Bratislava - Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico and his Hungarian counterpart Ferenc Gyurcsany were meeting in the border town of Komarno-Revkomarom to discuss recent tensions between their two countries.

Hungarian right-wing extremists have demonstrated in recent weeks over territorial claims in Slovakia, which was once part of Hungary.

Fico has accused the Hungarian government of not doing anything to halt the demonstrations.

Meanwhile, Budapest has criticized Slovakia for the brutal treatment meted out by Slovakian police to right-wing extremists attending a football match in the southern Slovakian town of Dunajska Streda, also known as Dunaszerdahely in Hungarian.

Bratislava - Slovakia's inflation declined for the first time this year as the central European country prepares to switch to the euro on January 1, government data showed Wednesday.

The annual inflation rate fell to 5.1 per cent in October, from the 2008 peak of 5.4 per cent recorded in September, the Slovak Statistical Office said.

Consumer prices had climbed since January when the indicator stood at 3.8 per cent, the data showed.

The first former Soviet satellite to enter Europe's monetary union, Slovakia has pledged to rein in inflation as part of its euro- adoption deal with the European Central Bank and the European Union.

Bratislava - Attention, travellers to Slovakia: beware of drunken bears.

Bears will eat fruit that has fallen to the ground and fermented, and while the fruit's alcohol content is low, bears can eat such large amounts that they become tipsy, Slovakian forestry expert Miroslav Saniga said.

Befuddled bears have been known to approach humans, and they will attack if they feel provoked, Slovakia's TASR news agency quoted Saniga on Monday as saying.

Slovakia's biggest risk zone is the Velka Fatra mountains, which include a national park, in the centre of the East European nation, Saniga said.

Bratislava - More than 50 people were injured in nationalistic-fuelled violence at a football game in south-western Slovakia.

Thirty-one people were arrested in Saturday's rioting - 18 fans for the home team in Dunajska Streda, one of the most important centres for Slovakia's ethnic Hungarian minority, and 13 from the away team from Bratislava, a police spokeswoman in Bratislava said.

Violence had been feared ahead of the championship game between AC Dunajska Streda and Slovan Bratislava as hundreds of football hooligans and neo-Nazis from Hungary were expected to travel to the match.

Prague - Czechs began Monday two days of celebrations to mark the 90th anniversary of founding of their first independent state, the former Czechoslovakia.

As part of the commemorations, the country planned to stage its first military parade since the communist era.

On Monday, Czech and Slovak presidents, Vaclav Klaus and Ivan Gasparovic, planned to lay wreaths at the statue of former Czechoslovakia's first president, Tomas Garrigue Masaryk.

Czech and Slovak leaders were also scheduled to attend an opening of an exhibit at the country's National Museum dedicated to former Czechoslovakia's 90th birthday.

Bratislava - The Slovak parliament Friday voted to provide unlimited guarantees for bank deposits of individuals and select small businesses.

The government proposal passed 130-1, while nine lawmakers abstained.

The amendment requires presidential approval and will come to force upon publication in the country's legal code.

Germany and Austria vowed earlier they also planned to provide unlimited savings protection.

Slovakia currently protects 90 per cent of deposits up to 600,000 Slovak koruny (24,560 dollars).