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Johnson Controls to Move Financial Headquarters to Slovakia

Bratislava, December 21 (TASR) - One of the world's largest suppliers for the car industry, Johnson Controls (based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.A.), is to move its financial headquarters to Slovakia in the spring of 2010, Hospodarske Noviny daily reported on Monday. With the move the company intends to improve the level of services for its clients, boost transparency… read more

Fico Unveils Commemorative Plaque to Slovak Volunteer Campaigners

Bratislava, December 21 (TASR) - Slovak Premier Robert Fico on Monday unveiled a commemorative plaque on the Governmental Office building to mark the 160th anniversary of Slovak volunteer campaigns in uprisings against their Hungarian overlords in 1848/49. In his speech, Fico said that the names on the plaque convey a sense of gratitude to Slovaks for their courage in… read more

Lajcak: Memorandum With Liechtenstein Will Develop Ties

Bratislava, December 21 (TASR) – A memorandum on establishing diplomatic ties between Slovakia and Liechtenstein, which was signed in Bratislava on Monday, is aimed at developing bilateral relations and deals with unresolved issues without prejudice or bias, Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajcak said on the same day. Until now Liechtenstein was the only country… read more

Slota: SNS Has No Intention of Harassing Gay People, But They\'re Sick

Bratislava, December 21 (TASR) - The Slovak National Party (SNS) has no plans to harass homosexuals, but the party is principally against the promotion of homosexuality in any shape or form, SNS chairman Jan Slota told TASR on Monday. "SNS has a clear stance on same-sex marriages - we're strictly against any promotion of these sick relationships," said Slota. "If… read more

Most of SkyEurope Clients\' Claims Already Processed

Bratislava, December 21 (TASR) - The claims of most of the clients of SkyEurope Airlines who were left with unusable tickets when the company collapsed at the end of August have already been processed by Slovak banks, TASR was told by banks approached on Monday. Slovenska sporitelna bank (SLSP) received more than 1,100 requests for reimbursement, out of which 900 are… read more

Slovak Television and Slovak Radio Seal Subsidy Deals With State

Bratislava, December 21 (TASR) – Representatives of state-run Slovak Television (STV) and Slovak Radio (SRo) signed framework agreements with the Culture Ministry on Monday, whereby the two media organisations will receive funds towards making programmes in the public interest, TASR learnt later in the day. The deals were signed by Culture Minister Marek Madaric and… read more

Analysts: Joblessness to Rise, Early 2010 Could Be Difficult

Bratislava, December 20(TASR) - Economic analysts expect joblessness in Slovakia to rise in the coming months despite the fact that the unemployment rate stayed flat on a monthly basis at 12.4 percent in November on the back of a gradual recovery in exports and industry, according to a consensus poll taken by TASR. "You shouldn't underestimate the risk that the turn… read more

Slovak Environmentalists Disappointed by Copenhagen Summit

Bratislava, December 20 (TASR) - The Slovak climate coalition is more than disappointed with the results of the UN Climate Change summit in Copenhagen and considers it to be a failure of world leaders, said climate coalition co-ordinator Pavol Siroky on Sunday. Not only did the summit on the UN Framework Convention fail to meet the expectations of most of the world's… read more

Kramplova: I\'d Like to Be in Parliament But It\'s Not My Priority

Bratislava, December 20 (TASR) - MP Zdenka Kramplova, who was expelled from the LS-HZDS party in November, told TASR on Sunday that she would also like to gain a seat in Parliament in the next electoral term, adding that this isn't her priority, however. "Of course I'd like to be in Parliament in the next electoral term, but it isn't a condition. The priority is to do… read more

SMK Rejects Dzurinda\'s Coalition With Extra-parliamentary Parties

Bratislava, December 20 (TASR) - The ethnic-Hungarian SMK party is surprised that SDKU-DS leader Mikulas Dzurinda is sending it messages on how it should pursue its politics through the media, said SMK spokesperson Eva Dunajska in response to Dzurinda's statements about SMK on public-service Slovak Television's (STV) politics show 'O Pat Minut Dvanast' (5 Minutes to 12) on Sunday.… read more

Visa-Free Travel for Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro okayed by Slovakia

Bratislava, December 19 (TASR) - Slovakia, a member country of the Schengen zone, has confirmed its endorsement of visa-free travel for the citizens of Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro as of December 19 who will henceforth need to only show a biometric passport to be allowed into the country. "Based on our own experience we know the importance of free travel for the acceleration… read more

Survey: Both Fico and Dzurinda Pathetic In Fight Against Corruption

Bratislava, December 18 (TASR) - Six out of ten Slovaks think that the Government has no real intention of tackling the issue of corruption, while one-third of the population thinks otherwise, says the survey published by Focus Agency on Friday. Hence, half a year before the parliamentary elections, Robert Fico's Government has received the same appraisal as the former… read more

War Criminal from Former Yugoslavia to Serve Sentence in Slovakia

Bratislava, December 18 (TASR) - Veselin Sljivancanin, a war criminal from the former Yugoslavia, will serve a sentence in Slovakia as of next year, private television channel Markiza reported in its evening newscast on Friday. According to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague, Sljivancanin is liable for a 1991 massacre in… read more

Bauer: Unemployment among Young People In EU Alarming

Bratislava, December 18 (TASR) - The youth unemployment rate is significantly on the rise in all EU member states, said MEP Edit Bauer after Friday's discussion forum organised by the Representation of the European Commission in Slovakia. The discussion forum was focused on the issue of unemployment and social policies in the EU. Currently, the youth unemployment… read more

Figel: Meciar\'s Stance on Metropolis Is Example Of Political Relativism

Bratislava, December 18 (TASR) - The stance of LS-HZDS Chairman Vladimir Meciar regarding the construction of the multi-functional complex Metropolis with a casino on the outskirts of Bratislava represents a show of his moral relativism that he tries to translate into political relativism as well, Christian Democrat (KDH) Chairman Jan Figel told TASR on Friday in reaction to… read more