Archive of articles - November 2014, page 12
If you desire to read an old article, use the search bar or select the publication date.
CORRECTION: US Embassy wants to find a new site in 24 months
IN THE flash news ‘US Embassy wants to find a new site in 24 months’ published on November 7 we incorrectly said that the Embassy will move from Hviezdoslavovo Square in Bratislava in 24 months. In fact US Embassy wants to find a new site in 24 months, but expects to actually move from Hviezdoslavovo Square at a later date.
NGO: Only transparent firms should compete in public tenders
Public tenders should be open exclusively to companies with transparent ownership structures, stated the Slovak Fair-Play Alliance (AFP) in an appeal to the government on November 12, thereby responding to the recent scandal involving the purchase of an overpriced CT scanner by Piešťany Hospital. AFP representatives told a press conference in Bratislava that the CT scanner scandal is by no means the first case associated with the misuse of public resources by a P.O. Box firm. “We’re fed up with a situation in which politicians fail to come up with solutions to prevent such scandals," AFP’s head Zuzana Wienk said, calling for the setting up of a working group made up of experts. Wienk cited the recent CT scanner scandal in Piešťany as a prime example. This was won by Medical Group SK, “whose ownership is concealed in four countries”. “That company is owned by a Prague-based joint stock company, which is owned by another joint stock company from Banská Bystrica, which in turn currently has no owner stated in our Business Registry, even though it had two mailbox companies from Belize and Cyprus there two years ago,” said Wienk, as quoted by the TASR newswire, adding that this does not put the firm in a good light. “Since Belize is a tax haven that serves as a safe hiding place for business owners, this company can't be viewed as a transparent one.” The first step towards achieving the stated aim should be the introduction of a requirement asking firms vying to join public tenders to have ownership structure transparent to the point of natural persons managing them, or having profit from them.
Government meets in Ubľa, allocate €2 million for eastern municipalities
Three days ahead of the local elections in Slovakia to take place on November 15, the government held an away-from-home session in Ubľa in the Prešov region, a village with a population of 800 people whose mayor Nadežda Sirková is a member of the ruling Smer party. On November 12, the government approved spending of €2 million on activities aimed at improving the socio-economic situation in 40 towns and villages in the districts of Prešov, Humenné, Medzilaborce, Snina and Stropkov in northeastern Slovakia.
Tipos head Kriška steps down over credit card abuse
After speaking with Finance Minister Peter Kažimír, the CEO and board of directors chairman of the state-owned Tipos lottery company Ladislav Kriška has offered his resignation, which was accepted November 12. “Mr. Kriška assumed personal responsibility for the situation,” Kažimír said, as quoted by the TASR newswire. Kriška stepped down in the wake of a story broke by the Sme daily, indicating that during his private shopping at a luxury store in Prague, Kriška paid with a Tipos credit card. Sme wrote that it has a document which proofs that on October 4, 2014, this Smer nominee paid €4,847.70 with a golden Tipos credit card at luxury goods outlet “Baldinini-Široká' in downtown Prague. Kriška also used the company credit card to pay €85.87 at the Prague hotel InterContinental, located a street away from Baldinini. In his response, Kriška maintained that he did not violate any rules. “It’s important to say that I haven’t violated any regulations by using the credit card,” he claimed. “Of course, I returned the sum that I paid via this card to the Tipos company treasury – in line with the rules.” Sme wrote that he did so more than a month after having used the card, while the internal Tipos rules enable managers to use the company credit cards for private purpose, but with the obligation to return the money within 15 days. Nonetheless, Kriska added that he was ready to bear full responsibility for the situation. “If the stakeholder decides to take action against me, I’m ready to respect and understand this,” he said.
People perceive November ‘89 events less positively
ABOUT 51 percent of Slovaks and 61 percent of Czechs perceive the events of November 1989 positively, the survey carried out in early October on more than 1,000 respondents in both countries showed. The data was collected by the Focus polling agency for Slovakia’s Institute for Public Affairs (IVO) and Czech Public Opinion Research Center.
Paška submits criminal complaint over CT scanner case
SPEAKER of Parliament Pavol Paška submitted a criminal complaint against MEP Richard Sulík of the Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party, Ordinary People and Independent Personalities (OĽaNO) MP Igor Matovič and independent MP Daniel Lipšic for slander and libel with the Office of the General Prosecutor, the TASR newswire reported on November 12.
Kiska calls on people to go to polls
THE IMPACTS of people’s decisions in local elections are visible every day and as soon as a person leaves home, President Andrej Kiska said on November 12, appealing to all eligible voters in Slovakia to go out and cast their votes in November 15 municipal elections.
VOTE: Vote-buying suspicions were mostly not confirmed
RESIDENTS of Slovak villages, towns and cities elected their mayors and local council representatives on November 15. The police registered almost 88 motions, of which 51 involved suspicions of vote-buying. Some of such suspicions postponed the closing of polling stations by nearly an hour after the original closing time of 20:00.
