Gasparovic to Dismiss Stefanov on Thursday Morning (2)
Bratislava, March 10 (TASR) - President Ivan Gasparovic is slated to dismiss Construction and Regional Development Minister Igor Stefanov (an SNS nominee) on Thursday at 11. a.m., the president`s spokesman Marek Trubac told journalists on Wednesday evening. » More

Gasparovic to Dismiss Stefanov on Thursday Morning
Bratislava, March 10 (TASR) - President Ivan Gasparovic is slated to dismiss Construction and Regional Development Minister Igor Stefanov (an SNS nominee) on Thursday at 11. a.m., the president`s spokesman Marek Trubac told journalists on Wednesday evening. » More

Duray: I Disagree With Both Szegedi`s Claims and SNS Declaration
Bratislava, March 10 (TASR) - Ethnic-Hungarian SMK party MP Miklos Duray told TASR on Wednesday that he disagrees with Hungarian MEP and extremist Jobbik party vice-chairman Csanad Szegedi`s assertion that Slovakia should be expelled from the EU. » More

Simon: Food Act Gives Inspectors Room for Corruption
Bratislava, March 10 (TASR) - Inspectors who check food items in stores are susceptible to corruption as the newly-amended Food Act sets only an upper limit for penalties and neglects to state a bottom level, Most-Hid party vice-chairman and independent MP Zsolt Simon told TASR on Wednesday. » More

Companies Expect 5-10-percent Growth in Hire-Purchase Market in 2010
Bratislava, March 10 (TASR) - Hire-purchase companies expect 5-10 percent growth in the Slovak HP market in 2010, Association of Hire-purchase Companies (ALS) board chairman Juraj Ebringer said at a press conference on Wednesday. » More

Pociatek: `Society Development Strategy` Not Binding Per Se
Bratislava, March 10 (TASR) - A document entitled `Slovak Society Development Strategy`, which was discussed and approved by the Government on Wednesday, "neither implicates nor makes a commitment per se to anything." said Finance Minister Jan Pociatek on the same day. » 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

No Agreement Between Smer and SNS Regarding Szegedi`s Statements
Bratislava, March 10 (TASR) - The differing views over formulation of a parliamentary declaration on statements published by Hungarian MEP Csanad Szegedi made the Slovak National Party (SNS) MPs withdraw their declaration proposal on Wednesday, at the last parliamentary session of the current term. » 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

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-WEDNESDAY-March 10, 2010 - 9 p.m.
BRATISLAVA - The Slovak National Party (SNS) is following its own logic in standing hehind its minister, said political analyst Samuel Abrham after SNS on Wednesday advised its Construction and Regional Development Minister Igor Stefanov to defy PM Robert Fico`s calls for him to resign. » More

Hundreds Gather in Bratislava to Protest Against Patriot Act
Bratislava, March 10 (TASR) - Approximately 1,000 people, most of them students, gathered outside the Presidential Palace on Wednesday to protest against the newly-approved Patriot Act, TASR learnt on the same 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

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