News digest: Refrain from giving us history lessons, Slovak diplomacy tells Hungary

Weather spoils the plans of protesters against Covid vaccines in Bratislava. Charged oligarch suspended as Monaco honorary consul. Most people disapprove of the lottery for the vaccinated.

(Source: SME.sk / Hej,ty)

Good evening. Your Today in Slovakia daily news digest on Thursday, August 5, 2021, is ready. Get an overview of the most important news of the day in a less than five-minute read.

MFA to Hungary: Stop giving Slovakia history lessons

The way the top Hungarian representatives continue to broach historical issues is not in line with the declared efforts for good bilateral relations with Slovakia, said Foreign Affairs Minister Ivan Korčok (SaS nominee) in response to the recent statements of Hungarian Speaker of Parliament László Kövér.

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Kövér visited Šamorín in south-west Slovakia on August 2, 2021 to unveil the memorial to the Hungarians displaced from the town after World War II, based on the decrees of Czechoslovak president Edvard Beneš, the so-called Beneš Decrees.

On Thursday, the Foreign Affairs Ministry announced that it has sent a diplomatic note to Hungary, expressing regret over Kövér's participation and statements in Šamorín on August 2.

The ministry demands that Hungary follow diplomatic standards and inform the Slovak side about the purposes of its state representatives' visits to Slovakia in advance.


Picture of the day

The protest gatherings held in the capital on August 5 were much calmer than last week. Only dozens of protesters gathered in the capital on a rainy Thursday, and just a few minor incidents marked their protest.

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Slovaks in Tokyo

  • Samuel Baláž and Adam Botek ended second in the B-finals in the men’s K-2 1,000 m sprint, with the overall ranking at the 10th place.
  • Slovak race walker Miroslav Úradník ended 41st in the men's 20 km race. It was his first Olympic performance.

Coronavirus and vaccination news

  • 4,244 people received the first dose of a Covid vaccine on Thursday. The share of people who have been vaccinated with at least one dose in Slovakia's population is 41.6 percent, while the fully immunised comprise 37.7 percent of the population.
  • The lottery with prizes for the vaccinated may persuade tens of thousands of people to get their Covid jab, according to the latest How are You, Slovakia? survey which has shown that two thirds of the respondents do not approve of the lottery or the referral programme for vaccinated people.
  • The epidemiological situation in Slovakia has not changed much compared to the previous week, but the reproduction number rose to the level of 1.2-1.3 from last week's 1.15, the Health Ministry has warned.
  • Laboratories tested 5,837 samples using PCR tests and found 53 infected yesterday. Here is the distribution of new infections among Slovakia's districts:


Travel information

The UK will list Slovakia among green countries, i.e. countries safe to arrive from. Slovakia is one of seven countries listed as green as of Sunday, the morning of August 8. The rules that apply for arrivals from Slovakia to the UK are listed here.


In other news

  • The oligarch Miroslav Výboh, facing charges in the Mýtnik III case as of Wednesday, is not planning to arrive to Slovakia. His attorney said that his client is ready to make a statement on the charges. It will most likely be done through a video call, which is a possibility under the penal code in Slovakia. (TV JOJ)
  • The Foreign Ministry has suspended Výboh as the honorary consul of Monaco in Slovakia. (TASR)
  • Former head of the Financial Administration, Lenka Wittenbergerová, confessed after she was detained and charged with corruption on Wednesday, the Aktuality.sk news website reported.
  • The prosecutor of the Special Prosecutor's Office pressed charges against eight people, including Norbert Bödör and Martin Kvietik, and five organisations in the Dobytkár (Stock Farmer) case. (SITA)
  • Artist Peter Kalmus was attacked and beaten in the town of Martin in northern Slovakia on August 4. He was later taken to the hospital, where he was treated and subsequently discharged, the Týždeň weekly reported.
  • African swine flu has been detected in Tatra National Park. On Thursday, the foresters found three dead wild boars, the overall count of the fatalities nine for now, while infection has been confirmed in four. (Štátne Lesy FB)

Do not miss on Spectator.sk today:

Related article Parental bonus amendment proposed as first change to pension system, coalition partners at odds Read more  Related article Hundreds of crayfish and fish dead due to extremely low Danube water level Read more  Related article Forgotten Bratislava garden restored to reveal unique habitat and rich history Read more 


If you have suggestions on how this news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk.

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