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Parliament Rejects Total Ban on Smoking in Bars and Restaurants

Bratislava, February 9 (TASR) - People will still be allowed to smoke in Slovak restaurants, cafes and bars under certain conditions, as Parliament on Tuesday rejected an amendment to the Non-smokers Protection Act submitted by Tatiana Rosova from SDKU-DS. According to Rosova's proposal, smoking should be banned from all restaurants and pubs where food or drinks are served.… read more

Most-Hid and OKS Due to Run in General Election Together

Bratislava, February 9 (TASR) - Non-parliamentary parties Most-Hid and the Civic Conservative Party (OKS) agreed on Tuesday that they will run for the general election in June 2010 on the same ticket, representatives of both parties said at a press conference on the same day. "We've agreed with OKS that their candidates will be on our slate and we'll also lead the campaign… read more

Lajcak Discusses State Language Act with OSCE Commissioner

Bratislava, February 8 (TASR) - Slovakia expects Hungary to stop spreading lies and misinformation about an amendment to the State Language Act, Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak said following his discussions with Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) High Commissioner for Minorities Knut Vollebaek on Monday in Bratislava. The ministry invited Commissioner… read more

Communists Organise Petition for Withdrawing Troops from Afghanistan

Bratislava, February 8 (TASR) - The Slovak Communist Party (KSS) has organised a petition for withdrawing the Slovak guard unit from the military operation in Afghanistan, KSS Chairman Jozef Hrdlicka said at a press conference on Monday. The petition has begun on the same day (February 8), and will last until about the autumn, said Hrdlicka. According to him, the… read more

Fico: We Decline Any Additional Criteria for Eurozone Candidates

Bratislava, February 8 (TASR) - Slovakia supports the aim of European Union's member state Estonia to introduce the common European currency in January 2011, Slovak Premier Robert Fico said at a press briefing on Monday marking the visit of Estonian Premier Andrus Ansip to Slovakia. "The Slovak Government fully supports this Estonian ambition," said Fico. The two… read more

SMK Set to Draft Own Minority Language Law

Bratislava, February 8 (TASR) - The opposition Hungarian Coalition Party (SMK) said on Monday that it would draft a bill on the use of ethnic-minority languages by the end of March and submit it to Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) High Commissioner for Minorities Knut Vollebaek, who is currently on a one day visit to Slovakia to discuss controversial… read more

Government Scrapping Certain Restrictions in Second Pillar Due to EC

Bratislava, February 8 (TASR) - The Labour, Social Affairs and the Family Ministry on Monday submitted an amendment to the Old-age Pension Savings Act - a move made in response to reservations expressed by the European Commission (EC) towards certain investment restrictions applied to pension funds in the so-called private second pillar of the pension system. "The criticised… read more

Survey: Two-Thirds of Slovaks Against Ban on Crosses in Schools

Bratislava, February 8 (TASR) - As many as 39 percent of Slovaks think that there certainly shouldn't be any law in Slovakia forbidding schools from putting crosses or crucifixes on classroom walls, according to a survey carried out by the Focus agency that was published on Monday. Another 28 percent would prefer not to see such legislation approved in the country.… read more

Radicova Confirms Talks With SaS and Most-Hid on Election Cooperation

Bratislava, February 7 (TASR) - Opposition SDKU-DS vice-chair Iveta Radicova, who hopes to win her party's primaries and top the SDKU list of candidates for the June 2010 election, has confirmed that she is in talks with potential centre-right partners after chairman Mikulas Dzurinda agreed to take his name off the slate following accusations of money-laundering against SDKU.… read more

Dzurinda Angry That Fico Dicussed SDKU in Absence of SDKU Officials

Bratislava, February 7 (TASR) - Prime Minister and Smer-SD party chief Robert Fico is a coward because he went on Slovak Television's weekly discussion show 'O pat minut dvanast' (Five Minutes to Twelve) to discuss the financing of the opposition SDKU-DS party with Jan Figel, the leader of a party (the Christian Democrats/KDH) that has nothing to do with the issue concerned,… read more

German Foreign Affairs Minister to Visit Slovakia in Mid-February

Munich/Bratislava, February 7 (TASR) - Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajcak has met his German counterpart Guido Westerwelle on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, with their talks translating into a planned visit by Westervelle to Slovakia on February 17, spokesman for the Slovak ministry Peter Stano told TASR on Sunday. This will be Westerwelle's… read more

Fico: I\'m Going to Switzerland to Gain Info on Swiss Bank Account Holders

(STV, February 7, 'O pat minut dvanast') Premier and leader of the strongest ruling party Smer-SD Robert Fico told Slovak Television's (STV) politics show "O pat minut dvanast" (Five Minutes to Twelve) on Sunday that he's preparing for a working trip to Switzerland to set up some kind of information swap with a view to gaining more details about the Slovak holders of… read more

Third of Slovaks Able and Wlling to Save, Says Gfk Group

Bratislava, February 6 (TASR) - One in three people in Slovakia (35 percent) is able and willing to save money in the next 12 months, suggests a survey of 14 Central and Eastern Europe recently released by GfK CEE Group which ranks Slovakia 3rd to Austria (43 percent) and Slovenia (38 percent) in this respect. The survey shows 80 percent of the Slovak population aged… read more

Far-right Pospolitost Supporters Gather in Central Slovakia, No Riots Reported

Jelsava/Kamenany, February 6 (TASR) - Around 100 supporters of ultra-right Slovenska Pospolitost (Slovak Togetherness) organisation gathered in the town of Jelsava (Banska Bystrica region) on Saturday, with around 200 locals joining them later in what Pospolitost claims was a protest against the Government's ineptitude to secure decent life for decent people in Slovakia, TASR… read more

Interior Ministry Set to Turn Patrol Cars into Intelligent Vehicles

Bratislava, February 6 (TASR) - Interior Minister Robert Kalinak has earlier this week announced plans to fit out police cars with movie cameras which will among other things shield officers and drivers from corruption suspicions. The devices were last year successfully tested across Slovakia and proved useful for example during the transportation of large amounts of… read more