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Fair Play Alliance Slams Profligate Lawmakers

Bratislava, April 30 (TASR) - The Fair-play Alliance (AFP), a non-profit making organisation that monitors the use of public funds by the political elite, has expressed concern over the wasteful spending of taxpayer's money in Parliament after carrying out a survey of MPs from all party caucuses. AFP representative Zuzana Wienk said that only two or three lawmakers are… read more

Madaric: We\'ll Follow Language Act vis-a-vis Hungarian-only Billboards

Bratislava, April 30 (TASR) - When it comes to the placing of Hungarian language-only election billboards by the ethnic-Hungarian SMK party, the Culture Ministry will proceed in accordance with the State Language Act, minister Marek Madaric told TASR on Friday. Earlier in the day, SMK representatives said that the deploying of the billboards in selected areas of Slovakia… read more

KDH Wants to Make Politicians Financially Accountable for Damage

Bratislava, April 30 (TASR) - The amendment to the act on responsibility of public officials when carrying out public duties, which the opposition Christian Democrats (KDH) want adopted in the next electoral term, would make politicians accountable for any damage they cause, KDH chairman Jan Figel said at a press conference on Friday. According to expert on constitutional… read more

SDKU: Cabinet Has 18 Days to Secure Cheaper Motorway Construction

Bratislava, April 30 (TASR) - Prime Minister Robert Fico's Government has 18 days to secure cheaper and more efficient motorway construction, opposition SDKU-DS party vice-chairman Ivan Miklos told a press conference on Friday. Miklos was speaking following an announcement made earlier in the day by Transport Minister Lubomir Vazny, who said that the deadline for completing… read more

SMK: Our Billboards in Hungarian Are Protest Against Language Act

Bratislava, April 30 (TASR) - The placing of Hungarian language-only election billboards by the ethnic-Hungarian SMK party in selected areas of Slovakia is designed as a protest against the State Language Act, head of SMK's country-wide council Ivan Farkas told a press conference on Friday. "This is how we communicate with both our former and potential voters, and that's… read more

Deadline for Settling Financial Issues of D1 Completion Extended

Bratislava, April 30 (TASR) - The deadline for completing financial issues concerning the construction of selected stretches of the D1 motorway via public-private partnership (PPP) projects has been put back by 18 days, Transport Minster Lubomir Vazny said on Friday. "I've agreed to extending the deadline for completing the financial aspects of the D1 motorway project… read more

Ministry: 2,000 Slovak Football Fans to Go to World Cup in South Africa

Bratislava, April 30 (TASR) - Around 2,000 Slovak fans are thought to be planning to support the national football team at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, head of the Slovak Foreign Affairs Ministry's communications department Anna Jurikova told a press conference on Friday. The ministry began preparations vis-a-vis the attendance of Slovak fans at the event well… read more

Lajcak in Washington Discusses Range of Topics at White House

Washington, April 30 (TASR) - Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajcak, who is currently visiting the United States, has wrapped up his talks in Washington with representatives of the U.S. administration and several members of Congress, TASR was told by Lajcak's spokesman Peter Stano on Friday. In his meeting with the members of congress, Lajcak discussed Slovak-American… read more

Fico: If EIB Won\'t Lend Us Money, We\'ll Find Resources Elsewhere

Bratislava, April 29 (TASR) - If the European Investment Bank (EIB) won't lend a billion euros to a concessioner of the first PPP (public-private-partnership) package in order to build construction of D1 highway section, Slovakia will try to find the resources elsewhere, Slovak Premier Robert Fico said on Thursday. Speaking during a ceremony involving the raising of May… read more

100,000 Leave Third Pension Pillar due to Global Economic Crisis in 2009

Bratislava, April 29 (TASR) - Last year saw more than 100,000 working savers leave the third pillar of Slovakia's pension system –known as supplementary insurance – often due to redundancies arising from the global economic crisis, a manager at ING Tatry-Sympatia company told reporters on Thursday. The third pillar, wherein most employers match their participating… read more

Hundreds of Experts to Address Unemployment Issues at JobExpo

Nitra, April 29 (TASR) - The two-day job fair JobExpo 2010 at Nitra's Agrokomplex fairground is focused on prospects of the labour market, with some 320 experts expected to attend the Centre for Labour, Social Affairs and the Family (UPSVR) event that began Thursday. "They (the experts) all have experience in the field of labour markets and they are expected to discuss… read more

Largest Job Fair in Slovakia\'s History Opens in Nitra

Nitra, April 29 (TASR) - The two-day fair JobExpo, which is the largest job bourse in Slovakia's history, kicked off in Nitra on Thursday. "A total of 149 exhibitors are taking part in the event. They're directly offering jobs," said Labour, Social Affairs and the Family Minister Viera Tomanova, adding that the fair features both domestic and foreign entrepreneurs, educational… read more

HZDS: Upgrade of Transport Infrastructure One of Our Priorities

Bratislava, April 29 (TASR) - Speedier construction and the upgrading of transport infrastructure aimed at fully linking Bratislava and Kosice by motorway by 2013 are among the transport-related priorities with which the co-governing LS-HZDS party aims to seek voter-support in the general election due in June, party candidate Jozef Pavuk told a press conference on Thursday.… read more

South Koreans Sorry for Using Slovak Anthem on TV Awards Show

Soeul/Bratislava, April 29 (TASR) - The organisers of a televised awards show in South Korea have apologised to Slovakia for mistakingly using the Slovak national anthem as background music on the show, which took place in Seoul in September of last year. Slovak Ambassador in Seoul Dusan Bella has received a letter from the organisers in which they apologised for the… read more

Investors Want Next Government\'s Priority to Be Building Motorways

Bratislava, April 29 (TASR) – Foreign investors in Slovakia concur that the next government should focus especially on building motorways in the central and eastern parts of the country. "Infrastructure should be of good quality, as investors need a good road network for doing business. Interlinking individual regions is also important," TASR was told by Slovak-German… read more