Archive of articles - December 2013, page 14
If you desire to read an old article, use the search bar or select the publication date.
Specialisation – A Key to Success
How did the idea to establish the law firm Senior Consultants come about?
Glossary: Shoppers, merchants ready for holiday season
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 Shoppers, merchants ready for holiday season, you can find more expressions in our Glossary for politics & business or in the List of names of institutions in English and Slovak.
First Jacobean pilgrimage in Slovakia opened
IN ČERMEĽ, a district in the city of Košice, the first Jacobean route in Slovakia has been opened. Prešov Bishop Milan Lach, who accepted the spiritual patronage over the project, blessed the route at its opening on the weekend of November 16 and 17.
Extremist's victory shocks society
A BAG of potatoes would achieve a better result than Ľudovít Kaník, Prime Minister Robert Fico said when commenting on the results of the first round of the governor election in Banská Bystrica Region, which sent right-wing extremist Marian Kotleba to the second-round run-off after he defeated Kaník of the Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ). Kotleba, who has a history of racist statements and acts, nonetheless went on to defeat Smer candidate and incumbent Vladimír Maňka in the second round on November 23, sending shock waves across society.
Youth employment stimulus questioned
PRIME Minister Robert Fico and Labour Minister Ján Richter are touting the success of a €70 million government plan for tackling youth unemployment by noting it has created 11,000 new jobs in less than a year. But some observers are less optimistic and question the sustainability of those jobs once state subsidies go away.
Creating Brand Slovakia conference
THE DESIRE to make the Slovak Republic a prominent destination for foreign and domestic tourists, as well as the idea of giving Slovakia a new unified brand, dominated the recent conference Creating Brand Slovakia in Bratislava, with the speakers crossing a variety of professional platforms, including marketing executives, government officials, professors and TV guests.
Velvet Revolution museum opens in Bratislava
THE 1989 revolution that toppled the communist regime in the former Czechoslovakia and brought freedom and democracy to the two countries that emerged after it split, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, is traditionally commemorated on November 17, when the first protests against the regime started.
Christmas Bazaar drew thousands
ONE of the most popular fundraising pre-Christmas events, the Christmas Bazaar, took place in Bratislava on November 24, drawing thousands of visitors in the rainy and foul weather. An hour after opening its doors at 10:00, people were already queuing up to get inside, the TASR newswire wrote.
Bank's old success
THE ORNATE building seen in this 1926 postcard belonged to Tatra Banka, one of Slovakia’s most prominent banks. This specific branch was in the town of Zvolen, but at the time there were 46 other branches in Slovakia. This impressive number however did not reflect the skills of the bank’s management, or the solvency of the inhabitants – both of which were rather low.
Picking up goods at petrol stations
THE SELLER of electronics and domestic appliances, Datart, enables its clients to collect ordered goods at all 212 Slovnaft petrol stations across Slovakia. The new service was launched on November 11, the TASR newswire wrote.
Growth prognosis lowered (CORRECTED VERSION)
BANK analysts have slightly corrected their economic growth prognosis for this and next year. While in October they expected the economy to grow at 0.9 percent, they now say it will grow by 0.8 percent in 2013. The prognosis for 2014 says that the economy will grow at 1.9 percent, down by 0.2 percentage points compared to October’s expectations. In July, they forecast the economy would grow by 2.3 percent in 2014, the SITA newswire reported on November 26, citing the regular monthly survey of the National Bank of Slovakia (NBS), the country’s central bank, for November.
Countrywide Events
Western SLOVAKIA
Institutions and trade organisations in Slovakia
Finance Ministry, www.finance.gov.skMinister: Peter Kažimír
‘Truth is sometimes different than we think’ (video included)
How do today's journalists grapple with issues of truth? How does the changing nature of journalism impact the ethics of journalists? How do journalists shape news when page views are the measure of success for stories?
Exercise: Shoppers, merchants ready for holiday season
This exercise is linked to the article: Shoppers, merchants ready for holiday season.
Collective shopping market consolidates
JUST a few years ago a boom in discount or collective shopping brought dozens of websites to Slovakia offering discount vouchers for goods and services. But during the years 2012 and 2013 the Slovak collective shopping market saw its number three player leave, in addition to several smaller ones. Market watchers and collective websites themselves see this as a consolidation of the market, which nonetheless continues to flourish in Slovakia.
Bitcoin: New currency in Slovakia?
“BITCOIN accepted here”. This announcement about the option to pay with the virtual currency bitcoin can be found not only on the websites of several online Slovak shops, but also on the door of a fast-food outlet in Bratislava. Moreover, a bitcoin ATM is expected to be installed in downtown Bratislava. But Slovak officials warn against this virtual currency, pointing out that the bitcoin is unregulated and unstable, and that investors participate in this scheme at their own risk.
Interest in online shopping up
WITH THE popularity of online shopping in Slovakia increasing, the country’s proportion of online shoppers is one of the most rapidly growing in Europe. Items most frequently purchased via the internet are clothes and sporting goods, say analysts of the monetary department at the National Bank of Slovakia (NBS), citing their findings from a Eurostat study assessing online shopping data in Europe for October 2012.
Highway fees go electronic
AS OF January 2015 drivers on Slovak highways should be able to pay highway tolls using electronic highway stickers, purchased via the internet or their mobile phones. Drivers will thus no longer have to place a physical sticker on their windshields, but will have a virtual sticker instead, which will be connected with the car’s identification number.
Košice wraps up ECOC 2013
THE EASTERN-Slovak metropolis of Košice, which shared the European Capital of Culture ECOC title for the year 2013 with the French port city of Marseilles, will hand the title over to Latvian capital Riga and Umea, Sweden.
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Bratislava unveils its first 3D-printed bus stop Photo
- Why a British teacher chose Slovakia as home Audio
- Slovakia passes NGO law, civil society fears a chilling new era
- They could have left. But these young Slovaks stayed
- News digest: Brussels committee launches scrutiny of EU funds in Slovakia
- Irish metal band to make long-awaited debut in Bratislava Video
- Fico’s adviser accused of corruption, then hits back at prosecutor
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Bratislava unveils its first 3D-printed bus stop Photo
- Why a British teacher chose Slovakia as home Audio
- News digest: Brussels committee launches scrutiny of EU funds in Slovakia
- They could have left. But these young Slovaks stayed
- Irish metal band to make long-awaited debut in Bratislava Video
- ‘Listen, Martina, this is not just your country’: protest song becomes rallying cry for folklorists Video
- Slovakia passes NGO law, civil society fears a chilling new era
- 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
- Bratislava unveils its first 3D-printed bus stop Photo
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- Why a British teacher chose Slovakia as home Audio
- Zdeno Chára inducted into world hockey hall of fame Video
- 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
- News digest: Violent gang in Bratislava is under arrest
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- Slovak roots: claiming what you knew you had
- Poland edges toward green light on long-delayed Kraków–Košice rail revival
- After years of straddling two worlds, this American is now reconnecting with his Slovak roots
- Fico’s adviser accused of corruption, then hits back at prosecutor
- Slovak Chamber of Auditors introduces Europe’s first AI platform for auditors
- Slovakia passes NGO law, civil society fears a chilling new era
- Irish metal band to make long-awaited debut in Bratislava Video
- News digest: Brussels committee launches scrutiny of EU funds in Slovakia More articles ›
