Archive of articles - July 2011, page 4
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Slovak device flies into space
A Slovak detector of solar elements flew into space on Monday, July 18. It will study the charged particles as part of the Russian radio-telescope Radio-Astron, the Sme daily wrote in its Thursday, July 21, issue.
Slovakia to provide sleeping bags to Afghans
Slovak soldiers from a provincial reconstruction team serving in Afghanistan have received delivery of 500 sleeping bags which are no longer used by the Slovak army. The sleeping bags will be distributed to needy inhabitants in Uruzgan province, Defence Ministry spokesman Ivan Rudolf told the TASR newswire on Wednesday, July 20.
Interior Ministry decides not to send aid to Horn of Africa
The Interior Ministry has decided not to send any material humanitarian aid to the Horn of Africa at this time, even though the area is currently plagued by drought and famine. The adverse conditions there are aggravated by local political upheavals which make access to the affected areas difficult.
More than 3,200 doctors declare readiness to terminate their contracts
A declaration of willingness to give notice of termination of their job contracts has been signed by 3,249 Slovak doctors from 48 hospitals, Martin Kollár from the Doctors Trade Union Association (LOZ) announced on July 20, the TASR newswire reported. The doctors signing the declaration are expressing their desire to fight for better conditions in the Slovak health-care system and are ready to submit resignation notices if their demands are not considered. LOZ has prepared a list of what they consider the ten biggest problems in the Slovak health-care system, including issues such as the drive to transform hospitals into joint-stock companies, low state contributions for insurance policy-holders paid by the state, wasting of money by hospitals, a long-term shortfall in allocating money to health care and violations of the Labour Code.
ÚPSVaR reports Slovakia’s unemployment rate reaches nearly 13 percent in June
Unemployment in Slovakia grew from 12.84 percent in May to 12.98 percent in June, up 0.46 percentage point year-on-year, the Labour, Social Affairs and the Family Office (ÚPSVaR) reported on July 20, the TASR newswire wrote.
Police chief to reward officers who caught him speeding
“The police officers who stopped me when I was speeding will be rewarded for recording the misdemeanour appropriately,” said Police Corps President Jaroslav Spišiak at a press conference on July 20, the TASR newswire reported. "I wasn't in very much of a hurry," said Spišiak, who admitted that he was driving at 128 km/h on a road section between two villages in Nitra region with a 90 km/h limit. Spišiak said he regretted this incident and that he usually respected all road regulations, adding that he views this as his biggest failure in the post of police president. Interior Minister Daniel Lipšic said at the press conference that Spišiak has not lost his confidence, adding that it is important that Spišiak accepted responsibility and did not try to hush up the incident. He will not be punished any more than an ordinary citizen would be and Lipšic said he will decide on the penalty.
Government proxy seeks alternate housing for Roma family in Malacky
Miroslav Pollák, the Government Proxy for Roma Communities, is trying to resolve the open conflict of the Dobrovodský family from Malacky with neighbors who they have calledinadaptable, the SITA newswire wrote. "On the basis of an instruction from the Slovak Prime Minister (Iveta Radičová), the Proxy for Roma Communities, Miroslav Pollak, has focused his attention to this case in order to resolve the issue of alternative housing for this Roma family," the Government Office told SITA.
Nemcsics: Slovak government will deal with oil pipeline to Schwechat in September
The Slovak government is due to discuss development of the proposed oil pipeline between Slovakia and Austria in September 2011, Robert Nemcsics from Schwechat Pipeline GmbH told journalists on Tuesday, July 19.
Brussels asks Slovakia to clarify carbon-dioxide emissions allowance tax
Slovakia will have to clarify its carbon-dioxide emissions allowance tax to the European Commission due to a perceived violation of the EU European Trading Scheme (ETS) Directive. The Slovak Government Office has asked the Finance Ministry to provide dossiers to support Slovakia's position on the issue. However, the precise nature of the EC’s objections to the Slovak tax remains obscure.
Anti-speeding police chief caught speeding
The head of the Slovak Police Corps, Jaroslav Spišiak, was caught speeding at almost 40 kilometres per hour over the limit on Tuesday, July 19. According to the TV news channel TA3, he was observed driving at 128 km/h between the municipalities of Bajč and Pribeta, on a road where the speed limit is 90 km/h, the Sme daily wrote, also on Tuesday.
