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Gasparovic Names 12 New Judges with Unlimited Mandates

Bratislava, January 25 (TASR) - President Ivan Gasparovic named 12 judges with unlimited mandates on Monday. Among the people who attended the swearing-in ceremony at Presidential Palace in Bratislava were those currently working at district courts all across Slovakia. Namely, Radoslav Balaz and Monika Dubjel (both Spisska Nová Ves), Martina Ivicicova (Levice), Alena… read more

Three Guantanamo Prisoners Escorted to Slovakia

Bratislava, January 25 (TASR) - Three detainees from the U.S. detainment facility Guantanamo Bay in Cuba were escorted to Slovakia early Monday morning, spokesman for the Police Corps Presidium Martin Korch told TASR later in the day. Contrary to popular wisdom, Korch said that these three were not in the convoy that went to the refugee camp in Humenne (Presov region)… read more

Sulik Aims for Referendum to Be Held Along with Elections

Bratislava, January 25 (TASR) - The petition committee for the Referendum 2009 initiative aims for the referendum to be held along with parliamentary or municipal elections (both 2010) and have turned to President Ivan Gasparovic on Monday with a letter to that effect. The letter asks whether the president is planning to have the questions included in the referendum assessed… read more

Simon: Gov\'t One Step Closer to Leading Oil Pipeline Across Zitny Ostrov

Bratislava, January 25 (TASR) - According to independent MP Zsolt Simon, vice-chairman of non-parliamentary Most-Hid party, the Government is now one step closer to finalising the plan to build a crude oil pipeline across the Zitny Ostrov area that features the water reservoirs for south-western Slovakia. According to Simon, some progress has been made in the legislative… read more

Mikolaj Stresses Need for New Professors at Universities

Bratislava, January 25 (TASR) - Education Minister Jan Mikolaj told TASR on Monday that he's certain that new professors who were appointed by President Ivan Gasparovic earlier in the day will provide "substantial help" in resolving the issue of a low number of guarantors of disciplines in Slovak colleges and universities. Mikolaj was speaking following a ceremony in… read more

Vazny Wants to Meet Angry Hauliers to Discuss Road Toll System

Bratislava, January 25 (TASR) - Transport Minister Lubomir Vazny wants to meet representatives of the Union of Slovak Hauliers (UNAS) after receiving a letter stating the demands of the disgruntled hauliers last week, said Transport Ministry spokesman Stanislav Jurikovic. "We received the letter on Thursday (January 21), and on Friday (January 22) we sent a response in… read more

Tomanova: Subsistence Level Calculations Must Be Reconsidered

Bratislava, January 25 (TASR) - The current method of working out the subsistence level must be "seriously re-considered", said Labour, Social Affairs and the Family Minister Viera Tomanova on Monday after a session of the so-called Tripartite (representatives of the Government, employers and trade unions), adding that the calculations should be revised as of 2013. According… read more

Israel\'s Deputy Foreign Minister Ayalon to Visit Slovakia

Bratislava, January 25 (TASR) - Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon will visit Slovakia on Wednesday, January 27, TASR has been told by Kristina Simkova from the Israeli Embassy in Slovakia. During his official visit, Ayalon will hold talks with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, Deputy Premier Dusan Caplovic, Foreign Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajcak and his… read more

MVK Poll: Smer Clearly Ahead Again, But Big Shake-up for Others

Bratislava, January (TASR) - According to a survey carried out by the MVK Agency and published on Monday, the strongest coalition party Smer-SD would have gained 42 percent of the votes if a general election had taken place in January, TASR was told by Pavel Haulik from MVK. The poll, which was carried out on January 13-18 on a representative sample of 1,038 respondents,… read more

Slota: MP Korba Leaving SNS, Remains in Party\'s Parliamentary Caucus

Bratislava, January 25 (TASR) - Slovak MP Anton Korba is leaving the Slovak National Party (SNS), but will remain a member of the party's parliamentary caucus, SNS chair Jan Slota confirmed for TASR on Monday. Due to an agreement with Korba, Slota didn't want to specify the MP's reasons for this move. According to Monday's edition of Plus Jeden Den daily, Korba… read more

European Ministers Come to Bratislava for Foreign Affairs Ministry Ball

Bratislava, January 24 (TASR) - A record number of ministers from EU-member states attended a ball organised by the Slovak Foreign Affairs Ministry in Bratislava on Saturday, TASR learned from ministry spokesman Peter Stano on Sunday. Foreign Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajcak's invitation was accepted by many guests, including his foreign counterparts Carl Bildt (Sweden),… read more

Slovak MEP Elected Vice-chair of International Paneuropian Union

Bratislava, January 24 (TASR) - Slovak MEP Anna Zaborska (Christian Democrats/KDH) was elected as a vice-chair of the International Paneuropean Union (IPU) in a vote that took place at a presidium session of the organisation on Saturday, TASR learnt on Sunday. The IPU chairman remains Alain Terrenoire from France. The IPU was set up as a pro-European movement in 1923,… read more

Memorial Plaque to Holocaust Victims Unveiled in Komarno

Komarno, January 24 (TASR) - A memorial plaque was unveiled on the wall of the former synagogue in Komarno (Nitra region) on Sunday to mark Holocaust Memorial Day. "Now, on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, we've made this memorial plaque with inscriptions in the Slovak, Hungarian, Hebrew and English languages,"… read more

Kubis: I Can\'t Comment on Background Information

Bratislava/Geneva, January 24 (TASR) - Slovak diplomat Jan Kubis, who currently holds the post of Executive Secretary of the United Nations (UN) Economic Commission for Europe, has refused to comment on the latest speculation that he is a hot candidate for another UN job - as the organisation's Special Representative to Afghanistan. "I cannot, and I won't, comment on… read more

Meciar Might Not Take Origin of Property Act to Constitutional Court

Bratislava, January 24 (TASR) - If Parliament passes an Act on Disclosing the Origin of Property that contradicts the Constitution and human rights again, I would consider not filing the Act with the Constitutional Court a second time, said LS-HZDS Chairman Vladimir Meciar on Slovak Television's (STV) politics show 'O 5 Minut 12' (5 Minutes to 12) on Sunday. "I'll be… read more