Archive of articles - February 2014, page 13
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Poll shows Smer at 42 percent
IF PARLIAMENTARY elections had been held at the turn of January and February, they would have been won by the ruling Smer party, backed by 42 percent of the vote. Current opposition party Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) would not make it into parliament, as it would fail to pass the 5 percent threshold.These are the results of the poll carried out by the Polis polling agency over the phone between January 24 and February 2 in a survey of 1,969 respondents.
Banská Štiavnica Bethlehem keeps growing
NATIVITY scenes are a popular Christmas tradition in Slovakia, often made from traditional materials like wood, stone, corn husks or wicker, but sometimes even sand or ice. These are called Bethlehem in Slovak, to remind people of the birthplace of Jesus.
Pushing Dubovcová east
OMBUDSWOMAN Jana Dubovcová has finally made it to parliament, but the outcome of the debate on how the government treated her and her report pointing to serious violations of human rights by state bodies in its policy toward Roma is not quite what her supporters were looking for.
EC report highlights corruption
THE INDEPENDENCE of the judiciary, prosecution of corruption, financing of political parties, use of EU funds and public procurement are the key areas for Slovakia to focus on when tackling corruption, according to a recently published anti-corruption report of the European Commission (EC).
Slovak films at Berlinale
IN EARLY February, the 64th year of Berlin’s international film festival, Berlinale, will take place. This year Slovak cinematography will be well represented, in both the festival’s official programme and the European Film Market (EPM), which offers a current overview of the film industry.The Slovak film Zamatoví Teroristi (Velvet Terrorists) will be screened in the FORUM section, which features premieres of independent movies. It will be shown a total of six times, and will compete for the FIPRESCI (The International Federation of Film Critics) jury award, the award of the Ecumenical Jury and six non-statutory prizes, the Slovak Film Institute’s (SFÚ) press release informs. The screening will be attended by its directors – Pavol Pekarčík, Ivan Ostrochovský and Peter Kerekes – as well as the cameraman, Martin Kollár.
Babiš in court over ŠtB allegations
JUST a day after he was sworn in, newly minted Czech Finance Minister Andrej Babiš appeared in a Bratislava courtroom on January 30 as part of a lawsuit he brought against the Nation’s Memory Institute (ÚPN).
Glossary: Global warming hits close to home
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 Global warming hits close to home , you can find more expressions in our Glossary for politics & business or in the List of names of institutions in English and Slovak.
Programme targets tech education
THE GERMAN-Slovak Chamber of Industry and Commerce (SNOPK), in cooperation with the Slovak Education Ministry, launched on February 1 a nationwide information campaign called fit4future, aimed at encouraging practical education for pupils in the technical sphere.
Trade data for January-October 2013
WHILE Slovakia had its highest foreign trade surpluses with Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria during the first 10 months of 2013, it registered the largest trade balance deficit with South Korea, Russia and China, the Slovak Statistics Office reported on January 9.
Tragic soap opera
THE STORY of the amorphous company Interblue making a mint on Slovakia’s carbon dioxide emission allowances would make the perfect soap opera with its seemingly endless and quirky turns, along with a cast of characters suitable for prime time viewing on TV Markíza.
Tax officials look into Interblue list
THE FINANCIAL Administration is already checking whether project manager of Interblue Group Rastislav Bilas, arms trader Norbert Havalec and his wife Katarína Kubáňová paid taxes from the money they received in connection to the controversial 2008 sale of carbon dioxide emissions to a garage-based company, Interblue Group, the Sme daily reported in its February 7 issue.
Former communist potentate Vasil Biľak dies
FORMER high-ranking functionary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ) Vasil Biľak died at the age of 96 at his home in Bratislava during the night of February 5. He was the last of five communist politicians who invited the Warsaw Pact troops to Czechoslovakia in 1968 and in fact stopped the Prague Spring reforms aimed to democratise the regime, the Sme daily reported.
Foreign chambers of commerce criticise changes
THE AMERICAN and German chambers of commerce active in Slovakia criticise the changes which will in fact allow farmers to draw money from EU funds without public procurements. The criticised changes include the amendments to the law on protection and use of agricultural land, the law on integrated prevention and control of polluting the environment which will indirectly change also the law on public procurement.
Nitra neo-Nazi hangout to be closed
THE PRIVATE card-playing club Walhala in Nitra, where neo-Nazis from the town and its surrounding areas used to meet, will be closed. The owner of the building Ivan Polóny confirmed to the TA3 news channel that after seeing a video showing the brutal attacks on customers from nearby Mariatchi Bar they will terminate the lease agreement, the Sme daily reported in its February 7 issue.
Ancient crafts alive today
The area around Bratislava has become internationally known as the home of folk majolica, a particular style of ceramics produced since the 16th century, particularly centred on the towns of Pezinok and Modra. The craft was brought to the area by the Habans, a branch of Anabaptists, who fled persecution in Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands to settle in western Slovakia. Even though the Habans moved on, their skills transferred to local artists, who have continued the production to this day.
Survey: Most Slovaks don’t believe economy will improve in 2014
The latest Workmonitor survey conducted by the HR consultancy company Randstad found that most employees do not believe that Slovakia’s economic situation will improve this year. Only one-third of those polled expect things to get better.
SIS name, laws that govern it, to change
The Interior Ministry prepares a draft bill on intelligence services that should change the name of the Slovak Information Service, SIS, to the Civil Intelligence Bureau, as well as some of its functions and ways of operating.
Opposition MPs fail to pass fair consumer loan bill
Parliament didn’t approve for a second reading a package of three bills aimed at making consumer loans fairer on February 6.
Ministry: Economy will grow, price rises to slow
The Financial Policy Institute (IFP) at the Slovak Finance Ministry published its macroeconomic prognosis for 2014 February 6, foreseeing an acceleration of the economy, decline in unemployment and slower growth of prices.
Prime ministers tend to give reserve fund money to party colleagues
The non-governmental organisation Slovak Governance Institute (SGI) compared Slovak prime ministers and the way they spend money from their reserve funds.
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