Archive of articles - March 2012, page 12
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Lower Austria comes to Bratislava
The photographic exposition Budova(ť) pre umenie / Bau(t)en fuer die Kuenste / Building(s) for Arts presents Slovak visitors with the concert halls, stages, museums, exhibition halls and multi-functional halls of Lower Austria.
A 'Chuck Norris' bridge?
MEDIA have reported that Slovaks appear to overwhelmingly favour naming a new pedestrian and cycling bridge near Bratislava after Chuck Norris, a 1980s action-film and TV star from the US. Two other top names in the internet voting for the bridge’s name, which will span the Morava River to Austria, are Maria Theresa, in honour of the Austro-Hungarian empress, and Devínska Cycling Bridge after the closest Slovak town, Devínska Nová Ves that is now a district of Bratislava.
Upcoming Events
Geneva car showMarch 8-18 - The largest car expo event this year is taking place in Geneva, Switzerland, amid mixed results for European car makers but with large global players expecting a rebound after a few difficult years and last year’s natural disaster in Japan. The GM-Peugeot alliance is likely to be scrutinised.
GDP rose by 3.3 percent in Q4 2011
THE SLOVAK economy grew by 3.3 percent year-on-year in the final quarter of 2011, although the pace of growth slowed compared to last year, when final-quarter growth was 4.2 percent, according to data released by Slovakia’s Statistics Office. Compared to the third quarter of 2011, the country’s GDP, net of seasonal influences, grew by 0.9 percentage points, the SITA newswire reported.
Penta withdraws case against Facebook
TWO persons whose names are mentioned in the so-called Gorilla file sought court injunctions against the Facebook social network and two companies operating websites that published parts of the Gorilla file. Jaroslav Haščák, a co-owner of the Penta financial group, and Zoltán Varga, the owner of the apartment where the information in the Gorilla file was reportedly recorded, filed six complaints between January 20 and February 2 with the Bratislava I District Court but the six judges hearing the cases have now dismissed them, the TASR newswire reported.
Bibles big, small... and waterproof
A SPECIAL exhibition offered at the Hornozemplianska knižnica (Upper Zemplín Library) in Vranov nad Topľou called Biblia včera, dnes a zajtra (The Bible Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow) features historical Czech bibles as well as versions of the Bible from all over the world, some published as long ago as the 16th century and others with rather more modern formats.
Slovaks among the least indebted
SLOVAK households are among the least indebted within the European Union. The National Bank of Slovakia (NBS) attributes this to the short history of the household loan market, which only developed in a significant way from around 2003, the SITA newswire wrote.
Mixed results for carmakers
GENERAL Motors recorded its highest ever profit of $7.6 billion in 2011, a remarkable result for a company that had to be saved by the US government in 2008. The world’s largest carmaker is still partially owned by the US government with 31.96 percent of shares.
Lipšic alleges 2004 fraud
FIVE days before the parliamentary elections in Slovakia, Interior Minister and deputy leader of the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) Daniel Lipšic filed a motion with the Office of the General Prosecutor to cancel the 2004 privatisation of the Bratislava-based electricity generator Steam-Gas Cycle (PPC). The formerly state-owned PPC was sold to the Penta financial group in 2004 for Sk2 billion (€66 million).
Slovakia and US sign nuclear deal
ECONOMY Minister Juraj Miškov and the US Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade, Francisco J. Sánchez, signed a declaration of cooperation between the two countries in the area of civilian use of nuclear energy on March 5. The signing ceremony was also attended by Theodore Sedgwick, the US ambassador to Slovakia, the TASR newswire reported.
SMEs find it hard to obtain loans
THE ECONOMIC crisis has made small and medium-sized companies’ (SMEs) access to bank loans more difficult. The share of rejected loan applications submitted by SMEs among all corporate loans increased in 19 out of 20 EU member countries for which data were available between 2007 and 2010. In Slovakia the share of turned-down applications increased from 3.7 percent in 2007 to 9.2 percent in 2010, the SITA newswire reported last October, citing Eurostat data.
