Archive of articles - April 2012, page 11
If you desire to read an old article, use the search bar or select the publication date.
Pumping adrenaline with karts, flights and guns (video included)
If you like the sound of rumbling motors, wind in your hair, watching the ground from way up above or shooting pellets of colour at your friends, then you are in the right place. Bratislava region can provide all manner of ’adrenaline experiences’ only limited by the time you have, the money in your wallet and people you want to take with you.
Smer puts plans to merge Interior and Defence Ministries on hold
Smer party has put its plans to merge the defence and interior ministries on hold for now, the TASR newswire reported. "It remains only theoretical for now. We'll focus on a major overhaul from below instead ... a major merger would probably be too hurried," Interior Minister Robert Kaliňák (Smer) told TASR last week. However, he added that the two ministries will seek "joint ways" to manage their finances in a more efficient manner.
Foreign trade surpluses posted in January and February
Slovakia's foreign trade account posted a surplus of €347.7 million in February, an increase of €170.2 million compared to the figure for February 2011, the Slovak Statistics Office announced on April 5, as reported by the TASR newswire. Overall exports reached €4.747 billion in February, rising by 8.7 percent on an annual basis, while imports increased by 5 percent year-on-year to reach €4.399 billion.
Health Minister Zvolenská to meet nurses to discuss salaries
Health Minister Zuzana Zvolenská will meet representatives of the Slovak Chamber of Nurses and Midwives on April 11 to discuss the situation regarding the law increasing minimum salaries for nurses and midwives that became effective on April 1, the TASR newswire reported. President Ivan Gašparovič is also scheduled to meet officials from the Slovak Medical Chamber on the same day; that chamber had been attempting to prevent the law from taking effect. Zvolenská said that the problem stems from a lack of communication between the parties and that may be even more harmful than any lack of funding. Referring to a sequence of events that took place before the new government took office last week she opined that a number of things would not have happened if there been proper discussion.
Trade union asks for shops to close on Sundays and state holidays
All shops in Slovakia should be closed on Sundays and state holidays, said a trade union representative, who added that her union has already approached the new government with this request, the TASR newswire reported. Current law requires stores to be closed on Easter Sunday, Christmas Day and New Year's Eve as well as to close by noon on Christmas Eve. The trade union pushed for the same proposal while Iveta Radičová's government was in power but was not successful.
Justice Minister Borec will not withdraw disciplinary proceedings against Harabin
Slovakia’s new Justice Minister, Tomas Borec, will not withdraw the disciplinary motions previously filed by former justice minister Lucia Žitňanská against Štefan Harabin, the president of the Supreme Court and chair of the country’s Judiciary Council until the Constitutional Court makes its rulings, the TASR newswire reported. The court has ruled on one of the four motions but three are yet to be decided. Last year the Constitutional Court ordered that Harabin should lose 70 percent of his salary as a penalty for not allowing the Finance Ministry to conduct an audit of the Supreme Court in 2011.
Twenty-six inmates involved in fisticuffs at the Ilava prison
As many as 26 inmates were involved in a melee that broke out in the prison in Ilava in Trenčín Region on April 7, the TASR newswire wrote based on information published on the tvnoviny.sk web site on April 8. An undisclosed number of prisoners were taken to the prison hospital in Trenčín. No prison guards were injured in the incident. Justice Ministry spokesman Peter Bubla said that the incident is currently under investigation.
UNDP reports that many Roma in Europe are marginalised
International Roma Day, on April 8, should serve as an opportunity to draw attention to the rich culture and history of Roma as well as to the fact that large groups of Roma are marginalised, according to a press release from the UN Development Programme (UNDP) Bratislava Regional Centre, the TASR newswire reported. "The social exclusion and poverty of Roma constitute a major problem vis-à-vis development in various EU-member countries and in some other European countries. That is why UNDP actively supports development projects on a local level with a particular stress laid on socially-excluded groups and Roma," said Jens Wandel, UNDP Deputy Regional Bureau Director for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States, who also serves as the Director of the UNDP’s Bratislava Regional Centre, as quoted by TASR. UNDP said it will soon publish a report on living conditions of Roma households in Slovakia that is drawn from a representative survey. Izabela Nagyová, the PR manager of the UNDP centre in Bratislava said that findings from the analysis will promote better understanding of the difficulties that Roma citizens face and will be an indicator of appropriate policies that can create a framework for enhancing the lives of the Roma.
Referendum initiative on use of Slovak fails to receive enough signatures
President Ivan Gašparovič said on March 7 that he will not call a referendum concerning the exclusive use of the Slovak language in official communications after the President's Office evaluated the signatures on the referendum initiative advanced by the Slovak National Party (SNS), the TASR newswire reported. "The President's Office has concluded that 361,117 signatures were double-checked on the submitted sheets and 336,629 were valid and 24,488 were invalid," said Gašparovič's spokesman, Marek Trubač. A total of 350,000 signatures are required to call a referendum. "We'll wait for an official statement from Mr President and I suppose the SNS presidium will deal with the issue straightaway," said SNS spokesperson Jana Benková. SNS started to collect signatures on the referendum petition in April 2011.
