Archive of articles - December 2011, page 7
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World champion hairstylist
A STUDENT at the Secondary Vocational School on Gemerská Street in Košice, Lukáš Očenáš, received Slovakia’s first victory at the world championship of hairstyling. At the end of September, he won in the Individual Hairdressing World Championship sponsored by OMC, the Organisation Mondiale Coiffure, as part of the InterCharm hair show in Milan, Italy.
Ekopolis gets European award
THE ACTIVITIES of one of the oldest foundations in Slovakia, Ekopolis Foundation, has been acknowledged at an international level. The jury for the Landscape Award of the Council of Europe, part of the Steering Committee for Cultural Heritage and Landscape, granted special mention to the foundation for its 'Grant programmes for local communities to shape their surroundings into a place where they are happy to live'.
Budget sails through with opposition help
SLOVAKIA has escaped the ills of a provisional state budget after the opposition Smer party helped the governing centre-right parties to pass their draft budget for 2012. It did so by ensuring that 17 Smer MPs were absent for the December 7 vote, thereby placing a majority within the government’s reach despite the refusal of the independent Ordinary People faction to back the budget. The bill projects a deficit of 4.6 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2012.
Slovaks begin to buy Fairtrade products
“I PREFER to support people who make an effort to work and produce something rather than just sending money somewhere without knowing where my contribution is going,” said Michaela Riháčková, a customer who regularly purchases goods that are certified as Fairtrade products. While the concept is still not widely known in Slovakia, consumers who have discovered this particular way of supporting producers and people in developing countries say they feel they have more control over where their money is going and how it is being used when they purchase a Fairtrade-certified product.
ČSA halts most flights to Slovakia
CZECH Airlines (ČSA) has announced that it is halting flights from Bratislava, Žilina and Poprad airports, citing the poor economic outlook and low ticket sales, the Sme daily reported. ČSA will maintain flights to and from Košice, in eastern Slovakia.
Slovakia ranks poorly in corruption index
“NO REGION or country in the world is immune to the damages of corruption,” the authors of an annual ranking of countries based on transparency and perceived corruption wrote in their introduction to this year’s results. In the survey, which is compiled by the international transparency and fairness watchdog Transparency International, Slovakia returned one of the worst scores in the European Union.
Year of Volunteering finds success in Slovakia
UPDATED research about volunteering in Slovakia, the passage of a law on volunteering, more participation in the country’s annual volunteering days, and more promotion of volunteering: these are some of the significant achievements made in Slovakia during 2011 – the EU’s designated European Year of Volunteering. A ceremony in Bratislava on December 5, the International Day of Volunteering, closed off a most successful year for volunteering activists in Slovakia.
Prizes awarded
VOLUNTEERS and volunteer projects in Bratislava Region were acknowledged at a ceremony organised by C.A.R.D.O., Slovakia’s National Volunteer Centre, on December 5 at which the Bratislava Volunteers awards for 2011 were handed out.
Slovakia loses ground in tax ranking
ONLY 54 out of 183 countries worldwide now have a worse tax environment than Slovakia, according to the latest report prepared by the World Bank, its subsidiary the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and consultancy firm PwC. Slovakia fell by seven positions compared to the previous survey, the Sme daily reported.
Doctors return to hospitals
SLOVAKS need no longer live in fear of a minor medical emergency turning into a major crisis, after a protracted protest by hospital doctors, which had seen hundreds of them leave their jobs, ended. After days of negotiation the government and doctors’ representatives announced early on the morning of December 3 that they had finally reached a compromise, albeit “without a smile on their faces”, as the prime minister put it.
Slovakia’s Good Angel comes to CZ
SLOVAKIA’s Dobrý Anjel (Good Angel) charitable programme, which provides monthly financial support to families with members suffering from cancer or another serious disease, attracted the attention of two Czech businessmen. After selling their company, Petr Sýkora and Jan Černý decided to devote their energy to charity, the SITA newswire wrote, and they asked Andrej Kiska, the founder of Dobrý Anjel in Slovakia, to launch a similar programme in the Czech Republic. After a year of preparation, Dobrý Anděl started operating in the Czech Republic on November 8.
Lisabon
ONE OF the special things about Slovaks is the number of foreign capitals they have disliked throughout history and how fast they changed their minds.
New volunteering law takes effect
EVEN though volunteering has a long tradition in Slovakia, there was until recently no legal framework for performing volunteer work. That sometimes meant that volunteers were viewed as illegal workers and the lack of legislation governing their activities caused some problems in building more recognition of volunteering and volunteers. Slovakia’s parliament adopted a new law on volunteering on October 21 and it became effective on December 1, achieving a primary goal that Slovak volunteer organisations had set for themselves during the 2011 European Year of Volunteering.
Danubiana art museum seeks government financial aid
THE DANUBIANA art museum, a renowned modern art gallery situated on a man-made peninsula in the Danube River, might be forced to close due to financial problems, according to its director, Vincent Polakovič. The director of the private gallery told the Sme daily that this might happen as early as January 2012. The museum, near the Gabčíkovo dam and adjacent to the Čunovo whitewater sports complex, is home to permanent and visiting exhibitions.
Santa, the Devil and their friends
THOSE with a strong disdain for aggressive Christmas marketing will suffer twice during this holiday season in Slovakia. This Christmastime Santa Claus and happy-faced families appearing on billboards and in television ads are not only selling beverages, high-speed internet connections and mobile phones: they are selling political points of view as well.
New dance company debuts in capital
BRATISLAVA is perhaps not the veritable cultural hub of Europe but its central location and its proximity to other nearby capitals makes it a good base for a dance company that wants to offer its performances to a wide audience. Balet Bratislava, a new dance company, recently established itself in the Slovak capital and on November 11 premiered its first piece – Romeo and Juliet – choreographed by Mário Radačovský, the company’s artistic director, to the music of Sergei Prokofiev.
State doles out aid to lure investors
IN THE HOPE of attracting around 1,500 new jobs to Slovakia the government last month approved investment aid for nine foreign investors. They will benefit from tax breaks and state assistance of €45.8 million in total; in return they should invest €245 million in the country. Tax breaks will make up two-thirds of the assistance, while the rest will be in the form of cash to buy property needed to launch the projects, which according to the Economy Ministry will be directed to those areas of the country hit hardest by unemployment.
Bratislava restaurant gets Thai Select award
LEMONTREE, a restaurant in central Bratislava, has become the first Thai restaurant in Slovakia to be recognised by the Kingdom of Thailand’s Department of Export Promotion, in the form of its Thai Select award. The award is granted to qualifying restaurants outside Thailand, of which there are currently around 1,200 worldwide. Nongnuth Phetcharatana, Thailand’s ambassador to Austria, officially gave the award to representatives of the restaurant at a special ceremony on November 23.
PM says wiretapping wasn't needed
THE MILITARY Intelligence Service (VOS), a unit of Slovakia’s Defence Ministry, undertook wiretapping when it was not needed, said Prime Minister Iveta Radičová, as she presented the preliminary results of a parliamentary inquiry, the SITA newswire reported.
Slovakia to open new UK consulate
SLOVAKIA will establish a new consulate in the United Kingdom, in the city of Manchester, by May 31, 2012, the SITA newswire reported.
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- News digest: Prosecutor seeks jail for NBS Governor Kažimír as his political support wanes
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- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- Convicted of multiple murders, Slovakia’s mafia boss seeks release from prison
- News digest: Prosecutor seeks jail for NBS Governor Kažimír as his political support wanes
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- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
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- Convicted of multiple murders, Slovakia’s mafia boss seeks release from prison
- 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
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- 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 More articles ›
