This Week in Slovakia
Prehľad toho najdôležitejšieho, čo sa u nás stalo v uplynulom týždni v anglickom jazyku. Televízne spravodajstvo investigatívneho novinára Toma Nicholsona, Kanaďana žijúceho na Slovensku.
In a bizarre press conference last week, Prešov businessman Rastislav Bilas stepped forth as one of the main actors in the sale of Slovak state emissions quotas for half their market value to the unknown firm Interblue Group. The scandal threatens to hurt the Fico government in the lead-up to June 12 elections. New revelations blow lid on Interblue puzzle
The SIS secret service lost some of its secrecy recently after a list of its top managers including their military ranks, their academic titles, their dates of birth and their telephone numbers was published in the Nový čas daily. The secret service believes it was leaked to the media as part of a smear campaign by two officers who were fired and criminally charged in 2008. MPs left guessing after SIS director remains silent over leak
Parliamentary elections are only 10 weeks away, and the airwaves are full of charges and counter-charges of corruption, incompetence, and of course the ever-present threat from Hungary. SNS leader warns of Hungarian invasion
And finally, for those of you watching in colder climes, spring has sprung in Slovakia, bringing with it thousands of migrating toads. In the Železná Studienka park in Bratislava, volunteers have begun their annual construction of barriers to stop the toads being run over by cars.
Tom Nicholson spent a week in Moldova, teaching investigative techniques to young journalists there who were deeply gloomy about their country’s future after decades of misrule by the Communist Party. On returning to Slovakia, he was struck again by how many people have decided not to vote in upcoming elections.
