Archive of articles - February 2013, page 9
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Malware goes mobile
IN A VERY short period of time, millions of people around the globe have become increasingly reliant upon smart phones and other mobile devices. People use these devices not just for making phone calls, which is merely one of their myriad functions, but for taking pictures, making videos, keeping notes, listening to music, reading e-mail – both personal and work-related - and even for conducting bank transactions. Thus, these small devices have become an alternative way to store photos, contacts, personal and corporate data, passwords and other confidential information, making them more and more susceptible to cybercrime. Antivirus specialists warn that cybercriminals have already created a considerable amount of malware geared specifically towards mobile devices, and predict that this threat will grow significantly. Mobile service providers in Slovakia confirm this trend.
Exercise: The limits of the tabloid media
This exercise is linked to the topic The limits of the tabloid media.
Glossary: The limits of the tabloid media
Spectator College provides readers of The Slovak Spectator who are trying to improve their English with glossaries of useful and frequently used words and expressions from stories published as part of the Spectator College as well as in the rest of the newspaper. As well as this special glossary, which relates to the topic The limits of the tabloid media, you can find more expressions in our Glossary for politics & business or in the List of names of institutions in English and Slovak.
The limits of the tabloid media
A glossary of words as well as an
Peter Šťastný considers running for president
Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ) MEP and former ice hockey star Peter Šťastný confirmed on Thursday, February 14, that he is considering running as a candidate in the 2014 presidential elections, the TASR newswire reported. Šťastný was asked whether he would announce his candidacy this year. "I'm not ruling out this possibility," he said, but refused to comment any further.
Foreign Ministry seeks release of Slovak citizen held in Chad
The Slovak Foreign Ministry is currently working to get Jozef Ličko, a Slovak who has been held in the African republic of Chad for more than two months, released, the TASR newswire reported on Thursday, February 14. The ministry said it had approached the French Embassy and the EU delegation in Chad for help.
Wammen: Important to have EU budget passed by EU Parliament as it is
Slovakia and Denmark are happy with the proposed seven-year financial framework which European Union leaders agreed on earlier this week, Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajčák and Danish European Affairs Minister Nicolai Wammen said at a joint press conference on Thursday, February 14.
Parliamentary session to consider Gašparovič impeachment proposal postponed till March 12
Parliament will resume debate of an opposition initiative to bring President Ivan Gašparovič before the Constitutional Court on March 12, after governing party MPs stymied the first attempt to debate it on February 14, the TASR newswire reported.
Slovakia’s GDP growth slowed to 0.7 percent in fourth quarter
Slovakia's GDP expressed in fixed prices in the final quarter of 2012 increased by 0.7 percent compared to the same period in 2011, the Slovak Statistics Office (ŠÚ) announced on Thursday, February 14.
Poll: Smer still dominant, OĽaNO and SDKÚ joint second
If a general election had taken place in February, the Smer party would have come first, with 40.2 percent and, with 78 seats, would thus been able to form a government alone. Ordinary People and Independent Personalities (OĽaNO) and the Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ) polled joint second, with both parties attracting 9-percent support, equivalent to 17 seats each.
Parliament to discuss proposed impeachment of Gašparovič on Thursday
Parliament will deal with a proposal to impeach President Ivan Gašparovič, Speaker of Parliament Pavol Paška decided on Wednesday, inviting Gašparovič to take part in the session. It is due to take place this afternoon (Thursday, February 14).
Lajčák meets British foreign minister
The foreign ministers of Great Britain and Slovakia – William Hague and Miroslav Lajčák – met in London on Wednesday, February 13, and praised the level of bilateral co-operation, but stated that there is still scope for improvement in communication between British social services authorities and the relevant bodies in Slovakia, the TASR newswire reported, quoting the Slovak Foreign Ministry.
Official charged in bulletin-board tender case resigns from state position
Zdenka Kudláčová, who until Wednesday, February 13, was responsible for public procurement at the Eastern Slovak Cardiovascular Institute, a position she had held since December 2011, resigned after the Sme daily reported that the state joint-stock company employs her even though she has been charged, together with ex-ministers Igor Štefanov and Marian Janušek, in the so-called bulletin-board tender case.
Heavily-criticised amendment to Public Procurement Act passed
The drawing of European funds will be quicker, claims Interior Minister Robert Kaliňák who managed to get the "small amendment" to the Public Procurements Act passed in a fast-tracked procedure in parliament on Wednesday, February 13. The legislation, passed in 24 hours, received support of 79 MPs out of present 140.
Regional governors present proposal to prevent teacher layoffs
The heads of self-governing regions on Wednesday, February 13 presented to Education Minister Dušan Čaplovič a proposal that should prevent mooted lay-offs of teachers at primary and secondary schools from taking place, the TASR newswire learnt.
ECHR awards Slovak convicted murderer €5,000 in compensation
Slovakia must pay more than €5,000 to convicted murderer Viliam Hauser as compensation for a failure by the courts to decide on a lawsuit he submitted, the European Court for Human Rights (ECHR) ruled on February 5, the TASR newswire reported on February 13, quoting the website of the Slovak Justice Ministry.
Procurement rules changed in swift vote
ACTING in a sudden rush in mid February, the Slovak parliament – in which the governing Smer party holds an overwhelming majority – revised the country’s public procurement rules. The author of the revision, the Interior Ministry, claimed that the move was necessary to boost Slovakia’s ability to draw every possible euro from EU funds allocated up to the end of 2013. The amendment, which cleared parliament less than 48 hours after ministers approved its wording, hit a raw nerve with opposition parties and political ethics watchdogs, who said the haste with which the changes were pushed through was unjustified and meant that proper debate was avoided.
Blesky
SLOVAKS are not easily surprised by a sudden storm. The very first lines of the national anthem describe how “lightning flashes over the Tatras” and “the thunder pounds wildly”. Still, this week brought an unusual amount of news that came like a bolt out of the clear heavens (blesk z jasného neba).
Rail company ZSSK had fewer passengers but earned more in 2012
The number of passengers who used the services of state-owned railway company Železničná spoločnosť Slovensko (ZSSK) last year declined by 5.5 percent year-on-year, but earnings went up by 6.86 percent, the TASR newswire was told by head of ZSSK's communications department Slavomíra Šubrtová on Tuesday, February 12. The overall number of passengers reached 43 million last year, while in 2011 the figure was 46 million.
Krajňák elected to ÚPN head post
On Wednesday, February 13, Smer candidate Ondrej Krajňák was elected by the Slovak parliament to chair the Board of the Nation’s Memory Institute (ÚPN). In a secret ballot he received 105 votes out of a total of 140 MPs present. His rival, Marián Gula, nominated by the People’s Platform, consisting of three opposition parties: Christian-Democratic Movement (KDH), Slovak democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ) and Most-Híd, received only 18 votes.
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