(source: SME.sk / Hej,ty)
Good evening. Here is the Wednesday, November 23 edition of Today in Slovakia -the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
Orbán accused of "senseless provocation"
Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán. (source: TASR - Jaroslav Novák)
Slovak MEPs have accused Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán of "senseless provocation" after he appeared in public wearing a scarf with a map showing areas of Slovakia as part of Hungary.
Slovak MEP Ivan Štefanec (KDH) said that Orbán had shown disrespect to fundamental values upon which the EU, of which Hungary is a member, was founded.
This comes after Slovak Foreign Minister Rastislav Káčer criticised the Hungarian prime minister, calling his stunt "disgusting".
The minister said that the incident could have been overlooked had it been isolated.
"But we perceive this gesture in the context of events that are developing and happening. It is the tip of the iceberg and a moment that had to be reacted to," Káčer said.
Other countries in the region have also criticised Orbán over the incident.
Related: László Sólymos, head of Aliancia, a Hungarian minority political party in Slovakia, criticised Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán for his "Greater Hungary" scarf. "His video with the scarf will amuse some, upset others. However, both reactions can turn against us, Hungarians living in Slovakia," Sólymos wrote on Facebook.
More stories from The Slovak Spectator website
Legislation: Parliament ends administrative hurdle for couples who want to wed.
Science:Elżbieta Drążkiewicz of the Slovak Academy of Sciences gets a prestigious grant.
Awards: This year's White Crow winners have been announced.
Business: Ivana Molnárová, head of the Profesia.sk job search website, is to leave her post after more than two decades.
FEATURE STORY FOR WEDNESDAY
The strange tale of the vanishing antique dealer
The antique mirror in the shop window of Esterházy Palace. (source: Jana Liptáková)
The antique mirror pictured above belonged to Bratislava antique dealer Eduard Šťastný. Though his identity remains to a large extent a mystery, curator Jana Švantnerová decided to find out more about him. Read what she has learned.
If you like what we are doing and want to support good journalism, buy our online subscription. Thank you.
IN OTHER NEWS:
More than four fifths of people in Slovakia are worried that mass resignations of doctors will lead to problems with healthcare. A survey by NMS Market Research Slovakia, showed the threatened resignations were causing moderate to very great concern about the availability of health care among 83 percent of Slovaks, with over 55s having the biggest concerns. The agency surveyed 1,027 people between November 18-22. (TASR)
Hospital doctors and the government did not find a compromise on higher wages on Wednesday. Instead, the government now offers a one-off bonus of €10,000 to doctors. Health Minister Vladimír Lengvarský has also said he will propose to the government to declare the state of emergency if 2,100 hospital doctors quit their jobs on December 1. (TASR)
The Museum and Cultural Centre of Southern Zemplín in Trebišov has opened an exhibition entitled "The Red Countess Remembers ...", which will run until January 29, 2023. The exhibition at the Trebišov museum marks the 130th anniversary of the birth of Countess Katinka Károlyi, born Andrássy - granddaughter of Count Július Andrássy - who is also known as the Red Countess. (source: TASR - Roman Hanc)
Starting next year, 180,000 people are expected to change their health insurance provider. While state-owned health insurer Všeobecná Zdravotná Poisťovňa will lose clients, Union and Dôvera, private health insurers, will get more.
Slovakia is neither a destination for, nor a source of, illegal migration, Slovak Foreign Minister Rastislav Káčer said on Wednesday. He added that Slovakia was properly protecting its external Schengen border. (TASR)
The Health Ministry claims that Slovak hospitals were not prepared to draw money from the recovery plan. There were no or suspended projects under the previous management, the ministry said.
If you have suggestions on how this news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk.
