List of author's articles, page 15
Ministers open Tatras to developers
A LAND-USE plan for the Tatras National Park proposes to open highly sensitive areas to tourism development, and according to the park's former director is "a piece of absurdity" that would destroy some of the park's most valuable protected species.
The money or the door
MANY of us remember a time - however dimly - when the professions we chose meant more than just a salary. It wasn't just what we did: It was what we were. And so you could tell a policeman by his frankly challenging stare, a teacher by his didactic nature, or a priest by his faith.
Penta is investing Sk1.6 billion in environmental cleanup project
THE COMPLEX reconstruction of the slag heap at the ZSNP aluminium plant in Žiar nad Hronom in Central Slovakia, at a projected cost of over Sk1.6 billion, is the largest private sector project in Slovakia's history trying to eliminate an environmental burden from the past.
As if the windstorm wasn't bad enough...
Head of Tatras' forest administration says environmentalists are risking survival of mountain trees.
GDP grows 8.9% in first quarter
A YEAR ago, economic growth of almost nine percent would have delighted Slovak analysts. This spring it has left them disappointed.The Statistics Bureau released a flash estimate of year-on-year GDP growth on May 15 that showed the economy expanded by 8.9 percent in the first quarter of 2007. A detailed breakdown will not be available until June 1.
Defensive collapse ruins hockey dream
WHEN a Slovak player had to dive to glove the puck out of the defensive zone in the chaotic first five minutes of the national team's opening game against Norway, it was a sure sign that defence was not the strong point of this year's Slovak World Championships entry.
764 more ŠtB officers outed
THE NATION'S Memory Institute has published another list of former members of the ŠtB Communist secret police, this time of the counter-intelligence corps for Slovakia, the feared "XII Division".
Cabinet tightens belt for 2007
THE FICO government has agreed to spend less than it anticipated next year, under pressure from the European Commission, but the prime minister says he is not happy about the restrictions on his social spending plans.At a cabinet meeting on May 9, the government agreed to cut Sk1.5 billion from planned spending next year and to reduce the public finance deficit from 2.4 percent of GDP to 2.3 percent.
Health Ministry savings plan rejected
THE FUTURE of Health Minister Ivan Valentovič appeared in doubt on May 3 as Prime Minister Robert Fico rejected a long-awaited report the minister had prepared on ways to save money in the cash-poor health care system.
König: PM's media approach 'unfortunate'
ARNE König, chairman of the European Federation of Journalists, is surprised by the level of tension in relations between the Slovak government and the country's media, and says Prime Minister Robert Fico should understand he represents all parts of society.
Police bust kidnap gang in their midst
THE POLICE have unmasked an organized gang operating within their midst, and have so far charged six current and former officers, including four regional special tactics operatives, with crimes of theft and kidnapping going back to 1999.
Veteška to run against Mečiar in party race
VLADIMÍR Mečiar, whose control over the ruling coalition Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) has rarely slipped since its 1991 founding, faces a rare contest for the party leadership at its upcoming June congress.
MPs to decide on Labour Code
THE DRAFT revision to the Labour Code, which PM Robert Fico has dubbed "the law of the year", was approved by the cabinet on April 18. But with many of its key provisions still to be firmed up, or even written, unions and business groups are gearing up for a decisive battle over the bill in parliament.
OECD: Slovakia will be judged by its actions
MEXICAN-born Angel Gurría, the secretary-general of the OECD, visited Slovakia from April 4 to 5 to present the group's economic overview of Slovakia. His message to the Fico government regarding economic reforms was clear: Change reforms if you like, it's the prerogative of every democratically elected government. But be warned that if you change them for the worse, the markets will punish you quickly and harshly.
Slovakia silent as Ukraine crisis deepens
AS A POLITICAL crisis in Ukraine triggered by President Victor Yuschenko's decision to disband parliament and hold early elections entered its second week, foreign diplomats and well-wishers travelled to Kiev offering to help broker a solution. Slovakia, despite having declared Ukraine its foreign policy priority in 2004, was not represented, nor did it issue any official statements on the unrest.
Health and happiness on the rise
SLOVAKS are healthier and living longer than at any time in recent memory, and are even feeling more positive about the economy than their neighbours, according to two studies released on April 3.
Minister: State should bribe to secure arms deals
ECONOMY Minister Ľubomír Jahnátek shook Slovakia's political establishment this week by proposing that state arms firms compete with private dealers by using "dirty money" to secure contracts abroad.
Six ways to corrupt
There are half a dozen ways in which defence corruption can manifest itself, according to Mark Pyman of Transparency International UK. "From the point of view of both the importing government and the society trying to see corruption reduced, they are all equally bad."
Mafia boss resigns from schools commission
SEVERAL months after being nominated to the Education and Culture Commission in the Bratislava suburb of Lamač, a man police regard as the boss of a Mafia group in the capital, Juraj Ondrejčák, resigned from his post.
Unions admit deal can be reached on Labour Code
ONLY days before the proposed amendment to the Labour Code was to go before parliament for debate, Slovakia's largest labour group conceded that it might agree to a compromise on one of the most contentious provisions in the new law - stricter limits on overtime.
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- Slovakia’s public finances remain in deep trouble
- What is Pope Francis’s message to the powerful?
- “Return not,” the ocean cried. But I returned for her
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- Confetti, chants and history: Hejková’s dream goodbye after nearly 40 years at the top
- Ambulance hit by Russian drone goes on display in centre of Bratislava
- Bratislava’s embassy-backed events you don’t want to miss
- Slovakia mourns Pope Francis, a shepherd of hope and humility Photo
- “Return not,” the ocean cried. But I returned for her
- Slovak Matters: A flirtatious Easter of water and whipping
- Slovakia’s public finances remain in deep trouble
- When to shop over Easter: Opening hours for supermarkets in Slovakia
- Danish shoemaker to shut Slovak factory, axing 650 jobs in fresh blow to struggling region
- Ambulance hit by Russian drone goes on display in centre of Bratislava
- “Return not,” the ocean cried. But I returned for her
- Bratislava’s embassy-backed events you don’t want to miss
- The British Film Institute shines a light on Slovak cinema’s boldest chapter Video
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- Slovakia's latest basketball star is destined for great things in the USA
- When to shop over Easter: Opening hours for supermarkets in Slovakia
- US giant pulls plug on Slovak factory, axing 137 jobs
- “Return not,” the ocean cried. But I returned for her
- Ambulance hit by Russian drone goes on display in centre of Bratislava
- German shoemaker Lowa joins wave of factory closures in Slovakia
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- US giant pulls plug on Slovak factory, axing 137 jobs
- When to shop over Easter: Opening hours for supermarkets in Slovakia
- Danish shoemaker to shut Slovak factory, axing 650 jobs in fresh blow to struggling region
- Hundreds of people ousted from Bratislava’s Volkswagen
- What is Pope Francis’s message to the powerful?
- Slovakia mourns Pope Francis, a shepherd of hope and humility Photo
- Confetti, chants and history: Hejková’s dream goodbye after nearly 40 years at the top
- Slovakia’s public finances remain in deep trouble
- Ambulance hit by Russian drone goes on display in centre of Bratislava
- Why this gorge deserves a spot on your bucket list Photo
- The British Film Institute shines a light on Slovak cinema’s boldest chapter Video
- Bratislava’s embassy-backed events you don’t want to miss More articles ›
