Good evening. Here is the Wednesday, May 10 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
President targeted once again
President Zuzana Čaputová. (source: SITA)
President Zuzana Čaputová has said she will launch legal action over what she says are false claims about her made on Tuesday by Smer party leader and former Prime Minister Robert Fico.
He repeated claims she was an American agent, had been involved in conspiratorial meetings at the US Embassy in Slovakia, and cited the appointment of the new prime minister in the technocrat government she has named as evidence of links to billionaire philanthropist George Soros.
His comments came as it emerged new death threats had been made against her and her family. The president said the threats had been for "the same reasons as always - American agent, Soros, American embassy".
Read more about Robert Fico and Smer attacking president:
Slurs against president at Smer demo raise eyebrows in parliament.
"Traitor of the country" lives here. Opposition goads masses against coalition MPs.
More stories from The Slovak Spectator website
AUTOMOTIVE: Slovaks cannot afford electric cars like their peers in Western Europe. Purchases closely linked to annual net income.
KUCIAK RETRIAL: Prosecutors demand life sentences for Kočner and Zsuzsová.
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FEATURE STORY FOR WEDNESDAY
Who is the new prime minister?
Ľudovít Ódor. (source: SME - Marko Erd)
"Am I a Keynesian, staunch Hayekian, Marxist, or perhaps a member of the Luddite sect? I will disappoint you, my ideology is pragmatism, an economic policy based on modern methods and data, and the belief that a successful society needs educated people, reasonable rules and quality institutions," Ľudovít Ódor, the future prime minister of the technocratic government, says about himself.
EVENT FOR THURSDAY
Discover Slovak post-rock music
Is a heavy guitar sound combined with bass up your alley? In that case visit the Pink Whale venue on the Bratislava Danube riverbank tomorrow at 19:30 for shows by two Slovak post-rock bands, The Ills and Myncryst.
In other news
Belonging to the European community means protection and prospects for Slovakia and its inhabitants, President Zuzana Čaputová said as she marked Europe Day.
Last April, a drunk US soldier injured himself while playing with a knife in a bar in Banská Bystrica. Extremist party Republika claimed he had been threatening a family, but this was a hoax, Interim Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď said on social media. He added though that the soldier's behaviour had led to him no longer being part of the NATO Multinational Combat Group stationed in Slovakia.
French President Emmanuel Macron will visit Slovakia on May 31 following an invite from Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová.
Soldier and lawyer Roman Rybak has become the first-ever military ombudsman, tasked with investigating allegations professional soldiers have had their basic rights and freedoms violated, the Defence Ministry said on Wednesday.
Soaring energy prices that have complicated life for towns and villages might force authorities to restrict some services related to social affairs, culture, sport and transport to a certain extent, the Slovak Towns and Villages Association (ZMOS) warned.
Parliament approved amendments to a number of laws concerning the protection of the environment. The changes are meant to remove obstacles to the functioning of new construction legislation, but Greenpeace Slovakia called them "outrageous", saying they limited the public's right to object to projects and their involvement in environmental-impact assessments.
Slovak national hockey team prepares to leave for Latvia where the 2023 IIHF World Championship will start later this week. In the middle is goalkeeper Samuel Hlavaj. (source: TASR)
WEATHER FOR THURSDAY:
A Level 1 ground frost warning is in place for north, central and east Slovakia during the night and early morning. Initially sunny, changing to partially cloudy. Daily temperatures between 18 °C and 23 °C. Occasional strong wind in the south-west. (SHMÚ)
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