Latest news with #Slovakia
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Slovak central bank chief Kazimir should not get another term, prime minister says
(Reuters) - Slovak central bank governor and European Central Bank policymaker Peter Kazimir is not the right candidate to get another six-year term and the country's main ruling party will not back him, Prime Minister Robert Fico said. Kazimir was finance minister for Fico's SMER-SSD party in 2012-2019 but was close to Peter Pellegrini, who led a group that split away to form a new party called Hlas-SD in 2020. The two parties came together to form a government in 2023, but Fico has been at odds with Kazimir due to the party split. Kazimir, who's term as central bank governor expired on Sunday, was sentenced on Thursday to a 200,000 euro ($226,940) fine for bribery. The central bank chief, who has denied wrongdoing, has rejected the verdict and said he would appeal to a higher court. Fico, speaking at a news conference on Sunday, said he had labelled Kazimir as a "political traitor" because of his disloyalty to the SMER-SSD party not because of his conviction in the bribery case. Fico said he respected the right of coalition partner Hlas-SD to nominate the governor, under their coalition agreements. "I think that we have the right as a party (SMER-SSD) that will be important in the vote, to say if this person suits it or not," Fico said. "And we have a number of principal reasons that make us say that Peter Kazimir is not the right candidate for NBS governor. Hlas-SD must come up with someone else," he said. Slovak central bank chiefs are nominated by the government, approved by parliament and appointed by the president. Fico has criticised the judge over the Kazimir bribery ruling. The court has declined to comment. Under Slovak law, Kazimir can remain a governor unless there is a final conviction of a crime. He also stays in his post past the end of his term until a new governor is appointed. Kazimir has not said publicly if he was seeking a second term. ($1 = 0.8813 euros)
Reuters
4 hours ago
- Business
- Reuters
Slovak central bank chief Kazimir should not get another term, prime minister says
June 1 (Reuters) - Slovak central bank governor and European Central Bank policymaker Peter Kazimir is not the right candidate to get another six-year term and the country's main ruling party will not back him, Prime Minister Robert Fico said. Kazimir was finance minister for Fico's SMER-SSD party in 2012-2019 but was close to Peter Pellegrini, who led a group that split away to form a new party called Hlas-SD in 2020. The two parties came together to form a government in 2023, but Fico has been at odds with Kazimir due to the party split. Kazimir, who's term as central bank governor expired on Sunday, was sentenced on Thursday to a 200,000 euro ($226,940) fine for bribery. The central bank chief, who has denied wrongdoing, has rejected the verdict and said he would appeal to a higher court. Fico, speaking at a news conference on Sunday, said he had labelled Kazimir as a "political traitor" because of his disloyalty to the SMER-SSD party not because of his conviction in the bribery case. Fico said he respected the right of coalition partner Hlas-SD to nominate the governor, under their coalition agreements. "I think that we have the right as a party (SMER-SSD) that will be important in the vote, to say if this person suits it or not," Fico said. "And we have a number of principal reasons that make us say that Peter Kazimir is not the right candidate for NBS governor. Hlas-SD must come up with someone else," he said. Slovak central bank chiefs are nominated by the government, approved by parliament and appointed by the president. Fico has criticised the judge over the Kazimir bribery ruling. The court has declined to comment. Under Slovak law, Kazimir can remain a governor unless there is a final conviction of a crime. He also stays in his post past the end of his term until a new governor is appointed. Kazimir has not said publicly if he was seeking a second term. ($1 = 0.8813 euros)
The Guardian
13 hours ago
- General
- The Guardian
Far right weaponising LGBTQ+ rights in Europe to sow division, campaigners say
Far-right politicians in Europe are weaponising LGBTQ+ rights and sowing divisions that are sending hate crimes soaring, campaigners have said as communities prepare to mark Pride month. For years, countries in Europe were among those at the forefront of advancing rights, making steady progress on issues such as marriage equality, said Katrin Hugendubel of ILGA-Europe, an umbrella organisation that works with more than 700 groups across Europe and central Asia. In recent years, however, there has been a sharp reversal. 'Not only is there a real non-advancement in legal protection, but laws are actually being taken away,' said Hugendubel. 'And what we see is that, more and more, laws are being designed not to protect the fundamental rights of people nor to address any genuine societal needs, but purely to marginalise the community.' Examples span Europe. In Hungary and Slovakia, populist governments have sought to enshrine two genders in the constitution, a promise echoed by the far-right Austrian party that won the most votes in the last election. In at least 10 European countries, including Italy, Bulgaria and Romania, attempts have been made to introduce legislation barring LGBTQ+ topics from schools. This week, the Council of Europe said transphobic hate speech was rife in many European countries, with references to protecting children against 'gender ideology' becoming what it described as a 'recurring trend'. Earlier this year, Hungary became the first country in the EU to ban events involving the LGBTQ+ community, in a legal change that was codified just as Budapest Pride was preparing to mark its 30th year. Politicians themselves have used parliament, political rallies and media interviews to take aim at the community, fuelling anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment and normalising discrimination across the continent. The impacts had been wide-reaching, Hugendubel said. 'It's leading to more hate online and offline, and that's leading to increasing violence.' A 2024 survey of more than 100,000 LGBTIQ people in 30 European countries found that reports of violence and harassment had reached new highs, with 14% of respondents saying they had been physically or sexually attacked in the five years prior to the survey. One in three said they had faced violence repeatedly. The findings highlighted how bullying, harassment and violence remained constant threats, said Sirpa Rautio, the director of the EU's Fundamental Rights Agency, which carried out the survey. 