National Party, SNS) to step down on Wednesday due to failures that the country's Supreme Audit Office (NKÚ) has found in the use of funds spent under the so-called bulletin-board tender.
Automobile models produced in Slovakia are on show in Geneva
The jubilee 80th AUTOSHOW car fair in Geneva from March 3 to March 14 is showing several new models of cars. The overall situation looks better than some time ago, the Pravda daily wrote on March 5, although luxury cars are not dominating the show or the market. The key issue seems to be ecological models.
Survey says SNS would not make it to Parliament; current coalition could not be replicated
If parliamentary elections had been held by the end of February 2010, the leader of the ruling coalition, the Smer party would be the clear winner with 37.1 percent of the vote, the SITA newswire wrote.
Women stage protest at Slovakia’s Government Office against Smer’s celebration of Women's Day
Several dozen people gathered outside the Government Office on Monday, March 8, to protest against the manner in which the leading coalition Smer party, headed by Prime Minister Robert Fico, celebrated International Women’s Day (IWD) on March 8, the TASR newswire reported.
Health Insurer Dôvera files court suit over administrative fine
The largest private health insurer in Slovakia, Dôvera, is unwilling to pay a €100,000 fine issued by the head of the Healthcare Supervision Office. The insurer paid the penalty but also turned to the court. “We have turned to the court, asking it to nullify both verdicts (the first- andsecond-instance) and to return the matter to renewed decision-making process,” the insurer’s public relations manager, Zuzana Horníková, informed the SITA newswire.
Grant provided to enhance Slovakia’s national electricity transmission grid
Slovakia’s national electricity transmission network operator, Slovenská Elektrizačná Prenosová Sústava (SEPS), has received a financial grant amounting to €210,000 for joint-interest projects within the TEN-E trans-European energy networks, the executive director the communications section of SEPS, Igor Gallo, told the SITA newswire.
Frešo resigns from SDKÚ’s parliamentary slate over primary election fraud in Bratislava
Pavol Frešo, an MP from the Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ) and president of the Bratislava Region self-government resigned from the party’s slate for the parliamentary elections on March 8 because of an incident of voting fraud in the party’s primary election. Frešo, who had finished No. 7 on the list, drew political responsibility for the manipulation of two votes in the Staré Mesto (Old Town) part of Bratislava, where he is the chairman of the local party association, the TASR newswire reported. SDKÚ chair Mikuláš Dzurinda reported that two signatures in Staré Mesto had been forged in the primary elections on February 27; therefore the voting results in this borough were annulled, which resulted in a minor correction in the final SDKÚ slate.
Prime Minister Fico suggests boarding schools for Roma children
“I expect various negative reactions from the European Union to the introduction of boarding schools for Roma children in Slovakia,” said Prime Minister Robert Fico on March 8, as quoted by the TASR, after carrying out a review of the Office of the Deputy Premier for a Knowledge-based Society, European Affairs, Human Rights and Minorities, headed by Dušan Čaplovič. According to Fico, Slovakia has two options when it comes to its Roma minority. First, it can leave everything as it is but this would create a group of several thousand in Slovakia with little chance of breaking through into society. The second option is to educate young Roma at boarding schools. He continued this is a very complicated issue and the future government will have to take a much more decisive stance on it than has been the case so far. Čaplovič added that various representatives of the European Commission and the Council of Europe have expressed understanding with the plan during discussions, realising that this has become a problem for the whole EU when Slovakia joined in 2004. Some Roma communities support the idea of boarding schools, Fico said, stressing that children would be educated in such institutions only with the approval of their parents. TASR
Slovakia’s Supreme Audit Office questions €4 million spent under bulletin-board tender
Slovakia’s Supreme Audit Office (NKÚ) released a report on March 8 about its investigation into the use of money within the so-called bulletin-board tender at the Construction and Regional Development Ministry, expressing doubts on how almost €4 million was used, the TASR newswire reported.
Four Slovak soldiers injured in car accident in Kosovo
Four Slovak soldiers injured Saturday in a car accident during their service in the KFOR mission in Kosovo are in stable condition and none of the injuries are considered life-threatening, the TASR newswire was told by Slovak Armed Forces spokesman Milan Varga on Sunday, March 6. Two soldiers, travelling in an army all-terrain vehicle, were severely injured and two slightly injured in a head-on collision with a civilian Nissan Primera near the municipality of Trude. Both the Kosovars in the civilian vehicle died. The injured soldiers were immediately transported to the German army hospital in the town of Prizren, where one had surgery. The cause of the accident is still being investigated by the KFOR army police. TASR Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reportsThe Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
Austrian team beats Slovaks in Davis Cup tennis match
The Slovak Davis Cup team lost 2:3 to Austria in the second round of the Davis Cup Euro-African Zone Group One in Bad Gleichenberg Austria, the TASR newswire wrote. The decisive third point was secured by Austria's Jurgen Melzer, who beat Lukas Lacko 7:6, 7:5 and 7:5 on March 7. The Slovak national tennis team will fight for survival to stay in the Davis Cup Euro-African Zone Group One in September. TASR
Slovak Transport Ministry suspends Air Slovakia’s licence through April 30
The Transport Ministry on March 5 decided to suspend Air Slovakia’s license to operate flights, ministry spokesman Stanislav Jurikovič told the TASR newswire on that day. The move came in the wake of a decision by the Aviation Bureau on March 1 to suspend the carrier’s Air Operating Certificate (AOC) until the end of April. The ministry was required to take this measure, as a “valid AOC is one of the conditions for providing a license to operate flights for payment,” said Jurikovič, adding that the Transport Ministry will continue its probe into whether the carrier is financially able to carry out flights.
Three Slovak political parties name their candidates for the June election
Vladimír Mečiar will be at the top of the list of his party’s candidates heading for the general election on June 12 for the Movement for Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) it was decided by more than 220 delegates of the party’s nomination session in Ružomberok on Saturday, March 6, the TASR newswire reported.
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- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- 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
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- News digest: Prosecutor seeks jail for NBS Governor Kažimír as his political support wanes
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- 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 More articles ›
