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Gasparovic Appoints New Rectors of Two Private Universities

Bratislava, March 4 (TASR) - President Ivan Gasparovic on Thursday appointed two new rectors of Bratislava-based private universities - Marian Karvaj will head St. Elizabeth's University for Healthcare and Social Work, while Samuel Abraham will be the rector of the Bratislava International School of Liberal Studies, Elena Bianchi from the press department of the President's… read more

Fico Expects New Foreign Investors to Bring €3 Billion to Slovakia

Bratislava, March 4 (TASR) - Foreign investors are expected to bring over €3 billion to Slovakia, as "we've created favourable conditions", Prime Minister Robert Fico said during Question Hour in Parliament on Thursday. A total of 16 companies should enter the Slovak market, namely from Belgium, the United Kingdom and the USA. The companies are expected to invest some… read more

Fico: Insulation Programme Successful, We\'ll Look for More Resources

Bratislava, March 4 (TASR) - The Government's funding involving the insulation of houses and flats, the state's investments into which climbed up to €71 million, was successful, but resources allocated to it have already been spent, Prime Minister Robert Fico said during his inspection at the Construction and Regional Development Ministry on Thursday. The programme… read more

Gasparovic: I Support Oil Pipeline Construction, But Not Zitny Ostrov Route

Bratislava, March 4 (TASR) - President Ivan Gasparovic on Thursday met representatives of the Union of Slovak Municipalities, led by mayor of Bratislava Andrej Durkovsky. Durkovsky asked Gasparovic to support an initiative aimed at protecting water resources in Zitny Ostrov, in reference to the planned construction of the Schwechat-Bratislava oil pipeline through the… read more

Number of Slovaks Working Abroad Fell by Nearly One Quarter Last Year

Bratislava, March 4 (TASR) - Around 129,000 Slovaks were employed abroad last year, which is 39,000 less than the year before, or a reduction of 23 percent, according to the latest figures reported by the Slovak Statistics Office. "The most significant reductions were seen in the Czech Republic and Great Britain, where the numbers of working Slovaks dropped by 20,300… read more

Freso: Company Car of BSK Official Targetted by Mafia

Bratislava, March 4 (TASR) - The company car of Bratislava regional authority (BSK) office director Bystrik Zak, which was burnt out early on Thursday, was the target of a mafia attack, Bratislava governor Pavol Freso (SDKU-DS) said later on the same day. Freso called on the police to find the culprit and stop such incidents. The governor added that this was the third… read more

Sefcovic: Education System One of EU\'s Main Problems

Bratislava, March 4 (TASR) – The education system is one of the key problems of the European Union and there should be an intense focus on this sphere, said Slovak EU Commissioner for Inter-institutional Relations Maros Sefcovic after giving a speech to the Slovak Parliament on Thursday. Very few European universities are included on the list of the 100 best universities… read more

Fico: You Should Ask Gyurovszky About Apollo Rental Contract

Bratislava, March 4 (TASR) - Journalists should address their questions about the Construction and Regional Development Ministry's rental contract with Bratislava's Apollo Business Centre to former minister Laszlo Gyurovszky (SMK), Prime Minister Robert Fico said after carrying out an inspection at the ministry on Thursday. If there is a complicated rental contract, you… read more

Parliament: Purchases Won\'t Be Rounded Off to Nearest 5 cents

Bratislava, March 4 (TASR) – Parliament on Thursday rejected a amending proposal to the Prices Act submitted by Slovak National Party (SNS) MP Jozef Duracka that would have introduced the rounding-off of purchases in shops to the nearest 5 euro cents. Duracka proposed that coins with a nominal value of 1 and 2 cents should still be valid, but wouldn't be needed in shops,… read more

Unemployment in Final Quarter of 2009 Highest Since 1Q06

Bratislava, March 4 (TASR) - The unemployment rate in the final quarter of 2009 reached 13.9 percent, which was the highest figure since 1Q06, the Statistics Office reported on Thursday. The overall unemployment rate for the entire year of 2009 stood at 12.1 percent. The number of jobless Slovaks reached 324,200 at the end of the year, which was a 25.9-percent increase… read more

Analysts: Slovak Economy Supported by Foreign Demand in 4Q09

Bratislava, March 4 (TASR) – Slovakia's economy was given a leg-up by foreign demand in the final three months of 2009, which helped to limit the deterioration in GDP from a fall of 4.9 percent year-on-year in the third quarter to one of 2.6 percent in 4Q09. The country's economy grew by 2 percent quarter-on-quarter, but domestic demand remained weak, according to economic… read more

Stefanov Interrogated by Police Over Notice-board Tender

Bratislava, March 4 (TASR) - Construction and Regional Minister Igor Stefanov has already been questioned by the police with respect to the so-called notice-board tender, TASR learnt on Thursday. Stefanov said at the press conference following an inspection at the ministry carried out by Premier Robert Fico on the same day that nobody necessarily holds criminal responsibility… read more

Court Begins Restructuring Proceedings for Air Slovakia

Bratislava, March 4 (TASR) - Bratislava I District Court in late February began restructuring proceedings for troubled airline Air Slovakia, TASR was told by Bratislava Regional Court spokesman Pavol Adamciak on Thursday. The court will decide on the restructuring plan within 30 days, said Adamciak. The airline recently had its licence to operate flights suspended by… read more

Petrikova Discusses Child Abductions with Italian Counterpart

Rome/Bratislava, March 3 (TASR) - Cases involving child abductions by one of its parents between Slovakia and Italy were addressed at a meeting between Slovak Justice Minister Viera Petrikova and her Italian counterpart Angelino Alfano in Rome on Wednesday, TASR was told by spokesman for the Slovak ministry Michal Jurci later in the day. Both officials concurred on the… read more

Parliament: Mobile Courts to Deal With Rowdies in Sports Arenas

Bratislava, March 3 (TASR) - As of April, vandalism and crude behaviour at sports venues will be dealt with by the so-called mobile courts that are being introduced by the amendment to the Criminal Code passed in Parliament on Wednesday. "Scope has been created for decent fans to enjoy sports matches in a decent atmosphere," explained Katarina Tothova (LS-HZDS) who proposed… read more