Archive of articles - October 2014
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Slovaks presented flying car
THE FLYING car designed by Slovaks, Juraj Vaculík and Štefan Klein, and presented on October 29 at the Pioneer Festival in Vienna is a sensation. Its previous version surprised even NASA scientists, the pair claims.
British Foreign Affairs Secretary talks EU reform in Slovakia
THE EUROPEAN Union needs reform, Slovak Foreign and European Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajčák and British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Philip Hammond concurred at a meeting in Bratislava on October 30, the TASR newswire reported.
No confidence vote fails, Labour Minister to stay on
THE OPPOSITION failed to oust Ján Richter from the post of Minister of Labour, Social Affairs and Family. Prime Minister Robert Fico told Parliament on October 30 that he considers the proposal to oust Richter tendentious and unjustified, the TASR newswire reported.
Police informed about corruption at university and vote buying
ONE of the deans of Technical University in Zvolen faces three years behind bars for alleged corruption, investigators of the National Criminal Agency revealed on October 30. They further informed about two cases of buying votes for upcoming municipal elections.
Supreme Court approves cancelation of Viva radio license
THE SUPREME Court approved the decision of Council for Broadcasting and Retransmission (RVR) from December 3, 2013 to give licence of Viva radio to Corporate Legal, which plans to launch the new Info radio on October 30, according to a RVR press release.
Amendment to Tax Act approved, opposition to contest at Constitutional Court
LESS than an hour after a vast amendment to the income tax was passed in parliament on October 30, the opposition announced they would contest it at the Constitutional Court.
Slovak-designed flying car gets rave reviews
The flying car designed by Slovaks, Juraj Vaculík and Štefan Klein, and presented on October 29 at the Pioneer Festival in Vienna is a sensation.
Bratislava highway bypass gets green light, will cross protected areas
The construction of the D4 highway stretch between Jarovce-Ivanka pri Dunaji North near the capital, which will form a bypass around Bratislava, is set to be built partly on the Natura 2000 protected area of Dunajské luhy (Danube Floodplain Meads), the government confirmed at its October 29 session. Referring to an analysis, the Environment Ministry argued that no other route would have a less negative impact on the environment, claiming that the estimated negative impact on the territory in question can be compensated for by a series of measures that are expected to cost nearly €9.7 million. This amount includes the cost of implementing the measures along with subsequent maintenance and is due to be covered by the National Highway Company (NDS). Among the measures are the planting of new forests to replace the trees that would be felled and the planting of new grassland to make up for areas that would have to make way for the highway. The affected territory lies in the vicinity of an imaginary line drawn between Bratislava’s borough of Jarovce and the southeastern part of the Slovnaft industrial area, the TASR newswire wrote. The proposed compensation measures aim to ensure that all conditions are in place for preserving populations of black kites, white-tailed eagles and black storks.
Scientists protest in Bratislava and Košice against budget cuts
Holding banners with slogans such as “Let Us Invest into Science and Technologies, the Future Will Thank Us” and “Science Wants to Live, not Survive”, Slovak scientists protested on Námestie Slobody (Freedom Square) in Bratislava and in downtown Košice on October 29 against the budget cuts in the 2015 state budget draft. Scientists pointed out that the transfer of €8 million to projects of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV) as recently proposed by the Education, Science, Research and Sport Ministry won't resolve the planned budgetary cut of 16.9 percent year-on-year for SAV in 2015. Matej Stano from SAV’s Molecular Biology Institute told the TASR newswire that SAV will have to compete with universities for the money from the ministry, while it has not been resolved how the funds can be spent on salaries, either. “At any rate, the SAV budget hasn’t been upped, and we’re lacking €2 million,” said Stano, adding that the overall SAV budget should be increased at least to €66.5 million. “We view our work as a vocation,” SAV Ethnology Institute director Tatiana Podolinska told TASR. “At the moment, we receive twice as much as the minimum salary. People with two PhD titles who can easily leave for abroad have decided to work here, they achieve excellent results, but their financial evaluation is far from appropriate.”
Slovakia will get Spartans for €69 million
SLOVAKIA will buy two Italian military cargo planes Spartan C-27J for €34.5 million each, based on the agreement Defence Minister Martin Glváč and representatives of Alenia Aermacchi signed in Bratislava on October 29.
