Archive of articles - December 2013, page 5
If you desire to read an old article, use the search bar or select the publication date.
Koliba logging based on forged documents, investigation launched
THREE ministers of the government of Smer held a joint press conference regarding the logging of forests at the Koliba hill, a lucrative location in Bratislava.
President signs salary freeze for top officials
THE SALARIES of the president, the prime minister, ministers, legislators and senior management of the Supreme Audit Office (NKÚ) and the prosecutor general will be frozen at this year's level in 2014, according to an amendment to the law on the remuneration of certain senior state officials that President Ivan Gašparovič signed on December 17, the TASR newswire reported.
Police should be prosecuted in connection with Moldava nad Bodvou raid
The General Prosecutor’s Office (GPO) requires the June police raid in Roma settlement in Moldava nad Bodvou to be prosecuted. The office checked on the police action.
Novotný (SDKÚ) becomes new Conflict of Interest Committee chairman
Slovak Democratic and Christian Union-SDKÚ MP Viliam Novotný became the new parliamentary Conflict of Interest Committee chairman on December 17, replacing his party colleague Miroslav Beblavý who decided to leave the party and resigned from his committee post on December 16. In a secret ballot, Novotny received 103 votes from the 122 lawmakers present. Beblavý stepped down after he was requested to do so by SDKÚ, which lays claim to the post. “I respect it,” Beblavý said as quoted by the TASR newswire. “Over the year and eight months that I held the post, I endeavoured to lend meaning to the committee. I sought to boost public trust in that even people of power and influence have to face the music when transgressing the law.”
Trains around Vienna promote Slovakia
REGIONAL morning trains around Vienna now promote Slovakia. The wagons travelling to city’s suburbs Sankt Pölten and Wiener Neustadt carry the name www.slovakia.travel, as part of the campaign that started on December 15 and will run through mid-December 2014, the SITA newswire reported.
EU-harmonised inflation stood at 0.5 percent in November
EU-harmonised inflation, measured by means of the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices, reached 0.5 percent year-on-year in November, the Slovak Statistics Office (ŠÚ) reported on December 17.
Fico throws hat into presidential ring
PUTTING an end to months of speculation, Prime Minister Robert Fico made his plans to run for president next year official during a public ceremony that doubled as a speech reviewing the year and previewing 2014 plans for his government.
Hotel Danubia Gate Bratislava – where even business travel can be pleasant
Travelling for business is not always as fun as some people think. Especially when you are staying at different places and you are not quite sure what to expect from the next hotel. To perform your best during negotiations or conference presentations, or when pitching a business proposal, you need a good night’s sleep and a comfortable environment to work, prepare and relax in as well. Do you know the feeling? Well, I do. So if a hotel stands out and offers a great experience, I feel it’s worth sharing…
It is working in Ireland
IRELAND leaves the three-year EU/IMF programme of assistance, our economy growing, our finances stabilised and unemployment coming down.
Tax fraud on rise ahead of legislation change
TAX FRAUDSTERS are increasing their activities ahead of key legislative changes aimed at tackling tax evasion which will become effective in January 2014. The Financial Administration registered a suspect increase in requests for VAT allowance in November, with certain applications containing an increase of as high as 100 percent in the amount of VAT allowance, Finance Minister Peter Kažimír told the press on December 14.
Ombudswoman writes to Fico on Roma raid
THE FILING room of the Government Office has received a letter from Ombudswoman Jana Dubovcová in which she expresses concern over the police raid in Moldava nad Bodvou, which she addressed to Prime Minister Robert Fico. It was accepted it only on a second attempt, as for the first time it returned it due to the lack of some formalities, the Sme daily reported in its December 17 issue.
Transpetrol withdraws from dubious yacht club sponsorship
STATE-OWNED company Transpetrol will not give €100,000 to sponsor the yacht club led by former managers from the Penta financial group, after Prime Minister Robert Fico requested the managers of the firm to use “all options at their disposal in order to withdraw a contract on yachting sponsorship”. This came as a response to the article published by the Sme daily on December 16.
