List of author's articles, page 9
‘Cosmetic’ changes fail to silence Press Code critics
THE RULING coalition parties remain deaf to the uproar from Slovakia’s major dailies, which printed blank front pages on March 27 in protest at the controversial draft Press Code awaiting approval by parliament.
Schengen lands at airports
SLOVAKIA’s three main airports – M. R. Štefánik Airport in Bratislava, Košice Airport and Poprad-Tatry Airport – joined the Schengen airspace on March 30.
Foreign Police have ways of making you wait
FOREIGNERS who decide to stay in Slovakia for more than 90 days face an initial ordeal. At the Office of the Border and Foreign Police in Bratislava, where applications for temporary or permanent residence are handled, their patience is tried in the small office by a long wait for their turn.
Seven sins of the Press Code
ALL SLOVAKIA'S major daily newspapers were published with blank front pages on Thursday, March 27, in protest of the government's controversial attempt to revise the Press Code. Their covers each featured just a short, identical notice to readers listing their most serious objections to the proposed Press Code, which has attracted criticism from both Slovak publishers and the international community.
Denying the Holocaust vs. freedom of speech
CONSERVATIVE Slovak politician Daniel Lipšic has suggested that the law that criminalises denying the Holocaust should be repealed in Slovakia. It is an opinion he first expressed three years ago, and his most recent comment reignited the debate on this very emotional issue.
Tensions plague opposition
INTERNAL tensions continue to paralyse Slovakia's opposition parties.
Radičová's bid for President
THE VICE-CHAIRWOMAN of the opposition SDKÚ party, Iveta Radičová, should run for president. That's the conclusion of political scientists who say she has a real chance of making it to the second round, and that she should run even if she does not get the support of all the opposition parties. Direct presidential elections in Slovakia will be held during the second half of next year.
My friend Heinz
One of the most famous Slovak Jews of all time was Josef Chaim Sonnenfeld, who was born in 1848 in Vrbové, near Piešťany in Western Slovakia. In the 1870’s he moved to Jerusalem, where in the 1920’s he became the city’s chief rabbi.
Low marks for school reform
EXPERTS and politicians might agree that Slovakia's education system needs reform, but their opinions about how to do it differ wildly. A new education bill, proposed by the Ministry of Education, and promising sweeping reform, has caused outrage among its opponents.
Suspect stays in Slovakia
THE SENATE of the Constitutional Court (ÚS) ruled at a closed-door session that Mustapha Labsi, an Algerian citizen facing extradition hearings, will remain in Slovakia while his complaint against the court is considered, Viera Horniaková from the Press and Information Department informed the SITA newswire.
Shining a light on human rights failings
MISTREATMENT of Roma criminal suspects; lengthy pre-trial detention; corruption in the judiciary, local government and health sector; and routine discrimination against Roma remain the blemishes on Slovakia's human rights record, according to the annual report on human rights practices released by the US State Department on March 11.
First permanent Israeli embassy opens
ISRAEL'S diplomatic presence in Slovakia got a permanent home for the first time in March with the opening of its embasssy in Bratislava. The ceremony was attended by Zeev Boker, the Israeli ambassador to Slovakia, Yossi Gal, senior deputy director general for political affairs at the Israeli Foreign Ministry, and Oľga Algayerová, Slovakia's State Secretary for Foreign Affairs.
Fewer visa hassles ahead for Slovaks and Czechs
FOREIGN travel promises to get easier for citizens of the post-communist states of Central Europe as visa requirements to enter Canada are relaxed. Canada, a long-established destination for Slovak emigrants in the past, has lifted visa requirements for Slovakia while the Czech Republic has signed a memorandum with the United States which should pave the way to it lifting its visa requirements. Officials here are hopeful that Slovakia will follow soon.
Nováky - one year later
A FEW dozen inhabitants of Nováky gathered in a park on March 2 to mark the first anniversary of the explosion at the town's Military Maintenance Plant that killed eight people and injured dozens.
Press freedom on trial
SLOVAKIA is about to act out its own version of the 1970s legal drama over the Pentagon Papers, which ultimately strengthened the freedom of the press in the United States.
KDH is on the lookout
MARTIN Fronc believes that the Christian Democratic Movement will recover from the departure of four prominent members: Vladimír Palko, František Mikloško, Rudolf Bauer and Pavol Minárik.
Four accused in student's slaying
TWO AND a half years, a plaque and countless promises after the murder of philosophy student Daniel Tupý in November 2005, four people have finally been charged with the crime.
Licence fee troubles remain
SLOVAKIA has been hard pressed to find an effective way to collect the broadcast licence fees that television and radio owners pay monthly for public broadcasters. Though observers agree that there is a need for an effective system, they say so far the search has come up empty.
Palko envisions new party
HE LEFT the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) with visions of a new conservative party that could break up the Slovak National Party's (SNS) monopoly on patriotism.
Four KDH members quit
FOUR members of the opposition Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) left the party on February 21 due to what they called the KDH's deviation from Christian Democratic ideals.
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- Water supply to be cut in parts of Bratislava’s Old Town in late April More articles ›
