Archive of articles - June 2014, page 12
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Slovakia’s revised Q1 trade surplus at €1.23 billion
SLOVAKIA registered a first-quarter foreign trade surplus of €1.233 billion, which is almost the same as what the country recorded the first three months of 2013, when it was only €15 million less, the SITA newswire reported, citing the revised data of the Statistics Office.
More police to hit the roads
THERE will be more police patrolling Slovakia’s roads, appearing even in places where they normally have not had much of a presence, and issuing stricter fines for undisciplined drivers.
Responsible company of the year 2013: Slovenské elektrárne
Corporate responsibility is an essential part of Slovenské elektrárne’s enterprise. The power company is fully engaged in corporate responsibility within the Energy for the Country programme, a complex project which brought Slovenské elektrárne in 2014 a prestigious award: the main prize of VIA BONA 2013.
Rusnák fined for offensive statements
DÁRIUS Rusnák, the head of the Presidential Office’s public relations division, did not commit the crime of defaming a nation or race when he verbally assaulted two women for speaking Hungarian in the Prezidentka bar in Bratislava, a police investigator said. The investigator of the case moved it to the local authority which can only impose on Rusnák a €33 fine, the Sme daily reported in its June 7 issue.
Moody’s and Fitch downgrade SPP rating
TWO INTERNATIONAL agencies have downgraded the rating of Slovenský Plynárenský Priemysel (SPP) after the state became its sole owner on June 4. While Moody’s downgraded the issuer rating to Baa3 from Baa1 with a stable outlook, Fitch decreased the Issuer Default Ratings (IDR) in foreign and domestic currency to BBB- with a stable outlook from A-, the SITA newswire reported on June 6.
Four teenagers died in bus accident
FOUR 18-year-old girls were killed in an accident involving a bus carrying secondary-school students on the D1 cross-country highway between Piešťany and Trnava on June 6. Several of their classmates and teachers suffered serious injuries, the TASR newswire reported.
Poll: Fico contributes the most - and the least
PRIME Minister Robert Fico is the politician to have contributed to Slovakia the most as well as the least over the past few years. This finding stems from a poll carried out by the Polis polling agency between May 26 and June 2 on 1,603 respondents.
Rules for second pillar payments set
PARLIAMENT passed at its June 5 session rules for the payment of pensions for the first 3,000 seniors who will start drawing them from the second, private pensions pillar next year. The amendment to the pension law was supported by 101 MPs, while seven were against and 20 abstained from the vote, the SITA newswire reported.
Platinum mesh case goes to court
THE PROSECUTOR of the Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Bratislava has filed a lawsuit over the underpriced sale of platinum mesh by the Administration of State Material Reserves (SŠHR) that occurred back in October 2011.
Responsible products marketed
COMPANIES can themselves affect customers and consumer behaviour by offering them more responsible products and services. Members of the Business Leaders Forum and other companies are making an effort to incorporate the principles of corporate responsibility into their everyday workings. They showed some of their outcomes at the Market of Solutions event which was part of the annual conference on corporate responsibility in Bratislava on May 22 organised by the Pontis Foundation. Visitors, apart from trying some of the solutions on site, could vote for the best solution.
Eating with one’s eyes in the GMB
GASTRONOMY, food culture and a focus on natural, home-grown or home-made meals are issues that have come to the foreground of the public’s attention. This popularity might also be reflected in the recent exhibition in the Bratislava City Gallery (GMB) called Čo Sme Si Navarili (What We Have Cooked for Ourselves).
Via Bona prizes granted
IN MID APRIL the Pontis Foundation handed out the 14th annual awards for companies doing businesses in a responsible way. The ceremony took place on April 10 in Bratislava while it had the form of a theatrical performance featuring also a Down-syndrome affected actor. The jury selected winners from among 52 nominations. “What we are trying to achieve by awards in Slovakia is often a matter of course in developed countries,” Pavel Hrica of the Pontis Foundation said, as cited in the press release. “We want to set this norm also in Slovakia, and companies already feel such expectations from their surroundings.”There were seven categories in the 2013 Via Bona Slovakia Awards, reflecting the continuing development of corporate responsibility and corporate philanthropy in Slovakia. This year a new category, the prize of the public, about which people voting online via the website of the Hospodárske Noviny economic daily, was added.
Slovakia to be removed from EDP
SLOVAKIA is likely to be taken out of the excessive deficit procedure (EDP) programme.The European Commission recommended on June 2 that the Council of the EU should drop the EDP programme for six countries: Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, the Netherlands, Austria and Slovakia.
New drugs on the rise
THOUGH the number of people addicted to drugs like heroin and cocaine is declining, Europe faces an increased threat represented by new synthetic drugs which often mimic the effects of traditional narcotics, according to the European Drug Report 2014 released on May 27.
Countrywide Events
Western SLOVAKIA
GDP rose by 2.4 percent in 1Q
SLOVAKIA’S GDP rose by 2.4 percent in the first quarter of 2014, the Statistics Office (ŠÚ) announced, confirming its flash estimate from May. Analysts attribute the growth mostly to an increase in domestic demand.
Bratislava culture goes outdoors
WHILE many theatres as well as the Slovak Philharmonic will go into hibernation over the summer for some time off, cultural life in the Slovak capital will simply move outside into the open air.A host of outdoor activities, events, projects and festivals are planned for the summer months, with most of them organised as part of the Summer of Culture Festival Bratislava and Castle Festivities 2014. Lasting from mid June to mid September, the festival’s 39th year will offer some 3,000 artists from 32 countries in about 250 events.
Low budget cripples army
BOOSTING defence spending was US President Barack Obama’s message as he addressed NATO member states during his visit to Poland on June 3 and promised $1 billion to bolster the US military presence in Europe. Such comments have particular resonance in Slovakia, where budget cuts and a lack of interest in defence issues are weakening the armed forces and leading to greater dependence on Russia, analysts say.
Young Bratislavan cycles around the world
A YEAR ago Karol Voltemár, a 29-year-old from Bratislava, set out on a bicycle trip around the globe. By the end of May 2014, he had travelled more than 22,000 kilometres on his bike, across 24 countries, spending more than 1,200 hours on the saddle of his “two-wheeled horse”, the TASR newswire wrote.
NGOs receive €25 million
TAXPAYERS sent almost €25 million to non-profit organisations, foundations and other similar organisations within a 2-percent allocation scheme from income and corporate taxes they paid for 2013, according to the Financial Administration. This sum might increase as the administration has not processed all income tax returns and some entities have postponed their deadlines for submitting tax returns, the TASR newswire wrote.
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- 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
- Liberal MP's boxing challenge backfires as far-right MEP seizes the moment
- 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
- 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
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- 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
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- 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
- A mayor resigns over €2.7 million fraud scandal at town hall
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- Legendary captain Zdeno Chára inducted into IIHF Hall of Fame Video
- Liberal MP's boxing challenge backfires as far-right MEP seizes the moment
- 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 More articles ›
