News digest: Public service broadcaster gets new chief

Slovak scientists develop treatment for deadly dog disease, water shortages in several districts. Learn more in today's digest.

(Source: SME.sk / Hej,ty)

Good evening. Here is the Thursday, June 30 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.


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Public service broadcaster gets new chief

After a turbulent time under outgoing chief Jaroslav Rezník during which several reporters quit, public-service broadcaster RTVS has a new general director.

Ľuboš Machaj, whose career in the media stretches over more than 40 years, will take up the post on August 1.

Machaj was elected to the position after securing the backing of 89 of 122 MPs present for a parliamentary vote today. Rezník had been supported by opposition parties despite an expert commission not recommending him.

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Among the issues Machaj has said he wants to address are some viewers' concerns about an incomplete archive at the broadcaster and a lack of original content in podcasts. Find out more about Ľuboš Machaj here.


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Feature story for today

Babesiosis, a potentially life-threatening disease in dogs, has been on the rise in recent years in Slovakia, where it is more commonly known as "bloody peeing" after one of its symptoms of dark red urine.

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Now, scientists from the Institute of Parasitology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences and the University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice have developed a new treatment that is effective against a more severe, chronic, form of the disease.

Find out more here.

New cure for potentially deadly canine disease comes from Slovakia Read more 

Picture of the day

On June 30, children all over Slovakia received their year-end report cards. However, some of these children saw their teachers for the last time because they are quitting their jobs. The picture shows Vladimir Crmoman, head of the Chamber of Teachers of Slovakia, handing in a letter at the Government Office with the names of teachers that have left or are leaving schools. Slovakia is struggling to replace disaffected teachers leaving the profession, while thousands took to the streets in mid-June demanding higher salaries.


In other news

  • On June 29, the maximum temperature reached 37,2 degrees Celsius in the village of Somotor, the Košice Region, setting a new record for the day in Slovakia. High temperatures are expected on Thursday and Friday too. If you're in Bratislava, here is a list of places where you can cool off.
  • On Thursday, several monitoring stations reported temperatures exceeding 38 degrees Celsius. At the time of writing, the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute expected that the record for the highest June temperature of 38.2 degrees Celsius, set in 2012, will be broken.
  • Weather forecast for Friday and the weekend according to the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute. Friday will be sunny, daily maximum temperatures will be between 32 to 37 degrees Celsius. Saturday will be partially cloudy with a mild drop in daily maximum temperatures to between 25 to 30 degrees expected. Sunday will also be partially cloudy, with temperatures around 30 degrees.
  • From July 1, public transport will operate on a summer schedule. The same applies to regional buses. Options for bicycle transport will be expanded on selected lines. More info in Slovak can be found here.
  • Columns of passenger cars are forming at the Ubľa - Maly Berezny and Vyšné Nemecké - Uzhhorod border crossings between Slovakia and Ukraine. At the former, drivers are facing a wait of about a half an hour when entering Slovakia, but 30 hours in the other direction. At the latter, the situation is similar. In May, Ukrainians with cars they bought abroad clogged the crossing at Ubľa, waiting in some cases for days to be allowed to cross. Ukrainian authorities removed customs and taxes on imported vehicles in a move designed to make it easier for both the Ukrainian army and citizens to replace destroyed vehicles.
  • Vitali Klitschko, the Mayor of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, thanked Slovakia for its help to his war-torn country and people, Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď said as the pair met during a NATO summit in Madrid. Slovakia has sent its S-300 air defence system, several Zuzana howitzers, and helicopters to Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion. It also supported Ukraine's accession to the European Union.
  • On July 1, Slovakia will begin its presidency of the Visegrad Group.

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


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