Slovakia placed 37th in World Bank business ranking
SLOVAKIA worsened its position in the ranking evaluating the quality of business environment compared to last year. According to the latest Doing Business 2015 report it fell to 37th place out of 189 countries ranked, down two positions compared to last year, the SITA newswire reported on October 29.
Nurses want to address MPs over salary dispute
REPRESENTATIVES of nurses and midwives want to turn to deputies to solve their salary dispute. Health Minister Zuzana Zvolenská is not sincerely interested in solving their problems, head of the Slovak Chamber of Nurses and Midwives (SKSaPA) Iveta Lazorová said on October 29. The statement came in response to the October 28 meeting at the Health Ministry where, according to nurses, the minister refused all of their demands, the SITA newswire reported.
Unhealthy food in school buffets banned
THE UNHEALTHY food should disappear from school buffets as of January 2015, according to the amendment to the School Act passed by the parliament on October 29. The new provision was submitted by Smer MP and Deputy Speaker of Parliament Renáta Zmajkovičová, the SITA newswire reported.
Slovakia sends aid to countries hit by Ebola
SLOVAKIA sent humanitarian aid to African regions most seriously stricken by Ebola worth €90,000 via the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Foreign Affairs Ministry announced October 29.
Court clears referenda on family
A REFERENDUM that seeks to constitutionally define the concept of family is likely to take place after all, albeit not with all the questions that the petitioners proposed after the Constitutional Court ruled on October 28 that three of the four questions that social conservatives want to pose to voters could go forward.
Underage migrants from poor countries disappear without a trace
OVER the past five years the Slovak authorities have recorded 775 cases of children who have come to Slovakia from their home countries without their parents, the Human Rights League reported on October 28.
Brussels may sue Slovakia
THE EUROPEAN Commission may sue Slovakia for competition over the modernisation of the railway between Zlatovce and Trenčianska Teplá, near Trenčín, based on the complaint of one of the bidders: construction company Skanska, the Hospodárske Noviny daily reported in its October 29 issue.
Economic sentiment deteriorated in October
AFTER three months of relative stagnation, the economic sentiment indicator (ESI) deteriorated in October. Compared to the previous month, its three-month moving average fell by 1.3 points to 101.8 points. The favourable development of confidence in the trade sector and among consumers was eliminated by unfavourable development in the industrial and service sectors. Compared to last year, however, the ESI was 8.7 points higher. The indicator still lags behind its long-term average by 2.7 points, the Statistics Office (ŠÚ) informed on October 29.
ÚVO confirms Čaplovič violated the law
THE PUBLIC Procurement Office confirmed that former education minister Dušan Čaplovič violated the law when he did not arrange the tender over distributing learning books, but only prolonged an existing agreement with the company Xepap for another three years. This caused a loss of state funds of about €0.5 million, Miroslav Beblavý of Sieť said on October 28.
Official campaign before municipal elections began
THE OFFICIAL media campaign before the November 15 municipal elections started on October 29 at 7:00. According to the law, the campaign starts 17 days before elections and ends 48 hours before opening the polling stations. The moratorium lasts until stations are closed on November 15 at 20:00, the SITA newswire reported.
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- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- Digital Jarvis is real now. He is coming for your to-do list
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- Digital Jarvis is real now. He is coming for your to-do list
- The disinformation scene has become a tool of media capture
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- News digest: Fico’s bloc wants to save money by restricting electoral access
- Convicted of multiple murders, Slovakia’s mafia boss seeks release from prison
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- News digest: Violent gang in Bratislava is under arrest
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- Digital Jarvis is real now. He is coming for your to-do list
- The disinformation scene has become a tool of media capture
- Paris leads, Bratislava trails: European cities ranked on safe travel for children
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- A mayor resigns over €2.7 million fraud scandal at town hall
- Show me your moves! Slovak hockey stars share their best pick-up lines
- He designed Gatwick. But this is his masterpiece
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Fico praises China and Vietnam as models, says liberal democracy has failed
- The compass points to Kúty, and people are starting to follow
- News digest: Violent gang in Bratislava is under arrest
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Stupava 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
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- Digital Jarvis is real now. He is coming for your to-do list More articles ›
