Archive of articles - November 2012, page 11
If you desire to read an old article, use the search bar or select the publication date.
The colourful Jazz Days
JAZZ music has many moods – it can be both sunny and mysterious, it can heat up your blood and compel you to dance, or calm you down and make you sway to its rich melodies. It can also bring together those who have dedicated their lives to the genre to enjoy performances by both well-known musicians and younger talents.
AmCham proposes education solutions
THE DESIRE, expressed by firms, for closer cooperation between the Slovak education system and businesses, as well as the attractiveness of the role of teachers, were among the top issues discussed at a conference, The Future of Education in Slovakia, held in Bratislava by the American Chamber of Commerce in Slovakia (AmCham) on October 30. Besides teachers, who are planning another strike for higher salaries on November 26, the conference focused on the struggle with bureaucracy in Slovak schools, and problems teaching students who will later fit into the labour market.“Quality education and science are a priority of Slovak society and should therefore become also a priority of the Slovak government,” Executive Director of AmCham Jake Slegers told The Slovak Spectator while explaining the aims of the conference.
One of Nitra's landmarks
THIS EARTH-shattering postcard of Nitra, which dates back to the early 1920s, is fascinating due to the fact that it depicts a section of the old town that no longer exists in this form.
When 'justice' is a mockery
SIXTEEN years after one of the most traumatising cases of the mid-nineties, evoking serious concerns about the rule of law and the state of democracy in Slovakia, the country’s top court said that the father of the victim must apologise to the man who at that time ran the agency that was suspected of committing the crime. This crime has never been properly investigated because the then prime minister, Vladimír Mečiar, blocked any further investigation by granting controversial amnesties covering the case.
Toys mainly for boys?
APPROXIMATELY 45 percent of Slovaks who regularly shop online have a smart phone. However, smart phones are more the domain of men than women, and as many as 5 percent of respondents have two or more such phones. These are results of a survey that the research agency NMS Market Research conducted in cooperation with the price-comparison website Heureka.sk.
A young saxophone star
YOU might think that a musician performing as Grace Kelly could only be doing so under a stage name. Yet this is the real name of the 20-year-old US saxophonist who performed at the recent Bratislava Jazz Days. Kelly says the fact that she shares her name with the famous US actress is just a great coincidence.
ESO reform gets green light
THE STATE administration is set for a reform as of the beginning of 2013, after President Ivan Gašparovič signed a bill pertaining to measures in the local state administration into law on November 8, the SITA newswire reported.
Nurses put forward their demands
THE SLOVAK Chamber of Nurses and Midwives, along with the Nurse and Midwife Labour Union, has formulated eight demands and set up a deadline for each to be fulfilled. If these demands are not met, nurses may consider resigning en masse. Among their demands, nurses and other health-care personnel are seeking higher salaries and an end to social uncertainties like long hours and low pensions, the TASR newswire reported.
MPs fail to approve ban on bank fees
BANKS and non-bank financial institutions offering loans will not be banned from requiring fees for administering loan accounts, after parliament rejected an amendment through which opposition MPs Lucia Žitňanská and Miroslav Beblavý attempted to introduce the ban, the TASR newswire reported.The amendment failed to make it through parliament when the MPs from the ruling Smer party abstained from the vote.
Slovaks create apps that leave a global mark
SMART phones are useful devices right out of the box, but with applications, or apps, there are myriad ways to make them even smarter and more helpful. Apps exist in abundance, and new apps arrive on the market every day. They navigate smart phone users, help them conduct their businesses and provide entertainment. It is quite difficult to find anything for which an application has not yet been developed.
Slovak market prepares for the arrival of LTE
THE TECHNICAL development and popularity of social networks are inspiring more and more people in Slovakia to make wider use of the mobile internet. Telecom operators here are reporting a continual increase in usage of mobile internet services and even though they say that their current 3G networks do not represent a barrier to such usage, all of them are preparing for the arrival of LTE (Long Term Evolution) technology, also marketed as 4G in Slovakia. But experts warn that the technology will not, on its own, create a miracle and turn Slovaks into extensive mobile internet users.
EC’s prediction for 2013 revised
SLOVAKIA should finish second in the eurozone with economic growth of 2 percent in 2013, according to a European Commission autumn prognosis for GDP growth in the EU between 2012 and 2014 published on November 7, the TASR newswire reported.
