Archive of articles - February 2012, page 15
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Being innovative
WHILE some of them already have some experience, others are just setting out on their careers. But all of them see their three months in Silicon Valley as a great chance to meet investors and mentors, as well as other young entrepreneurs from around the globe. The Slovak Spectator spoke with representatives of the four companies that won the inaugural year of the Startup Awards.SK contest – Michal Truban, CEO of Nicereply; Róbert Mindžák, co-founder and CEO of CoverPage; Richard Voda, co-founder of WorkInField; and Martin Jerkovič, co-founder of Studentive – about their projects and their experiences so far –the first two companies already have representatives at Plug and Play – and their expectations for their stay in Silicon Valley.
Gorilla hits the streets as politicians suffer
THE GORILLA file remains the single most resonant issue in Slovakia’s pre-election discourse. Gorilla, the name of an investigation that the SIS intelligence service apparently carried out into suspected high-level corruption in 2005-6, has spilled from newspapers, talk shows and discussion threads onto social networking sites and, most recently, the streets: a large rally took place in Bratislava on January 27 and more are now being planned for other cities. Though responses differ to what organisers call the spontaneous civic initiatives fuelled by Gorilla – an affair which has provided plentiful ammunition for pre-election political battles – observers agree that the rallies are an indicator of a much wider phenomenon: widespread disappointment on the part of voters with political parties on all sides of the spectrum. That said, some of the parties on the right appear, so far, to be paying the highest price.
Countrywide Events
Western SLOVAKIA
What to do with a Christmas pup?
THE ANIMAL shelter of the civic association Sloboda zvierat (Animal Freedom) in Bratislava started the first month of 2012 with “business-as-usual” as staff member Karin Svobodová told the SITA newswire that “we saw no influx of abandoned animals after Christmas – we had just one case when a lady took a dog and returned it after two days; but it was placed in a different home within several hours”.
Court complies with Penta and blocks Nicholson's book on 'Gorilla'
A book about the 'Gorilla' files that Canadian-Slovak investigative journalist Tom Nicholson has been preparing for a long time cannot be published and distributed for the time being, Bratislava I District Court ruled on Thursday, TASR newswire reported on February 4.
Gorilla protests against political corruption spread around Slovakia
Protest against high-level political corruption in Slovakia took place on February 3 in Bratislava, Nitra, Košice, Zvolen, Žilina, Trenčín, Prievidza, Prešov and Spiská Nová Ves.
Radičová: Penta representatives visited my house before I was a senior politician
Prime Minister Iveta Radičová has stated that several representatives of the Penta financial group have visited her home in the past but that the visits took place before she occupied a senior public position. She was speaking on Thursday, February 2, in response to claims by opposition Smer party leader Robert Fico that Penta co-owner Jaroslav Haščák had visited her house several times. Haščák features prominently in the so-called Gorilla file, a leaked document which purports to describe potentially corrupt contacts between senior politicians, officials and businesspeople in 2005-6.
Lipšic: Tender to procure radar vehicles for police may have been flawed
Interior Minister Daniel Lipšic (Christian Democratic Movement (KDH)) has denied that public procurement projects at his ministry have become chaotic during his term in office, as claimed by his opponents, the TASR newswire reported on Thursday, February 2. Lipšic said that a tender for the purchase of firearms was in order, as was a tender to purchase eavesdropping systems. However, he conceded that there may have been a "flaw" in the purchase of police cars equipped with radar devices.
Supreme Audit Office begins audit at Supreme Court
The Supreme Audit Office (NKÚ) launched an audit of the Supreme Court on Thursday, February 2, the TASR newswire reported, citing the office of the Supreme Court president. The Finance Ministry has tried to carry out an audit six times since 2010, but has been repeatedly blocked by Supreme Court representatives who claim that only the NKÚ has the right to look into its financial affairs.