Radičová signs EU fiscal compact
PRIME Minister Iveta Radičová signed the EU fiscal compact on March 2 together with 24 other leaders of EU member states. Great Britain and the Czech Republic are the only two EU countries that have refused to sign the treaty, the Sme daily reported.
Female beauties at SNM
AN EXHIBITION running in the Slovak National Museum (SNM) shows female beauty as seen through the eyes of artists – and combines both the devout and the more provocative aspects of the female form. Called Goddesses and Saints in Art of the 19th Century, the exhibition brings together portrayals of ancient goddesses and Christian female saints done by 19th century Slovak and European artists and presents them in two wings of the museum’s building on Vajanského nábrežie. The works of art are mostly paintings but some sculptures and woodcuttings on loan from churches are also shown.
Jazz from the Marcus Strickland quartet
YOUNG and talented saxophonist Marcus Strickland is on tour in Europe to back his quartet’s recent Triumph of the Heavy CD and the group visited Bratislava for the first time on February 27. The quartet, which also includes his identical twin brother E.J. Strickland, performed in the capital city’s Nu Spirit Club. Both the saxophonist and his drummer brother spoke with The Slovak Spectator (TSS) about jazz and its place in US music, expressing a belief that jazz could be advanced if people realised its true roots, adding that some people think that jazz means “OK, I can play whatever I want” while not really understanding the cultural milieu from which it came.
America keeps living on borrowed money
US PRESIDENT Barack Obama released his $3.80 trillion Fiscal Year 2013 budget on February 13 (the US fiscal year begins on October 1 and ends on September 30). The new budget, under the current law, will offer $4 trillion in deficit cuts over the next decade, including $517 billion in mandatory savings. The 2013 budget projects a deficit of $901.40 billion or 5.50 percent of projected gross domestic product (GDP) and contains information on Obama’s priorities.
Radičová reaffirms her departure
OUTGOING Prime Minister Iveta Radičová told the SITA newswire she feels responsible for the fall of the government last October and made the only decision possible for her – to leave politics – saying she wants to return to her profession as a sociologist after the parliamentary elections.
Volatile oil prices in February
IRAN’s controversial nuclear programme was at the center of international tension that contributed to volatility in the oil markets in February, following the European Union's decision in January to impose an oil embargo on Iran starting July 1.
ELECTION 2012: UVK officially confirms Smer's landslide victory in general election
The Central Electoral Commission (ÚVK) on March 11 officially confirmed the results of Saturday's general election, in which Smer party received 44.41 percent of the votes and will take 83 seats in the House, TASR newswire reported.
Smer wins historic election victory
Robert Fico’s Smer party has won a clear majority in Slovakia’s general election. With the Statistics Office reporting preliminary results from 100 percent of polling stations, Smer received 44.4 percent of the votes in the March 10 general election. If confirmed, the result will give Smer 83 seats in the 150-seat parliament, a majority of 16 over all other parties. It will be the first time since the end of communism in 1989 that any single party has enjoyed a majority in the Slovak parliament.
ELECTION 2012: Smer is the largest party after 96 percent of votes counted
The Smer party has maintained its position as the largest party in the Slovak parliament following elections held on March 10. Votes have been counted in 96 percent of the election precincts.
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Legendary captain Zdeno Chára inducted into IIHF Hall of Fame Video
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- Liberal MP's boxing challenge backfires as far-right MEP seizes the moment
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- From eight to thousands of runners. How Košice marathon rose to prominence Photo
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Iconic Slovak barn still draws crowds. Without donors, it might have been lost Photo
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- 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
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- Fico praises China and Vietnam as models, says liberal democracy has failed
- News digest: Violent gang in Bratislava is under arrest
- A mayor resigns over €2.7 million fraud scandal at town hall
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- Legendary captain Zdeno Chára inducted into IIHF Hall of Fame Video
- Liberal MP's boxing challenge backfires as far-right MEP seizes the moment
- 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 More articles ›
