Archive of articles - November 2013, page 6
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Five regions to elect governors in second round; PM pits Slovaks against Hungarians
BRATISLAVA, Trnava, Nitra, Banská Bystrica, and Košice are preparing for the second round of the regional governor elections this Saturday, November 23. While Banská Bystrica, where an extremist has made it into the run-off, has grabbed most of the attention in the two weeks between the election rounds, Prime Minister Robert Fico has turned his attention to Trnava by endorsing a Slovak candidate over a Hungarian one.
Slovakia to spend over €1.4 million for HIV treatment and prevention
THE SLOVAK government has agreed to spend over €1.4 million on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of HIV and AIDS, according to the National HIV/AIDS Prevention Programme in the Slovak Republic for 2013-2016.
Fico slips in presidential poll
ROBERT Fico, current prime minister and chair of the ruling Smer party, has lost some of his voter support, according to the latest poll.
Thailand extradites alleged drug gang, including one Slovak, to US
Five members of a gang suspected of a conspiracy aimed to smuggle cocaine through an international network were extradited from Thailand to the US November 19. The group is comprised of five men, including one Slovak, named as Adrian V.
Health Ministry to return €3.8 million over missing tender
Millions of euros originally allocated form the eurofunds to the electronification of health care will be used by a different project, Operational Programme for the Informatisation of Society (OPIS). This follows as the Health Ministry must return more than €3.8 million VAT-free back to the Finance Ministry, as it failed to launch a tender for parts of its original project. “This concerns the National Project of Electronic Health Services,” Health Ministry spokeswoman Zuzana Čižmáriková told the TASR newswire November 19. “The former administrations of the Finance Ministry along with the Health Ministry decided to change the original contract regarding the provision of given services. Instead of adopting a transparent approach and re-launching a tender, however, they chose to sign a contract addendum on October 27, 2011. It is this addendum number two that is the source of controversy which can be resolved in only one possible way: returning back the full sum or a 100-percent correction.” The incumbent administration blames former Health Minister Ivan Uhliarik (Christian Democratic Movement-KDH) for the lapse. Uhliarik rejects any criticism.
OECD forecasts 1.9 percent growth for Slovak economy in 2014
Growth in the Slovak economy will accelerate from the 0.8 percent expected this year to 1.9 percent next year thanks to increased demand on foreign markets, which is the engine for growth in investments in Slovakia as well as for Slovak exports, according to the autumn forecast of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). According to the forecast published November 19, although Slovak household spending will continue to grow, a more significant recovery will probably continue to be hampered by adverse conditions on the labour market, especially by the persistently high unemployment. The TASR newswire quoted the OECD estimates as saying that the unemployment rate will fall from 14.4 percent this year to 14.2 percent in 2014, before dropping to 13.7 percent in 2015. Apart from this, domestic demand in Slovakia will also be held back by measures due to be implemented in 2014 in order to reduce the budget deficit below 3 percent of GDP.
Amendment to petition law postponed
The Slovak government has delayed the amendment to the Law on Petition Rights until October 2014. The amendment that was planned to be discussed in parliament in November 2013 has aroused much attention. The Centre for Philanthropy initiated a petition that required a mass comment to be included in the amendment. The petition was signed by more than one thousand people, the Sme daily wrote November 20. Afterwards, the Government Office then called many of the purported signatories to see if their signatures were valid. To this day, the government has not explained it activity.
New lawsuit in Bonanno case
TABLOID newspaper Nový Čas, published by Ringier Axel Springer, faces a new lawsuit by the Judiciary Oscars Association over the publishing of photos from a private meeting of lawyers and judges in the Bonanno bar in Rajecké Teplice in autumn 2010. Several of the association’s members who attended the meeting have already filed individual lawsuits against the publisher for publishing the photos, seeking a total of €940,000 in damages.
Slovakia fares poorly in support for developing countries
SLOVAKIA’S contributions for aiding developing countries are among the lowest. The country placed 24th of the 27 states surveyed in the Commitment to Development Index 2013 report by the Center for Global Development (CGD), an NGO. This is one point lower than last year, the SITA newswire reported.
Slovakia seeks to boost economic presence in Singapore
SLOVAKIA views Singapore as a partner that can help boost its economic ties across Southeast Asia, said Slovak President Ivan Gašparovič after meeting his Singaporean counterpart Tony Tan in Bratislava on November 18. Tan, together with his wife, officially visited the country from November 14 to 18.
Matador expands to China
ENGINEERING company Matador will invest millions of euros into constructing a plant and creating dozens of new jobs in China. Co-owner of the firm, Slovak businessman Štefan Rosina, said he wants to produce body parts, cables and lights for cars there, the Hospodárske Noviny daily reported in its November 19 issue.
Unions aim to prevent changes to Collective Bargaining Act amendment
THE LABOUR unions are pledging to do their utmost to have the amendment to the collective bargaining law re-passed in parliament without changes, the Trade Union Confederation (KOZ) head Jozef Kollár told a press conference on November 18, as reported by the TASR newswire.
Prominent Velvet Revolution personality launches presidential petition
NOTED Slovak actor Milan Kňažko, known as one of the tribunes of the Velvet Revolution, and for serving as culture minister in the 1990s, has launched a petition to support his presidential candidacy in the 2014 election.
OSF director steps down
ALENA Pániková has stepped down from her post as executive director of the Open Society Foundation (OSF), although she will continue to contribute towards its further development, the TASR newswire reported on November 18.
Court awards Harabin €25,000 for car accident
THE POLICE have to pay €25,000 in damages to Supreme Court President Štefan Harabin, the court ruled.
EC expects 3.2 percent deficit in 2014
THE EUROPEAN Commission predicts that Slovakia’s deficit next year will reach 3.2 percent of GDP. This forecast differs from the government’s, which in its draft state budget predicts a 2.8-percent deficit.
Banská Bystrica: Smer run-off candidate not to debate extremist
IN THE RUN-UP to the second round of the regional governor’s election no Slovak media will broadcast a debate between the two candidates in Banská Bystrica Region.
White Crow awards handed out
TEACHERS Oto Žarnay and Vladimír Crmoman, ex-employee of the state-run social insurer Sociálna Poisťovňa Mariana Vavrová and activist Katarína Šimončičová are the latest recipients of the White Crow Award.
Velvet revolution commemorated
THE VELVET Revolution took place 24 years ago, in 1989. Several events were organised around Slovakia on November 17, which is a national holiday, to commemorate this important event in Slovakia’s modern history.
President vetoes Collective Bargaining Bill
THE COLLECTIVE bargaining law, which the ruling Smer party passed in parliament amid criticism from employers, was not signed into law. President Ivan Gašparovič returned the law to parliament without his signature, saying that he believes the amendment threatens the existence of firms and jobs, the Sme daily reported.
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- Convicted of multiple murders, Slovakia’s mafia boss seeks release from prison
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- UK appoints Bilal Zahid as new ambassador to Slovakia
- News digest: Violent gang in Bratislava is under arrest
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- News digest: Prosecutor seeks jail for NBS Governor Kažimír as his political support wanes
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- Convicted of multiple murders, Slovakia’s mafia boss seeks release from prison
- News digest: Fico’s bloc wants to save money by restricting electoral access
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- Digital Jarvis is real now. He is coming for your to-do list
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- The disinformation scene has become a tool of media capture
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- A mayor resigns over €2.7 million fraud scandal at town hall
- 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 Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- The compass points to Kúty, and people are starting to follow
- 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
- 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 More articles ›