TIS reports on electronic auctions
ONE IN five tenders carried out in Slovakia during the past 12 months was made via an electronic auction, according to findings published by watchdog group Transparency International Slovensko (TIS). In terms of their financial value, e-auctions accounted for 12 percent of the total, the TASR newswire reported.
Countrywide Events
Western SLOVAKIA
Opposition selects its nominees
THOUGH it seemed that a dispute between Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) and the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) over which party would choose the chair of parliament’s economy and budget committee would need to be decided by the first vote in the new parliament, SaS made a concession and gave up its claim to the post on March 30. The decision by former economy minister Juraj Miškov to no longer seek the chair ended a post-election tussle and the KDH will now nominate its candidate.
Bratislava Puppet Theatre celebrates 55 years of entertaining
BRATISLAVA’S puppet theatre, Bratislavské Bábkové Divadlo (BBD), celebrated its 55th birthday on March 1, 2012. Renamed from the State Puppet Theatre in 2002 it premiered its first performance on April 17, 1957: Josef Čapek’s famous fairy tale O psíčkovi a mačičke (About a Dog and a Cat), directed by Zdeněk Říha, the TASR newswire wrote.
Chaos over higher salaries for nurses
THOUGH Slovak nurses were guaranteed a higher minimum salary by parliamentary legislation passed last year some hospitals are saying they do not have the money to improve nurses’ salaries and have been seeking ways to avoid the law by modifying nurses’ employment contracts and changing their job titles to administrative workers or social workers.
Businesses fear payment discipline
UP TO 77 percent of businesspeople expect payment discipline among their customers in Slovakia to worsen, according to a survey carried out by the Business Alliance of Slovakia (PAS) group among 159 businesses. Only 2 percent of respondents expect to see an improvement in payment discipline, while 21 percent forecast no change, the SITA newswire reported.
Cargo rail fined for market abuse
THE SUPREME Court has confirmed a decision by the Antitrust Office (PMÚ) to fine the state-owned freight rail company, Železničná Spoločnosť Cargo Slovakia, for abuse of its dominant market position. As a result, the company paid a fine of €2.489 million on March 22. The court’s ruling ended a case that had been dragging on for nearly six years, the SITA newswire wrote.
Second pension pillar wobbles again
SLOVAKS who are saving for their retirement in the privately-managed second pillar of the country’s pension scheme have likely lost track of the number of changes that parliament has made to the system since its inception in 2004. The most recent modification only became effective on April 1 – but the incoming government of Robert Fico is likely to make sure that this change, made by the outgoing centre-right government, is not the last modification to the second pillar, or to other parts of the country’s old-age pension system.
Tax office retreats to old system
PROBLEMS surrounding installation of a new information system at Slovakia’s tax offices have been temporarily resolved as the acting director of the country’s Financial Administration, Mária Machová, told the media that the previously used RDS information system developed by the Novitech company will be re-instituted to stem the mounting problems caused by malfunctioning software installed earlier this year.
METRANS - the solution for the intermodal traffic
Neutral Intermodal Operator for hinterland connections from the ports of Hamburg / Bremerhaven / Koper / Rotterdam with Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia
Protestors ‘welcome’ new MPs
ABOUT 20 people attending the latest Gorilla Protest rally welcomed deputies arriving at the first session of the new parliament on April 4 by beating steel drums. They were prevented from approaching the parliament building by several barriers manned by police officers, the SITA newswire reported.
- News digest: Renaissance lady vanishes, ministry brushes off ‘stupid questions’
- American Dream found in Slovakia?
- Music in the veins
- Where can vegetarians and gluten-free diners eat out in Bratislava?
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- The Slovak diplomat who introduced his country to the world
- Why a British teacher chose Slovakia as home Audio
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Why a British teacher chose Slovakia as home Audio
- Where can vegetarians and gluten-free diners eat out in Bratislava?
- Fico turns to X to shape his global image
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- Slovak physicist: I do not employ doctoral students; I make them go abroad. I expect them to push us forward
- Slovakia’s secret weapon is living abroad
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Slovak central bank chief found guilty of bribery
- Why a British teacher chose Slovakia as home Audio
- Bratislava unveils its first 3D-printed bus stop Photo
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Slovakia’s secret weapon is living abroad
- Irish metal band to make long-awaited debut in Bratislava Video
- Fico turns to X to shape his global image
- Where can vegetarians and gluten-free diners eat out in Bratislava?
- News digest: Fico tells Berlin Slovakia will not take lessons on Russia
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Why a British teacher chose Slovakia as home Audio
- Bratislava unveils its first 3D-printed bus stop Photo
- Slovakia’s secret weapon is living abroad
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Irish metal band to make long-awaited debut in Bratislava Video
- Fico turns to X to shape his global image
- News digest: Renaissance lady vanishes, ministry brushes off ‘stupid questions’
- Man appeals for help finding strangers who saved his life
- Employers outline €6.5 billion in spending cuts, but Fico fires back
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- Slovak central bank chief found guilty of bribery
- Music in the veins
- Banská Štiavnica becomes a centre of contemporary photography again Photo
- A bus now runs through it: Slovakia and Poland’s Tatras finally connect More articles ›
