Archive of articles - January 2011, page 11
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Sulík: SaS won’t support scrapping of health-care levies
The Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party, a member of the governing coalition, will not support Prime Minister Iveta Radičová’s plan to scrap health-care levies, SaS leader and Speaker of Parliament Richard Sulík told reporters before a Coalition Council meeting on Tuesday, January 11.
Foreigners barred from buying agricultural land for three more years
Non-Slovaks won’t be allowed to buy agricultural land in Slovakia for another three years, even though the moratorium currently in place expires on April 30, Prime Minister Iveta Radičová (SDKÚ) announced after a Coalition Council meeting on Tuesday, January 11.
Radičová: Election laws to be unified, subsidies for MPs cancelled
The leaders of the governing parties agreed at a meeting of the Coalition Council on Tuesday, January 11, to unify Slovakia’s various election laws. This would mean that identical deadlines and supervision mechanisms – such as spending controls and moratoriums – will come into effect for all five types of elections.
Slota: Slovakia should seriously think about leaving EU
The Slovak government and parliament should think seriously about leaving the European Union, said Slovak National Party (SNS) leader Ján Slota at a press conference on Tuesday, January 11.
Zemková: RTVS has inherited a €43-million debt
Miloslava Zemková, the interim director of the new public-service broadcaster Radio and Television Slovakia (RTVS), says it has inherited a debt of €43 million. Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, January 11, she added that Slovak Radio (SRo) – of which she was formerly director – did not contribute any of the debt.
Prime Minister will not support trade union demands for a shorter working week
Prime Minister Iveta Radičová said on January 11 that she cannot support one of the demands of trade unions which would shorten the current work week from 40 hours to 35 hours, a proposal the unions want enacted into the Labour Code, the SITA newswire reported.
Judges’ demands in suits alleging salary discrimination reach a total of €70 million
The judges who are suing Slovakia for alleged salary discrimination are demandingtotal compensation of over €70 million from the state – an amount which is almost €9 million more than the first estimate, the SITA newswire reported.
Považská Bystrica prosecutor is charged with corruption, confesses to a minor offence
A prosecutor in the District Prosecutor's Office, Tibor A., who was accused of two cases of power abuse and indirect corruption, has confessed to one less serious deed immediately at the beginning of his main court session. He confessed to accepting money for arrangement of delivery of a prosecution warrant to his co-defendant Daniel R. to Germany, the SITA newswire wrote.
Heat producers expect prices for households to grow 2 to 10 percent
Heat prices for households in Slovakia could grow 2 to 10 percent, estimates the chairman of the Slovak Association of Heat Producers, Miroslav Obšívaný, with an average increase of 6 percent, the SITA newswire reported.
Slovak trade unions launch petition calling for referendum on Labour Code
Slovakia’s Trade Union Confederation (KOZ) continues to object to planned changes to the Labour Code and is ready to use public methods to show its discontent, the TASR newswire reported.
Smer will boycott sessions of parliament’s media committee dealing with RTVS
MPs representing the opposition Smer party who sit on the parliamentary committee for media and culture will not actively participate in committee sessions involving steps to select a permanent general director of the newly-formed public-service Radio and Television Slovakia (RTVS), the TASR newswire reported. Marek Maďarič, a Smer vice-chairman and former culture minister, said on January 10, as reported by TASR, that he and his colleagues will ignore committee discussions and votes on this matter. He said that opposition lawmakers believe that the RTVS vote will be nothing but a "political farce directed by the Coalition Council, eventually resulting in the promotion of a coalition nominee to lead the public-service broadcaster". Slovak Television (STV) and Slovak Radio (SRo) were merged as of January 1 with the aim of tackling the TV broadcaster's financial difficulties. While STV created ever-larger debts over the last years of its independent existence, SRo managed to balance its annual budgets. The interim management, headed by former general director of SRo Miloslava Zemkova, is due to be replaced by a new management in around three months and must be voted in by parliament.
