Archive of articles - January 2011, page 2
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Saving planet Earth
AN ENVIRONMENTAL exhibition currently installed in the foyer of Apollo Business Centre I in Bratislava has the goal of reminding individuals that they can personally contribute to a more sustainable and pleasant life on planet Earth and that the future of our ecosystem is not only the responsibility of politicians and environmental activists.
Crusade for police credibility begins
TAILOR-made assessment criteria, regular performance evaluations and a new bonus system are all part of the latest crusade heralded by the country’s top cop to build more credibility and professionalism in the Slovak police force. Police Corps President Jaroslav Spišiak calls his initiative the most sweeping reform since the end of communism more than 20 years ago.
The organ makers of Raje
THE SMALL town of Rajec lies close to Žilina in northern Slovakia. Its oldest and most valued attraction is the Roman Catholic church dedicated to St Ladislaus. The original Gothic building is first mentioned in 1368 and one of the church’s walls has a sundial dating from 1770 with the Latin inscription: “If it were not for the Sun, a clock would not show digits.”
Countrywide Events
Western SLOVAKIA
Police snag roulette cheat
A MAN who won at the roulette wheel in a gaming house in Vrútky ended up in the hands of the police. Žilina police spokesperson Jana Balogová told the media that a 27-year old Vietnamese national had unlawfully affected the operation of a roulette wheel so that the ball landed in fields of numbers and colours on which he had earlier bet, the SITA newswire wrote.
Public sector pushes up jobless rate
THE UNEMPLOYMENT rate in Slovakia is being pushed up by layoffs in the public sector while private sector hiring is attempting to bring it down, Michal Mušák, an analyst with Slovenská Sporiteľňa bank, told the TASR newswire.
Senior policeman caught taking bribe
THE HEAD of the Senec traffic police was detained on January 26 and charged with ongoing acceptance of bribes. The Interior Ministry said he was caught red-handed taking a bribe at his workplace.
Quote of the week
“Some of them perhaps see it as a sort of game.”
Better economic growth forecast
BANK analysts’ GDP growth forecasts for 2011 are more optimistic than they were at the end of 2010. In a regular survey carried out by the National Bank of Slovakia (NBS), the analysts, on average, projected Slovakia’s economic growth in 2011 at 3.6 percent, up slightly by 0.1 percentage point from December's estimates, the SITA newswire reported.
Dance as a route to self-discovery
SHAMAN, Conference of the Birds, and Tryst were among the gifts that a Canadian dancer, choreographer and ethnographer of Azeri-Persian ancestry brought to Bratislava at the end of last year. Sashar Zarif, who believes in telling stories through dance, did much more than just dance while in Bratislava: he participated in a discussion organised by the People in Peril organisation and the Shiraz web-portal, held a workshop for students from a dance conservatory, and marked International Migrants Day by performing his dances at the Meteorit Theatre, co-organised by EtnoDance and the Šimečka Foundation. Zarif focused on the lives of migrants through his own life experience.
Košice art faculty unveils novel ideas
THE FACULTY of Art of the Technical University of Košice (TUKE) has come up with the idea of building a pavilion for cultural events entirely from PET bottles that can be disassembled and moved when needed, making it unique.
Citizenship law’s fate still uncertain
THE GOVERNMENT has agreed a draft revision of the Citizenship Act, which was amended shortly before last year’s parliamentary elections by the then-government of Robert Fico. The law currently allows citizens who acquire the citizenship of another state (apart from by birth or marriage) to be stripped of their Slovak citizenship; the amendment would remove this provision.
US-Slovak family’s art exhibited in Bratislava
THE RESIDENCE of the US ambassador to Slovakia, Theodore Sedgwick, is currently housing an exhibition showing both the artistic and human genesis of the Rudavský family. Zuzana and Ondrej, children of the artistic couple, have both Slovak and US citizenship, since they left what was then Czechoslovakia in 1986. Zuzana, a versatile creator, has returned to Slovakia after 16 years of living and working in New York while Ondrej, who specialises in video-art, film, and digital art, has stayed in Los Angeles, the TASR newswire wrote.
LOTO jackpot winners set record
WINNING tickets were being cashed in thick and fast last year and players of Slovakia’s LOTO lottery run by the state-owned Tipos company were among those most lucky. No less than 24 LOTO players won jackpots, with prizes totalling over €16.77 million. In 2010 LOTO players benefited from a record number of wins compared to 2009, when they collected the top prize ‘only’ 20 times, Tipos reported.
Ministry nixes rail holding firm
THE TRANSPORT Ministry has discarded a plan developed by the previous government to form a holding company called Slovenské Železnice that would have clustered Slovakia’s three ailing state-owned railway companies, while retaining the independent legal status of each firm, the SITA newswire reported.
Weak choices weaken bonds
FRAGILE is a good word for an amphora but a very bad one for a ruling coalition, especially if “fragile” refers to the balance of influence between the ruling parties and the opposition.
Ante up – poker gains popularity in Slovakia
OVER the past 10 years or so, the game of poker has become so popular that it can at times seem almost impossible to avoid. In the United States and the UK, the late-night television schedules frequently feature poker tournaments, and even the mainstream press routinely covers the game. Countries as diverse as Italy, Brazil, Australia and Taiwan are also hotbeds of poker action, with the traditional image of the game as a seedy pastime for gangsters long outdated.
Presidential betting attracts action
IN 2009 betting parlours offered the chance to bet on the winner of Slovakia’s presidential election. Ivan Gašparovič, who won the election, was favoured in both rounds of the election.
Bratislava University Hospital will carry out abortions after all
Facilities belonging to Bratislava University Hospital (UNB) will continue to carry out abortions if patients request them, UNB spokesperson Zuzana Čižmáriková told the TASR newswire on Thursday, January 27.
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- Fico praises China and Vietnam as models, says liberal democracy has failed
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- The compass points to Kúty, and people are starting to follow
- 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
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- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
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