Archive of articles - April 2012, page 9
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Slovak Telekom plans cloud services
SLOVAK Telekom (ST) wants to focus even more intensively on the market for information and communications technologies (ICT). Miroslav Majoroš, ST's director-general told the SITA newswire that the company will launch its own cloud services in the second half of 2012.
Want to know how things work?
BRATISLAVA residents and visitors may recently have spotted a white tram asking them ‘Do you want to know how things work?’. It is a mobile advertisement for a new exhibition at the Slovak National Museum’s Detské múzeum (Children’s Museum).
Mobile phones turn into versatile devices
MOBILE phones, especially their smart versions, are developing into highly sophisticated devices providing their users with a wide range of services. A mobile phone is already an irreplaceable tool for many people. Apart from making calls it serves as a personal assistant with a calendar and e-mail, a source of entertainment providing access to the internet, photos, music, video, social networks and serves as a travel guide and navigation system. But experts believe that the potential of intelligent mobile devices is much greater.
Fundraising to save old trains
A NEW initiative wants to save two historical railway engines and three carriages in the High Tatras; the engines are known by locals as Kométa (Comet) and Škoduľa. Both are inoperable and are currently parked in the Poprad rail depot. Tatranský okrášľovací spolok (TOS), the Tatra Beautification Association, and Veterán klub železníc (VKŽ), the Railway Veteran Club, embarked on a public fundraising effort in March to repair the engines and carriages.
Quote of the week
“No, I don’t believe it [is] a conflict of interest. If I were renting the house to a power-plant operator, it would be different.”
Government to review contracts
THE PREVIOUS government spent more than €500 million during its last three months in office, Prime Minister Robert Fico told a press conference, adding that he viewed this as “wasting money and one of the reasons why Slovakia’s state deficit has grown”, the SITA newswire reported.
A degree of practicality
WHENEVER one walks onto the campus of a respected university in the United States, Great Britain or another European country, the identity of the place is instantly recognisable. It is not only because one does not have to walk down shady, unmarked hallways of old, run-down buildings or because students and staff are not required to inhabit such spaces, but because when asked about their school the students are often proud to be there. Of course, this is just the surface, but the problem with Slovakia’s education system is that in some cases the rest of the system is little better.
Google finally views Slovakia's streets
SPECIALLY-equipped cars will soon start touring Slovakia taking digital images of national monuments as well as towns and cities as part of Google’s Street View internet service. The process began on April 11 and will produce panoramic shots of many parts of the country that will be available to anyone in the world with an internet connection. It took Google two years to adapt its procedures to Slovakia’s strict law on personal data protection.
Minister rents house to tycoon
TOMÁŠ Malatinský has been forced to start his ministerial career with a confession. The economy minister, handpicked by the ruling Smer party as a non-partisan nominee, has admitted that he has been renting a house in Záhorská Bystrica, an up-market suburb of Bratislava, to Jaroslav Haščák, a co-owner of the Penta financial group, for several years. The minister said he does not intend to terminate the lease, which brings him a monthly rental payment of €4,000, claiming that Penta will not influence him.
J&T to buy shares of Poštová Banka
THE J&T financial group intends to acquire additional shares of Poštová Banka from businessman Mário Hoffmann and enter the commercial banking sector both in Slovakia and the Czech Republic in this way, Patrik Tkáč, the deputy head of J&T’s board, confirmed to the Czech daily Hospodářské Noviny.
Ján Koniarek Gallery to get new chief
THE JÁN Koniarek Gallery (GJK) in Trnava has been operating without an official head for more than a year. At the end of March, a committee of the Trnava Self-Governing Region selected Ľudmila Kasaj Poláčková to fill the position, from among two candidates. However, she has still to be approved by the regional assembly, which will next gather in mid April.
Telecom revenues down again
REVENUES of firms in the Slovak telecommunications market fell last year to €2.037 billion in both the mobile and fixed-line segments, 3.4 percent less than in 2010, according to calculations by Orange Slovensko, one of the main telecom operators in Slovakia, the SITA newswire wrote.
SIM card penetration over 116 pct
MOBILE service penetration in Slovakia reached 116 percent at the end of 2011 a 6-percentage-point increase from the end of 2010. As of December 31, 2011, the three Slovak mobile operators – Orange Slovensko, Slovak Telekom and Telefónica Slovakia (O2) – had a total of over 6.3 million active SIM cards, a net year-on-year increase of 305,000, the SITA newswire wrote.
Twenty dogs find new homes
THE INITIATIVE of Tatiana Rosová, mayor of the Old Town district of Bratislava, called Nájdite sa! (Find Yourselves!) that seeks to match abandoned pets living in animal shelters with new owners had a very successful fourth edition on April 1, with 20 dogs and one cat going home with new owners and two other dogs likely to be adopted. Three previous events had found new homes for only 19 dogs.
Political analysts express caution over new government line-up
ONLY the actual performance of Robert Fico as a second-term prime minister will show how his ruling style has changed – just as only the first challenges they face will test the ability of his new ministerial nominees. That is the conclusion of two of Slovakia’s leading political analysts. Among the ministerial nominees, the appointment of Tomáš Borec, the chairman of the Slovak Bar Association, as justice minister came as a positive surprise, they commented, while Miroslav Lajčák’s return to the post of foreign minister, while no surprise, is also a plus.
Opposition won't choose ÚVO chief
DESPITE a previous promise to give opposition parties posts from which they can oversee the work of the government, Prime Minister Robert Fico has now decided to fill the top post at the Public Procurement Office (ÚVO) with a professional nominated by professional associations and employers’ organisations. The opposition parties and several political scientists view the action as a signal that the new government does not want to give the opposition the ability to check public tenders announced by state ministries.
Rastislav Machunka to replace Tomáš Malatinský as AZZZ president
The Federation of Employers' Unions (AZZZ) decided at an extraordinary session on Thursday, April 12, that its former head Tomáš Malatinský, who recently resigned to become economy minister, will be replaced by AZZZ vice-president Rastislav Machunka, the TASR newswire reported.
Discontent reported among SNS members in lead-up to party congress
Many rank-and-file members of the Slovak National Party (SNS) are unhappy with a change in the criteria under which delegates are being selected to attend a May 19 party congress at which the party's poor results at the recent general election are to be evaluated, the TASR newswire reported on Thursday, April 12, citing an anonymous source within the SNS.
Fico: Government intends to dissolve 'irrelevant' National Property Fund
One of the priorities for the new government will be to wind up the National Property Fund (FNM) privatisation agency, Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer) said on Thursday, April 12.
Kažimír: Planned deficit of 4.6 percent at risk due to health-sector costs
Reaching the planned public finance deficit of 4.6 percent of GDP this year will be problematic because of a cash crisis in the health-care sector, Finance Minister Peter Kažimír said on Thursday, April 12.
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