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Miklos: SDKU Has Never Laundered Dirty Money

Bratislava, January 24 (TASR) - Vice-chairman of the current strongest opposition party SDKU-DS Ivan Miklos on TV Markiza's Sunday debate show 'Na telo' expressly ruled out the possibility that SDKU has ever used illegally-obtained money to finance itself. Miklos said this in response to accusations made on Friday by Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD), who suggested… read more

Opposition and Activists Protest Against Government

Bratislava, January 23 (TASR) - Six chairmen of opposition parties and hundreds of people gathered at Bratislava's SNP Square on Saturday to take part in 'We Like This Country, We Don't Like This Government' protest demonstration. The event was organised by civic activist Alojz Hlina, together with Ondrej Dostal from a non-parliamentary party OKS, youth organisations… read more

Slovak Diplomacy: No Comment on Rumours About Kubis

Bratislava, January 23 (TASR) - Slovakia's Foreign Affairs Ministry will not comment on rumours concerning a possible nomination of Slovak diplomat Jan Kubis for the post of the United Nations (UN) Special Representative to Afghanistan. "Mr. Kubis is not an employee of the ministry, so we won't comment on any speculations," the ministry's spokesman Peter Stano told TASR… read more

Richter: State Will Benefit from Merged Ministries Straight Away

Reduction of the number of ministries from 14 to 12, which the Slovak Parliament approved this week, and which will take effect as of July 1, will bring immediate savings - only this year amounting to millions of euros, said Smer-SD MP Jan Richter on Slovak Radio's weekly debate show 'Sobotne dialogy' (Saturday Dialogues) on Saturday. He noted that by the end of next… read more

Drahovsky: Trade Needs to Adapt to Adverse Conditions

Bratislava, January 22 (TASR) - Turnover results in trade have never been so low during the past 15 years, Lubomir Drahovsky from TERNO market research agency told TASR on Friday. "The unfavourable results stem in large part from the global crisis and subsequent lowered consumer demand. People are trying to economise," explained the analyst, adding that the sector needs… read more

Kosice Airport Sees 40-percent Y-o-Y Drop in Passengers in 2009

Kosice, January 22 (TASR) - Kosice Airport handled a total of 352,460 passengers on regular and charter flights in 2009, representing a year-on-year drop of 40 percent, TASR learnt on Friday. The last five years have been highly successful for the airport, but in 2009 it was hit hard by the crisis and the troubles that eventually grounded SkyEurope Airlines, according… read more

Fico: SDKU-DS Made Shady Dealings with Shell Companies

Bratislava, January 22 (TASR) - The currently most popular Opposition party SDKU-DS made some shady deals in 2004-05 when it headed the government, Slovak Premier Robert Fico said at a press conference on Friday in Bratislava. According to Fico, SDKU-DS struck a shady deal with a company called Soul, which Fico labelled a "garage firm" [a reference to what the controversial… read more

MPs Demand Contract on Electronic Road-Toll System to Be Public

Bratislava, January 22 (TASR) - MPs demand that the contract signed between the National Highway Company (NDS) and road-toll provider SkyToll be published, said parliamentary Committee for Economy Policy member Stanislav Janis (SDKU-DS) after meeting with Transport Minister Lubomir Vazny on Friday. Transport Minister Vazny has no objections; however, the proposal doesn't… read more

Lajcak Opens Slovak Embassy in Tirana during Visit to Albania

Tirana, January 22 (TASR) - Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha expressed thanks to Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajcak for Slovakia's provision of assistance after the devastating floods that hit Albania at the beginning of this year, Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Peter Stano told TASR on Friday. Slovakia last week delivered humanitarian aid worth €100,000… read more

Transport Minister Signs Contract to Build New D1 Motorway Sections

Bratislava, January 22 (TASR) - Only a day after a €1.99-billion contract to build new sections of the D1 motorway was okayed by Government, Transport Minister Lubomir Vazny on Friday signed the deal with a consortium made up of four companies led by the German firm Hochtief PPP Solutions GmbH. Site preparation works are expected to begin shortly, and will be ongoing… read more

Vazny and ZPS Square Off on Performance of New Electronic Toll System

Bratislava, January 22 (TASR) - The Association of Slovak Entrepreneurs (ZPS) on Friday expressed full support for the country's truckers in their actions against the newly-introduced toll collection system, which they find crippling due to the massive cost increases imposed on the transport of goods. Speaking after ZPS General Council, President Jan Oravec added they… read more

Opposition Will Try to Deprive Kalinak of His Ministry within Seven Days

Bratislava, January 22 (TASR) - Interior Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD) will face a no-confidence vote in Parliament within the next seven days, as opposition MPs Daniel Lipsic (Christian Democrat/KDH), Martin Fedor (SDKU-DS) and Gyula Bardos (ethnic-Hungarian SMK) on Friday submitted a proposal aimed at Kalinak's ousting signed by 30 MPs. The Opposition claims they… read more

Tax Directorate Announces Increased Detection of Evasion in 2009

Bratislava, January 22 (TASR) - Slovakia's tax authorities in 2009 uncovered €435.55 million in tax evasions, representing an annual increase of €54.68 million, Tax Directorate Director General Igor Sulaj told a press conference on Friday. Of that total €163.04 million in arrears may be recovered. "Tax authorities carried out 19,800 tax inspections last… read more

Kukan: Fico\'s Words to Support Sefcovic Actually Had Opposite Effect

Bratislava, January 22 (TASR) - Performances such as that of Prime Minister Robert Fico at a press conference on Tuesday harms the interests of Slovakia, as well as designated Slovak EU Commissioner Maros Sefcovic, SDKU-DS vice-chair and MEP Eduard Kukan said on Friday. "What he said was anti-Hungarian rhetoric. He didn't tell us what he did to support the Slovak candidate.… read more

OTS: Abbott to Suspend Marketing of Obesity Medicine Sibutramine in EU Countries

Abbott to Suspend Marketing of Obesity Medicine Sibutramine in European Union Countries ABBOTT PARK, Illinois, January 21/PRNewswire/ -- Today the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) voted to recommend the suspension of marketing authorizations for all anti-obesity medicines containing sibutramine. Abbott (NYSE:… read more