Archive of articles - April 2012, page 15
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Prosecutor drops Rusko charges
CHARGES of fraud brought against former economy minister Pavol Rusko in association with the 2004 privatisation of the Steam-Gas Cycle (PPC) electricity-generating facility in Bratislava were rather short-lived. Less than two weeks after the specialised police team investigating the Gorilla file, an unverified document posted on the internet that implies high-level political corruption in Slovakia in 2005-06, proposed criminal charges against Rusko, the Special Prosecutor’s Office dismissed the charges calling them “illegal and unjustified”. The former economy minister, who earlier called the charges “completely crazy”, said he is relieved and is now considering taking legal action against the police.
Slovakia has new ombudswoman
JANA Dubovcová, a former judge and MP for the Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ), has been sworn in as Slovakia’s new ombudswoman. She replaces Pavol Kandráč, who served 10 years in the post, the TASR newswire reported.
Picasso’s legacy offered in Bratislava and Žilina
AFTER Bratislava City Gallery’s successful exhibition last year commemorating the 130th birthday of artist Pablo Picasso, the gallery has followed up with an exhibition showing the impact of the Spanish artist on many others by presenting works of Picasso’s contemporaries and successors in the School of Paris as well works by Czech and Slovak artists who were influenced by cubism.
SARIO woos investors from the US
FOUR thousand new jobs and investments worth €350 million are under discussion in tentative talks between the Slovak Agency for Investment and Trade Development (SARIO) and fifteen US companies, the SITA newswire reported, noting that interest from US-based investors is now greater than interest from European investors for the first time ever.
Nurses’ salary rise in dispute
SOME regional and municipal hospitals are refusing to increase their nurses’ salaries even though the Slovak government passed legislation authorising a salary increase as of April 1, the Sme daily reported.
NBS reduces its GDP-growth forecast
THE NATIONAL Bank of Slovakia (NBS), the country’s central bank, has lowered its forecast for Slovakia’s economic growth in 2012. Last December the bank predicted GDP would rise by 2.3 percent this year but now forecasts growth of only 2.1 percent, the SITA newswire reported.
Many firms are required to have energy audits
INCREASING prices for all forms of energy, depletion of fossil fuel deposits and the environmental impacts of producing energy are all convincing countries and businesses to look for ways to improve energy efficiency. Legislation enacted in Slovakia in 2008 requires firms operating in the industrial and agricultural sectors to have their operations assessed by an external energy auditor; smaller firms were tasked with delivering the results of these energy audits by the end of 2011 while larger firms must comply by the end of 2013.
Greeting St Patrick's Day
CELEBRATIONS to honour the patron saint of Ireland, St Patrick, take place nearly everywhere in the world with at least a small Irish community.
Quote of the week
“I am deciding to which country I will be going because I am not welcome here.”
Electricity prices expected to fall
EXPERTS predict a moderate decrease in electricity prices as a consequence of a reduction in the so-called tariff for system services, the Hospodárske Noviny daily reported on March 26.
One eye laughing, one crying
ONE eye laughing and one eye crying could be a fitting way to describe reaction to the cast of ministers picked by Robert Fico, Slovakia’s incoming prime minister, who recently told the Sme daily that he wants to govern the country in a way that “one day he will not have to crawl along walls when walking the streets”.
Institutions and organisations in the energy sector in Slovakia
Ministry of Economy, www.economy.gov.sk
SAV scientists’ breakthrough
AFTER years of trying, a group of Slovak scientists from the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV) has created a device which can reportedly hide objects from magnetic fields and create an illusion of invisibility.
Mochovce completion timetable slips
POWER utility Slovenské Elektrárne (SE) says it will complete the third and fourth units of the Mochovce nuclear power plant about one year later than originally planned.
Generating one’s own electricity
RISING electricity prices are also encouraging ordinary people to look for new sources of energy. Eduard Pálesch, a retired forestry worker and a fan of electrical devices, is one positive example. Twenty-eight years ago he constructed a small hydroelectric power station based on his own design, the TASR newswire wrote in late March.
Peer review of nuclear power plants
AN INTERNATIONAL peer review of the results of stress tests conducted last year on Slovak nuclear power plants was launched on March 26. The review was due to last until March 29, the Slovak Nuclear Regulatory Authority (ÚJD) reported on its website.
Remembering the Holocaust
A WHISTLE blows as the train leaves the Poprad station heading towards Auschwitz, Poland and the Nazi concentration camp which is the infamous symbol of the Holocaust and the final station for hundreds of thousands of Jews who were executed there. But the train that left Poprad station on March 23 this year was not carrying fearful young women but rather invited guests who were attending an event to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the first transport of Slovak Jews to the death camp.
Slovakia risks fine over enviro-laws
SLOVAKIA may suffer the consequences of failing to implement European environmental legislation. If it does not pass measures required by the European Commission (EC) or if it repeats errors that are present in current laws, it could be taken to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) and forced to pay a fine amounting to hundreds of thousands of euros.
Chill leads capital to open a tent town
BRATISLAVA city officials had a budget of €40,000 this year to assist those who are homeless, with half of that amount going to support the Depaul non-profit organisation that operates a year-round shelter for those in need, the SITA newswire reported.
Police in Nepal rescue Slovak woman
POLICE in Nepal are reported to have saved a 43-year-old Slovak woman calling herself Marichi who had been captured by a local group described as Buddhist extremists. The woman, who has been in the country for the last seven years, was found in mountains in the south of Nepal, the SITA newswire reported.
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- Bratislava Region simplifies transport zones, raises fares
- How to spend 48 hours in Bratislava
- Slovaks use social media more than Czechs – but with less caution
- Is Slovakia the next Hungary? MEPs raise alarm over democratic backsliding
- Neo-Nazi gang in Bratislava plotted armed attack and called their leader ‘Mr Führer’, court documents reveal
- Bože môj: In search of my Rusyn self
- Bratislava Region simplifies transport zones, raises fares
- Slovakia ends November 17 public holiday amid fiscal pressures
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- Who can still afford a home in Slovakia? Mostly couples with two incomes
- News digest: Pellegrini’s defence spending pitch falls flat
- No Michelin stars yet, but Slovak fine dining wins French praise
- The hidden costs of Slovakia’s complicated tax system
- Last Week: Central bank governor found guilty, but Fico accuses the judge
- Irish outlet hails Slovak spa town as top European holiday spot
- Bože môj: In search of my Rusyn self
- Slovakia’s secret weapon is living abroad
- The hidden costs of Slovakia’s complicated tax system
- Bratislava Region simplifies transport zones, raises fares
- Neo-Nazi gang in Bratislava plotted armed attack and called their leader ‘Mr Führer’, court documents reveal
- Slovakia ends November 17 public holiday amid fiscal pressures
- Irish outlet hails Slovak spa town as top European holiday spot
- After years of straddling two worlds, this American is now reconnecting with his Slovak roots
- Why a British teacher chose Slovakia as home Audio
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- Man appeals for help finding strangers who saved his life
- 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
- News digest: President shuts down referendum push on Russia sanctions Video
- They made it to Glastonbury once. Now they’re going back for more
- Slovaks use social media more than Czechs – but with less caution
- Unique ritual dance proposed for intangible heritage list Photo
- Jordanian runs Lebanese restaurant in Bratislava: Slovaks welcomed me better than Austrians
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- Is Slovakia the next Hungary? MEPs raise alarm over democratic backsliding
- How to spend 48 hours in Bratislava More articles ›
