Archive of articles - January 2011, page 8
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Health Ministry to pursue legal action against Sme for article on emergency services
Slovakia’s Health Ministry is preparing a legal complaint against the Sme daily for what it called “scaremongering” in an article entitled 'Emergency Services Experiencing Problems with Medications' that Sme published on pages 1 and 7 of its January 17 edition, the Health Ministry’s spokesperson, Katarína Zollerová, told the TASR newswire. The ministry spokesperson said all emergency units are working at 100 percent and health care is fully provided and operating well.
Sociálna Poisťovnňa to lay off 600 staff within six months
The state-owned social insurance company, Sociálna Poisťovňa (SP), is planning to lay off 600 of its current 5,900 employees within six months of February 1, SP’s general director, Ľuboš Lopatka, told the TASR newswire on January 17. Lopatka said that SP is not doing this primarily to cut its expenditures.
Slovakia’s Judicial Council holds its first-ever public session
Slovakia’s Judicial Council held its first-ever public session on January 17, council spokesman Michal Jurči told the TASR newswire. "I have no problem with that. On the contrary, I'm glad. As a judge, it always gives me joy to have, for instance, law students come and see the court sessions," said Judicial Council Chairman Štefan Harabin, who is also Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
Byelorussian ambassador reacts to criticism from Slovakia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry
Violence on the part of the Byelorussian government against people who protested the recent re-election of President Alexander Lukashenko in what some called a manipulated election was the last point of talks between Slovak lawmakers from the Slovakia-Byelorussian friendship group with Vladimir Serpikov, the Belarusian Ambassador to Slovakia, the SITA newswire reported.
Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister pays an official visit to Finland
After more than five years, a Slovak foreign affairs minister is paying an official visit to Finland at the invitation of Alexander Stubb, the Finish Foreign Affairs Minister and Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Mikuláš Dzurinda is also meeting with the Speaker of Parliament, Sauli Niinistom, in Helsinki, the SITA newswire reported.
PM Radičová comments that she still trusts Health Minister Uhliarik
Prime Minister Iveta Radičová said she continues to trust Health Minister Ivan Uhliarik following their discussion on January 17 after Radičová summoned Uhliarik to her office to explain the preferential treatment he allegedly gave to a pharmaceutical company, Pfizer, which was his former employer, the TASR newswire reported. "The Ministry decided in the public interest and in line with the law – so that both vaccines were available and, as prescribed, covered fully by health insurers on the Slovak market; and at the same time the costs for the health insurers could be lowered," the TASR newswire was told by a Government Office spokesperson.
Coalition submits proposal for recorded ballot to elect the General Prosecutor
Future parliamentary votes for general prosecutor, Constitutional Court judges and chairs and vice-chairs of the Supreme Audit Office (NKÚ) are proposed to be changed from secret ballots to recorded ballots according to legislation submitted to the Slovak parliament by representatives of the four coalition partners on January 17, the TASR newswire reported. For the position of General Prosecutor, voting on proposals to strip the elected person of his or her post will also become recorded, TASR wrote. The proposal is slated to be discussed in February with a parliamentary vote expected in March or April.
New president is named at U.S. Steel Košice
David J. Rintoul has been named the new president of U.S. Steel Košice and at the same time takes up the post of senior vice-president for European operations. Rintoul replaces George F. Babcoke, who is returning to Pittsburgh in the USA, the TASR newswire wrote.
Mayors in Upper Nitra association object to reduction in rail service
The Slovak state government, self-governing regional governments and the Slovak Railway Company should stop plans to reduce railway transport, according a statement made by the Council of the Association of Towns and Villages of the Upper Nitra Region. At their meeting in Handlová, the council called the latest news concerning selected rail-routes to be possibly discontinued to be "senseless punishment for Slovak citizens", as quoted by the TASR newswire.
This week in Slovakia
Content of programme: Police pay to reflect performance; Tax office targets VAT scammers; Health Minister to explain sweetheart deal for Pfizer Brought to you in cooperation with TV SME.
