Archive of articles - January 2014
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Ruling on State Citizenship Act amendment postponed
THE CONSTITUTIONAL Court will not decide over the controversial amendment to the State Citizenship Act, which forces Slovaks to forfeit their citizenship if they are granted citizenship of other country. The court’s senate led by Constitutional Court (CC) President Ivetta Macejková unanimously postponed the final verdict until further notice, the SITA newswire reported on January 30.
Opposition calls for special session on Interblue case
PARTIES united within the People’s Platform along with some independent MPs have submitted a proposal for calling for a special session over the emission case, a scandal dating from Prime Minister Robert Fico’s first government that involves a 2008 carbon dioxide emissions deal brokered by the garage-based company, Interblue Group.
Babiš confronts ÚPN in court
Czech Finance Minister Andrej Babiš, a billionaire businessman of Slovak origin, appeared in court on January 30 as part of proceedings related to allegations he once served as an agent for the communist-era secret police (ŠtB). Babiš is suing the Nation’s Memory Institute (ÚPN), which maintains files from the era including several that name Babiš as an agent.
Paška proposes to move Dubovcová east
THE SEAT of the ombudswoman should relocate from Bratislava to Košice, according to the recent proposal by Speaker of Parliament Pavol Paška, who plans to submit the proposal to that effect at the March parliamentary session. He argues that by moving to the east she will be “closer to the reality” of the region where many Roma live, the TASR newswire reported on January 30.
British actor pointing to sexual violence toward children comes to Slovakia
BRITISH actor, author and musician Matthew McVarish, who travels Europe by foot, came to Slovakia for a six-day visit on January 30. He has already walked through the Benelux countries, Scandinavia, Baltics, Poland, the Czech Republic and Austria.
Ample fun for all the family
It is mid-afternoon in early April and on the banks of the Danube in the centre of Bratislava there is a hive of joyful activity. Children are running in and out of what resembles a huge nose-shaped play-house or busily searching the area for other undiscovered exhibits.
Employers hesitant to tap tax break for hiring long-term unemployed
Nearly 1,000 businesses have so far used the possibility to get payroll tax breaks by hiring workers who have been out of a job for at least one year.
Prosecutor that was shot resigns post
Gabriel Geško, the district prosecutor of Velky Krtíš, has resigned following a recent accident when his friend shot him in his ankle in a car, the Sme daily wrote, quoting the General Prosecutor’s Office.
Police released suspects in violent Nitra attack
Contrary to earlier reports, the five alleged attackers involved in the October Nitra attack at the Mariatchi bar now appear have only been briefly detained by police and now are now free.
Fico and Borec propose changes to judiciary
Prime Minister Robert Fico and Justice Minister Tomáš Borec have proposed for public debate a series of potential changes to the work of judges. Their implementation would also require some constitutional changes, and thus they want to debate them with both the opposition and “people from the field”.
Nitra police accuse seven in Nitra bar assaults
Police have accused seven men over the violent assaults in an around Nitra’s Mariatchi bar, spokesperson of the Nitra region police directorate Bozena Bruchterova told the TASR newswire.
Osuský quits presidential race, party backs Procházka
Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) presidential candidate Peter Osuský said at a press conference January 29 that he is leaving the race. SaS chairman Richard Sulík, who accompanied Osuský at the press conference, announced that SaS will now support independent presidential candidate Radoslav Procházka. Osuský decided to give up his candidacy based on an agreement with SaS.
Viskupič collects enough signatures for session on Paška’s ouster
Ordinary People and Independent Personalities-OĽaNO MP Jozef Viskupič has gathered a sufficient number - at least 30 – MP signatures to call a parliamentary session where a proposal to oust Speaker of Parliament Pavol Paška could be debated. Viskupič has launched his initiative over Paška’s recent move to restrict the access of journalists to some of parliament’s premises, the TASR newswire wrote on January 29. Earlier in the week, only 27 MPs voted in favour of discussing Viskupič's proposal, hence his signature-collecting initiative. Viskupič said that he has not as yet submitted the respective sheets with MP signatures - which would oblige Paška to call the extraordinary session within seven days - because he’s awaiting a statement from the Parliamentary Office head Daniel Guspan regarding the controversial measures. According to Viskupič, opposition parties and Paška have debated the latter’s measures and Paska has no intention of backtracking on them. OĽaNO takes exception especially to the restriction of the access of journalists to some of parliament’s premises. Also under the series of new regulations announced last week, journalists will not be able to attend sessions of individual parliamentary committees unless accompanied by security guards; taking pictures and/or filming of private documents on the desks of MPs will be also banned.
Bratislava tourism fair to feature 400 exhibitors
The 20th tourism fair ITF SLOVAKIATOUR set for January 30-February 2 at Bratislava’s Incheba Exhibition Centre should attract a total of 387 exhibitors from 24 countries, set to present their products.
UPDATED: Government maintains stance on Dubovcová, violent Moldava raid
THE CABINET is sticking to its position that its refusal to allow Ombudswoman Jana Dubovcová to speak at its January 8 session was justified.
Neo–nazi attacks shock Slovakia
SHOCKING video images of youths with shaved heads brutally beating a man in front of a bar in Nitra have shocked much of Slovakia. Perhaps at least as surprising as the extreme violence is the fact that the alleged perpetrators remain at large even as the incident is said to have occurred in October 2013.
Kopanec
IF THERE is one video you really need to see to understand today’s Slovakia, it’s the one where skinheads from Nitra kick helpless people in the head and slap a waitress trying to help. Not that a kick (kopanec) in the head would be so commonplace. But it illustrates one of the greatest threats ahead of us – the one of rising extremism.
Slovakia has difficulty integrating foreigners
SLOVAKIA has a comparatively low number of foreign nationals living in its territory, with just over 25,500 foreigners currently legally residing in the country. The draft integration policy, discussed by the cabinet at its January 28 session, has deemed that efforts to integrate these foreigners into the country have been poor, the SITA newswire reported.
Government maintains stance towards Dubovcová
THE CABINET is sticking to its position that its refusal to allow Ombudswoman Jana Dubovcová to speak at its January 8 session was justified.
Bulletin-board tender investigation concluded
The investigation of the infamous bulletin board tender has wrapped up. The investigator has prepared a proposal to begin prosecution, Police President Tibor Gašpar said on January 28. The prosecution will decide whether to bring the case to court.
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- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- News digest: Fico’s bloc wants to save money by restricting electoral access
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Stupava Photo
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- Digital Jarvis is real now. He is coming for your to-do list
- Paris leads, Bratislava trails: European cities ranked on safe travel for children
- 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
- Digital Jarvis is real now. He is coming for your to-do list
- The disinformation scene has become a tool of media capture
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- News digest: Fico’s bloc wants to save money by restricting electoral access
- Convicted of multiple murders, Slovakia’s mafia boss seeks release from prison
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- News digest: Violent gang in Bratislava is under arrest
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- Digital Jarvis is real now. He is coming for your to-do list
- The disinformation scene has become a tool of media capture
- Paris leads, Bratislava trails: European cities ranked on safe travel for children
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- A mayor resigns over €2.7 million fraud scandal at town hall
- Show me your moves! Slovak hockey stars share their best pick-up lines
- He designed Gatwick. But this is his masterpiece
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Fico praises China and Vietnam as models, says liberal democracy has failed
- The compass points to Kúty, and people are starting to follow
- News digest: Violent gang in Bratislava is under arrest
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Stupava 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
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- Digital Jarvis is real now. He is coming for your to-do list More articles ›
