Archive of articles - August 2013, page 2
If you desire to read an old article, use the search bar or select the publication date.
Lajčák thanks US Major General Umbarger for support of Slovak army
Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajčák on August 26 received Indiana National Guard Major General Roy Martin Umbarger during his visit to Slovakia, and thanked his American guest for the logistics and medical support that the US Army provided to the Slovak soldiers injured in the terrorist attack in Afghanistan.
UPDATED: Sme: Speculation drew clients away from Zuno bank
Following speculation that internet bank Zuno is leaving the Czech and Slovak markets as its parent company, the Raiffeisen Group, has been considering its closure due to last year’s €95 million loss, caused a mass exodus of clients, the Sme daily wrote in its Saturday, August 24 issue.
Slovak Ambassador to Poland slammed by local paper for skirting traffic fines
The Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza wrote in its web issue that Slovak Ambassador to Poland Vasil Grivna has been violating Polish traffic rules since 2011, and that, allegedly, diplomatic immunity has protected him from receiving stiff fines. On May 28, 2013 he ignored a red light, and were he not a diplomat, he would have to have paid a fine equalling €118. Three months earlier, he was halted by police for speeding, facing a potential fine of over €200.
Ombudsman's report points to Roma segregation in schools
The current educational framework with respect to conditions at schools set aside for special needs students provides only a negligible opportunity to achieve higher educational levels, ombudswoman Jana Dubovcová cautions in her special report due to be discussed by the parliamentary committee for human and minority rights on Tuesday, August 27.
Polish and Slovak presidents meet in Červený Kláštor
Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski and Slovak President Ivan Gašparovič discussed current issues in both countries at their August 26 meeting. Komorowski said that the presidents found the time and occasion to talk about the need to promote shared traditions and values. “I wanted to note that we share a part of the Dunajec [River], and we have two national parks and many sights on both sides of the border to attract tourists,” he said, as quoted by the TASR newswire.
HelpMEAT combines charity and foreign cultures
ENJOYING a taste of foreign culture while helping people in need seems a good idea, and the project HelpMEAT combines these very things in an effort to finance a day-care centre for Bratislava’s homeless.
T-Systems Slovakia seeks state aid of over €5 million
Košice-based company T-Systems Slovakia is seeking state assistance worth €5.08 million for expanding its IT centre, which provides services in information and communications technologies, according to a proposal on the provision of investment aid that the Economy Ministry has submitted for inter-ministerial comments.
Banks stick to 0.8-percent GDP growth estimate for this year
Despite positive news from the second quarter of this year, banks in Slovakia have not significantly changed their view of how the economy will develop over the next two years. In August, bank analysts kept their forecasts for economic growth for this year at 0.8 percent. They even slightly decreased the forecast for next year, from July's 2.3 percent to the current 2.2 percent, the SITA newswire wrote on August 23. This is the outcome of the August round of the regular survey of the National Bank of Slovakia (NBS) among bank analysts.
Motion filed against Smer MP Vaľová over conflict of interest
The parliamentary committee for conflicts of interest is dealing with a motion against Smer MP and mayor of Humenné Jana Vaľová. She was self-employed until June 1 of this year and a parliamentary deputy at the same time (since July 2006), which is at odds with the Conflict of Interests Act, the Sme daily wrote on Saturday, August 24.
Former Nitra chief prosecutor charged with bribery
The former head of the Prosecutor’s Office in Nitra, identified only as Jozef M., has been charged with corruption for allegedly receiving a bribe of €40,000, Slovak media reported on the weekend of August 23-25.
ELI agency charged with human trafficking
The Special Prosecutor’s Office has pressed charges against the ELI agency at the Specialised Criminal Court in Pezinok for founding a crime organisation and human trafficking.
Government to cut payroll taxes
LOW-INCOME employees could see a reduction in their payroll taxes, which could increase their net salary and help create new jobs. This is the plan presented by the Robert Fico government on August 21.
Countrywide Events
Western SLOVAKIA
Brussels asks for return of funds
SLOVAKIA will probably have to return money received from European Union structural funds due to prevailing problems with public procurements, particularly over the way the country has organised some of its tenders. The country’s representatives are currently discussing the exact sum with the European Commission, which will then have to be substituted with money from the state budget, the Sme daily reported in its August 22 issue.
