Archive of articles - November 2011, page 2
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Slovak investigative reporter to be candidate for Ordinary People party
Reporter Eugen Korda, who had until recently worked for the Sme daily’s online television unit, will leave his profession to be among the top 10 candidates on the candidate list prepared by the Ordinary People and Independent Personalities party chaired by independent MP Igor Matovič for the March 10, 2012 elections, the Sme daily reported.
Industrial producer prices increase by 3.8 percent in October
Growth in industrial producer prices did not change in October as data released by Slovakia’s Statistics Office indicated that industrial producer prices increased in October at the same pace as in the previous month, by 3.8 percent year-on-year, the SITA newswire reported.
OSCE official expresses concern about Slovak wiretapping of journalists
Dunja Mijatović, the representative for Freedom of the Media for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) expressed the concern of her organisation over the wiretapping of journalists in Slovakia and asked government authorities to ensure a prompt and thorough investigation, in a statement published on the OSCE website on November 25.
Hungary criticises Slovakia
THE HUNGARIAN government summonedSlovakia’s ambassador to Hungary, Peter Weiss, to an official meeting in response to reports that a Slovak businessman, Oliver Boldoghy, was stripped of his Slovak passport because he had been granted Hungarian citizenship, the SITA newswire reported on November 22.
Detoxifying intelligence
OPPONENTS of the communist regime learned to live with the reality that an amorphous institution with an army of anonymous agents and informers, among whom could easily have been the family’s warm-hearted uncle, had invaded their lives and was influencing the way they acted and spoke in public.
New airline to come to Bratislava
BRATISLAVA Airport is to get two new routes connecting Slovakia’s capital with Oslo and Copenhagen, with the possibility of connection to other destinations.
Collective shopping catches on in Slovakia
A YEAR ago almost nobody in Slovakia had any clue what collective shopping was. Now there are dozens of internet portals offering discount vouchers for goods and services that can be activated when there is sufficient interest from customers. As with other trends, this one arrived in Slovakia from abroad. And in line with Slovaks’ reputation as price-sensitive customers, this way of buying goods and services – known in Slovakia as discount portals – has become popular.
New Roma strategy planned
THE NEW action plan for integrating Roma into Slovak society should be focused on education, labour, health care, housing and, especially, on the specific concerns of Roma people, according to a new strategy which is being prepared by the Office of the Government Proxy for Roma Communities, the SITA newswire reported.
FlexMedical to leave Vráble
AN IMPORTANT employer in Nitra Region has announced it is leaving Slovakia.
Vyhne spa’s faded glory
THE THERMAL springs in Vyhne in central Slovakia were discovered as a mine shaft was being dug. The first two pools and spa buildings were constructed by the miners themselves, with one pool for ordinary people and the other reserved for nobility, as was customary at the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries.
Retail chains battle hard for customers
THE OPENING of a new branch of a retail chain in Malacky was preceded by a fiery advertising campaign that sought to attract new customers by offering them a chance to shop at night for half-price. A video, showing people crowding in front of the store struggling to be the first through the doors, circulated quickly throughout Slovakia, attracting differing reactions from viewers. But an expert on shopping behaviour noted that the controversial but nevertheless successful opening of this store is not a guarantee that customers will return, as Slovakia has a highly competitive retail sector.
Job prospects darken
ECONOMIC analysts announced in March that Slovakia’s labour market seemed to have emerged from the worst days of the economic downturn, and offered rosier predictions for job growth through the remainder of 2011. Eight months later, such prognostications are a distant memory as Slovakia’s major trading partners struggle to maintain economic growth. The Finance Ministry’s Financial Policy Institute wrote in early November that Slovakia’s predicted 1.7-percent growth in GDP next year will not generate many new private sector jobs and that additional layoffs are expected in the public sector as well as at state-run railway companies in order to trim the state’s budget deficit.
Quote of the week
“I would be glad. They would learn a lot of things that wouldn’t interest them at all, so they’d soon find out it makes no sense.”
Trade institutions and organisations in Slovakia
Finance Ministry,www.finance.gov.sk
Doctors' salaries still an issue
WITH less than a week left before the mass resignation of doctors in Slovakia’s state-run hospitals is due to take effect, the Medical Trade Unions Association (LOZ) and the government have failed to reach an agreement to prevent the protest action that has been raising fear among Slovaks for over two months. The cabinet says that the only issue now separating the two parties is doctors’ salaries, while the doctors have countered that they remain ready to find a compromise solution.
Two firms offer legal music downloads
WHILE it has been complicated to buy music legally on the web in Slovakia, two mainstream services are now available. Apple opened its iTunes multimedia shop on September 28, while Orange Slovensko, the biggest mobile operator in Slovakia, launched its MusicJet service a few days earlier, the Sme daily wrote on October 5.
New data centre opens in Bratislava
WHILE Slovakia’s position in the market for hosting data centres has not been very significant to date, companies engaged in this field are now seeing some potential for development. Following in the footsteps of Slovak Telekom, alternative telecom company GTS Slovakia opened a data centre in Bratislava in late November, and data centre projects by other companies are also in the pipeline.
Slovak ISAF soldiers recognised
SLOVAK soldiers serving in Afghanistan have been awarded commemorative coins for their quick and effective solution of a critical situation caused by floods which struck southern parts of the country in mid November, the SITA newswire reported.
Month of Photography comes again to Bratislava
LAST year Bratislava’s Month of Photography festival celebrated its 20th anniversary and the event returned again this November, albeit in a slightly smaller format. The economic situation has restricted public resources flowing to the festival and companies in the photographic field as well as other firms have been less generous in supporting the event, leading to fewer exhibitions than in past years. Last year the festival sported almost 50 exhibitions but this year the festival organisers staged only 28 in order to preserve the quality of those offered.
Slovak firms head for Silicon Valley
FOUR SLOVAK companies will get the chance to win recognition in Silicon Valley, after being selected for a three-month programme at the Plug-and-Play technological centre there, according to the Hospodárske Noviny daily.
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- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
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- A mayor resigns over €2.7 million fraud scandal at town hall
- Show me your moves! Slovak hockey stars share their best pick-up lines
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- He designed Gatwick. But this is his masterpiece
- 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
- 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 ›