Fico to announce presidential candidacy
PRIME Minister Robert Fico will announce his candidacy for next year’s presidential elections on December 18 in the historical building of the parliament. He will allegedly do it after evaluating the achievements of the government and setting new goals for it, the SITA newswire reported.
Klausová officially Czech ambassador to Slovakia
THE WIFE of former Czech President Václav Klaus, Lívia Klausová, has returned to her birthplace Bratislava as new Czech ambassador to Slovakia. She presented her credentials to Slovak President Ivan Gašparovič on December 16.
Government cuts funds for universities
FUNDING for colleges and universities for 2014 has been cut by €21.3 million, according to the 2014 state budget bill that Parliament approved last week. This is despite the fact that Education Minister Dušan Čaplovič said in August that it was his priority to secure more funding for high-quality study programmes at colleges and universities, the TASR newswire reported.
State to issue bonds at least twice in 2014
WHILE considering several alternatives dependent on developments on financial markets and the specific demand among investors, Slovakia's Debt and Liquidity Management Agency (ARDAL) is planning to issue new state bonds at least twice next year, ARDAL's Juraj Pekár told the TASR newswire.
Still no psychiatric exam for Malinová, prosecution wants to end case this year
HEDVIGA Žáková, neé Malinová, whose controversial case has carried on for more than six years, turned up to attend a psychiatric examination on December 16, but the doctor who was assigned to examine her, psychiatric forensic expert Miroslav Čerňan, did not do so, arguing that she feels to be under pressure, the Sme daily reported.
New mobile operator to enter the market
THE operator Telekom was the most successful in the auction of frequencies for fast mobile networks of the fourth generation (4G), the Sme daily reported.
Exercises: Rules for financing minorities change
Multicultural Society
Two more presidential candidates come forward; Fico still silent
There will be at least 14 candidates running in the presidential election that is to take place in the spring of 2014. Over the mid-December weekend two more candidates were added to the list. On December 14 the Republican Council of the Hungarian Community Party (SMK) unanimously approved the presidential candidacy of former MP Gyula Bárdos. SMK chairman Jozsef Berényi said that SMK views Bárdos as a skilled, decent, cultivated and open person who wants to unite instead of dividing. Berényi described the party's decision to have its own candidate as a revolutionary step. "SMK has never before had enough momentum to take such a step, although our partners in Serbia and Romania were recommending it," said Berényi, as quoted by the TASR newswire. Bárdos claimed his decision to run was motivated mainly by his desire to contribute towards improving Slovak-Hungarian relations, TASR wrote. Meanwhile in the Banská Bystrica region, Jozef Šimko, the mayor of the unemployment-troubled town of Rimavská Sobota, announced he would run for president with the support of Milan Urbáni (a former high-ranking member of the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia party formerly chaired by Vladimír Mečiar) and his own Party of Modern Slovakia (SMS). Šimko said that if he is elected president he wants to influence the government to help create jobs in the Rimavská Sobota area, which has the country's highest unemployment rate – around 32 percent, TASR reported. In addition to the two new candidates, the list so far includes Pavol Hrušovský backed by the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) and Most-Híd; businessman Andrej Kiska; Ján Čarnogurský, a former chair of the KDH; Peter Osuský from Freedom and Solidarity (SaS); independent candidate Radoslav Procházka, formerly a member of the KDH; and Milan Kňažko, one of the leaders of the Velvet Revolution and a former government official who will run as an independent candidate. Leonid Chovanec, Jozef Behýl, Milan Melník and Ľubica Blašková have also announced their candidacies. At least one more name is expected to be added to the list, as the ruling Smer party still has not chosen its candidate. The most recent information inidcates that the party is to announce the name of its candidate before Christmas. Observers deem Robert Fico to be the most probable candidate. The Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKU) also has not announced who they will support. Pavol Hrusovsky said over the weekend he was still hoping to win the SDKU backing, according to TASR. Source: TASR
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- Convicted of multiple murders, Slovakia’s mafia boss seeks release from prison
- 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
- UK appoints Bilal Zahid as new ambassador to Slovakia
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- 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
- Convicted of multiple murders, Slovakia’s mafia boss seeks release from prison
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- 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 ›
