Archive of articles - June 2012, page 7
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Slovakia's GDP forecast revised up
POSITIVE developments in Slovakia’s economy and jobs market during the first quarter of 2012 have prompted the central bank, the National Bank of Slovakia (NBS), to revise upwards its economic growth forecast for this year to 2.5 percent. But the bank warns that uncertainty about developments in some other eurozone countries and forthcoming domestic fiscal consolidation measures may reduce demand for Slovak products and services, and as a consequence may cause Slovakia’s economic growth to slow.
Institutions of France in Slovakia
The French Embassy to SlovakiaAmbassador: Jean-Marie Brunowww.france.sk
Sleeping Beauty awakened at the SND
THE STORY of Sleeping Beauty has been an inspiration ever since this fairy tale was written by Charles Pérrault of France. But the most-staged version is the romantic ballet choreographed by Marius Petipa to the music of Tchaikovsky. This version has almost always been staged at the Slovak National Theatre and the current staging is its fifth, but with a new adaptation presented by renowned ballet dancer and choreographer Vladimir Malakhov.
Some companies with French capital in Slovakia
-Alcatel-Lucent, www.alcatel-lucent.sk-AXA, www.axa.sk-BC Torsion, www.dirickx.sk-Bongrain (Milex, Liptovská Mliekareň),www.bongrain-slovensko.sk-Calyon, www.calyon.sk-Capgemini, www.sk.capgemini.com-Cesty Nitra, www.cestynitra.sk-Coface Slovakia, www.coface.sk-Dalkia, www.dalkia.sk-Danone, www.danone.sk-Eurovia SK, www.eurovia.sk-Faurecia Automotive, www.faurecia.com-Gefco Slovakia, www.gefco.sk-Inžinierske Stavby, www.iske.sk-Mazars, www.mazars.sk-Orange Slovensko, www.orange.sk-PSA Peugeot Citroën, http://psa-slovakia.sk/-Sanofi-aventis Pharma Slovakia, www.sanofi.sk-Servier, www.servier.sk-Stredoslovenská Energetika (SSE), www.sse.sk-Synergie, www.synergie.sk
Vietnamese puppet theatre on water
TRADITIONAL Vietnamese puppet theatre came to Slovakia for the first time ever with four performances on the weekend of May 26-27. A pool was erected near the stage at Kuchajda Lake where water puppet theatre was presented, quite an exotic event for Slovaks.
Work more, celebrate less
THE SLOVAK calendar is quite generous to employees when it comes to celebrated holidays as Slovakia has 15 designated days when Slovaks are to be paid but do not need to work, among the highest number of national holidays in the European Union.
Muráň Castle offers theatre and a hike
THEATRE performances offered at the Muráň Castle had the goal of luring more visitors, tourists as well as locals, to the town of Muráň as well as to help revive tourism in and around the Muráň Plains National Park (Národný park Muránska planina). The plays were held on June 9 and marked the unofficial opening of the summer season, Muráň mayor Roman Goldschmidt told the TASR newswire. Visitors could also see performances by the Berezun historical fencing ensemble and falconers from Banská Štiavnica on the same day.
TI evaluates fight against corruption
IMPROPER financing of political parties, unrevealed lobbying, a lack of ethical standards for members of parliament, inadequate public access to information, rigged public procurements and limited protection for whistleblowers, the citizens who report corrupt practices, are some of the main reasons why several European countries have not been able to overcome corruption in the public and business spheres, according to a report prepared by Transparency International titled Money, Politics and Power: Corruption Risks in Europe.
Celebrating French culture in Slovakia
FRENCH culture is generally appealing to most people and it has many fans in Slovakia. In addition to language courses, literary events and song contests, the French Institute in Slovakia, the French embassy and other French organisations offer a host of regular events such as classical, jazz and modern music, art and historical exhibitions, a language café, a video-art festival, cutting-edge plays at the theatre festival in Nitra, and even an exhibition about creative design of cities. Almost everyone can find something offered by France that matches their tastes.
Smer moves to sack RTVS boss
SHE WAS supposed to serve as the first general director of the newly merged public-service broadcaster Radio and Television of Slovakia (RTVS) for five years. But after less than 18 months, Miloslava Zemková now faces dismissal after the ruling Smer party acted to remove her. Her departure seems all but certain now that a motion to that effect has been tabled by the chair of parliament’s media committee, Smer MP Dušan Jarjabek.
Three dead and two wounded after police shooting in Hurbanovo
An off-duty municipal police officer shot three people dead and seriously wounded two others in the town of Hurbanovo in southern Slovakia on Saturday, June 16. The police officer is now under detention and could face charges of murder or premeditated murder, the TASR newswire reported.
Court unblocks Gorilla book
A WIDELY-criticised court decision to block publication of an unfinished book about alleged high-level political corruption being written by investigative journalist Tom Nicholson has proved relatively short-lived. The Bratislava Regional Court on June 11 overturned a temporary restraining order issued in February by the Bratislava I District Court to block the publication of the book, an act described by at least one media freedom watchdog as censorship.
European Court rules about sterilisation of Roma minor
Doctors from the hospital in Gelnica who sterilised a minor Roma girl without her consent in 2001 did not act with malice, their actions were not racially motivated and the sterilisation was not part of any organised policy, the TASR newswire wrote about a verdict by the European Court for Human Rights. On June 12, the European Court ruled on a complaint filed by the sterilised girl against Slovakia, with the information being published on the Justice Ministry's website.
