News digest: Young Slovaks struggling to leave family home

Despite increased reports of encounters, data suggest no rise in bear attacks. Learn more in today's digest.

(Source: SME.sk / Hej,ty)

Good evening. Here is the Thursday, June 16 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.


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Young Slovaks struggling to leave home

Young Slovaks are finding it tough to move out of their families' homes, according to new research, as rising prices of real estate and building materials prices are helping keep them home for longer than people in many other European countries.

According to a Eurostat analysis, almost 60 percent of young Slovaks live with their parents, while the average age at which Slovaks leave their parents' homes is the second highest in the EU, behind only Croatia.

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On average, Europeans move out of the family home when they reach 26, but in Slovakia it is 31.

The main problem is that many don't have enough money to buy their own home. Even those who worked abroad where wages are usually higher than at home are struggling to raise the funds to purchase their own place.

According to the National Bank of Slovakia, in the first quarter of 2012 the average price per square meter of real estate was around €1,234. Today, it is €2,510.

Find out more here.


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Feature story for today

At the end of April, a bear attacked two hikers in the Low Tatras. In May, another tourist on the Poľana mountain, central Slovakia, was injured.

Encounters such as these are worrying locals and have led to growing calls from those affected for state authorities to take action. However, data suggest no rise in attacks, despite increased reports of encounters.

Bear attacks spread fear, prompt protests Read more 

Picture of the day

People can pick strawberries for themselves in the village of Rudina, Žilina Region, in north Slovakia.


In other news

  • Monkeypox was not confirmed in a patient who was hospitalized at the J. A. Reiman University Hospital in Prešov. Results of a laboratory examination came back negative. Slovakia has yet to record a case of the disease.
  • Since the war in Ukraine started on February 24, more than 100,000 refugees have passed through Košice. There are currently an estimated 5,500 to 6,000 Ukrainians in the city. There could be problems with their long-term employment and accommodation, city authorities have said.
  • More than 60 percent of the Slovaks are planning to travel for their holidays. Around a third wants to travel to a seaside destination, preferably to a southern European country, such as Croatia. Approximately the same number of people want to spend their holidays in Slovakia, with the rest opting for a vacation in their homes. Both Bratislava and Košice airports have announced their summer flight schedules, but if Slovaks want to fly from Budapest, they might have to pay more for tickets after a new tax was introduced in Hungary.
  • The Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute has issued a warning for storms during Thursday afternoon and evening. The first-level alert is valid from 3 PM to 9 PM in western and central Slovakia. From 7 PM the alert applies to Prešov and Košice Regions as well, where there is a risk of storms until midnight.
  • Bratislava is intensifying its efforts against mosquitoes after recent heat and rain encouraged larval hatching. In the last two weeks, the capital has taken action in more than 80 areas. Moreover, authorities have warned that mosquitoes can hatch in gardens too and have urged owners to take appropriate measures, for example to regularly pour out water from barrels. This year, Bratislava has again deployed volunteers to try and keep mosquito populations in check and in the event of a calamity, says it will use drones.
  • An advisory committee made recommendations for the selection of a new General Director of the public-service broadcaster RTVS. It has recommended Tibor Búza, a former RTVS program director, and Ľuboš Machaj, a former program director at Slovak Radio. Here is a list of the eight men vying to become head of the broadcaster.

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


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