Civil society still lagging
MORE THAN four decades of a totalitarian regime taught the average Slovak to do their best to avoid public affairs. A quarter century later those dormant civic instincts are only just starting to wake up.
Tipos head to leave his post
THE HEAD of the state-run lottery Tipos, Ladislav Kriška, will be dismissed from his post, spokesperson for PM Robert Fico Beatrice Szabóová told the public-service broadcaster RTVS. The decision came after the Sme daily reported in its November 12 issue that Kriška used the company’s credit card to pay for his private purchase in a luxurious shop in Prague.
Kiska will support two questions in referendum
PRESIDENT Andrej Kiska revealed how he will vote in the referendum initiated by the Alliance for Family (AZR) that seeks to constitutionally define the concept of family. As a conservative person, he will support first two questions referring to the definition of marriage and rights of adoption for same-sex couples. He is, however, against the question regarding sexual education at schools, the president told the press on November 12.
October inflation stagnated
THE ANNUAL inflation did not change in October compared to the previous month. The core inflation rose by 0.2 percent month-on-month, while the net inflation increased by 0.6 percent m/m, the Statistics Office (ŠÚ) informed on November 12.
The Supreme Court supported sentenced barrister
THE SUPREME Court accepted the appeal of lawyer Pavol Polakovič who was found guilty eight years ago of having tried to bribe his colleague on November 10. The ruling means that the appellate senate will now have to decide again about the ruling issued by the Specialised Criminal Court, the Sme daily reported in its November 12 issue.
Slovakia opened liaison office in Ramallah
Slovakia on November 11 opened a liaison office in the West Bank city of Ramallah, which was opened by Slovak honorary consul for Palestine (based in Bethlehem) George Jabra – standing in for Slovak Foreign and European Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajčák, who cancelled his own visit.
Mičieta re-elected rector of Comenius University
Karol Mičieta will remain rector of Comenius University in Bratislava, the oldest and largest university in Slovakia.
Borec initiates move against three Supreme Court judges
Justice Minister Tomáš Borec has initiated disciplinary proceedings against three judges of the Supreme Court whose inactivity in the spring resulted in double murderer Štefan Szabó, who had been previously sentenced to life, being released from prison, ministry spokeswoman Alexandra Donevová told the TASR newswire on November 11. Szabó was sentenced by the Specialised Criminal Court in Pezinok in October 2013 for the murder of two men. The verdict did not enter into force, however, as Szabó appealed to the Supreme Court. After he was released in the spring he disappeared and the police are now unable to find him. The Supreme Court in the meantime confirmed the original verdict of the Specialised Court, and ordered that Szabó should also pay compensation to the widow of one of his victims amounting to more than €22,000.
Protesters demand Paška’s resignation, CEO involved in scandal was sacked
Around 300 protesters gathered on November 11 in Košice’s City Park in front of the residence of Parliamentary Speaker Pavol Paška to demand his resignation over what they view as his involvement in the scandal of an overpriced CT (computerised tomography) scanner bought by Piešťany Hospital. “People from Košice have surprised me; this represents a critical mass in Slovakia,” independent MP Alojz Hlina who attended the demonstration reacted. “Another protest is set to take place in Bratislava on Friday [November 14]. It may be enough [for Paška’s resignation],” said Hlina, as quoted by the TASR newswire. He added that the time has come when the opposition needs the help of the public. “A person [i.e. Paška] who represents what we didn’t do properly in November 1989 should step down in honour of the 25th anniversary [of the fall of Communism],” Hlina said, as quoted by the TASR newswire. “We allowed the smooth transition to the new times for figures from the old regime and we provided them with a constitutional protection of their property.”
Biggest salary hikes were in wholesale and industry in September
The highest annual increases in average nominal monthly salaries in September were seen in wholesale and in industry, the Slovak Statistics Office (ŠÚ) announced on November 11. Wholesale witnessed a rise of 7.4 percent year-on-year to €825 per month, while salaries in industry jumped by 7 percent to €916 per month. Further hikes were seen in transport and warehousing (by 4.8 percent y-o-y to €781), in sales and repairs of motor vehicles (4.5 percent to €811), in retail (2.3 percent to €578), and in accommodation (2 percent to €606).
Industrial production dynamics slow down
THE DYNAMICS of the industry in Slovakia continues to slow down. The seasonally adjusted industrial production rose by only 1.2 percent year-on-year in September, compared to June’s 7.6 percent, July’s 4.4 percent and August’s 2.7 percent, the SITA newswire reported.
Health Ministry gets new state secretary
RADOSLAV Čuha, head of the teaching hospital in Prešov, will become the new state secretary of the Health Ministry. He will replace Viliam Čislák who was appointed the new health minister on November 6, the TASR newswire reported.
- 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
- Liberal MP's boxing challenge backfires as far-right MEP seizes the moment
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- 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
- Legendary captain Zdeno Chára inducted into IIHF Hall of Fame Video
- 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 ›
