Archive of articles - November 2010, page 2
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Slovakia to get two new outlet centres
SLOVAKIA is a small country, but that has not stopped it from having two national beauty contests or two press agencies competing for their share of a fairly diminutive local market. It seems that this trend is continuing, with two fashion outlet centres due to open in the coming year, both of them near to Bratislava. Experts describe the plans as “courageous”, given that a well-established outlet centre already exists in the nearby Austrian village of Parndorf.
This is not a hammer, this is an auction!
Many of you who are interested in the visual arts will certainly be familiar with the iconic painting by the Belgian surrealist René Magritte, ‘The Treachery of Images’. According to its author it is not a pipe; only an image of it. The Bratislava based company Dot Blu took inspiration from this picture in their campaign for the beneficial auction from the non-government organisation Lepší svet, n.o., which provides services for mentally challenged people. The auction is being held under the title "This is not a hammer, this is an auction.”
Countrywide Events
Western SLOVAKIA
Retail chains continue to open stores
EVEN though major retail chains have penetrated nearly every bigger town in Slovakia, merchants do not think that the Slovak market is oversaturated. Several large retail chains plan on opening 10 or more shops annually, the Hospodárske Noviny daily wrote in early November.
Expropriation court case delayed again
THREE years after a group of then-opposition MPs, led by the current justice minister, Daniel Lipšic of the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH), filed a complaint with the Constitutional Court seeking review of Slovakia’s so-called expropriation law, the court has still not delivered a decision.
Municipal election campaign ends
MANY Slovak towns and villages will see their mayors and local councillors move on shortly before the end of this year, following the municipal elections held in Slovakia on Saturday, November 27, 2010. All permanent residents, including foreign citizens, were entitled to take part in the vote but pre-election polls forecast a relatively low turnout.
Čachtice, castle of the 'blood countess'
MANY of the castles with which Slovakia is studded have fascinated painters and, more recently, photographers.
Institutions and trade organisations in Slovakia
Finance Ministry, www.finance.gov.sk
What will be under the Christmas tree this year?
EVEN though shop owners are hoping for a better Christmas sales season than last year, surveys indicate that Slovaks want to reduce their Christmas spending in 2010. While they plan to lay their Christmas table as richly as in the past, they expect to curb their outlays on Christmas presents and entertainment. Slovaks are also beginning to go online to find Christmas bargains or are using retailers’ loyalty schemes to help save money. Even though macroeconomic figures indicate an improvement in the country’s economy, Slovaks say they are less inclined to take out loans to cover their Christmas expenses this year than in the past.
Explosive found near Presidential Palace
SLOVAK police found and defused about 100 grams of industrial explosive complete with a detonator on the early afternoon of November 22. The explosive was found on a windowsill of a bar in the very centre of the Bratislava close to the Presidential Palace.
Books in English now available in Slovakia
The Age of Orphans. Laleh Khadivi. Bloomsbury, 2009.
Retail sales keep on falling
RETAIL sales continued to decline in Slovakia in September, totalling €1.49 billion, 1.8 percent less than in September 2009. In August, retail sales shrank at the same pace year-on-year. Wholesale sales were also lower year-on-year, recording a drop of 0.8 percent in September after 6.9-percent growth in August. September wholesale sales reached €1.999 billion, the SITA newswire wrote, citing data from the Slovakia’s Statistics Office.
Collective shopping – the ‘in’ thing
A NEW SCHEME called collective shopping is coming to Slovakia. Two internet servers, zabagatel.sk and ZaMenej.sk, launched their activities in early August and Slevomat.cz, which offers collective shopping discounts via Zlavomat.sk, started operating in mid November. There are four collective shopping websites currently operating in the Czech Republic.
Creditors block NCHZ sale
THE CREDITORS’ committee of the bankrupt chemical company NCHZ did not approve the sale of the company to the only bidder, M-Energo, at a meeting on November 24, the SITA newswire reported.
Minister apologises to Valko in memoriam
TWO weeks after prominent lawyer Ernest Valko was shot dead in his house in Limbach, Interior Minister Daniel Lipšic revealed that the ministry had been holding talks with him about a compensation claim related to Valko’s unjustified detention and prosecution in 2006. Lipšic apologised to Valko in memoriam over the 2006 incident.
Slovak aid to Ireland still unconfirmed
THE SUM that Slovakia will have to guarantee as part of a loan to Ireland is still to be determined, Finance Minister Ivan Mikloš told journalists on November 24.
Time to pick and choose
THE BEST brands don’t give discounts. Slovak Economy Minister Juraj Miškov believes this is also the case with countries and economies, and argues that with a more attractive business environment the state would need to provide fewer investment incentives to bring business expertise, new jobs and capital to Slovakia. Miškov lays out some ambitious goals for the country, saying he would like to see Slovakia gradually evolving into the Singapore of central Europe. The Slovak Spectator spoke to Miškov about the current investment environment in Slovakia and his ideas for attracting foreign investment, reducing government bureaucracy and helping SMEs.
Nourishing the white crows
BLOWING the whistle when one sees injustice, a waste of public funds, bribery or other kinds of chicanery or unethical behaviour in people elected to public offices, appointed to ministries or installed as top company officials, does not just come as a natural instinct to most people – it is often dangerous to one’s livelihood and perhaps even to one’s life.
Poor marks for prosecutor
INVESTIGATIONS currently being handled by the General Prosecutor’s Office are not proceeding in a satisfactory way, most Slovakia’s citizens believe, according to a recent poll conducted just as the present general prosecutor’s seven-year term draws to a close.
More Slovak soldiers to deploy to Bosnia
SLOVAKIA will deploy 43 additional peacekeepers to the southern parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2011, the cabinet agreed at its session on November 24. Their mission will be to monitor the region and remain in contact with representatives of the regional self-government within the defined area of the unit's operation, the SITA newswire reported.
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