Archive of articles - May 2012, page 10
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Poll finds 44 percent of Slovaks pleased with election results
A recent poll found that 44 percent of Slovaks are pleased with the results of the parliamentary elections on March 10, according to the results published by the Focus polling agency on its webpage, the TASR newswire wrote.
Gašparovič to lead Slovak delegation at NATO summit in Chicago
President Ivan Gašparovič is to head Slovakia's delegation at the NATO summit in Chicago on May 20-21, the TASR newswire was told by Elena Bianchi from the press department of the President's Office on May 14. The country's envoys to the NATO meeting will include Foreign Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajčák, Defence Minister Martin Glváč and the military’s Chief of General Staff Peter Vojtek. Gašparovič will attend a session of the North Atlantic Council (NAC) that will feature strategic discussion on NATO's capabilities up until 2020. A working dinner will follow with topics such as the future of Afghanistan and the ISAF mission to be addressed. More talks within NAC are scheduled for the second day of Gašparovič's trip. After the summit wraps up, Gašparovič will attend the ceremonial opening of Slovakia's Honorary Consulate in Chicago, Slovakia's 12th diplomatic office in the US, that will be headed by Rosemary Macko Wisnosky.
Inflation in Slovakia at 3.6 percent year-on-year in April
Consumer prices in Slovakia increased at the same monthly pace in April, by 0.3 percent, but inflation from April 2011 to April 2012 was recorded at 3.6 percent compared to the annual comparison of 3.8 percent in March, the Statistics Office announced on May 14. So-called regulated prices showed an annual increase of 7.4 percent in April compared to 7.2 percent in March, the TASR newswire reported. "The prices of foodstuffs alone dropped by 0.1 percentage points on a monthly basis in April and that contributed to a deceleration in their annual growth from 2.9 percent in March to 2 percent in April," said VÚB bank macroeconomist Andrej Arady as quoted by the TASR newswire. On a monthly basis, the highest price increases were in the health-care sector at 2.2 percent and in clothing and footwear at 2.1 percent. According to Arady, a further drop in Brent crude oil prices will lay the groundwork for deceleration in price increases in fuels to continue, adding that this may also curb rises in transport prices and the final prices of transported items.
EC predicts Slovakia’s economy will grow by 1.8 percent
In spite of the economic weakening in the eurozone as a whole, the European Commission has confidence in Slovakia’s economic growth, predicting it will rise by 1.8 percent year-on-year, according to the EC’s latest spring prognosis. If the commission’s expectations are fulfilled, the Slovak economy would post the fastest growth among all eurozone members and the fourth fastest pace among all EU countries, the SITA newswire reported.
Court dismisses Greenpeace lawsuit over the Mochovce nuclear power plant
Anti-nuclear activists from Greenpeace Slovensko failed with their lawsuit against Slovakia’s Nuclear Regulatory Authority (ÚJD) regarding the finalisation of construction of the third and fourth reactors at the Mochovce nuclear power plant as the regional court in Bratislava dismissed the organisation’s lawsuit, the SITA newswire wrote, adding that Greenpeace will likely appeal the ruling.
Former interior minister comments on slander suit against police president
Former interior minister Daniel Lipšic said that the lawsuit against outgoing Police Corps President Jaroslav Spišiak over his statements regarding the case of Karol Mello is shameful. The lawsuit was filed by three former members of the Office for the Fight against Organised Crime, Ivan Šefčík, Milan Lučanský and Jozef Mičieta, who claimed that by criticising their work on the Mello case Spišiak had committed slander, the TASR newswire reported.
New Drama – also in English
THE 2012 NOVÁ dráma (New Drama) festival is a competition of contemporary theatre that will return to Bratislava for the eighth consecutive year, from May 14 to May 19. “Afterwards, it will travel to other Slovak cities like Košice, Nitra, Prešov and Žilina,” festival head Vladislava Fekete told the TASR newswire.
