Archive of articles - May 2014, page 10
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Lajčák sends condolences to Turkey
SLOVAKIA’S Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajčák sent a telegram with condolences to his Turkish counterpart, Ahmet Davutoglu, concerning the mining tragedy in the western-Turkish province of Manisa.
Scientologist at securities depository allegedly favoured firms with Scientology ties
SUSPICIOUS public tenders involving bidders who know each other and are associated with the Church of Scientology is how the Sme daily described the operation of Smer’s nominee Martin Wiedermann, who heads the state Central Depository of Securities.
Kiska calls on judges to make change in Supreme Court head election
PEOPLE want a change in the top post of the judiciary, president-elect Andrej Kiska believes. Therefore he called on the members of the Judicial Council to vote responsibly in the election of the Supreme Court head, scheduled for May 19.
GLOBSEC international security conference begins in Bratislava
The three-day conference on security GLOBSEC begins on May 14 in Bratislava, to focus on issues like Ukrainian crisis, security threats, global outlook for the next decade and the state of investigative journalism.
Sources: Fedor plans to resign as SDKÚ vice-chair
Martin Fedor, vice-chairman of the opposition Slovak Democratic and Christian Union-SDKÚ, is planning to resign from the party post after European Parliament elections May 24, several sources close to SDKÚ told the TASR newswire. Fedor - a former defence minister (2006) - would allegedly like to see former finance minister Ivan Mikloš in the party presidium. “Today, I can only say that I’ve had a serious debate with SDKÚ vice-chairs and the chairman [Pavol Frešo] on the party’s functioning or non-functioning,” said Fedor when asked by TASR about his plans. Fedor, 40, indirectly conceded that he would like to see Mikloš in the leadership. “It’s about time to ask Ivan Mikloš whether he’s interested or not in returning to the party executive,” he said. Fedor has been SDKÚ vice-chairman since May 2012 when the party replaced the leadership around Mikuláš Dzurinda after the debacle in the general election (6 percent) and Bratislava region (BSK) governor Pavol Frešo became party head. Other vice-chairs are Viliam Novotný, Jozef Mikuš and Ivan Štefanec, who heads the party’s European Parliament slate. (Source: TASR)Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reportsThe Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
Zajac became new KDH caucus chairman, replacing Hrušovský
Pavol Zajac is the new chairman of the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) caucus. He was proposed by KDH Chairman Ján Figeľ, the TASR newswire wrote.
Average nominal salary in wholesale up 8 percent y-o-y in March
The average nominal monthly salary rose most rapidly in the wholesale sector in March: by 8 percent year-on-year to €834, the Slovak Statistics Office (ŠÚ) reported May 13. Other y-o-y increases in March were: in transport and warehousing - 6.5 percent to €770 per month; in industry - 3.5 percent to €899; in sales and repairs of motor vehicles - 2.2 percent to €798; in retail - 1.2 percent to €574; in information activities and communications - 1.2 percent to €1,813; and in accommodation - 0.5 percent to €582. The average nominal monthly salary in construction fell by 3.4 percent y-o-y to €572, while in selected market services it dropped by 2.1 percent to €807 and in restaurants and pubs it went down by 1.1 percent to €366, the TASR newswire quoted from the ŠÚ. The average real monthly salary in wholesale in March went up by 8.1 percent year-on-year. Other y-o-y increases were: in transport and warehousing - 6.6 percent; in industry - 3.6 percent; in sales and repairs of motor vehicles - 2.3 percent; in information activities and communications and in retail - both 1.3 percent, and in accommodation - 0.6 percent. Conversely, the average real monthly salary in construction fell by 3.3 percent in March. The one recorded in selected market services went down by 2 percent, and the one in restaurants and pubs dropped by 1 percent.
National energy strategy includes Bratislava-Schwechat oil pipeline
A national energy strategy for the next 20 years approved by the Economic and Social Council (HSR) on May 12 envisages the construction of a third reactor at Jaslovské Bohunice nuclear power plant along with the building of the Bratislava-Schwechat oil pipeline. Economy Minister Tomáš Malatinský said that the pipeline is a priority project of European significance. “We still have a valid agreement with the Austrian side that we’ll build the pipeline,” said Malatinský, as quoted by the TASR newswire.