Slovak zoologists discovered three new species of cave animals
ZOOLOGISTS from the Natural Sciences Faculty of Košice’s Pavel Jozef Šafárik University (UPJŠ), in cooperation with the Slovak Caves Administration in Liptovský Mikuláš, have discovered three new species of cave animals living in Slovakia.
When 'special' means segregation
DISTRESSING stories related to Roma communities with unemployment rates in excess of 90 percent begin well before encounters at labour offices where many Roma are told that there are no jobs for unqualified applicants, or for those with qualifications, that a non-Roma candidate would be preferred anyway. These stories often start on the day children from these marginalised communities are sent to special schools where they do not actually belong, while their parents are told by those who ‘classify’ them that these classes ‘for children with special needs’ are actually much better because they will be with other kids like them.
Spain buys fewer Slovak CO2 quotas
SPAIN will buy fewer excess carbon dioxide emissions quotas from Slovakia than originally planned. Environment Minister Peter Žiga has announced that instead of the planned 27 million tonnes of greenhouse-emission quotas, Slovakia will sell to Spain only 7 million tonnes. The Slovak cabinet approved the draft agreement on August 21, the TASR newswire reported.
Finnish recipes:Karjalenpiirakat (Carelian pie) (video included)
Ingredients and preparation.
Vlkolínec celebrated 20 years on the UNESCO World Heritage List
THE VILLAGE of Vlkolínec (in Žilina Region in central Slovakia), one of the best-preserved folk architecture settlements in Slovakia, marked the 20th anniversary of its addition to the UNESCO World Heritage list at the end of July.
IMF calls for cut to bank levy
SLOVAKIA is a small country which rarely tops international rankings. However, it now has the highest special bank levy in the European Union, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is calling on the government to lower it.
- Pastoral letter divides Slovaks
- News digest: Slovakia is being hurt by its failure to integrate foreign workers, says auditor
- Hollywood turns Slovak highlands into high-speed playground Video
- News digest: ‘Charlatans and quacks’: Pandemic investigator accuses scientists, pushes for jab ban Video
- Authoritarian echoes from Delhi to Bratislava
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- A café in an ice cellar, sand dunes and a flower shop at the border
- Forget the spa – Bojnice’s trails are the real therapy Photo
- A café in an ice cellar, sand dunes and a flower shop at the border
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- Bratislava opens new support centre for foreigners
- News digest: ‘Charlatans and quacks’: Pandemic investigator accuses scientists, pushes for jab ban Video
- You say nazdar, I say dovi
- Pastoral letter divides Slovaks
- Neuroimmunologist Norbert Žilka: Slovakia in Alzheimer's research premier league
- Hollywood turns Slovak highlands into high-speed playground Video
- Bratislava opens new support centre for foreigners
- Hollywood turns Slovak highlands into high-speed playground Video
- You say nazdar, I say dovi
- A café in an ice cellar, sand dunes and a flower shop at the border
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- Independent cultural space on Bratislava embankment to end soon
- Záhorie uncovered: Slovakia’s quiet corner full of surprises Photo
- Chicken Jockey! Chicken Jockey! Chicken Jockey! Video
- Last Week: And then they came for the NGOs
- What abides: Giving a shit
- Slovakia brings back border checks with Hungary and Austria starting April 8
- Bratislava opens new support centre for foreigners
- Hollywood turns Slovak highlands into high-speed playground Video
- Štítnik resumes hand-crafting Christmas ornaments after 25 years
- You say nazdar, I say dovi
- A café in an ice cellar, sand dunes and a flower shop at the border
- News digest: Slovakia is being hurt by its failure to integrate foreign workers, says auditor
- Forget the spa – Bojnice’s trails are the real therapy Photo
- Košice steelworks sinks deeper into the red
- A 'pink moon' will grace Slovak skies this Sunday
- Authoritarian echoes from Delhi to Bratislava
- Weekend: A sports event to get your running fix Photo
- Record-breaking Bratislava Marathon supports visually impaired athletes
- News digest: ‘Charlatans and quacks’: Pandemic investigator accuses scientists, pushes for jab ban Video More articles ›
