Archive of articles - July 2012, page 3
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Britain looks to the Olympics, and Europe
SERVING as the United Kingdom’s Ambassador to Slovakia as her country hosts the Olympic Games has brought with it a rather special treat for Susannah Montgomery: on April 1 she got to carry the Olympic Torch at the head of the Bratislava Marathon, alongside elite Kenyan runners. Montgomery, who first visited the former Czechoslovakia only a couple of months before the Velvet Revolution changed the course of Slovak history in 1989, now says that over the past 20 years the country has been through tremendous changes, and that people here seem to her to be more confident now, not least in the way they walk and talk.
Countrywide Events
Western SLOVAKIA
Brits like to stimulate discussion
SHOWING another country’s culture in Slovakia can mean a range of things, from offering controversial contemporary artworks, through supporting direct exchange of experiences, to commemorating classic personalities and events that are an inseparable part of the history of both countries.
India and central Europe connect – via music in Bratislava
THE SLOVAK capital has already seen and heard Indian musicians – and even witnessed Indian and Slovak musicians perform onstage together. But the latest novelty was the combination of one musician from India and another from Hungary (albeit with Slovak roots), introduced to a packed audience at the Hudobné Centrum (Music Centre) concert hall in Bratislava’s Zichy Palace by a second Hungarian, this one a music expert.
Private health insurers say pluralism works better
A PLURALISTIC system in the health insurance market is better than a unitary one as it supports competition and brings innovations. Thus, to improve the level of health care provided it is necessary to continue developing the existing system, believes Katarína Kafková, president of the Association of Health Insurance Companies in Slovakia. The Slovak Spectator spoke with Kafková, whose association’s two members are the private health insurers Dôvera and Union, about the current health insurance system and the government’s present effort to create a single, state-owned health insurer in Slovakia.
Websites of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games and Slovak committees
London Olympic Games 2012www.london2012.com
Another health-care 'reform'
OVERHAULS of health-care programmes always rock society and even if most citizens do not fully comprehend the substance of various “reform” proposals they do tune carefully to what public officials say when they talk about something as important as health care.
United Kingdom: General facts
Political system: constitutional monarchyCapital: LondonTotal area: 242,500 square kilometresPopulation: approximately 63 million (2011 census estimate)Main language: EnglishCurrency: pound sterling
United Buddy Bears come to Polus City Center
A UNIQUE collection of 109 painted bear sculptures called United Buddy Bears – THE MINIS can be seen for the first time in Slovakia at the Polus City Center until August 13. The bears symbolise understanding and tolerance between nations of the world. The United Buddy Bears were first unveiled next to the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin in 2002-2003 and led to the creation of a smaller 2-metre version of what are known as ambassadors of peace.
UK institutions in Slovakia
British EmbassyAmbassador: Susannah Montgomerywww.ukinslovakia.fco.gov.uk
Krajník sacked as rector of Police Academy
President Ivan Gašparovič officially dismissed Václav Krajník from the post of rector of Bratislava's Police Academy, a university-level institution, based on a proposal submitted by the Interior Ministry, the TASR newswire reported.
Parliament approves higher special bank levy
MPs passed a bill which will increase the special levy on certain financial institutions and will become effective in the last quarter of the year. The basis for calculating the levy will be widened to include retail deposits, the SITA newswire reported on July 26.
Parliament fails to elect Krnáč as NKÚ head
Opposition candidate Kamil Krnáč, a former Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) MP, failed to receive enough votes in a secret parliamentary vote held on July 26 to be appointed head of the Supreme Audit Office (NKÚ). He was the only candidate for the post, the TASR newswire reported.
Every fifth purchase contains low-quality food, Jahnátek says
Every fifth purchase by Slovaks contains some low-quality food, according to the findings of inspectors from the State Veterinary and Food Administration (ŠVPS) and the Agriculture Ministry who carried out 2,414 checks at stores between July 1 and July 24. The checks showed deficiencies in up to 549 stores, or 22.4 percent of the total, the SITA newswire reported.
Police unearth smugglers' tunnel
TAX Cobra, a special anti-tax-evasion unit of the police, snagged some unusual prey on July 18: a 700-metre-long secret tunnel that had been dug beneath the Slovak-Ukrainian border. The police believe it was being used several times a week to smuggle cigarettes into Slovakia, thereby depriving the state of as much as €50 million in tax revenue. The tunnel, described by professionals as technically sophisticated, leads from the Ukrainian city of Uzhgorod to a spot between the Slovak villages of Vyšné Nemecké and Nižné Nemecké and is thought to have been in operation for at least a year, the SITA newswire reported.
Do you speak two foreign languages? Make use of them at work
Accenture’s Business Process Outsourcing division offers interesting career to candidates speaking English together with another European language. Marián Fišera, Director of Business Processes Outsourcing division (BPO) in Accenture, explains below why he considers work in this field interesting and how it can bring professional and career growth. The Division has been operating in Slovakia for eight years now. Imagine 400 people sitting in Bratislava’s Apollo Business Center, providing Accenture clients – large companies from all over Europe – with comprehensive management of their internal processes such as procurement, finance, accounting or customer care.
Lajčák meets Hillary Clinton in Washington, DC
Bilateral relations plus international questions including the Western Balkans and the EU’s Eastern Partnership were among the issues discussed by Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajčák and his US counterpart, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, at a meeting on Wednesday, July 25, the TASR newswire reported.
Banks will have to offer a €1 basic service package to the poor
Banks will have to introduce a basic package of services priced at just €1 per month to poor people as of July 2013 after parliament passed an amendment to the Banking Act. The package, which was recommended by the European Commission, should include a regular transactional account as well as other basic services, the TASR newswire reported on July 25.
Slovak MPs will lose their criminal immunity
Slovak MPs will no longer enjoy immunity from criminal prosecution from September 1, after parliament passed the necessary amendments to the constitution and the Criminal Code. The scrapping of deputies’ criminal immunity was supported by all 144 MPs present in parliament. However, parliament will still have to give its approval before any MP suspected of a crime can be taken into custody, the TASR newswire reported.
Anti-Monopoly Office approves sale of NCHZ
The sale of bankrupt chemicals firm Novácke Chemické Závody (NCHZ) will not restrict competition, according to Slovakia’s Anti-Monopoly Office (PMÚ), which has approved the sale of the plant to Via Chem Slovakia, the SITA newswire reported.
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- News digest: Prosecutor seeks jail for NBS Governor Kažimír as his political support wanes
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- 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
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- Last Week: Slovakia’s central bank governor still faces bribery case verdict
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- News digest: Fico’s bloc wants to save money by restricting electoral access
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- Digital Jarvis is real now. He is coming for your to-do list
- Slovakia plans to restrict access to new medicines amid funding shortfall
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- News digest: Violent gang in Bratislava is under arrest
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- Digital Jarvis is real now. He is coming for your to-do list
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- A mayor resigns over €2.7 million fraud scandal at town hall
- Show me your moves! Slovak hockey stars share their best pick-up lines
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- 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 compass points to Kúty, and people are starting to follow
- 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
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners More articles ›
