(source: SME.sk / Hej,ty)
Good evening. Here is the Thursday, December 8 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
A joke, says ski resort operator about lower VAT
The ski season has started on the slopes of Chopok in the Low Tatras. (source: TASR)
This winter season, ski lift, water park, and restaurant operators will be paying lower value added tax. The amendment was passed as a part of government measures to help businesses cope with rising energy prices.
However, several operators of ski resorts in eastern Slovakia say that it is too late and that they will close this season. According to them, the aid is just a drop in the bucket and thought it would be different.
More stories on Spectator.sk
GOOGLE: A Cyrillic word in Slovak top searches for the year.
CLIMATE: Slovakia had one of the warmest autumns in 150 years.
If you like what we are doing and want to support good journalism, buy our online subscription. Thank you.
Feature story for today
If we had to choose among Slovak regional cities as the best one to live in, the choice would probably be Trnava or Trenčín.
There is no ranking that would measure the quality of life in Slovak cities, but the daily SME compared regional cities in terms of numbers, which say something about the quality of life.
Picture of the day
The Christmas Forest in front of the Primacial Palace is adding to this year's Christmas atmosphere in Bratislava. Children from Bratislava art and special primary schools decorated the trees with their own original decorations out of natural materials.
(source: TASR)
In other news
The weather forecast for Friday and the weekend according to the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute. Friday will be cloudy, with occasional snowfall and rain, maximum temperatures between 0 and 5 degrees Celsius. Saturday will be mostly cloudy, with daytime temperatures between 0 and 5 degrees. Sunday will be mostly cloudy with snowfall and a drop in daytime temperatures to -1 to 4 degrees.
On Thursday, a parliament session on a no-confidence vote against the government has started. The session was initiated by the opposition party SaS with the help of the Hlas MPs. According to SaS, PM Eduard Heger's government is unable solve people's problems and has stopped fighting the mafia and corruption. The vote could be held on Tuesday, December 13. "When you left the government, you said that you would be a constructive opposition, and that you would never bring down the government," said Heger during the session.
Finance Minister Igor Matovič (OĽaNO, left) and former economy minister Richard Sulík (SaS, right) during the Thursday session. (source: TASR)
From Sunday, December 11, new timetables will apply for bus transport between towns in eastern Slovakia. The biggest changes concern the area of lower Spiš. The goal is improved coordination between buses and trains, allowing for better transitions between them.
From Friday, kindergartens and primary schools in two Bratislava districts will close for several days due to an increased incidence of diseases. In the Dúbravka district, all 12 kindergartens will open again on December 14. In the Nové Mesto district, the Odborárska primary school will open again on December 13, and the Legerského and Pionierska kindergartens will resume the following day. Currently, three primary schools have already been closed in the district.
The goal of an anti-drug raid carried out on December 6 at Bratislava's infamous Pentagon block was to eliminate suppliers of meth and marijuana. Four persons have been accused. According to the police, an important branch of suppliers was cut off. Read more about the block in Bratislava's Vrakuňa district here.
The police warns of a several-kilometre long tailback on the D2 highway in the direction of Hungary, caused by the checking of cargo transport being performed by Hungarians. Traffic is already tailing back 13 kilometres on the highway.
After a two-year pandemic break, the traditional Christmas market will once again be held in the centre of Spišská Nová Ves from Friday, December 9 to Sunday, December 11.
For the first time, the Dudince spa will hold Christmas markets on Friday, December 9, in the spa park. In addition to stands with handmade items, Christmas punch, or a special sauerkraut soup, visitors will also learn about the customs in the region.
If you have suggestions on how this news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk.
