Archive of articles - April 2014, page 6
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Slovak wines shine in Paris competition
IN 2014, Slovak winemakers again triumphed in Paris, confirming their place at the top in global competitions. At the highly prestigious international wine competition, Vinalies Internationales, Slovak wines won 16 gold and 34 silver medals. When calculated per number of wines that were enlisted and won awards, they outperformed even winemaking superpowers like France or Spain, and beat the Czech Republic (50:26) when considering the number of gold and silver medals won. Slovakia has never before sent such a representative sample of wines as this year, the Pravda daily wrote after the contest, on March 10. The collection consisted of 149 wines, of which more than one third won a medal. “Considering that a total of 29.9 percent of wines from 3,502 samples were awarded, then the Slovak harvest of 33.5 percent (against the French 28.9 percent) stresses the quality of Slovak wine,” oenologist Edita Ďurčová, who represented Slovakia in the world jury corps, told Pravda.
Exercise: Role models vary with age
This exercise is linked to the article: Role models vary with age
Smer nominee is alleged Scientologist
WHEN Prime Minister Robert Fico spoke about Scientologists before the run-off of the presidential elections as a sect that represents an extraordinary security risk for Slovakia, he allegedly forgot about nominees of his own party, the Sme daily wrote in its April 12 issue, referring to Martin Wiedermann, general director of the Central Securities Depository (CDCP) and chair of its board of directors. Wiedermann also owns the company Shift, which owns several internet domains connected to Scientology, Sme wrote. Scientology became a buzzword in the presidential election campaign.Smer has refused to comment on the issue. The National Property Fund (FNM), which owns the majority share of the CDCP, said it knew about the connection.
Kaliňák defends shooting
POLICE officers regularly shoot at civilians, said Interior Minister Robert Kaliňák when explaining the disputed police operation from June 2013, in which police were firing shots at a car on the D2 highway with four innocent students.
Fraud in outsourcing is preventable
OUTSOURCING may increase the risk of fraud, but it does not occur automatically. While experts have registered a relatively high occurrence of fraud related to outsourcing services, some of which originate from within the firms doing the outsourcing, many are convinced that the risk can be averted if companies properly vet their partners and make sure their contracts are airtight.
Hotel restaurants shun outsourcing
THERE are several ways to improve the operation of hotel restaurants, but hotel managers exclude outsourcing food and beverage services to other firms. The question is what is the ideal model for operating a hotel restaurant and whether it should be presented as a separate unit or as a part of the hotel.
Closing the door to extremism
SOME right-wing extremists, once making it into office on the wave of people’s frustration, at least pretend to be working towards more than their petty agenda. Marian Kotleba does not even bother.
Quote of the week
“We discussed it with them, they changed their minds and returned back.”
Role models vary with age
A glossary of words as well as an exercise related to this article are also published online.
EU money to boost ranks of GP doctors
SOME €8 million from European Union structural funds should help the Health Ministry train new doctors as general practitioners and paediatricians, two specialisations that are seeing their current ranks ageing.
Dance Day to activate capital
SINCE 1982, International Dance Day has been celebra-ted worldwide as a tribute to the French dancer, choreographer and father of modern ballet, Jean Georges Noverre. The message is to celebrate dance by unifying its myriad forms and emphasising the way it connects people of all backgrounds and transcends national, political, cultural and ethnic barriers.
Bratislava celebrates cultural fusion
FOR A whole week, several venues and streets in downtown Bratislava saw a higher than usual concentration of foreigners, but also Slovaks, many of whom attended a series of unique and sometimes exotic events. The Fjúžn festival, dubbed “the festival of new minorities”, took place in the Slovak capital between April 10 and 16, offering a host of events in its ninth year.
Creative studios turn to own clients
WHILE three to five years ago more than one third of the work creative studios performed was for advertising agencies, the current situation is different, Strategie magazine wrote in March.For the time being, creative studios make their living working for direct clients. Advertising companies hire creative studios only occasionally. When outsourcing certain activities, they instead opt for freelancers, not studios.
RegioJet wants IC trains
THE LARGEST private train carrier in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, RegioJet, officially started preparing for its entry into national long-distance transport in Slovakia, the SITA newswire reported.
Harabin won't vacate chair easily
SUPREME Court President Štefan Harabin is not ready to part from his job despite an earlier statement by Prime Minister Robert Fico that he would not recommend re-electing Harabin, whose five-year term ends in June.
Still less than abroad
FINANCIAL outsourcing is still less common in Slovakia than in the US and western Europe. Yet, compared to several years ago, companies in Slovakia have more experience with outsourcing - and not just international firms, but local Slovak entities too. This is one of the findings of a survey that Accace, a company that provides accounting and reporting, tax advisory and other services, conducted last year on a sample of 20 local and foreign firms.
Land sale to foreigners a threat?
LEGAL barriers preventing some foreign nationals from buying land in Slovakia should be lifted in a couple of weeks. A group of MPs and citizens oppose this arrangement and are already attempting to change it. The Agriculture Ministry, however, says there is no reason to panic.
Suspension of EU funds possible
SLOVAKIA could indeed face suspension from drawing European Union funds, but it is premature to discuss the matter at this point, Deputy Prime Minister for Investments Ľubomír Vážny said on Slovak Radio’s political talk show on April 12.
Deflation continued in March
CONSUMER prices continued to fall in March, when they dropped by 0.1 percent year-on-year. Core inflation stood at 0.2 percent in March and net inflation at 0.1 percent, the Statistics Office (ŠÚ) reported on its website.
Complex tax rules a candidate for outsourcing
THE PRIMARY reason for outsourcing routine activities is to save money and time, but it also allows firms to tap expertise they might otherwise miss. This is especially the case in accounting, payroll and tax advisory because of the complexity and frequent changes in legislation – something that drives the growth of outsourcing in Slovakia.
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- 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 ›
