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US Ambassador-designate Theodore Sedgwick Hands In His Credentials

Bratislava, August 5 (TASR) - US Ambassador-designate Theodore Sedgwick on Thursday handed his credentials to Foreign Affairs Ministry State Secretary Milan Jezovica, TASR has learnt. Both officials concurred on the need to deepen Slovak-American cooperation, in economy in particular - including various projects designed to facilitate transfer of high-tech technologies… read more

Miklos Considering Filing Court Complaint Against Harabin

Bratislava, August 5 (TASR) - Finance Minister Ivan Miklos said on Thursday that he believes that Supreme Court chairman Stefan Harabin is abusing public office by obstructing a ministerial audit at the Court and that he's having the legal grounds for filing a criminal complaint against him examined. Harabin has been refusing to allow Finance Ministry officials to audit… read more

Figel: R4 Highway Will Help Eastern Slovakia to Develop

Bratislava, August 5 (TASR) - Construction company Skanska SK in the next few days is set to begin work on the R4 highway, a 14-kilometre road that will connect Kosice to the village of Milhost, located south of the city and near the border with Hungary. The costs are set to reach €77.69 million, and the road should be ready by the end of 2012, said Transport Minister… read more

Radicova: Childbirth Benefit Won\'t Be Scrapped

Bratislava, August 5 (TASR) - One-off benefits given to parents on the birth of a first, second and third child won't be abolished, Prime Minister Iveta Radicova said on Thursday. She was speaking after plans concerning this area were announced recently by Labour, Social Affairs and the Family Minister Jozef Mihal. "Nothing like this is included in the Government… read more

Figel: Rail Companies Won\'t Be Merged as Was Planned

Bratislava, August 5 (TASR) - The three state-run railway companies - rail-infrastructure operator Slovak Railways (ZSR), passenger-transport provider Railway Company Slovakia (ZSSK) and freight company Rail Company Cargo (ZSSK Cargo) - won't be merged into one, but will continue to operate separately, Transport Minister Jan Figel has told TASR in an interview. "I don't… read more

Fico: Sulik Disgraces Post of Parliamentary Chairman

Bratislava, August 4 (TASR) - Parliamentary Chairman Richard Sulik (Freedom and Solidarity/SaS) is a disgrace to his post of the second highest constitutional authority, said Smer-SD chairman Robert Fico at a press conference on Wednesday, speaking in reaction to Sulik's speech in Parliament earlier in the day. "We were expecting a relevant speech of a statesman on the… read more

SaarGummi to Expand Rubber-component Operation in Vestenice

Bratislava, August 4 (TASR) - Rubber-component maker SaarGummi's Slovak unit plans to invest in ramping up production by 80 percent, increasing the number of workers at its plant in Dolne Vestenice (Trencin Region) from 608 to 1,058, states an Environmental Impact Assessment study unveiled by the company on Tuesday. The factory in Vestenice will manufacture more of its… read more

Transport Minister Figel Presents Plans for Tourism

Bratislava, August 4 (TASR) - Transport, Posts and Telecoms Minister Jan Figel on Wednesday announced his plans for Slovak tourism, which he plans to bring under his authority from the Economy Ministry via an amendment to the Competences Act. A set of measures that the minister wants to take to prop up the long-neglected sector includes an amendment to the Tourism Act,… read more

Harabin Stands Pat on Independent Audit at Supreme Court

Bratislava, August 4 (TASR) - The Supreme Court insists that an independent audit of its economic performance should be carried out rather than one by the Finance Ministry, Court head Stefan Harabin said in a statement on Wednesday. "We have nothing to hide, the first contracts from the period since I became the Court's chairman are already available on the internet,"… read more

Most-Hid: Manifesto Good, Though Not Perfect

Bratislava, August 4 (TASR) - The parliamentary caucus of the co-governing Most-Hid party regards the Government Manifesto as good though not perfect, but what matters most is that it stems from agreement, Most-Hid caucus chairman Laszlo Solymos said in Parliament on Wednesday. "I believe that all essential programme objectives that we seek to attain have been included… read more

Hrusovsky: Evil and Unfairness Must Be Called by Their True Names

Bratislava, August 4 (TASR) - Politicians who don't behave honestly and even act illegally in certain cases, seemingly above the law, also enjoy a certain amount of support in Slovakia, said Parliamentary Vice-chairman Pavol Hrusovsky (Christian Democratic Movement/KDH) during the debate on the Government Manifesto on Wednesday. "Honest behaviour in the political and… read more

Towns and Villages Urge State to Grant €141-million Subsidy

Bratislava, August 4 (TASR) - Towns and villages will request a state subsidy amounting to €141 million to make up for lower tax revenues and to mitigate the repercussions of the economic crisis, head of the Slovak of Towns and Villages Association (ZMOS) Michal Sykora told TASR on Wednesday. The Finance Ministry has already been updated on the request, but no final… read more

PAS: Business Environment Worsened in 2Q10

Bratislava, August 4 (TASR) - The business environment in Slovakia took a turn for the worse in 2Q10, Slovak Business Alliance (PAS) executive director Robert Kicina reported on Wednesday. The Business Environment Index, drawn up by PAS based on its own observations, stood at 91.5 points, representing a drop of 2.61 percent quarter-on-quarter. The biggest falls… read more

Real-estate Prices Fell Again in 2Q10, But at Slower Rate

Bratislava, August 4 (TASR) - Real-estate prices in Slovakia continued to go down in 2Q10, Slovakia's central bank (NBS) reported on Wednesday. However, the drop in prices slowed from the 8.28 percent recorded in 1Q10 to 3.65 percent, representing the smallest drop since the beginning of 2009. Buying a house or apartment cost €1,293 per square metre, with the… read more

Fourth Attempt to Carry Out Audit of Supreme Court Fails

Bratislava, August 4 (TASR) - Not even the Finance Ministry's fourth attempt to carry out a government audit at the Supreme Court has met with any success, Finance Minister Ivan Miklos confirmed on Wednesday. Administrative proceedings are underway at the moment, with Supreme Court Chairman Stefan Harabin given three days to allow an inspection to take place. "If… read more