Archive of articles - April 2010, page 11
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SPP drops complaint against Gazprom
THE SLOVAK gas utility Slovenský Plynárenský Priemysel (SPP) has withdrawn its complaint at the arbitration court of the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris in which it requested compensation from the Russian gas concern Gazprom for the cut-off in gas supplies to Slovakia at the beginning of 2009, the SITA newswire reported on April 6. The complaint was registered at the arbitration court in December 2009.
Slovaks complain about court delays
PROCRASTINATION in court cases is cited most frequently by Slovaks in their complaints about the state to the European Court for Human Rights (ECHR). The state very often loses these cases, according to the 2009 report by the Slovak representative at the ECHR, Marica Pirošíková, the SITA newswire reported.
eTax crashes, no reprieve for taxpayers
DESPITE encouraging taxpayers to file their income tax returns online this year, come late March Slovakia’s tax authority was forcing even determined computer geeks to submit their returns by the traditional pen-and-paper method. The Slovak Tax Directorate’s online service for submitting tax returns collapsed just as the March 31 deadline for submissions approached. The web portal, which had cost €3 million to design and was supposed to make the lives of taxpayers easier, proved unable to handle the high number of attempted uploads.
Cabinet okays annex to highway deal
THE SLOVAK Transport Ministry and Slovenské Diaľnice company have agreed on the price, method of refinancing, and dates for construction of D1 highway sections between Martin and Prešov within the first package of public-private partnership (PPP) projects.
Medvedev visits, talks European security
A PRELUDE to the main symphony performed by the USA and Russia. That is how one could describe the visit by Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev to Bratislava, his only stop on the way to Prague to meet his American counterpart Barack Obama and sign a nuclear arms reduction treaty. And although he was welcomed heartily by Slovak leaders, his visit resonated with the disharmonic tones of the two countries’ unhappy shared past.
A diplomat's memories
'Slovakia on the Road to Independence: An American Diplomat's Eyewitness Account Author: Paul Hacker (review)
SNP Square and its church
EVEN though this square in Bratislava was outside the town walls throughout the Middle Ages, its huge area was used intensively and over the course of several centuries, regular market locations developed at the site.
Radicals enter mainstream
RADICAL groups are trying to find ways to get their voices heard by seeking to enter the mainstream, in part by softening their behaviour. Thanks to this trend, the mainstream political system in Slovakia, as well as elsewhere, is becoming more pluralist. This is one of the findings confirmed by the current European Survey of Youth Mobilisation (ESYM) being conducted in several EU countries.
Zastrašovanie
IF THERE is an expert on “zastrašovanie”, or intimidation, it’s Supreme Court president Štefan Harabin. It’s not only that leaked wiretaps indicate he is friendly with a suspected drug-lord, which itself creates a sense of unease, or the hundreds of thousands of euros for which he is suing almost all the major media that criticise him. It’s especially the way he deals with his critics at the Supreme Court – withholding their bonuses, moving them to smaller offices, restricting internet access, appointing them to new cases in areas in which they have no experience, starting disciplinary proceedings based on made-up grounds, or even temporarily stripping them of the power to try cases. So when Harabin uses the word “zastrašovanie”, he knows what he’s talking about.
Dalí, Miró and Picasso at Budatín Castle
A UNIQUE collection of almost 60 drawings and engravings of the world-renowned artists Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró and Pablo Picasso will be on display at Budatín Castle beginning April 16, the cultural manager of the Považie Museum in Žilina, Adriana Brziaková, told the TASR newswire. She noted that the exhibition is the result of her museum’s long-term cooperation with the Sundermann Rüdiger gallery in the German town of Würzburg and support by local art sponsors.
Trenčín Region General Facts
Capital: Trenčín
Slovakia’s online culture site is a hit
THE BI-LINGUAL internet portal entitled Slovakia Cultural Profile, which was launched in March 2009, has attracted over a million visitors to the site over the past year, the Ministry of Culture’s press department has reported. The monthly number of visitors to the website averaged 100,000.
Nitra Region General Facts
Capital: Nitra
Bratislava Region leads in various ways
BRATISLAVA Region – with the country’s capital – is the natural centre of state administration, business, education, and culture in Slovakia. Bratislava is the home address for many companies and state institutions and there is a high concentration of businesses from all sectors of industry, services and trade. Bratislava Region’s appeal is also reflected in the high inflow of direct foreign investment into the area, which accounted for 67.7 percent of the country’s total direct foreign investments at the end of 2007, according to the National Bank of Slovakia.
Fico dines with Obama
WHILE Russian President Dmitry Medvedev was paying his first official visit to Slovakia, Prague was preparing for his meeting with US President Barack Obama on April 8 at which the two presidents signed a new nuclear arms reduction treaty.
Capitalism: A Love Story
Director: Michael Moore
Development should be a dialogue
“DEVELOPMENT is not so much about talking – it’s more about doing,” said Jens Wandel, the director of the UNDP Bratislava Regional Centre on the way up to the roof of his office building to illustrate one of the most recent achievements of his centre – its solar energy station, one of only three in all of Bratislava. Indeed, dealing effectively with climate change is one of the most pressing developmental issues he said the UNDP is involved with in his interview with The Slovak Spectator, along with migration, minority issues and the social consequences of the financial crisis.
Many attractions to lure visitors
WHILE western Slovakia cannot point to any sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list, it still is rich in many kinds of historical monuments as well as other sites attractive for tourists. The most precious and interesting offerings includes castles, wine routes, museums, galleries and spas as well as many well-preserved sites that offer glimpses into the history of the region.
Traditions of a Slovak Easter
THE MEANING of Easter is to commemorate the suffering and death of Jesus Christ and to celebrate his resurrection, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Bratislava, Stanislav Zvolenský, told the TASR newswire on Good Friday. For Evangelical Christians, Good Friday is a also an important holiday which provides a vivid picture of the nadir of the suffering of Jesus, said the general bishop of the Evangelical Church in Slovakia, Miloš Klátik.
Ministry report examines tax burden
THE ECONOMY Ministry sees space for re-evaluation of the country’s tax system, compulsory social and health-care insurance contributions and other aspects of the compulsory insurance burden in an effort to improve Slovakia’s business environment. Such a step will have to first be supported by favourable developments in general government finances, the SITA newswire reported.
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- Liberal MP's boxing challenge backfires as far-right MEP seizes the moment
- From eight to thousands of runners. How Košice marathon rose to prominence 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
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- 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
- 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
- A mayor resigns over €2.7 million fraud scandal at town hall
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- Legendary captain Zdeno Chára inducted into IIHF Hall of Fame Video
- Liberal MP's boxing challenge backfires as far-right MEP seizes the moment
- 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 More articles ›
