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Slovaks Prefer Sending Text Messages Over Making Calls at Christmas

Bratislava, December 25 (TASR) - Customers of telecommunication operator Orange prefer sending short text messages and multimedia messages over making phone calls at Christmas, TASR learnt on Friday. The total number of calls made on Christmas Eve was slightly lower than the daily average this year, Orange spokesman Richard Fides told TASR. Customers of Orange… read more

The Christmas Tree in Slovakia

Bratislava, December 24 (TASR) - The Christmas tree is a symbol of Christmas and a symbol of life as an evergreen. The Christmas tree came to Slovakia from German and Austrian towns at the end of the 18th century, initially via the upper classes. By the end of the 19th century, the habit spread among ordinary people, and it was firmly established by the 1930s, during… read more

Radicova and Freso Visit Working Slovaks on Christmas Eve

Bratislava, December 24 (TASR) - Prime Minister Iveta Radicova on Friday visited Bratislava Municipal Police headquarters as well as employees and patients of the Gaudeamus rehabilitation centre for the disabled. "Even before I have become a Prime Minister, I used to visit different centres regularly on December 24...to visit people who don't have the luxury of celebrating… read more

Slovaks Give Presents According to German Custom

Bratislava, December 24 (TASR) - Christmas Eve (also known as Badnak or Kracun in some Slovak dialects) has always been the most important holiday in Slovakia. According to folk customs, it usually began when the first star was seen in the night sky. This was announced by the shooting of guns or the ringing of bells. Only then were candles lit on festive tables. Apart… read more

Slovak Observers Were Present at Controversial Belarus Election

Bratislava, December 23 (TASR) - The Slovak Foreign Affairs Ministry sent six short-term observers to last week's presidential election in Belarus as part of the election-observation mission of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, the ministry's press department told TASR on Thursday. The Slovak observers, who were sent to several regions of Belarus,… read more

Survey: Armed Forces the Most Trusted Slovak Institution

Bratislava, December 22 (TASR) - Slovakia's Armed Forces demonstrated their professionalism in 2010 in various military missions abroad but also during the emergency works to clear the damage caused by unprecedented floods that plagued Slovakia, according to a poll carried out by Focus in late November-early December. According to the agency's survey, 94.2 percent of… read more

Slovakia to Provide Shelter for 100 Refugees

Bratislava, December 22 (TASR) - Interior Minister Daniel Lipsic, along with Lim Wei Meng of the Geneva-based UN High Commissioner's Office for Refugees and Zuzana Vatralova of the International Organisation for Migration signed an agreement in Bratislava on Wednesday to provide temporary shelter for 100 refugees in Slovakia. "It's as if Slovakia was partly repaying a… read more

New Year\'s Eve Party in Bratislava to Feature Music and Sports

Bratislava, December 22 (TASR) - This year's New Year's Eve party in the Slovak capital, the 12th of its kind, is well prepared to meet public expectations concerning its traditional cultural quality, mayor of Bratislava Milan Ftacnik said at a press conference on Wednesday. Ftacnik promised that he will return from a short holiday to attend the New Year's Eve party.… read more

New Mayor of Bratislava New Town Wants More Public Involvement

Bratislava, December 22 (TASR) - People living in Bratislava's Nove Mesto (New Town) borough need to become more involved in local authority decision-making, and mutual communication must be enhanced, the borough's new mayor Rudolf Kusy said after being sworn in on Wednesday. Kusy, who ran as an independent candidate in the local elections in November, replaced Richard… read more

Osusky Calls on Government to Cut Off Relations With Belarus

Minsk/Bratislava, December 21 (TASR) - Most-Hid MP Peter Osusky, who took part in the presidential election last week in Belarus as an OSCE observer, on Tuesday called on the Slovak Government to cut off relations with this country's administration. Speaking at a press conference, Osusky (a member of the Civil Conservative Party/OKS) described the way the Sunday's Belarus… read more

Nagy Files Complaint Against Representatives of Interblue Group

Bratislava, December 21 (TASR) - Environment Minister Jozsef Nagy (Most-Hid) on Tuesday filed a criminal complaint against representatives of the shady US-based Interblue Group over suspicions of committing a fraud. In 2008, the Interblue Group bought 15 million tonnes of Slovakia's emission quotas for €75 million, at a rate of €5.05 per tonne. The then Opposition… read more

Lipsic: Whistleblowers Should Be Financially Rewarded

Bratislava, December 21 (TASR) - Whistleblowers that help uncover corruption or other criminal activities should be rewarded, Interior Minister Daniel Lipsic said on Tuesday at the Office for Fight Against Corruption. He also added that he had allocated €1 million for the office to purchase new equipment designed to expose and monitor criminal activities. "We're… read more

President Again Refuses to Sign Law on Merger of Public TV and Radio

Bratislava, December 15 (TASR) - President Ivan Gasparovic has again refused to sign a law on merging public-service Slovak Television (STV) and Slovak Radio (SRo) that was re-approved by Parliament last week after having been vetoed by Gasparovic already. Notwithstanding the absence of the president's signature, the law will come into effect on January 1, 2011. The initiative,… read more

Prime Minister Opens \'Caricatures and Jazz\' Expo at Gov\'t Office

Bratislava, December 20 (TASR) - Prime Minister Iveta Radicova has opened an exhibition of music-themed caricatures entitled 'Caricatures and Jazz' on Monday at Government Office in Bratislava. The display features works of nine cartoonists from Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Germany and Bulgaria, with the Prime Minister emphasising that the selection was not random. "Caricatures… read more

Belousovova: Slota Wants to Expel Me from SNS Because He\'s Afraid

Bratislava, December 20 (TASR) - Slovak National Party (SNS) chairman Jan Slota is considering expelling me from the party because he's afraid of political competition from me, but he can't avoid this, said former SNS vice-chair Anna Belousovova on Monday. Belousovova was reacting to Slota's statements for TASR made on the same day. He said that Belousovova should have… read more