More 'Sasanka' transcripts published
An unknown person on Thursday published a follow-up to the 'Sasanka' document - a transcript of numerous short text messages exchanged between Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) chairman and former speaker of parliament Richard Sulík and businessman Marián Kočner that appeared on the internet a week ago. The newly-released parts of the document also deal with the October-November 2010 period, when Sulík was speaker and the election of the general prosecutor was being discussed.
Parliament approves law on salaries for nurses
The salaries of nurses and midwives will be prevented from falling under a certain level according to the Act on Minimum Salary Claims of Nurses and Midwives approved by 141 members of Slovakia’s parliament on February 1, the TASR newswire reported. The legislation will increase the salaries of nurses and midwives to between €640 and €928 per month, depending on experience, in April, TASR wrote and applies to all nurses and midwives, not only those working for state-run health-care facilities.
Slovakia records budget surplus of nearly €100 million in January
Slovakia recorded a state budget surplus of €98 million in January compared with an €18 million deficit in January 2011, the Finance Ministry announced on February 1, as reported by the TASR newswire. The state's total revenue in the month was €1.02 billion and expenditure was €922 million. The planned deficit for 2012 is €3.675 billion with revenue of €13.625 billion and expenditure of €17.3 billion.
Slovak parliament approves Croatia entering the EU
Slovakia’s parliament approved Croatia's accession to the European Union on February 1 with 145 MPs voting in favour, the TASR newswire wrote. The accession agreement had been ceremonially signed at the European Council session in December 2011 by Slovak Prime Minister Iveta Radičová. Slovakia's ratification of the document will be complete when President Ivan Gašparovič signs it.
TV Markíza and TV JOJ are sanctioned for political advertising
Slovakia’s Broadcast and Retransmission Council (RVR) held an extraordinary session on February 2 and sanctioned TV Markíza and TV JOJ, private broadcasters, for breaking the law by broadcasting advertisements for the 99% – People's Voice party that had a political character, the TASR newswire reported. "The council only has two options with sanctions: the first is a notice concerning a violation the law, if it is the broadcaster's first offence. The second is a fine of between €3,319 and €165,969," RVR head Miloš Mistrík told TASR. Mistrík said TV Markíza had already violated the applicable section of the law in the past so the council issued a fine of €100,000. TV JOJ received a warning as Mistrík said this was its first offence.
Motorcade in Ružomberok protests against “Gorilla politicians”
A motorcade of about 50 honking and flashing cars drove through the streets of Ružomberok in northern Slovakia on February 1 in another of a series of demonstration organised to show displeasure with “Gorilla politicians”, the Sme daily reported.
Government approves ESM treaty
Slovakia will have to contribute €659.2 million in five instalments over five years to the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), according to the second version of the ESM treaty approved by the government on Wednesday, February 1.
Excise tax on fruit wine scrapped after criticism
Parliament on Wednesday, February 1, scrapped a rise in the excise tax on fruit wine and mead, which had been valid since January 1, 2012. The move was taken via an indirect amendment to the Act on Public Administration Budgetary Rules proposed by Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ) deputy Ján Golian, the TASR newswire wrote.
Rejda to withdraw from Law and Justice party election slate
A former official of the police force’s Office for the Fight Against Corruption (ÚBOK), Ján Rejda, who has claimed publicly that the so-called Gorilla file is authentic, will not run as a candidate for the Law and Justice (PaS) party in the March 10 general election, the TASR newswire reported on Wednesday, February 1, citing party chairman Peter Puškár.
Volkswagen to create 650 new jobs to produce new models
Car manufacturer Volkswagen is creating 650 new jobs and launching a third shift at its Bratislava plant from April 16 in order to produce the Skoda Citigo and SEAT Mii cars, part of the New Small Family series, Volkswagen's Vladimír Machalík told the TASR newswire on Wednesday, February 1.
Government approves apology to Malinová
The Government Office will publish an apology in the press to Hedviga Žáková (née Malinová), a Hungarian-speaking Slovak student who was accused of lying to the police after reporting an assault in Nitra in 2006, the government decided at its session on Wednesday, February 1.
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