Archive of articles - April 2012, page 2
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Switzerland imposes visa limits
SWITZERLAND will restrict the number of working permits it will issue to citizens of eight EU countries, including Slovakia, as of May 1. The other countries affected are the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Slovenia, the Pravda daily reported.
Offering joy and heart to visitors
IF YOU have the feeling that the world is changing every minute, just have a close look at Bratislava. Especially in the past 10 years the city has undergone a massive change in terms of expanding its range of industries, its level of personal safety and its investments in new developments. This is reflected in the city centre with its restored buildings, the sprouting of multi-purpose complexes such as River Park and Eurovea, expanded shopping centres across the city and lots of new hotels with four- and five-star ratings.
Government faces Roma challenges
LIVING in poverty, receiving inadequate education, and then facing dismal chances of finding work in a tight labour market. Those are three disadvantages that Roma citizens, who often live in shantytowns on the outskirts of villages and towns, face every day, along with open or latent prejudice from the majority population. The social exclusion experienced by these citizens – usually termed “the Roma problem” by many politicians and ordinary Slovaks – is one of the important areas in which the new government must develop policy prescriptions.
Quote of the week
“[Slota] is excluded from any negotiations over our mutual Slovak-Hungarian relations, forever. Slota’s era has ended.”
Supreme Court vice-chair vote nixed
SLOVAKIA’s Judicial Council did not vote to elect a vice-chair of the country’s Supreme Court at its meeting on April 24 at the request of Igor Burger, a Supreme Court judge who was the only candidate to become vice-chair. The judge made the request because eight new members of the Judicial Council are to be elected in May, the SITA newswire reported.
'Slovak' Tube stops named
IN TRIBUTE to the upcoming Summer Olympic Games, the stations of the London Underground will be renamed after famous athletes. Two stations on the Piccadilly line will be named after twin brothers Peter and Pavol Hochschorner, Slovakia’s very successful white-water slalom champions.
Chtelnica and its 30,000-brick church
This old and precious postcard of Chtelnica dates back to 1903 and its artistic expression is typical for the era of the first wave of postcards. A decorative framing and flowers – these make such postcards attractive for collectors. It is also of importance to collectors that just very few similar postcards remain and that shows in their price. But this rarely dissuades a passionate collector from acquiring an exceptional postcard for his or her collection.
Three hats in the ring
LUCIA Žitňanská, Pavol Frešo and Viliam Novotný all have their hats in the ring to replace Mikuláš Dzurinda as chair of the Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ). For the first time since the party was founded it is not clear who will lead the party for the next couple of years as the clock ticks down to just two weeks before the party’s congress scheduled for May 19. Dzurinda, who has chaired the party since its inception in 2000, announced two days after the March 10 general election that he would not seek the post again. Dzurinda had never faced any serious challenger during his years as party leader.
Bratislava draws more visitors
THE NUMBER of visitors to Bratislava increased by 16.6 percent in 2011, to almost 785,000. The growth is being attributed principally to top sports and thematic events.
'Good Market' returns to Bratislava
FOR THOSE who yearn for street markets like the ones found in London or Paris, Bratislava offers, albeit irregularly, the Dobrý Trh (Good Market) event. After the last such market in September 2011, another Dobrý Trh took place on Saturday, March 24, on Panenská Street, near the city centre.
Skating across thin ice
SUPREME Court President Štefan Harabin was very specific in his first meeting with Justice Minister Tomáš Borec about what he wants: recall all the judges chosen under new rules instituted by former justice minister Lucia Žitňanská. “Those who were politically-nominated, based on political commissions, have to be recalled,” Harabin stated. It was actually Harabin who advanced straight from the post of justice minister under the first government of Robert Fico to become president of the Supreme Court.
SPP to sue over price regulation
SLOVAK gas utility Slovenský plynárenský priemysel (SPP) will file a lawsuit against the Slovak Republic after the state regulator ordered the gas distributor to lower the price of gas by over 5 percent in March 2012, the TASR newswire reported.
