Archive of articles - September 2014, page 13
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More than 60 vintage Trabants displayed in Košice and Čaňa
AT THE end of July, more than 60 Trabants were gathered in Košice and nearby Čaňa at the 13th national reunion of enthusiasts of the legendary car. On July 26, the cars were presented to visitors of Košice Zoo at the so-called Trabi Safari, and in the afternoon they were paraded in front of Košice’s Aupark shopping centre.
Butcher Manderla commissioned Bratislava’s first high-rise in 1930s
BUTCHER and entrepreneur Rudolf Manderla ordered the construction of the first modern high-rise in Bratislava, the business and residential building named after him, in 1933-1935.
Festival to unite Roma and neighbours banned
THE MUNICIPALITY of Moldava nad Bodvou cancelled the festival called Moldava Spolu (Moldava Together) that was to take place in the town’s Budulovská Roma settlement on August 29, just few days before the start of the event, citing safety concerns.
Tusk appointment symbolic victory for V4
POLISH Prime Minister Donald Tusk will become the next head of the European Council, and though it is the first time someone from a post-2004 EU member state has reached a top post, it is unlikely to significantly shift the position of the central European region within the EU, analysts say.EU leaders chose Donald Tusk to succeed Herman van Rompuy in the post of the president of the European Council on August 30. Tusk’s selection was welcomed in Poland, with the media being supportive, at times even “a bit too enthusiastic”, says Dariusz Kałan, a central Europe analyst with the Warsaw-based Polish Institute of International Affairs. While Tusk’s opponents seek to diminish his achievement, “the dominant opinion is that this is a great success for both Poland and personally for Tusk, who during the last decade underwent a great metamorphosis as a politician and party leader”, Kałan said.
SMEs discussed
SMALL and medium-sized companies of the Visegrad Group (V4) countries were the focus of a congress organised by the Slovak-Polish Chamber of Commerce near the village of Belá close to Žilina on September 3.
Soldiers volunteer at Mlynárce military cemetery
THE 100TH anniversary of World War I was commemorated at the end of July in numerous countries, and in the Slovak city of Nitra, the event was marked with a memorial ceremony attended by city and Defence Ministry representatives at the military cemetery in Mlynárce, where the deceased soldiers are buried.
Procházka officially Sieť party head
THE FOUNDING council of Sieť, the newest right-leaning opposition party, officially elected party founder Radoslav Procházka as its first leader on September 1.
Slovakia can get €4.6 bln from CAP
ABOUT €4.6 billion has been allocated to Slovakia from the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the European Union for the years 2014-2020. While the total support for agriculture and rural development in the EU for this period is lower than the previous one, Slovakia will receive more than it did in previous programming periods.
Chamber music festival turns 15
THOUGH some of Slovakia’s music festivals have continued for more than 15 years, for an event that promotes, presents and popularises something as ethereal and delicate as chamber music, the Konvergencie (Convergences) festival’s 15-year anniversary is a notable one, and will be celebrated with a host of concerts and an exhibition of its history.
Study uncovers possible cronyism
NUMEROUS municipalities around Slovakia have made use of the external project management services of a single company under questionable circumstances. Transparency watchdogs have labelled this a potentially major case of cronyism in drawing EU funds and are calling on the European Commission to look into the matter. On August 25 the Sme daily broke the story on Star EU, a company that has been extraordinarily successful in public procurements, winning 70 out of 70 bids that it applied for.
Trenčín Castle’s Big Bastion reopened this summer
AFTER being closed to the public for 10 years, the reconstructed Big Bastion of Trenčín Castle, in the western-Slovak city of Trenčín, was opened to the public at the end of July 2014. The observatory bastion is part of Zápoľský Palace in the castle complex, and is accessible from the stables.
Polish passion for Visegrad
TOMASZ Chłoń believes that the Visegrad Group has the potential to emulate the success of the Nordic and Benelux regions, while the Polish Ambassador to Slovakia has more than just political and economic integration in mind, but “social as well, leading to stronger Visegrad cohesion and even identity, to ultimately overcome even the most potent historical tensions, such as those between Hungary and Slovakia”.
The will of the people?
SLOVAKIA definitely has a troubled history of using the public plebiscite as a democratic tool. Of the seven referenda the country has held since its independence in 1993, only the one asking “do you agree that Slovakia should become an EU member country” has been valid. Moreover, there was no referendum held before the so-called velvet divorce of the Czechs and Slovaks within former Czechoslovakia, which gave birth to Slovakia.
All facets of Polish culture on offer
IN SOME areas of Slovakia, Polish is traditionally the second language and the two cultures enjoy numerous other areas of overlap, too. But there is also much that is unique to the culture of Slovakia’s northern neighbour.
Quote of the week
“The fact that parliament locked its doors literally means that this is the day of closed and locked doors.”
Exercise: Aging population a growing challenge
This exercise is linked to the article: Aging population a growing challenge
Aging population a growing challenge
A glossary of words as well as an exercise related to this article are also published online.
Glossary: Aging population a growing challenge
Spectator College provides readers of The Slovak Spectator who are trying to improve their English with glossaries of useful and frequently used words and expressions from stories published as part of the Spectator College as well as in the rest of the newspaper. As well as this special glossary, which relates to the article Aging population a growing challenge, you can find more expressions in our Glossary for politics & business or in the List of names of institutions in English and Slovak.
There will be more winners in VAT lottery
THE NATIONAL Receipt Lottery will change its rules in late September and start doing drawings every week, raising the total number of winners to 408 winners per month as opposed to the current 29.
Glváč: Slovakia willing to help more in Afghanistan
SLOVAKIA has declared its willingness to help NATO forces in Afghanistan and join new NATO training mission called Resolute Support providing two rotations of 65 servicemen annually, Defence Minister Martin Glváč announced at the NATO summit in Wales on September 4.
- 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 ›
