List of author's articles, page 7
Searching for the right tone with Russia
SLOVAKIA was part of the Soviet bloc from 1948 to 1989. But since the fall of communism in 1989, Slovakia has aligned itself with the European Union and the NATO countries.
European communism crimes institute proposed
POLICE and prosecutors in Slovakia now seem likely to turn down calls for criminal proceedings over the deaths of dozens of civilians at Czechoslovak borders during the 1948–1989 totalitarian communist regime. At the same time, events appear to be moving in the opposite direction in the Czech Republic, with well-known public figures proposing that crimes committed during communism be deemed crimes against humanity, and seeking to establish an international institution aimed at researching them.
Slovaks unconcerned
SLOVAKS appear to be neither dismayed nor impressed by Ireland’s ‘no’ vote on the European Union’s Lisbon Treaty. Irish political representatives say they hope the European Union (EU) will find a solution to the situation, since the vote has effectively blocked union-wide adoption of the treaty. Meanwhile, top Slovak politicians commenting on it have expressed more concern about the EU’s policy on inflation than about the storm brewing in Brussels.
Her century in Bratislava
She saw the Austro-Hungarian monarch Charles Habsburg pass by in an open car on Štefániková Street in Bratislava following his coronation, accompanied by crown prince Otto von Habsburg.
Predator should have been confined; he was not
THE MURDER of 9-year-old Jakub Šimánek in the Czech town of Havlíčkův Brod has cast a long shadow over Slovakia’s system of treating, confining, and tracking sexual predators.
Kremnica humor festival bursting at seams
As in each of the last 27 years, on the last weekend in August the Kremnické gagy (Kremnica Gags) festival of humor and satire will take place in the former mining town of Kremnica.
Mečiar first to use Press Code, targets commentary
LESS THAN 48 hours after the controversial Press Code took effect, Vladimír Mečiar, chairman of the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS), became the first person to request a correction.
Slota lets rip, again
JÁN SLOTA, the leader of the Slovak National Party (SNS), which is a member of Slovakia's governing coalition, has courted further international controversy with controversial comments aimed at a politician from neighbouring Hungary.
Mikolaj: Making schools equal
THE DEBATE over the new Education Act hasn't died down since it was approved in Parliament on May 22.
HZDS haunted by its past
THE MOVEMENT for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) has been struggling for international acceptance since the party led by former prime minister Vladimír Mečiar drove Slovakia to the verge of international isolation back in 1997.
Huge convoy spooks Nováky
THE INHABITANTS of the small town of Nováky, in western Slovakia, recently got an unwelcome reminder of the fear they experienced just over a year ago when a huge ammunition explosion at the local Military Maintenance Plant (Vojenský opravárenský podnik, or VOP) cost eight people their lives and caused considerable damage. The explosion took place on March 2, 2007. On the night of May 28 this year, army, police and fire-fighters were employed in a major operation to transport explosive material from Nováky to the Military Technological and Testing Institute in Záhorie, north of Bratislava, where it will be decommissioned.
Archives yield ‘crimes against humanity’
THE NATION’S Memory Institute (ÚPN) has called for the killings of 42 people during the communist regime to be investigated as crimes against humanity. The deaths occurred on Slovakia’s borders when it was part of post-war Czechoslovakia. The ÚPN has filed a motion with the General Prosecutor’s Office for it to pursue the cases.
Roma still face discrimination: AI
DISCRIMINATION against Roma remains a problem in Slovakia in terms of respect for human rights, according to an annual report by the human rights watchdog Amnesty International (AI), released on May 28 in London.
MP keeps immunity
MEMBERS of the Slovak National Council (the country's parliament) have long enjoyed immunity from prosecution, even for offences unconnected with their parliamentary duties. But it has now become clear that this immunity remains in place even if they themselves wish to waive it.
Crucial reform, or just cosmetics?
SLOVAKIA has long been in urgent need of a new education law: that much both experts and politicians can agree on. However, they still differ on the form the new legislation should take. The opinions of political parties and experts vary significantly. And while the governing coalition argues that the education law, which was passed at the latest parliamentary session on May 22, will finally reform the sector, non-governmental organisations and opposition representatives say it is a huge step back.
Scandal over MP's forged signatures
THE SLOVAK parliament has been racked by allegations of deceit over falsified signatures used by a coalition party leader to qualify for tax-payer funded pay and allowances. Despite early resistance from the speaker, parliament has now instructed him to report on the affair.
Pezinok dump is being built
AFTER three inspections, the Bratislava Environmental Inspectorate (IŽP) has confirmed what many in Pezinok have known for weeks: that an illegal waste dump is being built in the town.
Slota jibe nixes PMs' meeting
THE HUNGARIAN Prime Minister, Ferenc Gyurcsány, has put on hold a long-planned meeting with his Slovak counterpart, Robert Fico, following controversial statements made by Ján Slota, a fellow-party leader of Fico's in the governing coalition. Slota, chairman of the Slovak National Party (SNS), made his comments in reference to St Stephen, an important historical figure for Hungarians. The Slovak prime minister has made light of the comments.
Fico’s Hungarian warning
PRIME Minister Robert Fico recently appealed to Slovaks to be more united and prouder of their nationality.
Fishy smell lingers over Pezinok waste dump
THE SAGA surrounding a proposed new waste storage site in the town of Pezinok, near Bratislava, continues to take a series of ever-more complicated twists and turns. Pezinok inhabitants have been protesting vigorously against its proposed construction, arguing that the dump is being built in spite of a ban on it by the Slovak Environmental Inspectorate (SIZK).
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