'Being openly LGBTIQ in Europe should not be a struggle,' Rautio said in a statement. While the rollback of rights has been most intense in central and eastern Europe, where rightwing politicians are gaining power, violence is rising across the continent, with countries including France, Germany, Belgium and Spain all reporting surges. Sign up to This is Europe The most pressing stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to economics to the environment after newsletter promotion Suicide rates has also risen amid the growing climate of discrimination, Hugendubel said, particularly in the trans community. 'This kind of ongoing war that's being waged against trans people is hitting very vulnerable young people who are trying to work out their gender identity, trying to find their space in society. The relentless hostility can have devastating effects on mental health, including increased risks of suicide,' she said. 'It's often forgotten, but that's part of the story of the rise in hate as well.' She described the erosion of LGBTQ+ rights as a 'canary in the mine', as the same far-right governments go on to extend their attacks to academics, journalists and artists and undermine fair elections. 'The community has been weaponised,' she said. 'You're scapegoating a community and you use that to create an us-against-them narrative to bind you to your own voters and build alliances that safeguard your own power.' The trans community had borne the brunt of this tactic as politicians seized on the fact that many people knew little about the community or trans rights, Hugendubel said. 'It was an easy entry point to sow fear among people, to sow division,' she said. 'So in that sense, it was a real instrumentalisation. You kind of take the weakest link and enter there to sow fears, to sow misinformation that then goes into broader attacks against the community, but also against human rights standards.' What had emerged was an 'existential threat' for democracy, one that had made it imperative for the EU to take action to address the violation of fundamental rights, she said. In recent days, pressure has been growing on the EU to address the Hungarian government's Pride ban, with 17 countries calling on Brussels to use all the legal tools at its disposal if Hungary does not revise the measures. So far, however, there has been little response from the upper echelons of the EU. As organisations across Europe geared up to mark Pride, all of this was weighing heavily on many, she said. 'We've always said that Pride is a protest. In many countries with LGBTI rights advancing, Pride has luckily turned into a big celebration and a celebration of diversity in the community, which it should be as well.' But its roots in protest could not be forgotten, she said, particularly at a time when communities were grappling with scapegoating, hate speech and surging violence. 'In the end, limiting Pride is not just limiting the visibility of LGBTI rights. It's really limiting the freedom of assembly that every citizen has,' she said. 'And I think this Pride season will be a stark reminder of that.' In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@ or jo@ In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at
Bloomberg
a day ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
ECB Officials Ready to Keeping Working With Convicted Colleague
By , Jan Bratanic, and Jasmina Kuzmanovic Save European Central Bank policymakers are prepared to keep working with their colleague Peter Kazimir despite his conviction for bribery this week, according to people familiar with their thinking. While officials consider the guilty verdict unpleasant and are mindful of the reputational damage it could bring for the ECB, they want to see the outcome of his appeal against the Slovak court ruling, said the people, who asked not to be identified reflecting on confidential debates.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jean-Michel Jarre to release ‘audio visual record' of his Bratislava mega-gig, which featured Brian May
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Jean-Michel Jarre has announced he's releasing Live In Bratislava, what he's calling 'the definitive audio-visual record' of his gig last year in the Slovakian capital. As usual with the 76-year-old producer, it was no-expense-spared all-bells-and-whistles son et lumiere spectaculaire. More than 100,000 people gathered across Bratislava in May 2024 along the banks of the River Danube to feast their eyes on the show, which included a 400-drone 'ballet', fireworks-a-plenty and laser displays. Lots of lasers. Jean-Michel Jarre loves his lasers. Also involved was Queen's Brian May who accompanied him on a new arrangement of Dvorák's New World Symphony, as well as newly adapted works Bratislava Time and Rendez-vous Bratislava. There were further contributions from the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra and a 19-piece chorus from the Slovak Philharmonic Choir. So yes, it was big alright. Putting it all on involved some 170 tonnes of equipment, 21 LED screens, 150 projectors, hundreds of kilometres of cabling and the largest stage ever built in Slovakia. As befitting an event of that scale, the release isn't just a bog standard CD. Oh no. There's a double CD digipack, plus a Blu-ray which features the 'Unseen Director's Cut in 4K' which has PCM 2.0, DTS HD 5.1 and Dolby True HD 5.1 audio. The limited edition 'Ultimate Collector's Box', meanwhile, features both the CDs and Blu-ray as well as a deluxe coffee table photo book and an 'exclusive' 10-inch blue vinyl of the producer's new track, Bridge To The Future. You pays your money, you takes your choice. In a statement, Jean-Michel Jarre said of the release: 'Since that very special night in Bratislava, we've worked with a brilliant creative team to bring together the most complete, cinematic version of the concert possible. The sound on this release comes from the live TV broadcast of the concert, capturing the raw, in-the-moment energy of the performance. I'm proud to finally share this with everyone. Not only those who joined us in Slovakia or watched online, but all who want to relive the experience." If you missed it, and it sounds like your bag, the veteran electronic pioneer is on tour around Europe in June and July. There are more details on the Jean-Michel Jarre website.
