SNS: Stefanov Won`t Resign Despite Fico`s Call
Bratislava, March 10 (TASR) - The Slovak National Party (SNS) announced at an extraordinary press conference on Wednesday that it has recommended its nominee in the post of Construction and Regional Development Minister Igor Stefanov not to resign despite a call issued by Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) the day before. » More

Lajcak Comes to Gasparovic`s Defence, Says He Follows Policies Closely
Bratislava, March 9 (TASR) - Slovak President Ivan Gasparovic is active in foreign politics, as he presents clear-cut stances and applies himself to security policy as well, Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajcak said in Parliament on Tuesday. » More

AZEN to Release List of Candidates and Platforms on Friday
Bratislava, March 9 (TASR) - The new Alliance for the Europe of Nations party said on Tuesday it would release its entire list of candidates for the June 12 parliamentary election as well as election programme this coming Friday, adding that the top two spots are taken by Chairman Milan Urbani and Deputy Chair Zdenka Kramplova. » More

OTS: Abbott Enhances Pharmaceutical Pipeline with Acquisition of Facet Biotech
Abbott Enhances Pharmaceutical Pipeline with Acquisition of Facet Biotech » More

Parliament Elects Six Out of 11 SPF Board Members
Bratislava, March 9 (TASR) - Parliament on Tuesday elected the first six new members of the Slovak Land Fund (SPF) board who had been nominated by Cabinet, TASR learnt on the same day. » More

Fuel Prices to Be Marked Up Again as of Wednesday
Bratislava, March 9 (TASR) - Fuel prices are set to go up again as of Wednesday, with petrol due to increase by 1.5 eurocents and diesel to be marked up by 2 eurocents per litre, Tomas Novotny of natankuj.sk web portal told TASR on Tuesday. » More

Hospodarske Noviny Daily on Wednesday, March 10
Only few tourists are currently for a visit to Bratislava, which is largely due to the euro introduction last year, Hospodarske Noviny daily notes on pages 1 and 13 on Wednesday. » More

SME Daily on Wednesday, March 10
The SDKU-DS leadership which on Monday announced Bratislava governor Pavol Freso`s resignation from the party`s slate for June`s parliamentary elections claimed that Freso drew political responsibility over a voting fraud in the party`s primaries in Bratislava. Freso still hasn`t confirmed the allegation, however, SME daily reports on page 2 on Wednesday. » More

Pravda Daily on Wednesday, March10
South Korean firm Yura Corporation making auto parts in Slovakia applies unlawful working methods such as overly long shifts and bullying at its factory in Lednicke Rovne (Trencin region), Pravda daily reports state labour inspectors as saying on page 9, based on the complaints from Yura employees. » More

Foreign Affairs Ministry: Slovakia Will Promote Democracy Abroad in 2010
Bratislava, March 8 (TASR) - Slovakia will further promote the strengthening of democracy and a state based on the law, human rights and liberties, including the rights of ethnic minorities in 2010, reads a document submitted by the Foreign Affairs Ministry for discussion in Parliament this week. » More

Caplovic: 20-percent Threshold for Ethnic Minorities Is Enough
Bratislava, March 8 (TASR) - The current regulation stating that an ethnic minority living in a given village or town must make up at least 20 percent of the population in order to be allowed to use its mother language in official contacts is enough when it comes to ensuring the rights of ethnic minorities living in Slovakia, Deputy Premier Dusan Caplovic said on Monday. » More

Foreign Affairs Ministry Praises Turnout in Iraqi Elections
Bratislava, March 8 (TASR) - The Slovak Foreign Affairs Ministry appreciates the significant turnout in the parliamentary elections in Iraq on Sunday, ministry spokesman Peter Stano told TASR on Monday. » 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. » 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. » 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. » More

SUMMARY-TUESDAY-March 9, 2010 - 9.30 p.m.
BRATISLAVA - Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Tuesday that he had asked Construction and Regional Development Minister Igor Stefanov (SNS) to step down on Wednesday due to failures that the country`s Supreme Audit Office (NKU) has found in the effectiveness of the use of funds spent under the so-called notice-board tender. » More

AI Brands Idea of Boarding Schools for Roma Children as Disriminatory
Bratislava, March 9 (TASR) - Amnesty International (AI) has come out against setting up boarding schools for Roma children and believes endeavours "to separate the children gradually off the way of lives that they lead in settlements" represent a discriminatory practice and an outright attack on the Roma`s way of life, head of AI Slovensko Branislav Tichy told TASR on Tuesday. » More

Kuzma Criticises Government Approach to Tackling Roma Education
Bratislava, March 9 (TASR) - Opposition SDKU-DS MP Stefan Kuzma on Tuesday slammed Premier Robert Fico and Vice-premier for Minorities Dusan Caplovic`s recent plans to address the problematic issue of Roma education by setting up boarding schools for Roma children, saying government is dealing with a few hundred children rather than the hundreds of thousands of Roma living in Slovakia. » More

Mikolaj and French Ambassador Seal Deal on Cooperation in Education
Bratislava, March 9 (TASR) - Education Minister Jan Mikolaj and French Ambassador to Slovakia Henry Cuny on Tuesday signed an agreement between the ministry and the French Foreign Affairs Ministry on establishing closer links in the areas of education, language training as well as co-operation in the university and scientific fields, TASR learnt later in the day. » More

Rosova: Mikolaj`s Done Much, But Little Good
Bratislava, March 5 (TASR) - Education Minister Jan Mikolaj (a co-governing SNS party nominee) has done a lot for the education system but not much of it has been positive, opposition SDKU-DS party MP Tatiana Rosova said on Friday. » More

Fico: Quality of Education Needs Improving, Ministry on Right Track
Bratislava, March 5 (TASR) - In an attempt to categorise colleges and universities in Slovakia based on their quality, Education Minister Jan Mikolaj has begun an extremely difficult task, said Prime Minister Robert Fico after carrying out an inspection at Mikolaj`s ministry on Friday. » More