Archive of articles - May 2014, page 9
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Countrywide Events
Western SLOVAKIA
Payments go mobile
THOUGH the technology to use mobile devices for making payments developed quickly, various complications have prevented it from really taking off. Near Field Communication (NFC) technology offers a user-friendly solution to the mobile payment hang-up, but requires coordination between banks and mobile operators, and infrastructure in shops. Yet, with Slovakia considered the European leader in adopting innovative solutions, NFC mobile payments may soon become routine.
Sopoliga becomes last CC nominee
JURAJ Sopoliga, a judge of the Košice Regional Court, is the sixth and final candidate for one of three posts at the Constitutional Court (CC) that will be vacated in July. Five nominees were already elected in April.
Gale in High Tatras downed trees
A WINDSTORM in the High Tatras mountains downed trees, ripped off roofs and damaged billboards on May 15, with firefighters recommending drivers in the mountain area to leave their cars at home.
Kováčik elected despite unsolved cases
DUŠAN Kováčik was elected a special prosecutor for a third term, after he was supported by 92 of 118 deputies present in the parliament on May 15. Only 17 MPs were against and nine abstained from the vote. Kováčik, the only candidate, will continue in his work though he has not solved several serious cases, including the one pertaining to the Gorilla file, a leaked document allegedly pointing to above-standard relations between senior politicians and businesspeople, the Sme daily reported.
Person responsible for EU funds audit dismissed
THE FINANCE Ministry has dismissed Marek Vanko, the person leading the department responsible for auditing the European Union’s funds, the Sme daily reported in its May 16 issue. He lost his job after the European Commission threatened Slovakia with losing billions of euros for failing to reveal mishaps in the projects funded from the European coffers.
Fico: Slovakia not to increase defence budget
Prime Minister Robert Fico said at the GLOBSEC conference that Slovakia will not increase funds for the defence, even though as NATO member, Slovakia has taken the obligation to do so. According to him, Slovakia does not see a room to raise the budget in the following few years.
Watchdogs want Harabin out
BACK in 2009, amid protests by political ethics groups, Štefan Harabin went straight from the Justice Ministry, controlled by the controversial Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS), to lead the Supreme Court as well as the Judicial Council, a body which oversees the functioning of the judiciary. Five years later, political ethics watchdogs, artists, journalists and other public figures, are on alert once again as Harabin seeks re-election.
Number of district election committee members for upcoming EP elections soar
THE DISTRICT committees for the upcoming European Parliament (EP) election will have 71,600 members, the Interior Ministry informed the TASR newswire, and the number might actually be higher.
Scientologist Wiedermann moves to another state office
THE STATE, governed by the Smer party, is not going to recall Scientologist Martin Wiedermann, who heads the Central Depository of Securities (CDCP), but rather, he is moving to a post in another state agency, the Sme daily wrote on May 15.
SAV publishes new analysis of Roma population developments
TO PROVIDE an analysis of the growth of the Roma population in Slovakia and to forecast its development by 2030 are the goals of a new book presented in the premises of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV) in Bratislava on May 14.
GDP Flash estimate for Q1 2014 stands at 2.4 percent
IN THE first quarter of 2014, the gross domestic product at constant prices increased by 2.4 percent, as compared year-on-year. After seasonal adjustment, GDP rose by 2 percent as compared to the first quarter of 2013 and by 0.6 percent in comparison with the previous quarter, the Slovak Statistics Office (ŠÚ) wrote.
GLOBSEC 2014 opened in Bratislava
More than 800 guests from 65 countries, among them the prime ministers of the Visegrad Four (V4) countries (Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary) and NATO General Secretary Anders Fogh Rasmussen, are attending the three-day GLOBSEC 2014 international security conference, which opened in Bratislava on May 14. Other notable guests include Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland and former supreme commander of the allied forces in Afghanistan John Allen. The main topic of the conference is the situation in Ukraine. Other topics include the European Parliament elections, the “rise and fall” of political Islam, the future of the EU’s Eastern Partnership and developments in the Western Balkans, president of the Slovak Atlantic Commission Rastislav Káčer told the TASR newswire. The event opened at the Kempinski Hotel at 13:00 by Slovak Foreign and European Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajčák. The public is also able to take part in the conference at an event called Globsec City Talks organised in the Old Market-hall building in the city centre. “We’ve invited the most interesting speakers from the GLOBSEC conference to the Globsec City Talks,” said Robert Vass, executive vice-president of the Central European Strategy Council.
