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SOPK Presses for Changes in Tender Procedures to Prevent Corruption

Bratislava, July 13 (TASR) - The Slovak Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SOPK) said on Tuesday that it is in talks with the new Government aimed at having public procurement procedures altered in order to prevent and eliminate corruption. The changes, according to SOPK chairman Peter Mihok, should address time constraints and the practice of tailoring tendering procedure… read more

Judge Dismisses Fico\'s Libel Case Over X-ray Cartoon

Bratislava, July 13 (TASR) - Bratislava IV District Court on Tuesday threw out ex-prime minister Robert Fico's libel case against SME daily publisher Petit Press over a cartoon published in the newspaper last year. Fico had demanded an apology and €33,194 in damages for the cartoon, which was published on July 9, 2009, when the former premier was off work due to severe… read more

Sulik: President Did His Best to Stymie Referendum

Bratislava, July 13 (TASR) - President Ivan Gasparovic has done all he could to scupper the referendum initiated by the Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party, SaS leader Richard Sulik told a press conference on Tuesday. "He had an opportunity to show that he's a real democrat and that he takes people's opinions into consideration. Unfortunately, he failed to make use of… read more

Cabinet to Discuss Eurozone\'s Emergency Loan Facility on Wednesday

Bratislava, July 13 (TASR) - At its second session following its appointment, the new Government is slated to discuss, inter alia, the issue of the eurozone's emergency loan facility and the loan to Greece, Prime Minister Iveta Radicova's spokesman Rado Bato told TASR on Tuesday. According to the new Cabinet, Slovakia will okay the European Financial Stability Facility… read more

Radicova: Impossible to Decide on EFSF Without Approval of Parliament

Brussels, July 12 (TASR) - I cannot give any consent to allocate resources for the European guarantee mechanism (EFSF/European Financial Stability Facility) without the approval of the Slovak Government and Parliament, Slovak Prime Minister Iveta Radicova said after her meeting with European Council President Herman Van Rompuy on Monday. "The former government gave general… read more

Canada\'s International Trade Minister to Visit Slovakia on July 20

Bratislava, July 12 (TASR) - Canada's International Trade Minister Peter Van Loan will come to Slovakia on July 20 to discuss the status of Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) negotiations with Slovak Government members and businessmen, TASR learned from Dusan Pastorek of the Canadian Embassy in Bratislava on Monday. According to Pastorek, the… read more

Abrhan: Culture Ministry\'s Turn Now to Act on Press Act, Licence Fees

Bratislava, July 12 (TASR) - It's now up to the Culture Ministry to undertake measures to be included in an amendment to the Press Act and an introduction of fixed payments to state-run media instead of the current practice of licence fees, head of the Parliament's media committee Pavol Abrhan (Christian Democrats/KDH) told TASR on Monday. Referring to moves that have… read more

Ex-President Michal Kovac Hospitalised

Bratislava, July 12 (TASR) - Former Slovak president Michal Kovac has been hospitalised at the Military Hospital in Bratislava on Monday due to nausea and dizziness. Kovac confirmed to TASR that he's about to stay at the hospital until Tuesday for further tests. "The regional operation centre in Bratislava received a distress call from Sturova Street shortly before… read more

Tender on Consultant Services for Emission Quotas Sale Investigated

Bratislava, July 12 (TASR) - Agriculture, Environment and Regional Development Minister Zsolt Simon (Most-Hid) has decided to launch an internal investigation of the tender on consulting services with respect to the sale of remaining emission quotas. The tender was announced five days after the June 12 parliamentary election by the former Environment Minister (Jozef… read more

Police: Basternak\'s Murderer May Get Life Sentence

Bratislava, July 12 (TASR) - Stefan K., accused of murdering Nitra regional (NSK) councillor Laszlo Basternak (ethnic-Hungarian SMK party), may face a 25-year prison sentence or even life, Police Corps Vice-president Michal Kopcik told a press conference on Monday in Bratislava. He specified that Basternak, formerly also the mayor of the town of Hurbanovo (Nitra region),… read more

Most Slovaks Reluctant to Pay for Access to Internet Sites

Bratislava, July 12 (TASR) - Most internet users in Slovakia wouldn't use internet sites if they were made subject to payment, according to an opinion poll carried out by Mediaresearch on 519 respondents in the latter half of June. Nearly 90 percent expect news portals such as hnonline.sk and sme.sk to begin charging for news items on their websites and especially for… read more

Man With Automatic Rifle Kidnaps Police Patrol, But Shot Dead Later

Sala, July 12 (TASR) - An as-yet unnamed man aged 28 kidnapped a two-member police patrol near the town of Sala (Nitra region) on Sunday evening, TASR was told by Nitra Regional Police Directorate spokesperson Renata Cuhakova on Monday. According to a newspaper report, the kidnapper was eventually shot dead by other officers. The incident occurred when the police patrol… read more

Slovakia\'s Foreign Trade Posted Surplus of €83.4 million in May

Bratislava, July 12 (TASR) - Slovakia's foreign trade balance showed a surplus of €83.4 million in May 2010, compared with €137 million in the same month of 2009 and €340.5 million a month earlier, the Statistics Office said on Monday. The country's exports in May grew by 29.7 percent year-on-year to €3.91 billion, while imports rose by a third to €3.83 billion.… read more

Foreign Trade Posted Surplus of €536.4 mn Between January-April

Bratislava, July 12 (TASR) - Slovakia's foreign trade posted a surplus of €536.4 million between January-April 2010, which is €454.6 million more than the surplus in the same period in 2009, the Statistics Office reported on Monday. The total value of goods exported from Slovakia over the period reached €14.47 billion, which is a 17.8-percent increase year-on-year.… read more

Radicova to Leave for Working Trip to Brussels

Bratislava, July 12 (TASR) - Slovakia's new Prime Minister Iveta Radicova is to leave on Monday for a two-day working visit to Brussels for talks with officials of the European Union and NATO, both of which accepted Slovakia as a member in 2004. Later in the day Radicova will meet European Council President Herman van Rompuy, while on Tuesday she will hold talks with… read more