SaS claims amendment was late
THE SPEAKER of parliament, Pavol Paška, is being asked to explain whether a submission date was changed on a draft amendment proposed by Smer MPs Maroš Kondrót and Andrej Kolesík after Richard Sulík, the chairman of the opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party, accused the speaker of having improperly done so.
Fico: Slovakia interested in Chinese investments in infrastructure and tourism
Due to the substantial differences in the size of their economies and populations, Slovakia and China should focus on their mutual economic relations involving a few big projects, said Prime Minister Robert Fico on Thursday, April 26, after meeting Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in Warsaw.
EuroGas to sue Slovakia for €1.25 billion over talc mine
US-based company EuroGas is suing Slovakia over access to a talc mine in a case which goes back to the era of Pavol Rusko's tenure as economy minister in 2003-05. The firm is demanding a total of $1.65 billion (€1.25 billion) in compensation for damages, EuroGas board of directors chairman Wolfgang Rauball said on Thursday, April 26, as reported by the TASR newswire.
Žitňanská dismayed at leak of SDKÚ internal poll
Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ) vice-chair and leadership candidate Lucia Žitňanská said on Wednesday, April 25, that she was upset that an private opinion poll carried out by the Focus agency for the party had been leaked and that the source of the leak was within the party itself.
Obama congratulates Fico on his re-election
US President Barack Obama has conveyed his congratulations to Slovakia's newly-elected prime minister, Robert Fico, on his successful re-election. In a letter handed over to the Smer chairman on Thursday, April 26, by US Ambassador to Slovakia Theodore Sedgwick, the US president wished Fico much success during his new tenure. Based on the general election results, he stressed, Fico's mandate is backed by the strong trust of the domestic populace, the TASR newswire wrote.
Finance Minister says Slovakia may introduce inheritance tax
To help bring the public finance deficit below 3 percent of GDP, the government is considering re-introducing a inheritance tax that was abolished in 2004, Prime Minister Robert Fico and Finance Minister Peter Kažimír said in Brussels on April 25, the TASR newswire reported. "In a period in which we're looking for every available euro, we view the inheritance tax as a legitimate instrument. Of course, there have to be limits so that it doesn't complicate the lives of people with ordinary incomes," Kažimír stated, as quoted by TASR, adding that a gift tax would have to be included in the law to prevent people from bypassing the inheritance tax. The finance minister also stated that re-introducing an inheritance tax would affect people who acquired property in a shady way in the 1990s. Fico said that it is premature to speak about specific tax rates at the moment. He also defended the ideas presented by the government.
Slovak and EU ambassadors to return to Belarus
The Slovak Ambassador to Belarus, Marián Servátka, will be among the EU diplomats who will return to Belarus, said Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Boris Gandel to the TASR newswire on April 25. All EU ambassadors to Belarus were recalled from the country on February 28 after Belarus expelled Polish and Brussels-based diplomats from the country in retaliation for a travel ban on Belarusian officials.
Ombudswoman says nurses would succeed pay dispute in court
Nurses whose minimum salaries have not been increased as required by a law effective on April 1 would succeed if they took the matter to court, said Jana Dubovcová, Slovakia's ombudswoman, after meeting with representatives of the Slovak Chamber of Nurses and Midwives (SKSaPA) on April 25. Dubovcova said that it is improper that a law is being ignored "right before our eyes" with lack of funds cited as the reason for non-compliance, adding that the issue goes beyond the health-care sector, as ignoring laws in general jeopardises democracy as such.
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- 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
- 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
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- Convicted of multiple murders, Slovakia’s mafia boss seeks release from prison
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- News digest: Prosecutor seeks jail for NBS Governor Kažimír as his political support wanes
- 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
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- Digital Jarvis is real now. He is coming for your to-do list
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- A mayor resigns over €2.7 million fraud scandal at town hall
- He designed Gatwick. But this is his masterpiece
- Fico praises China and Vietnam as models, says liberal democracy has failed
- News digest: Violent gang in Bratislava is under arrest
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- 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
- Slovakia plans to restrict access to new medicines amid funding shortfall
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process More articles ›
