News digest: COVID-19 test not needed to enter Ukraine and Russian diplomats expelled

Read the overview of news from August 11, 2020.

Slovakia sent material aid to Lebanon.Slovakia sent material aid to Lebanon. (Source: Interior Ministry)

This is your overview of news from Slovakia from Tuesday, August 11, 2020. Also, make sure to scroll down to our tips for reads.

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Slovakia expels Russian diplomats

Slovakia has expelled three Russian diplomats who violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations with their actions. The Foreign Affairs Ministry did not specify the names of the people who have to leave the country by Sunday.

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This may be linked with misuse of the visa issued by the Slovak General Consulate in St. Petersburg, and in this connection, a serious crime has been committed on the territory of another NATO and EU member state, said a spokesperson of the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Russia has already announced that a reciprocal action is to be expected.

Industrial production continues to recover

After the significant improvement of Slovakia’s exports in June, industrial production figures were also positive. Both continued to recover, especially driven by the automotive sector.

Carmakers propelled Slovakia’s industry in June Read more 

Industrial production in June was only 8.5 percent below June 2019’s level. This was less than Slovakia’s biggest trade partners, Germany and the Czech Republic, which recorded -11.7 percent and -11.9 percent, respectively.

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Despite a relatively strong production recovery, most of Slovakia’s industry sectors still reported lower output compared to the same period last year.

Coronavirus in Slovakia:

  • As the number of coronavirus infections rises in Slovakia again, schools are preparing to open for the new school year in three weeks.
  • Slovaks do not need a negative COVID-19 test when travelling to Ukraine, neither go to state quarantine. “Slovakia does not belong among countries with a high risk of infection, it is among 'green zone' countries,” the Foreign Affairs Ministry reported. Slovakia was placed on the red-zone countries link on August 3.
  • Slovak producer of lung ventilators Chirana Medical from Stará Turá has re-launched production. It was shut down for two weeks because of holidays and then it was endangered by closure because of nine positively-diagnosed people with COVID-19. The situation in the company is stabilised now.

In other news

  • Slovak activists will protest in front of the Belarusian Embassy in Bratislava against police violence every day at 18:00. They have started a Facebook group to support the Belarusian opposition.
  • Slovakia sent aid of almost two tonnes of food, healthcare material and medicine to Lebanon. This aid was sent by the Interior Ministry, Foreign Affairs Ministry, Defence Ministry, Health Ministry and third sector. Food was provided by NGO People In Perils (Človek v ohrození) and health material by the St. Elizabeth University of Health and Social Sciences in Bratislava.
  • National Criminal Agency (NAKA) intervened against extremism in several places around Slovakia, arresting nine people. The arrested people include the singer of the Krátky Proces (Short Process) band, Rastislav Rogel. Police allegedly found collection of Nazi and Hitler paraphernalia at Rogel’s.
  • American developing company Panattoni is planning an industrial park with an area of more than 286,000 square metres near Kútniky, southern Slovakia. This will be their second project in Slovakia, after the industrial zone at Košice airport.
  • The Regional Court in Banská Bystrica approved the guilt agreement of Mikuláš Černák, an underworld boss who concluded the agreement at the District Prosecutor’s Office in Martin at the end of last year. He admitted his guilt in relation to 16 older crimes, including 14 murders. Černák was not punished, because he is serving a life sentence with possibility of parole.
  • The Investigator of the National Criminal Agency (NAKA) stopped the prosecution linked with the status of MP Ľuboš Blaha (Smer), who published on Facebook a photo with red star, hammer and sickle. The deed is not a crime, police has concluded.
  • Slovakia had the second highest emissions from a new car in the European Union last year. The lower share of diesel cars at rate of 25 percent to 32 percent in the EU contributed to the higher emissions, wrote Institute for Environmental Policy (IEP) on Facebook.

Also on Spectator.sk today:

State company advertised on radio owned by speaker of parliament Read more  Train takes tourists up to the castle of the bloody countess Read more 

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"Do ľava," (to the left) I yelled, "Nie, do prava" (no, to the right), I gasped. "Dolšie," I screamed. "Nie, nie, horšie..." My Slovak girlfriend collapsed in laughter. Was it something I said?


Matthew J. Reynolds
Czech biochemist Jan Konvalinka.

Jan Konvalinka was expecting a pandemic before Covid-19 came along.


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