Archive of articles - May 2013, page 15
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Romania's Astra enters Slovakia
ROMANIAN insurance company Astra has expanded its operations in Europe. In line with its strategic plan of development for 2012 it opened a branch in Slovakia in December, the SITA newswire wrote.Astra plans to first focus on property and car insurance in Slovakia, i.e. insurance products in which the parent company has a strong share on the Romanian market.
Glossary: Fraud on the rise, say insurers
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 article Fraud on the rise, say insurers, you can find more expressions in our Glossary for politics & business or in the List of names of institutions in English and Slovak.
Fake diplomat caught smuggling
A MAN posing as a Polish diplomat attempted to smuggle nearly 600 cartons of cigarettes with Ukrainian control stamps from Ukraine to Slovakia. The attempted tax evasion could have exceeded €16,200, the SITA newswire reported on April 28.
Drama festival to stage eight plays with English subtitles
IT SEEMS that after a meagre winter season, a wave of Slovak drama is heading to the capital: after the Slovak National Theatre’s (SND) production of Oresteia, and alternative theatre Stoka’s staging of Uncertain Ground, the Nová drama / New Drama festival will offer eight plays, all with English subtitles, by several Slovak theatres, all of which will be competing for awards. The festival will offer a sampling of what is happening in contemporary Slovak drama, with productions by the SND and other Bratislava-based theatres, as well as various regional and alternative theatres from Martin, Žilina and Košice.
Israeli recipes: Chicken in orange-beer marinade
Ingredients and preparation.
Slovnaft fined for abusing monopoly
THE SUPREME Court has confirmed the decision of the Slovak Antimonopoly Office (PMÚ) to impose a fine of €9.03 million on oil refinery Slovnaft for misusing its dominant status on the markets for wholesale sale of petrol in 2006 and diesel in 2005-2006, the TASR newswire reported on April 29.
Fraud on the rise, say insurers
SLOVAK insurance companies are reporting an increase in fraudulent behaviour by clients, ascribing this to the current difficult economic situation, some fraudsters’ visions of ‘easy money’, and the use of more sophisticated methods to uncover insurance fraud. Insurance companies have intensified their fight against fraud, pointing out that fraudulent claims lead to higher premiums for honest customers.
The prospects of further EU integration
THE EUROPEAN Union works on the principle of so-called sovereignty bargains. When a country gives up something, it receives something back. This principle disproves some claims that states receive nothing in return, according to Jan Techau, director of Carnegie Europe, the European centre of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a foreign-policy think tank. These bargains, according to him, are key to the further integration processes now being discussed by EU member states.
World War II shell turns up in Trenčianske Stankovce
AN UNEXPLODED artillery shell was uncovered during excavations on the grounds of a company in Trenčianske Stankovce on April 9. The man who discovered the missile immediately contacted police. A pyrotechnics expert from the Regional Police Headquarters who examined the shell said that it was an unexploded World War II artillery shell. Trenčín police spokesperson Elena Antalová elaborated for the TASR newswire. “The missile had a damaged percussion fuse. Using strict safety measures, the police drove the shell to a safe area and defused it,” she explained. Experts searched the surrounding area but found no more ordnance. The incident ended without injuries or damage.
Winter brought record pothole claims
THE LONG and harsh winter has left its ‘legacy’ on Slovak roads in the form of thousands of potholes. The result is damaged cars and a rise in insurance claims. Allianz – Slovenská Poisťovňa, the biggest insurer in Slovakia, registered 1,199 insurance claims caused by potholes during the winter season from the start of December through to the end of March. The total claims reached €787,000, putting the average cost of damage at as much as €660 per vehicle, the insurer wrote in its press release.
Most beautiful books announced
A COMPETITION to find Slovakia’s most beautiful book takes place each year in order to support and boost the visual perception of books published in Slovakia. On April 25, the winners were announced in the Dvorana concert hall in Bratislava – and an exhibition presenting them can be seen until May 26 at Bibiana, the International House of Art for Children, at Panská 41 in Bratislava, the Pravda daily wrote.
Politics to be off limits in the new Stará Tržnica
ALIANCIA Stará Tržnica / The Old Market Hall Alliance civic association and Bratislava city representatives have finally come to an agreement covering the regulations and uses of the Old Market in the SNP Square. The agreement was signed on April 24.
Top cop quits over alleged mafia links
LAST YEAR, as the Robert Fico government was beginning its term in office and appointing a raft of new senior officials, Stanislav Jankovič was the hot favourite to become Slovakia’s new national police chief. Allegations that he had been involved in the cover-up of a speeding offence involving businessman Ján Božík meant that he instead ended up being appointed advisor to Interior Minister Robert Kaliňák, who has responsibility for the police. Now, however, Jankovič, a former Police Corps vice-president, has been forced to quit his Interior Ministry role following the publication of transcripts of wire-tapped conversations between himself and Libor Jakšík, the alleged head of an organised crime gang in Bratislava, the Sme daily reported on May 2.
Economic sentiment improves
THE MOOD in the Slovak economy improved again in April, according to the indicator of economic sentiment measured by the Statistics Office, which went up month-on-month by 2.2 points to 92.6 points, the SITA newswire reported.
Daily ordered to apologise to judge
READERS could instantly tell that the April 26th edition of the Sme daily, one of Slovakia’s major newspapers, was different from any that had gone before. On that day, and again in the following two issues, the daily printed a court-ordered apology, addressed to a Slovak judge, in capital letters on its front page. The Slovak committee of the International Press Institute (IPI) called the court ruling, which required publication of the apology, a threat to the media’s performance of its basic functions of informing the public and acting as a check on state power.
The remarkable career of a ground-breaking female Slovak scholar
JUST OVER a hundred years ago, on April 13, 1913, Helena Turcerová-Devečková graduated from a post-graduate program at the Sorbonne in Paris making her the first Slovak woman to receive a degree from that prestigious institution. Ms Turcerová-Devečková received her degree for her studies of the works of Ľudovít Štúr, the Slovak linguist who is given much of the credit for codifying the modern Slovak language.
Plight of Roma pupils highlighted
ROMA children in Slovakia are dramatically overrepresented in ‘special’ classes and schools for children with special needs, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) said in a report published on April 17, 2013. Stanislav Daniel, studies officer of the Roma Education Fund (REF), agrees, saying special schools are among the most visible instances of the segregation of Roma, since children are placed in such schools on the basis of what he says are biased tests, which in practice only serve to label children as having disabilities but do not address their needs. Education of Roma children was among the most widely discussed topics on International Roma Day on April 8.
Insurance sector profits down 20%
THE PROFITS of insurance companies operating in Slovakia amounted to €155 million in 2012, which was a 20-percent drop compared to the previous year. The National Bank of Slovakia (NBS) ascribes this decrease to particularly high profits earned by the insurers in 2011. The result recorded by insurance companies in 2012 is the third highest over the monitored history in terms of profitability, the SITA newswire reported.
Someone whom Smer will like...
THE STORY of electing the country’s next general prosecutor cannot possibly have a happy ending, since the process which started more than two years ago has exposed a whole tapestry of ills in Slovak politics, and has seriously contributed to the corrosion of people’s faith in their politicians’ respect for the constitution and the independence of the judiciary from political power.
Israeli recipes: Stuffed avocado
Ingredients and preparation.
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- Legendary captain Zdeno Chára inducted into IIHF Hall of Fame Video
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- 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
- From eight to thousands of runners. How Košice marathon rose to prominence Photo
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- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- 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
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- 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
- 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
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- 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 ›