Slovak consumer prices increased 1 percent year-on-year in 2010
The prices of goods and services in Slovakia as measured by national methodology rose by an average of 1 percent for the entire year of 2010 when compared to the preceding year, Slovakia's Statistics Office announced on January 14, as reported by the TASR newswire. The overall increase was mainly due to a 5.7-percent increase in the prices of tobacco and alcohol, followed by price rises in education and health care of 4.5 percent and 3.7 percent, respectively. Prices of furniture as well as footwear and clothing dropped over the same period by an average of 3.7 percent and 1.3 percent, respectively.
Slovak Defence Minister Galko receives highest security clearance certificates
Defence Minister Ľubomír Galko from the Freedom and Solidarity party has received NATO Cosmic Top Secret and EU Top Secret certificates on November 23 based on his taking national security screening tests, the head of the Defence Ministry press department, Ivan Rudolf, told the TASR newswire on Sunday, January 16. "I decided to go beyond what the law requires ... Today I have the highest-level security certificates from NATO and the EU," said Galko.
Flood warnings issued in Záhorie region and along the Danube and Bodrog rivers
The Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (SHMÚ) announced a threat of flooding in the western-Slovak region of Záhorie and on the Danube and lower Bodrog Rivers due to thawing snow, the TASR newswire reported on January 17.
Slovakia’s UNAS truckers’ union announces a strike alert
The Union of Slovak Road Hauliers (UNAS) decided its meeting on Saturday, January 15 in Zvolen to announce a strike alert, the TASR newswire reported. UNAS also passed a resolution that will be sent to the Transport, Construction and Regional Development Ministry. The truckers said in the resolution that if the government does not fix the transport situation to UNAS's satisfaction the truckers will take their protests to the streets.
Košice passes first monitoring stage to be a European Capital of Culture
According to the European Commission's first monitoring report, Košice has met its commitments under the 'European Capital of Culture 2013' project, the TASR newswire was told by Zora Jaurová, the project’s art director on Sunday, January 16. In late 2010, representatives of the non-profit organisation Košice 2013 met with newly-elected Košice mayor Richard Raši to carry out their own first formal monitoring on the project. "What's important is that the Monitoring Committee and the European Commission both consider the status of our preparation to be satisfactory – even better yet, above expectations. That's a great satisfaction for all those who have done an enormous amount of work for Kosice. Now, we need to maintain our pace and try to increase it," said Jaurová. The European Union designates a city as a European Capital of Culture for a period of one calendar year during which the city organises a series of cultural events with a strong European dimension. Preparing a city to be a European Capital of Culture can be an opportunity to generate considerable cultural, social and economic benefits and it can help foster urban renewal, change the city's image, and raise its visibility and profile on an international scale, TASR wrote.
Progress in some areas, lack of action in others
WHEN the centre-right coalition of four parties, two of which came to the government as political greenhorns, started ruling Slovakia six months ago, political observers predicted that turbulent debates and multiple compromises would be the most telling characteristics of the new government. The past half-year has proved those analysts right, as many issues that were expected to be handled quickly remain on the political agenda just as they were when Robert Fico left the prime minister’s chair. But the past six months have also provided examples that well-crafted compromises can be an effective governing style.
Unions seek referendum to cut hours
TRADE unions in Slovakia launched a public petition on January 11 calling for a referendum regarding changes in the country’s Labour Code. The unions are proposing a cut in weekly working hours from 40 to 35 without a loss of earnings and a reduction of permitted annual overtime work from 150 to 80 hours per year while retaining all other provisions of the Labour Code in their present form, the SITA newswire reported.
Protected traditional Slovak food products
The EU tries to protect the reputation of regional foods and eliminate unfair competition and the deception of consumers by non-genuine products, which may be of inferior quality or of a different flavour, through the Protected Geographical Status (PGS) framework. Under this scheme the names of regional foods receive indications: Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (TSG). Slovakia has taken advantage of this EU framework and has sought listings for its traditional products on the EU register.
The first six months
POWER is intoxicating and this is why in genuinely democratic societies people have to wield it while being stared at by a whole army of watchdogs. Being in power involves “enduring” all kinds of “hassles” such as evaluations, report cards and assessments.
The Jews of Šaštín
THE TOWN of Šaštín in Záhorie, in western Slovakia, emerged thanks to the castle which stood there in the Middle Ages. The marshy location where the fortification used to stand gave the small town its name: “sás” means reed growth or rushes in Hungarian. Today, no trace of the castle remains.
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