News digest: Matovič wins, Čaputová not done

Czechoslovak soldiers to be buried in the Netherlands, Justice Minister Kolíková poses with an ostrich, and where to avoid falling rocks.

(Source: SME.sk / Hej,ty)

Good evening. The Wednesday, June 22 edition of Today in Slovakia is ready with the main news of the day in less than five minutes.


President to take Matovič's package to court

MPs overrode the President Zuzana Čaputová's veto of the package of measures designed by Finance Minister Igor Matovič (OĽaNO).

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The €1.2 billion package, which should help some families, was adopted in late May for the first time.

The president, who respects the MPs' decision, is going to turn to the Constitutional Court to assess the law-passing procedure.

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More stories from The Slovak Spectator website:


FEATURE STORY FOR WEDNESDAY

Netherlands to bury Czechoslovak pilots

In June 1941, five Czechoslovak pilots died after their bomber was shot down by a German fighter. The bomber crashed in a village outside Amsterdam.

Their remains will be buried after 81 years in the Netherlands with all military honours.


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IN OTHER NEWS:

  • Justice Minister Mária Kolíková has joined the Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party. A few days ago, she was caught on camera as she stroked an ostrich outside the Presidential Palace.
  • Germany is ready to patrol Slovakia's airspace, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said. He added his country is prepared to send soldiers to Slovakia as well. (TASR)
  • At next week's NATO summit in Madrid, Slovakia plans to back the change of the current enhanced forward presence on NATO's eastern flank to a long-term forward defence. NATO battle groups are also training in central Slovakia.
  • Slovakia is ready to provide Ukraine with Soviet technology only if Slovakia receives adequate compensation from the Allies, Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď said. He admitted that Slovakia is running out of things that it could give to Ukraine. Most recently, Slovakia had given helicopters to Ukraine.
  • The Defence Ministry has denied that it is considering buying F-35 fighters instead of F-16 fighters, some of which are to land in Slovakia in 2024.
  • Russia's hybrid activities have intensified across the board in Slovakia, the Slovak Information Service writes in its 2021 report. The secret service added that Russia had tried to influence political decisions, spread propaganda, divide society and even penetrate the state's structures. The Russian embassy was forced to reduce its staff in spring.
  • Mountain rescuers do not recommend hiking in the area of the Malý Kežmarský Štít Peak because of falling rocks. Watch a video.
  • At a Bratislava hospital, a team of doctors removed the wrong eye of a patient. As a result, they are completely blind. (TASR)
  • The EU Court of Justice in Luxembourg has ruled that Slovakia violated several directives on habitats and birds in a case concerning the protection of the western capercaillie, upholding the Commission's lawsuit against the country in full.
  • Lenka Wittenbergerová, former head of the Financial Administration, received a suspended two-year prison sentence with a five-year probation period and a €50,000 fine for accepting a bribe, the Specialised Criminal Court ruled on June 22.

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


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