E.ON launches new power plant in Trnava Region
Energy company E.ON has launched a combined cycle power plant near the village of Malženice in Trnava region, E.ON Slovensko managing board chairman Konrad Kreuzer told the TASR newswire on January 10. The facility, with 430-MW power capacity, will produce more than 3 billion kWh per year, while requiring approximately 500 million cubic metres of natural gas to keep it running. Launching the power plant has created 30 new permanent jobs. The construction works began in October 2008 and took 26 months to complete, which was according to the original plan. The total investment costs were about €400 million.
This week in Slovakia
Content of programme: Private carrier brings competition to rail lines; More police to patrol Roma shantytowns; Fico offers to tweak assets law; Miss Slovakia contestants screened for English Brought to you in cooperation with TV SME.
Mafia reported to offer money for the names of new witnesses in Tupý murder case
TV Markíza reported on its evening news on January 9 that the criminal underground in Bratislava is offering a large sum of money in return for the names of new witnesses who have allegedly provided statements in connection to the case of murdered student Daniel Tupý, the TASR newswire wrote. Two independent sources have confirmed that €200,000 is being offered, according to the news report. Tupý was stabbed to death when he and group of his friends were attacked on the evening of November 4, 2005 on the Tyršovo embankment in Bratislava. It was thought at first that the attackers were a gang of skinheads but the focus later switched to members of the criminal underworld. The case provoked a strong public reaction, but no arrests were made until around two years ago and no convictions have resulted.
Volkswagen Slovakia returns to full production
After a two week shutdown, Volkswagen Slovakia is returning to full production on Monday, January 10, the company's spokesman Vladimír Machalík announced on January 9, as reported by the TASR newswire. The company is currently focusing on getting ready to produce its new car model – the New Small Family – which is set to be launched into production later this year. With the new model leaving the plant's assembly lines in the months ahead, Volkswagen Slovakia's annual output should rise to 400,000 vehicles.
Polish and Hungarian presidents to visit Slovakia in January
Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski is scheduled to visit Slovakia on January 13-14 while a visit by Hungary's head of state, Pál Schmitt, will follow later in January, Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Mikuláš Dzurinda told the TASR newswire on January 7. Komorowski is due to sign a Slovak-Polish agreement on issuing visas in selected countries. Under the agreement, Poland will issue Schengen visas in Yerevan (Armenia) and in Kaliningrad (Russia), services that Slovakia currently provides from Saint Petersburg and Moscow.
Interior Minister Lipšic says ministry has new information on Valko's murder
The Interior Ministry has obtained new, important information in the ongoing investigation into the murder of prominent lawyer Ernest Valko, who was shot dead in his house in Limbach near Bratislava in early November, Interior Minister Daniel Lipšic said on TV Markíza's weekly politics show 'Na Telo' on Sunday, January 9, the TASR newswire reported. Lipšic refused to elaborate further, saying that he would not provide any details based on partial findings and evidence because he does not want to mar the investigation.
Slovakia gets its own Forbes edition
DURING 2010, the Slovak media market witnessed the arrival of a Slovak edition of the international business magazine Forbes, and the departure of the weekly magazine Markíza.
New owner for Pravda daily in 2010
ONE of the leading Slovak dailies, Pravda, changed hands last year. The Pravda.sk internet news portal reported on March 23, 2010, that Karol Biermann became the new owner of the Pravda daily via the purchase of the publishing houses Perex, which publishes the daily, and Avízo by Florena. Florena is owned by Biermann, the SITA newswire wrote.
Steady as she goes, say economists
NO OMINOUS economic predictions for Slovakia are being offered by market watchers for 2011. A slight slowdown in the economic growth rate from last year, a moderate improvement – but no miracles – in the job market, lower public spending and other effects of fiscal consolidation are likely to be the main characteristics of 2011, according to the analysts, who remain rather cautious about bold forecasts. They agree that this year might provide fertile soil for economic reforms, though the austerity measures intended to restore the public finances may dampen reformers’ zeal.
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