State collects more in excise tax during first half of 2011
Collection of excise taxes in the first half of this year increased moderately compared to the same period in 2010, the SITA newswire reported on Wednesday, July 20.
Expo Sciences in Bratislava hosts bright young minds from around world
After previous events in Montreal, Chile and Prague, the prestigious international Expo Sciences International (ESI) 2011 competition, featuring gifted students aged under 21, came to Bratislava on Tuesday, July 19. The event is being held at Bratislava's Incheba complex until July 21, with participants representing 50 countries from Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin and North America.
Mayor of Prešov loses driving licence over promotional drive
Mayor of Prešov Pavel Hagyari, who in May 2009 promoted a new fleet of buses by driving several journalists and other passengers in one of the vehicles through the centre of Prešov, will lose his driving licence for one year and will have to pay a fine of €300, the Supreme Court decided on Tuesday, July 19.
Veľké Ludince hit by major storm
The municipality of Veľké Ludince in Levice district was without electric power on Tuesday, July 19, after a huge whirlwind and hailstorm on Monday damaged wiring. The main local road was also closed.
Fitch reconsidering Volksbank Slovensko credit rating
International agency Fitch began reconsidering its rating of Volksbank Slovensko on Tuesday, July 19, changing its status to Rating Watch Negative, which means that the rating might be downgraded within three to six months, the TASR newswire reported on Tuesday, citing a source at Fitch. The current long-term commitments rating of Volksbank Slovensko stands at BBB+, with its short-term rating at F2.
IVO Barometer: Quality of democracy in Slovakia improved in first half of 2011
The quality of democracy in Slovakia improved by 0.2 points in the first half 2011 when compared to the final quarter of 2010, the Institute for Public Affairs (IVO) announced at a press conference on Tuesday, July 19.
Employers Association calls for a freeze in Slovakia’s minimum wage
The Association of Employers' Unions (AZZZ) told the TASR newswire on July 18 that the minimum wage has a negative impact on self-employed persons and on less successful employers, for example from the textile industry which has seen large-scale lay-offs since 2009, due to increases in the minimum wage. "Less successful employers view the minimum wage as a significant problem so we believe that this wage shouldn't be increased," AZZZ chief Tomáš Malatinský told TASR. AZZZ and the Republican Union of Employers (RÚZ) are asking that the minimum monthly salary be frozen and not increased on January 1, 2012 in light of current economic developments and the increase last year.
Town of Malacky wants to relocate Roma families
Roma families allegedly causing problems on Družstevná Street in Malacky in Bratislava Region may be relocated to other parts of the town or to its surroundings, the TASR newswire wrote, based on documents drawn up by a working group of the Government Proxy for Roma and representatives of the local government in Malacky. "One of the proposals of the working group is to establish the conditions for intense work with the Roma families via social work on the ground, and based on a request made by individual Roma families living on 5440/25 Družstevná Street, relocating them gradually and mediating their accommodation in various parts of the town and its vicinity in several phases," Iveta Duchoňová from the Government Proxy for Roma told TASR. The Office of the Government Proxy and representatives of the local authority discussed options for providing substitute accommodation to the Roma if the responsible court decides to tear down the illegal buildings in which they are living.
President signs amended law on gambling in Slovakia
Slot machines will be banned from Slovak bars and pubs in 2013 based on an amendment to the Gambling Act proposed by the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH), passed by parliament and signed by President Ivan Gašparovič on July 18, the TASR newswire reported. The amendment also prohibits drinking alcohol and smoking in gambling venues; bars will be allowed in gambling rooms but they will not be able to sell alcohol, TASR wrote. The new law also gives local authorities the ability to block casinos, gambling rooms, betting or charity lotteries in their communities. The amendment also requires casinos and gambling rooms to ban entry to compulsive gamblers if they or their relatives request that this be done.
Police in Sereď detain Turk from Austria carrying drugs
Police have arrested a Turk from Vienna carrying a considerable quantity of methamphetamine in Sereď, the Trnava regional police spokesperson, Martina Kredatusová, told the TASR newswire on July 18. "The criminal police from Galanta (Trnava region) carried out a search of a private car with a Viennese registration number based on [information from a previous investigation]. The car and its driver were searched on Friday night in Cukrovarská Street in the town of Sereď," said Kredatusová.
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