Kia Slovakia produces its millionth auto and donates it to Red Nose doctors

The Kia Motors Slovakia plant in Teplička nad Váhom near Žilina has produced its millionth auto and donated to the Red Nose clown doctors civil association on January 25, the TASR newswire reported. The white Kia cee'd will be used by 41 professional actors from the association who entertain children in hospitals throughout Slovakia. Gary A. Edwards, founder of the Red Nose clown doctors, told TASR that the car will enable the clowns to make as many as 90 visits to hospitals every month.

Number of passengers using Bratislava Airport falls 4.8% in 2011

Almost 1.59 million passengers were transported through Bratislava's Milan Rastislav Štefánik Airport (BTS) in 2011, a fall of 4.8 percent year-on-year, BTS head Maroš Jančula said at a press conference on January 25, as reported by the TASR newswire, adding that despite the drop in the number of passengers, the airport’s income went up by 5 percent due to cuts in operating costs and revenues from other aviation activities growing by 8.2 percent to almost €20 million. "This means that we can basically assess last year as a successful one from the perspective of the management as well as the company as such," Jančula stated, as quoted by TASR.

U.S. Steel Košice to resume full workweek schedule

U.S. Steel Košice (USSK) will resume its standard five-day workweek after cutting work hours for only a month, USSK spokesman Ján Bača told the SITA newswire.

Economic institute says saving the euro could cost each Slovak €1,851

The effort to save the common eurozone currency, including the commitments and guarantees resulting from the sovereign debt problems in Europe and risks from holding state bonds of questionable quality, may cost each Slovak citizen €1,851, the Economic and Social Analysis Institute (INESS) announced on January 25, as reported by the TASR newswire.

Opinion poll shows Smer maintaining strong lead

The current opposition Smer party would require only nine other MPs to have a constitutional majority in the next parliament, according to a poll conducted by the Focus polling agency at the request of Radio and Television of Slovakia (RTVS), Slovakia’s public broadcaster. The party would receive 42 percent of votes, representing 81 seats out of 150 in parliament, the SITA newswire reported.

Gašparovič releases spy boss from oath of secrecy

Slovak President Ivan Gašparovič has released Karol Mitrík, the current director of the Slovak Information Service (SIS), the country’s main intelligence agency, from his oath of secrecy. Mitrík can now be interviewed by investigators looking into the case of the so-called Gorilla file, which purports to describe wiretapped conversations in 2005-6 between senior politicians and officials and representatives of the Penta financial group, the SITA newswire reported.

President Obama welcomes Boston Bruins’ Slovak captain

The current holders of the Stanley Cup ice hockey title, the Boston Bruins captained by Slovak Zdeno Chára, visited the White House on Monday, January 23, the SITA newswire reported.

Ján Rejda is ready to give testimony in Gorilla case

The former director of the special department at the Office for the Fight against Corruption, Ján Rejda, who is mentioned in the so-called Gorilla file, is ready to provide investigators with documents that were believed to have been shredded, the TASR newswire reported.

New investors hold out promise of jobs for Slovakia

Several new investors might establish plants in Slovak regions with high unemployment rates and provide jobs for about 900 people, the Hospodárske Noviny daily has reported.

Hackers threaten to attack 99 Percent party website

What appears to be a Slovak version of the Anonymous computer hackers’ movement has published a video on YouTube in which it warns it will attack the website of the political party 99 Percent, the Sme daily reported.

Gašparovič asks for additional information before lifting SIS secrecy pledge

President Ivan Gašparovič has asked the lead investigator in the Gorilla case for additional information to back his request to release the current director of the SIS intelligence agency, Karol Mitrík, from his oath of secrecy, the SITA newswire reported.

EU embargo on Iran could affect fuel prices in Slovakia

The price of oil and other fuels on the European market could increase in coming weeks following a European Union decision to impose a crude-oil embargo on Iran, the TASR newswire reported.

Fico concedes that Gorilla file could be true, Penta denies it

Robert Fico, leader of the opposition Smer party, said that the facts described in the Gorilla file, a leaked document allegedly prepared by the SIS intelligence agency, could be true, the TASR newswire reported.

Few Slovaks living abroad register to vote by mail

Of the many Slovak citizens currently living abroad who no longer have a permanent residence in Slovakia, only 728 of them requested a mail ballot for the March 2012 early parliamentary elections, the SITA newswire reported.

Slovakia records surge in newly-founded companies in 2011

The number of companies established in Slovakia in 2011 grew by 8.4 percent year-on-year to reach 19,292, the highest annual increase in the past five years, the TASR newswire wrote, based on an analysis by the Czech Capital Information Agency (ČEKIA) released on January 23. "Businessmen invested €389.9 million in registered capital of newly-founded companies last year [in Slovakia]," stated ČEKIA, as quoted by TASR. These statistics include only limited-liability and joint-stock companies. The ČEKIA analysis indicated that the economic crisis of 2009 had not significantly deterred Slovaks from setting up businesses, TASR wrote.

Slovak business chamber expects economic stagnation in 2012

Slovak business leaders believe that the economic results for their companies will stagnate in 2012, the TASR newswire reported based on an announcement from the Slovak Trade and Industrial Chamber (SOPK) on January 23. "The deceleration in growth will especially affect employment, profits and losses after tax, exports and investments," SOPK stated, as quoted by TASR, based on a survey conducted among its member companies at the end of 2011, with 29 percent of the respondents foreseeing an unfavourable business environment in 2012.

Slovakia sells €305 million in 2014 bonds at January 23 auction

The Finance Ministry said investors continued to show confidence in Slovak government bonds even after Standard & Poor’s rating agency downgraded the country's sovereigncredit rating, noting that on January 23 Slovakia borrowed €305.2 million in the financial market while overall demand reached €530.2 million. The ministry’s Debt and Liquidity Management Agency (ARDAL) told the SITA newswire that foreign investors were interested in €132 million of the short-terms bonds that mature in April 2014.

Slovak Philharmonic returns to the reconstructed Reduta concert hall

The Slovak Philharmonic will celebrate its return to its reconstructed home, the Reduta building in Bratislava, with concerts on January 26 and January 27, the SITA newswire reported.

PSA Peugeot Trnava starts hiring 900 new employees

Trnava-based carmaker PSA Peugeot-Citroen Slovakia is seeking to hire 900 employees to work on a new car model and for a third shift, Daniela Schweizer from PSA's personnel department told the TASR newswire on January 23. "The preparations for recruitment began roughly six months ago. We began well in advance, because it's quality and not quantity that matters to us. Apart from new people, we're also offering opportunities to our current employees to undergo training for other posts," Schweizer told TASR.

Possible hand grenade found near German Embassy in Bratislava

Passersby found an object resembling a hand grenade near the German Embassy at Hviezdoslavovo Square in Bratislava on the morning of January 23, the TASR newswire wrote, based on information published on the tvnoviny.sk news web site. Police sealed off the area and requested a pyrotechnics team.

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