Parliament acknowledges Stability Programme 2014-17
In 2013, Slovakia brought the deficit below 3 percent of GDP to 2.77 percent, which was a fundamental condition for the country to leave the eurozone’s procedure for countries with excessive public finance deficits, reads the Stability Programme for 2014-17 acknowledged by the parliament on May 14. According to the document, government managed to reduce the so-called structural deficit from 3.8 percent in 2013 to the recent 1.9 percent. To reduce the deficit, the government needed to adopt cuts amounting to more than €1.5 billion. Finance Minister Peter Kažimír has already announced that the government will have to continue with consolidation efforts also in the years ahead. He accentuated, as quoted by the TASR newswire, the need to continue to pursue consolidation efforts in 2015, as the ministry expects the deficit to drop to 2.49 percent next year. The ministry is also planning to adopt further measures such as removing some exemptions in the use of cash registers and introducing a withholding tax on income from sales of scrap metal. It also envisages sticking to its programme of enhancing the collection of VAT. In the context of May 14 debate on the issue in parliament, opposition MPs criticised the document blaming the government for reducing the public deficit in an unsustainable way – through one-off measures – and for the deterioration of the business environment.
Most severe flood alert declared in twelve districts along Polish border
The Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (SHMÚ) on May 14 issued the most severe, third-level flood alert along almost the entire northern border of Slovakia. A second-degree alert has been declared for parts of Banska Bystrica, Košice, Prešov and Žilina regions. SHMÚ stated, as quoted by the TASR newswire, that the 12 northern districts with the third-degree flood alert may experience heavy rain, with the overall precipitation between May 14 evening and May 15 night exceeding 100 millimetres.
Charged model Kukučová gives consent to extradition to Spain
Swimsuit model Mária Kukučová, prime suspect in the murder of British businessman and ex-boyfriend Andrew Bush, has given consent for her extradition to Spain. Kukučová claims that she fled from Spain because she witnessed men in uniform visiting her ex-boyfriend’s villa. On May 13, Kukučová was interrogated at the Prosecutor’s Office and consented to her extradition to Spain. “The prosecutor now has ten days to make a decision on carrying out the European arrest warrant and no appeal is possible against that decision,” her lawyer Matúš Gemeš told the TASR newswire on May 14, adding that his client could be prosecuted in Spain for no other crime but the murder of Bush. If convicted she faces some 20 years in jail. Kukučová, aged 24, is charged with murdering Bush, 48, and she claimed that she killed Bush in self-defence. The young model allegedly entered into a heated argument with Bush who supposedly physically assaulted her before she shot him dead. She is pregnant with his child. Kukučová voluntarily surrendered herself to police April 8, accompanied by her new boyfriend. After interrogation, she was escorted to Faculty Hospital in Trenčín for a medical examination of bruises supposed to corroborate her version of being physically attacked by Bush.
GLOBSEC focuses on Ukraine
AS ITS name indicates, the annual GLOBSEC conference in Bratislava tries to take on security challenges and debates that encompass the entire world, but Russian policy in neighbouring Ukraine – and the question of how to respond – cast a long shadow over the ninth edition of the event on May 14-16.
Days of Architecture focus on ‘renewal of the old’
THE RENEWAL and restoration of historical architecture is the theme of Days of Architecture 2014, taking place between May 15 and 18 in Bratislava. However, an exhibition that opened on the first day, called Monitoring of Modernism, will last until the end of June.
Scientology and short-term memory
“SCIENTOLOGY” was a buzzword in Robert Fico’s presidential campaign, which largely revolved around falsely insisting that his main rival Andrej Kiska – who in a matter of weeks will be sworn into the presidential office – was connected to the Church of Scientology.
Inflation down by 0.2 percent in April
CONSUMER prices in Slovakia dropped in April 2014 by 0.2 percent in a year-on-year comparison, the Statistics Office stated on May 14 as reported by the SITA newswire.
- 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
- From eight to thousands of runners. How Košice marathon rose to prominence Photo
- 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
- Iconic Slovak barn still draws crowds. Without donors, it might have been lost Photo
- 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
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Convicted of multiple murders, Slovakia’s mafia boss seeks release from prison
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- News digest: Prosecutor seeks jail for NBS Governor Kažimír as his political support wanes
- 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 law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- 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
- Fico praises China and Vietnam as models, says liberal democracy has failed
- He designed Gatwick. But this is his masterpiece
- News digest: Violent gang in Bratislava is under arrest
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- 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 ›