UK daily investigates Slovak licensing body
A PRIVATE licensing institute in Slovakia has been accused of offering to authorise a potentially toxic hip replacement for sale in Europe as part of an undercover operation carried out by a British newspaper. Journalists from the Daily Telegraph posing as importers approached the Electrotechnical Research and Projecting Company (EVPÚ) in Nová Dubnica, which said it was prepared to license the dangerous medical implants for sale in the European Union, the newspaper reported. But the EVPÚ, backed by its supervising body, insists that the British journalists manipulated the evidence.
Retention of call data will not change
THERE will be no changes in the way that calling data – such as the time, duration and numbers called by all telephone users in Slovakia – are collected and archived. On November 6 the Slovak Parliament voted down an amendment to the law on electronic communications drafted by Miroslav Kadúc, an MP for Ordinary People and Independent Personalities (OĽaNO). The opposition MP had sought to remove what he called “the most significant shortcomings” from the current law. Kadúc opposes the so-called “flat [i.e. total] and preventive archiving” of data pertaining to telephone calls made by all citizens and considers this to be unconstitutional, the SITA newswire reported.
Halloween, Trebišov-style
THE TRADITION of masks, light and pumpkins connected with the “All-Souls” holiday was revived during the Celebration of Lights on the evening of Tuesday, October 30, at a mansion in Trebišov. About 600 people attended the event, including families with children, donning various monster- and ghost-masks.“The goal of the event is to commemorate the All Hallows holiday but also to clarify that the American Halloween is in fact our European holiday, the feast of ancient Celts, which was taken over by Americans from European immigrants, and later commercialised,” Beáta Kereštanová, head of the Museum and Cultural Centre of South Zemplín in Trebišov, which organised the event, told the TASR newswire.
Opposition's woes continue
THE SLOVAK Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ), once the pre-eminent force in Slovak centre-right politics, would not make it into parliament if a general election were held now, according to at least two recent polls. The party appears to be racked by internal disagreements over its future direction – a crisis partly mirrored over in the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH), another centre-right opposition party. As well as seeing a former deputy leader break away to set up his own party, the KDH recently witnessed one of its remaining MPs, Radoslav Procházka, attack the party’s present course and then establish his own so-called ‘platform’, named Alfa, within the party.Daniel Lipšic, the breakaway deputy leader, claims that hundreds of former SDKÚ and KDH members are interested in joining his New Majority party, which has now been registered with the Interior Ministry. And a third opposition party, Ordinary People and Independent Personalities (OĽaNO), has seen Alojz Hlina, one of its leading figures, quit, complaining about its leader’s style.
SIM card penetration keeps growing
MOBILE service penetration in Slovakia reached 117.26 percent at the end of June, representing a year-on-year rise of more than 5 percentage points. As of June 30, 2012, the three Slovak mobile operators – Orange Slovensko, Slovak Telekom and Telefónica Slovakia (O2) – had a total of over 6.332 million active SIM cards, a net year-on-year increase of 275,000, the SITA newswire wrote. As of June 30, Orange had 2.880 million active SIM cards, both pre-paid and post-paid. Telekom had 2.202 million and O2 1.250 million active SIM cards. The number of active O2 SIM cards rose by 250,000 year-on-year and the number of active Orange SIM cards by 31,000. On the other hand, the number of active Telekom SIM cards dropped by 3,000. These numbers also included data from branded resellers using services provided by the three operators. These resellers were Naymobile, Swan Mobile, Tesco Mobile and FunFón.
Canadian cuisine: Hearty soups and maple syrup
THERE is no great secret behind Canadians’ passion for rich creamy soups and maple syrup: it lies in their country’s climate.
Canadian recipes:Braised fennel with blue cheese
Ingredients and preparation.
Canadian recipes: Baked garlic and onion cream soup
Ingredients and preparation.
- 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
- Liberal MP's boxing challenge backfires as far-right MEP seizes the moment
- 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
- From eight to thousands of runners. How Košice marathon rose to prominence Photo
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- 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
- 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
- A mayor resigns over €2.7 million fraud scandal at town hall
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- Legendary captain Zdeno Chára inducted into IIHF Hall of Fame Video
- Liberal MP's boxing challenge backfires as far-right MEP seizes the moment
- 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 More articles ›