AFP calls for stopping Harabin
THE FAIR-Play Alliance (AFP) transparency watchdog launched a civil internet campaign on May 12 calling on Prime Minister Robert Fico to prevent Štefan Harabin and other candidates with similar views from being elected as Supreme Court president and Judicial Council chair. The AFP noted that Harabin cannot be elected without the votes of Smer nominees in the Judicial Council, the TASR newswire reported.
Receipt lottery meets expectations, says IFP
THE NATIONAL Receipt Lottery launched last September has fulfilled expectations for now, Martin Filko, head of the Financial Policy Institute (IFP), told the press on May 12. Since the potential positive impact of the state-receipt lottery on annual value-added tax income is €7-8 million and with the expected annual spending on marketing and prizes at €2 million, the yield of the lottery is four-fold, he added.
PMÚ confirms fine for ČSOB
THE COUNCIL of the Antitrust Office (PMÚ) has upheld a fine for ČSOB bank, a decision the office issued last October. The bank will have to pay nearly €3.2 million for its participation in a cartel agreement on non-cash foreign exchange operations. The decision became valid on April 11, the SITA newswire reported.
Supreme Court upholds sentence for Sýkorovci leader
ONE OF the bosses of the Sýkorovci organised-crime group, Ladislav Bališ, will spend 25 years in prison. This stems from a ruling issued by the Supreme Court on May 13, which dismissed Bališ’s appeal against an earlier Specialised Criminal Court decision.
EU funds for Slovakia threatened, leaked report reads
SLOVAKIA might see its flow of money from EU funds temporarily suspended. The European Commission (EC) criticised the Slovak government in late March 2014 concerning the auditing of projects financed from EU funds. This was not made public at that time since the correspondence between the EC and the Slovak government was secret. Slovak Radio however got a hold of the report and made some of its findings public on May 12.
Olejník behind bars now
FORMER Košice and municipal councillor František Olejník is in prison now, the Sme daily reported on May 12.
Slovakia does not recognise results of Ukraine referendum
SLOVAKIA considers the so-called referendums on the independence of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine illegal and unlawful because they were prepared and carried out in conflict with existing Ukrainian legislation, the Foreign Ministry declared on Monday in connection with the referendums organised by pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine on Sunday, May 11.
Industrial production up 5.9 percent y/y in March
THE INDUSTRIAL Production Index (IPI) increased by 5.9 percent year-on-year in March, the Statistics Office announced on May 12, as reported by the TASR newswire.
Kids in reformatories starving, says ombudswoman
CHILDREN placed in reform schools suffer from hunger, Ombudswoman Jana Dubovcová claims. To demonstrate that the state financing of food for children in these facilities is insufficient, she brought a sample of the daily menu to the MPs of the parliamentary committee for education.
FinMin: State aid down in 2013
THE OVERALL volume of state economic aid provided to business entities in Slovakia in 2013 reached €290.74 billion, down by 1.71 percent year-on-year, according to a report presented by the Finance Ministry.
'Bees Day' takes place in Bratislava
THE SLOVAK Beekepers’ Association and Greenpeace Slovakia organised a Bees Day on the Hviezdoslav Square in Bratislava on May 10 to draw public attention to the importance of bees for global agriculture and food production.
Slovak in French Foreign Legion killed in explosion
A FRENCH legionnaire of Slovak nationality who has died in a military operation in Mali on May 9 is not likely to be paid ceremonial tribute in Slovakia, the Pravda daily reported.
- 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
- From eight to thousands of runners. How Košice marathon rose to prominence Photo
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- Iconic Slovak barn still draws crowds. Without donors, it might have been lost Photo
- 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
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- 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
- From eight to thousands of runners. How Košice marathon rose to prominence Photo
- Convicted of multiple murders, Slovakia’s mafia boss seeks release from prison
- 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
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- 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 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
- A mayor resigns over €2.7 million fraud scandal at town hall
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- Fico praises China and Vietnam as models, says liberal democracy has failed
- News digest: Violent gang in Bratislava is under arrest
- He designed Gatwick. But this is his masterpiece
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- 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 More articles ›
