Archive of articles - May 2013
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Hungarian cuisine: Cottage-cheese dumplings with strawberry icing
Ingredients and preparation.
Hungarian cuisine: Land of 100 soups – and goulash
A LUNCH without soup would be unthinkable for Hungarians, said Csaba Balogh while pouring his sour cherry soup into a hand-painted porcelain bowl made in Herend, by a Hungarian producer of porcelain products which can include Queen Victoria among its roster of notable customers. Hungarian cuisine has more than 100 types of soup, and sour cherry soup is often served cold as a summer delicacy, the Hungarian Ambassador to Slovakia explained, while Ágota Hetey, his wife, arranged the plates adorned with colourful flowers and butterflies.
Hungarian cuisine: Sirloin á la Budapest
Ingredients and preparation.
Parliament rejects Lipšic's proposal to introduce direct elections for general prosecutor post
Slovakia's general prosecutor will not be elected by the public in a manner similar to the president, after parliament on May 30 rejected a proposal submitted by independent MP Daniel Lipšic (founder of the New Majority (NOVA) party) to amend the respective constitutional law. Lipšic submitted the motion in order to resolve the long-running vacancy at the head of the General Prosecutor's Office.
Smer MPs drop investigation of military intelligence service embezzlement claims
The parliamentary committee that oversees the military intelligence service will not scrutinise claims of embezzlement by military intelligence officers during the first Fico government (2006-10).
Cabinet agrees higher sanctions for illegal employment
Starting from November this year, fines for illegal employment in Slovakia should be higher, as stipulated by the draft amendment to the law on labour inspection. The government approved the draft revision at its session on Thursday, May 30.
Volkswagen launches production of 'cross up!' at Bratislava plant
Volkswagen Slovakia launched production of its new cross up! model at its Bratislava plant on Thursday, May 30, the TASR newswire reported, citing company spokesman Vladimír Machalík.
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Court orders retrial of Sadiki, prosecutor contests decision
The Prešov District Court has cancelled the 2011 conviction of Baki Sadiki for serious drugs offences. He was sentenced in absentia two years ago to 22 years in prison by both the district and regional courts in Prešov. The decision cancelling his conviction is not yet effective as the prosecutor has filed a complaint, the TASR newswire wrote.
Sme: Prosecutor drops charges against Šlachtová in Glance House case
In the controversial case concerning the disputed transfer of Glance House, a luxury apartment block in Bernolákovo, near Bratislava, the prosecutor has dropped charges against one of those involved, businesswoman Jana Šlachtová, an acquaintance of tycoon Marián Kočner. The Sme daily reported that it had failed to get an explanation from either the prosecutor or the police for why charges have been dropped, but three sources close to the investigation reportedly confirmed the report for the daily.
F.A. Hayek Foundation: Slovakia's competitiveness unimproved
In 2013, Slovakia's competitiveness neither improved nor worsened, according to the results of the annual Global Competitiveness Report 2013, published by the World Economic Forum (WEF). Slovakia ranked 47th of the total of 60 assessed countries, unchanged from 2012.
Seven parties announce their support for Frešo in race for Bratislava Region presidency
A coalition of seven right-wing and centrist parties – the Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ), the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH), Freedom and Solidarity (SaS), Most-Híd, the Hungarian Community Party (SMK), the Civic Conservative Party (OKS) and the Green Party – has agreed to support the re-election bid of the current president of the Bratislava Self-Governing Region Pavol Frešo, who is also the leader of the SDKÚ.
Sme: Interblue resurrected, asks for emissions from Slovakia
The mysterious Swiss firm Interblue has asked for 20 million tons of emissions quotas from the Slovak state, citing a contract from five years ago which enabled its forerunner to buy quotas to release 15 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions at a far lower price than the normal market rate. Representatives of the Environment Ministry, then under the control of the Slovak National Party (SNS), sold each quota-ton for around €5, just as neighbouring countries were selling them for almost €10 per ton.
Poliačik files lawsuit against Paška over drug accusations
MP Martin Poliačik from Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) has filed a complaint against Parliamentary Speaker Pavol Paška for the latter's statements on the MP's drug history. He thereby intends to respond to Paška's comments, in which the parliamentary chairman identified Poliačik as "a tireless promoter of heroin", the TASR newswire quoted him on Wednesday, May 29.
Minister Glváč promises to declassify leaked embezzlement documents
Defence Minister Martin Glváč is ready to declassify leaked documents that detail alleged tunnelling at the Military Intelligence Service (VSS) between 2006 and 2010, after he consults with the head of the National Security Bureau (NBÚ) Jozef Magala and Special Prosecutor Dušan Kováčik, the TASR newswire wrote on Wednesday, May 29.
OECD revises Slovakia's GDP growth outlook downward this year
In 2013, the Slovak economy will grow at a rate slower than one percent. This estimate of the Slovak Central Bank (NBS) and bank analysts was underpinned on Wednesday, May 29 by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which revised downward the GDP growth estimate of Slovakia this year to 0.8 percent.
European Commission says Slovakia on path to cut excessive deficit
The European Commission (EC) believes that Slovakia is on the right path toward reining in its excessive deficit. This follows from a set of recommendations that the EC unveiled for EU member countries on Wednesday, May 29. The document, quoted by the TASR newswire, writes that Slovakia can garner additional resources by broadening the tax base, curtailing the leeway for tax evasion and making more extensive use of taxes that do not dampen growth – such as property and environmental taxation.
VÚC
THERE is not much to like about the Higher Regional Units (VÚC). The name sounds just as bureaucratic and artificial in Slovak as it does in English. Their borders reflect no traditional regions, but given the political situation of the early 2000s and an ever-present fear of Hungarian separatism – which is why the Trnava VÚC looks like a giant lizard getting ready to attack and swallow Bratislava – the point was to stretch it as far to the north as possible. The powers of the regions are clear to few, and the alliances that run them have no political logic.
Minister dismisses embezzlement claims
DEFENCE Minister Martin Glváč might have called suspicions of large-scale embezzlement of funds via the country’s military intelligence agency during the first government of Robert Fico (2006-2010) a “dangerous media hoax” as well as a “fictional construction”, which have endangered the interests of the state, but further witnesses have since come forward to say that the suspicions are real and should be subject to independent investigation. The former boss of the Military Intelligence Service (VSS), Roman Mikulec, even said he was concerned that important documentation pointing to embezzlement was now being shredded by the military intelligence agency.
Confidence in Slovak industry weakened in May
Sentiment in Slovak industry deteriorated in May after two months of improvement. The confidence indicator in industry, according to a business outlook survey carried out by the Slovak Statistics Office (ŠÚ), decreased by 1.7 points to negative 0.7 points, which is 3.7 points below its long-term average.
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- News digest: Violent gang in Bratislava is under arrest
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
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- Digital Jarvis is real now. He is coming for your to-do list
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- The disinformation scene has become a tool of media capture
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- A mayor resigns over €2.7 million fraud scandal at town hall
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- 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
- 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
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava More articles ›