Nitra’s Cardinal Korec taken to hospital with failure of vital functions
Cardinal Ján Chryzostom Korec, aged 88, bishop emeritus of the Roman Catholic diocese of Nitra, was admitted to the Faculty Hospital in Nitra due to a failure of basic vital functions, the deputy director of the hospital, Alena Ďurišová, told the TASR newswire on June 14. The cardinal's condition has been stabilised but remains critical. "He was suffering from severe septic shock and a ruptured appendix. He also has severe inflammation of the peritoneum. We carried out surgery immediately," said Ďurišová.
EU-harmonised inflation down to 3.4 percent y-o-y in May
The EU-harmonised inflation rate stood at 3.4 percent year-on-year in May, a drop of 0.3 percentage points compared to the figure recorded in April, the Slovak Statistics Office (ŠÚ) announced on June 14, adding that the average EU-harmonised inflation rate over the past 12 months to April was 4.1 percent, dropping by 0.1 percentage points on a monthly basis, the TASR newswire wrote. The month-on-month development was mainly influenced by increases in the prices of food and beverages (which increased the rate by 0.09 percentage points), clothing and footwear (0.05 percentage points), and alcoholic beverages and tobacco (0.02 percentage points).
Two KDH nominees leave the party and pledge to return their severance pay
Pavel Kravec and Pavol Tarcala, nominees of the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) in the state-run railway company ZSSK, pledged to return the large severance payments they received when they were dismissed from their posts, KDH chairman Ján Figeľ announced after the party's extraordinary session on June 14, the TASR newswire reported.
PM Fico says vote on European Stability Mechanism will not be postponed
All parliamentary parties other than Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) have declared that they want to vote on the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) by the end of this month, Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer) said after roundtable talks with the opposition parties on June 14, the TASR newswire reported. "We won't postpone the vote on ESM ratification. We want to do it at the upcoming parliamentary session [set to begin on June 19]," Fico stated, as quoted by TASR, adding that Slovakia is an independent and sovereign country and that he would welcome it if some opposition parties ensured that ratification is successful. Turning to growing rumours that the European Union could be split into a two-stream group in the future, Fico said that Slovakia will do everything it can to be viewed as a reliable and trustworthy partner that can be counted on as part of the more prosperous stream. Fico went on to address the situation in Greece, saying that there would be more advantages than disadvantages if that country remained a part of the eurozone.
Supreme Court confirms prison sentence for Ponzi scammer
On June 14 Slovakia’s Supreme Court turned down an appeal by František Mojžiš, the head of a non-banking company called Drukos that bilked customers in a Ponzi scheme from 1999 to 2002. Mojžiš had been sentenced to more than eight years in prison by the Specialised Criminal Court in Pezinok in May 2011, the SITA newswire wrote.
Slovak activist announces protest against ESM and golden parachutes
Slovak citizens unsatisfied with their country getting further involved in the European bailout mechanism have been asked to gather in protest before the parliament building on June 19 – the day lawmakers are scheduled to discuss the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), the TASR newswire reported. "This protest is designed to express the unhappiness of Slovak citizens with the approach of the government, which – according to prior statements of Prime Minister Robert Fico – will promote further bolstering and subsequent ratification of the European bailout fund," said activist Peter Pčolinský to TASR. Pčolinský believes that the ESM will only serve to add to Slovakia's indebtedness and exacerbate the financial crisis. "In the situation where Slovakia offers government bonds on the market and borrows money to repay its own debts and for the functioning of the state, we consider it irresponsible towards Slovak citizens to have the country lend money to a country where state benefits for the unemployed reach up to €1,000 per person and there are one-year or even two-year severance packages after quitting a job," stated Pčolinský, as quoted by TASR.
President Gašparovič meets with Indonesian minister about joint projects
Slovakia continues to be ready to support the development of trading relations with Indonesia, Slovak President Ivan Gašparovič told the Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Muhammad Hatta Rajasa, at a meeting on June 11, the President's Office told the TASR newswire. The Slovak president praised the fact that the Indonesian minister's visit to Slovakia is being accompanied by the Slovak-Indonesian Economic Forum. Slovakia is interested in co-operation with Indonesia in constructing power plants, cement works and a plant for producing tyres. A joint project of the Osivo Zvolen company in Banská Bystrica region, the Slovak Agricultural University in Nitra and Indonesia's Andalas University focused on growing wheat in tropical conditions is progressing successfully, the president said and the first harvest took place in Indonesia in November 2011, TASR wrote. "I believe that this co-operation will bring good results and that [the project] will be useful not only for Indonesia but also for other countries from this Asian region with similar climatic conditions," said Gašparovič.
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- Convicted of multiple murders, Slovakia’s mafia boss seeks release from prison
- News digest: Prosecutor seeks jail for NBS Governor Kažimír as his political support wanes
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- 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
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- Convicted of multiple murders, Slovakia’s mafia boss seeks release from prison
- News digest: Prosecutor seeks jail for NBS Governor Kažimír as his political support wanes
- 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
- Digital Jarvis is real now. He is coming for your to-do list
- Convicted of multiple murders, Slovakia’s mafia boss seeks release from prison
- The disinformation scene has become a tool of media capture
- 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 ›