Consumer loans hit record high
THE VOLUME of consumer loans provided by Slovak banks in March exceeded the record set last November. Slovaks borrowed €120 million in March through consumer loans, the highest amount since the introduction of the euro in 2009.
Minister’s diploma scrutinised
LABOUR Minister Ján Richter certainly has some challenging bites on his ministerial plate including the country’s notoriously high unemployment, its perpetually-revised pension system as well as the dizzying prospect of reforming the payroll levy system. Yet the media is quizzing him for an explanation over the legitimacy of his law degree after the Sme daily reported alleged problems with the accreditation of the course that earned Richter his bachelor’s degree. Richter’s former school, Matej Bel University, stated that everything was in line with the rules and that any doubts are the result of a misunderstanding.
Košice City Day is a great success
THE TRADITIONAL City Day celebrations held in Košice actually lasted a full week this year. The most important event commemorated the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Rozhanovce on June 15, 1312, in which the troops of King Charles I of Hungary defeated the supporters of Palatine Amade Aba, a Hungarian oligarch who then ruled the city of Kassa, now called Košice.
Fico's plan nears approval
WHILE the programme statement of the government of Robert Fico faces little likelihood of being voted down by MPs – the ruling Smer party controls 83 of the 150 seats in parliament – discussion of it has been lengthy, with the opposition criticising many of the ideas through which Fico aspires to bring about what he calls a “modern and thrifty state that intervenes in the economy only when reasonably necessary and avoids approaches that deform the market”.
Gašparovič faces Ukrainian challenge
UKRAINE’S decision to postpone a summit of central and eastern European presidents that was to have taken place in the Black Sea port of Yalta on May 11-12 has now presented Slovak President Ivan Gašparovič with a rare spot in the diplomatic limelight. The event was put off after a series of European leaders – though not Gašparovič – said they would not attend, most citing Ukraine’s treatment of jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko.
Some banks active in Slovakia
Universal banks
In the wrong playground
UNLESS the democratic community is unified in its approach towards leaders who like to make their own odd interpretations of universal human rights, these leaders will always find ways to garner symbolic support and tell their citizens that they have legitimate contacts in the international community.
The Tatras' 'mountain eyes'
IN THIS nice postcard from 1906 we see the end of Malá Studená dolina (Small Cold Valley) and, behind the posing hiker, one of the five Spiš mountain lakes (Spišské plesá) as well as the roof of the Téry cabin in the lower left corner.
Countrywide Events
Western SLOVAKIA
Leasing market grows by 14 percent
THE SLOVAK leasing market grew last year in line with expectations, with an aggregate volume of new contracts of €1.848 billion, an annual increase of 14.4 percent, while the number of new contracts rose 1 percent to 66,578. The market was driven by leasing of machinery and facilities, trucks and real estate.
Judge’s discrimination suit dismissed
A DISCRIMINATION lawsuit filed by retired judge Jozef Soročina was dismissed by the Bratislava I District Court, but the judge’s lawyer, Juraj Kus, stated that the case would be appealed, the SITA newswire wrote.
Chamber Column: Leasing: using rather than owning
COMPANIES in the past often purchased assets like cars, buildings, and IT equipment almost exclusively from their own resources. But executives of many companies are now realising that the main benefit flowing from having these kinds of tools is from using them, not from actually owning them. As a result, companies have started to use financial leasing in addition to cash purchase, and recently a large amount of operating leasing as well.
Global wine competition in 2013
BRATISLAVA will host one of the world’s major viticulture competitions next year, as the 20th Concours Mondial de Bruxelles comes to the Slovak capital.
- 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
- Iconic Slovak barn still draws crowds. Without donors, it might have been lost Photo
- 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
- 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
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- From eight to thousands of runners. How Košice marathon rose to prominence Photo
- 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
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- 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
- 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
- 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
- He designed Gatwick. But this is his masterpiece
- 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 ›
