Archive of articles - June 2014, page 13
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Albrecht House concert
THE RENOVATION of a house with a unique history and atmosphere, which used to belong to the Albrecht family, has been underway for four years. The quiet, inconspicuous house at Kapitulská 1 in downtown Bratislava was once a focus of art, cultural life and above all music.
Dzurinda, Mikloš quit SDKÚ
TWO-TIME prime minister Mikuláš Dzurinda and his right-hand man Ivan Mikloš are leaving the party they founded more than a decade ago. Dzurinda, who defeated the controversial prime minister Vladimír Mečiar in 1998, and Mikloš, who introduced the internationally acclaimed 19-percent flat tax, are quitting the Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ) due to what they call the failure of the new leadership to rejuvenate what was once the country’s strongest right-wing party.
Slovak theatre probing Russian soul
AFTER Eugen Onegin, the Slovak National Theatre (SND) continues its Russian focus with its recent premiere of another piece by Russian composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, the Queen of Spades. Based on a short story by A.S. Pushkin, it was made into an operatic libretto by the composer’s brother, Modest I. Tchaikovsky.
Volunteer days take place in June
DURING two day in June, volunteers across Slovakia will combine forces within Our Town, or Naše Mesto, the biggest corporate volunteering event in Slovakia. Volunteers can select from hundreds of manual labour activities but can also devote their time to seniors or the disabled.
Initiative raises questions about culture and its role in society
THE DAY Without Art initiative was launched by dozens of cultural, artistic institutions in Slovakia to raise questions like what is art, what is its position in society, and most of all, what would life be like if art were to suddenly disappear?
New rules for public collections
WHILE the nature of charitable and philanthropic efforts has changed since the fall of communism in 1989, activities in this area still adhere to rules set by the communist regime. These outdated rules have prompted the Interior Ministry to join with non-profit and non-governmental organisations to prepare a new law to reflect current societal conditions and engender more trust among the general public in such efforts. Parliament passed the brand new bill on May 27, which will come into effect on July 1.
Košice Zoo gets newcomers, newborns
IN ITS 35th season, the Košice Zoo has several new surprises for visitors, with its collections of birds, mammals, unique insects and reptiles expanding.
Mayoral seat not for just anyone
WHILE anyone, regardless of one’s education level, can become an MP, a municipal or regional council deputy, or even the prime minister for that matter, one will now need to have at least a secondary education to serve as a mayor – whether for the nation’s capital or a village of 60 souls somewhere in central Slovakia. As part of the new election laws, MPs passed a requirement for mayors to have achieved at least a secondary education. While the election law was passed on May 29 with the declared aim of unifying the rules for all elections in Slovakia, this requirement is only valid for municipal elections.
Businesses join NGOs to tackle corruption
WHILE non-profit and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have led the crusade against corruption and weak transparency in Slovakia, now the business sector is joining the fight. Last year, several companies teamed up with the Fund for a Transparent Slovakia, while this year several others formed the Slovak Compliance Circle.
Quote of the week
“We gave them too much time to prepare; I said we should have started it immediately.”
Procházka squeezed over campaign cash
RADOSLAV Procházka, who recently founded the Sieť party and is seen as a potential leader of a reconstituted centre-right in Slovakia, is facing allegations that the financing of his presidential campaign lacked transparency. On June 2, leader of the opposition Ordinary People and Independent Personalities (OĽaNO) party Igor Matovič claimed that Procházka attempted to purchase campaign ads from Matovič’s family-owned company, Regionpress, under the counter.
Collections fundraised €3.5 million
THE TEN most successful organisations holding fund-raising collections in 2013 collected almost €3.5 million, based on an analysis of the Centre for Philanthropy, the SITA newswire wrote on May 5.
Anniversary for protected workplace cafe
THE ONLY café with a wheel-chaired waiter, Café Luxor in Bratislava, celebrated its first anniversary on May 29. The café, which operates as a so-called protected workplace, employs three physically handicapped staffers in the position of waiter, economist and marketing worker, the SITA newswire reported.
Gašparovič met with Obama
SLOVAK President Ivan Gašparovič met with his US counterpart Barack Obama in Warsaw on June 3. The two politicians discussed the situation in Ukraine and energy security in Europe.
Voting: major changes
ON MAY 29, parliament passed a new election law that unifies the rules for all elections held in Slovakia. The new legislation applies to the following types of elections: national parliamentary elections, European Parliament elections, presidential elections, voting on the dismissal of a president, regional elections, municipal elections and referendums.Here is an overview of the major changes introduced by the law:
Voting rules to change
A LONG-AWAITED law unifying the rules for all elections held in Slovakia finally sailed through parliament in late May. Before the law was passed, the government allowed the public a period of time to discuss the new rules and to reach a consensus across the political spectrum. Despite this, opposition parties and political transparency watchdogs have serious concerns about some of the rules.
Zvolen currency launched in May
THE CELEBRATION of the launch of a new local currency called živec took place in Zvolen on May 4. The event included a theatre performance by the Divadlo Bez Opony from nearby Banská Bystrica.Živec is a currency inspired by local currencies worldwide. It can be used for transactions in shops and businesses in Zvolen that are participating in the project, Zuzana Špániková of the Živica civic association, told the TASR newswire.
US, UK artists play for charity
COMBINING quality music with a good cause, several US music ensembles will come to Bratislava to play for the Slovak Cancer Research Foundation, with one concert by the UC Berkeley Symphony Orchestra having already taken place on June 1.
Emissions sale case closed
THE MURKY 2008 sale of free carbon dioxide emission quotas in which Slovakia lost more than €47 million will not go to court. The General Prosecutor’s Office officially closed the investigation in early June, claiming that the sale did not constitute a crime.
Samsung, others get ethics award
SAMSUNG Electronics Slovakia in Galanta and Železiarne Podbrezová in Podbrezová won the Grand Prix of the Slovak Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SOPK) for following ethical principles when doing business. Their representatives accepted the prizes during a general assembly of the SOPK in Bratislava on April 15, the TASR newswire reported.
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Legendary captain Zdeno Chára inducted into IIHF Hall of Fame Video
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- 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
- 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
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- 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 ›
