Archive of articles - September 2011, page 6
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Tasting a bit of Záhorie (video included)
“I really liked the ‘trdelnik’,” says Lucy Valerio, an English language teacher from Manchester, on her first trip to the Záhorie region. Despite its name being hard to pronounce for most foreigners, trdelnik, the traditional dessert from Skalica, belongs among the favourite delicacies that Slovakia has to offer. But Záhorie is not just a place to go for dessert. Valerio recommends some sights for foreign tourists to visit.
Jobless rate in Slovakia drops to 13.12 percent in August
The unemployment rate in Slovakia dropped to 13.12 percent in August, slightly less than in July but still a percentage point higher than in August 2010, the SITA newswire wrote. The Labour, Social Affairs and Family Central Office reported there were 349,885 jobseekers able to take up a job immediately.
Danube Wings reports an increase in passengers this summer
Danube Wings transported a total of 31,340 passengers in the three summer months of June, July and August, an increase of 4.2 percent, or 1,300 people, from summer last year, the SITA newswire reported on September 19.
President Gašparovič receives four new ambassadors
The new Ambassador of Serbia, Radmila Hustanovic, as well as the new Ambassador of the United Kingdom, Susannah Montgomery, presented their credentials to Slovak President Ivan Gašparovič on September 19. In addition, Gašparovič recently welcomed Valeriu Chiveri, the new Ambassador of Moldova, and Csaba Balogh, the new Ambassador from Hungary, the SITA newswire reported.
Prime Minister Radičová travels to New York for official meetings
Prime Minister Iveta Radičová started a week-long official visit to the United States on September 19, the Sme daily reported.
Smer gives a proposal regarding Vladimír Mečiar's amnesties to the Christian Democrats
Smer party, whose votes are needed by the governing coalition if parliament is to abrogate the amnesties issued by Vladimír Mečiar in 1998, has prepared its own proposal for dealing with the matter, according to statements made by Smer chair Robert Fico and Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) chair Ján Figeľ to the TASR newswire on September 19. The coalition has proposed that the amnesties be completely abrogated but Smer has suggested that a Constitutional act be passed that would condemn the amnesties as an abuse of power but without any further legal ramifications, according to the proposal drafted by lawyers for Smer.
Slovakia’s trade union confederation boycotts tripartite session
Representatives of Slovakia’s Confederation of Trade Unions (KOZ) refused to attend a scheduled session of the country’s tripartite body on September 19 that was supposed to discuss the government’s budget for 2012, the TASR newswire reported. The tripartite body involves representatives of the government, employers and trade unions. "Today's [Monday's] tripartite session turned out to be a meeting only between the government and representatives of employers," said Transport Minister Ján Figeľ (KDH). "I regret it, but on the other hand it's a unilateral decision of the trade unions not to take part in the dialogue at the top level any longer," he told TASR. The trade union confederation justified its decision by saying that the government had failed to adhere to a previous agreement regarding a law concerning workplace health and safety.
Internet photos of puma roaming western Slovakia are phony
Although information about a puma roaming western Slovakia is said to be true, at least according to the police, photos that were recently published on internet were made by a group of boys from Senica using photographic manipulation, the Sme daily reported.
Germany’s President Christian Wulff to visit Slovakia
German President Christian Wulff will pay a two-day official visit to Slovakia beginning on Monday, September 26, according to Elena Bianchi of the press department of the Slovak President’s Office.
SARIO seeks to find new investors in Germany
The Slovak Investment and Trade Development Agency (SARIO) will represent Slovakia in Germany where it will attend a series of investment seminars and individual meetings, with the aim of attracting new investors to Slovakia, the SITA newswire reported.
Three judges sacked by Harabin are returned to their posts
Three critics of former justice minister Štefan Harabin have returned to their posts after they passed the selection procedures and current Justice Minister Lucia Žitňanská re-appointed them, the TASR newswire reported.
PSA Peugeot in Trnava suspends production due to parts shortage
Employees of Trnava’s PSA Peugeot Citroën auto assembly plant are at home because the firm suspended production due to a lack of components from abroad, the SITA newswire reported. The company will decide its next steps on September 20.
European liberal party calls on SaS to change its position on ESFS
Slovakia’s coalition parties are not the only ones trying to persuade the Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party to support changes to the European Financial Stability Fund (EFSF) and the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) as SaS has received a letter from the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party (ELDR), which asked SaS to change its opinion, according to SaS spokeswomen Tatiana Tóthová.
Information security remains a priority
MODERN information technology has been improving and simplifying peoples’ lives now for decades, but the intangible character of digital information means it also presents distinct security challenges. The question of potential risk is wide and deep and many companies are already aware of the threats to information security and how to address them. But experts say that the situation is still far from ideal.
Books in English now available
Never Let Me Go. Kazuo Ishiguro. Faber and Faber Limited, 2005 (first edition).
Bear Days lures fans
CHILDREN, along with their teddy-bears, were welcomed to Hrebienok in the High Tatras in early August for an event called Bear Days (Medvedie dni) that offered activities for both young and old bear enthusiasts.
Populism par excellence
JÁN Slota, chairman of the opposition Slovak National Party (SNS), on September 14 supported a no-confidence motion in Prime Minister Iveta Radičová, arguing that she does not have what he called “the moral or ethical qualities” needed to perform the job. This statement was made by a man whose party became a production line for shady tenders after it was elevated to power by Smer boss Robert Fico in 2006. These included the notorious bulletin-board tender, with its single-bidder contract that allowed millions of euros to be paid without proper documentation, and the sale of the country’s excess carbon dioxide emission quotas to the amorphous (and now apparently untraceable) Interblue Group, to name but a few.
Reform of pension system passed
SLOVAKIA’S pension system is to change for the 21st time after MPs passed a draft amendment to the law on pension savings on September 14, the TASR newswire reported.
Kickbacks alleged at Labour Min
AFTER the Government Office announced that it had uncovered large-scale corruption in state subsidies granted to help build a biathlon centre, the Labour Ministry has now revealed that police have found corrupt practices going on at the ministry in dispensing grant money coming from the European Union.
Teachers want more than just a shiny apple
THE DOCTOR, teacher and priest are masters of the village according to a Slovak folk saying. But in Slovakia in 2011 practitioners of two of these three professions believe they are poorly paid and suffer from waning status in society. While physicians and other health-care employees are signing notices to terminate their employment contracts, Slovakia’s teachers have taken to the streets in front of the government building demanding more funding for schools and better salaries. It is right for the teachers to raise their voices, an education expert told The Slovak Spectator, but the timing of their protest might not be ideal and their demands might be unrealistic.
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- Convicted of multiple murders, Slovakia’s mafia boss seeks release from prison
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- UK appoints Bilal Zahid as new ambassador to Slovakia
- News digest: Violent gang in Bratislava is under arrest
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- News digest: Prosecutor seeks jail for NBS Governor Kažimír as his political support wanes
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- Convicted of multiple murders, Slovakia’s mafia boss seeks release from prison
- News digest: Fico’s bloc wants to save money by restricting electoral access
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- Digital Jarvis is real now. He is coming for your to-do list
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- The disinformation scene has become a tool of media capture
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- A mayor resigns over €2.7 million fraud scandal at town hall
- He designed Gatwick. But this is his masterpiece
- Fico praises China and Vietnam as models, says liberal democracy has failed
- News digest: Violent gang in Bratislava is under arrest
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- 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
- News digest: Fico’s bloc wants to save money by restricting electoral access
- Slovakia plans to restrict access to new medicines amid funding shortfall
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners More articles ›
