Good evening. Here is theThursday, August 18edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
Security Council will hold a meeting on Friday
From left to right: Police Chief Štefan Hamran, his deputy Branko Kišš, and NAKA Head Ľubomír Danko during a press briefing on August 17, 2023. (source: TASR - Jakub Kotian)
Almost a week after the police charged three men, including ex-police chief and Smer politician Tibor Gašpar and oligarch Norbert Bödör, with corruption and organised crime, more men followed suit on Thursday morning.
The current head of the Slovak Information Service, Michal Aláč, is one of them.
The charges read that the men were allegedly members of the organised crime group. They are alleged to have sabotaged the investigation of major corruption cases.
Ahead of the elections, the Smer party is speaking of a police coup. Politicians from other parties said that such claims were nonsense.
What's next: On Friday morning, the Security Council will hold a meeting to discuss recent police operations. President Zuzana Čaputová is expected to come.
Parliament: MPs will reconvene for a special meeting on late Monday morning.
Quote: "This has never happened here before. Justice as such is threatened. What can people think six weeks before the election?" (Speaker Boris Kollár)
Opinion:How did we as a society get to the point where for part of the population, the most acceptable cabinet is the one run by Robert Fico? (Beata Balogová)
More stories from The Slovak Spectator website
Culture: An entertaining exhibition is one of our three tips on how to enjoy a nice time in Bratislava for free.
Travel: The metallurgical open-air museum in Valaská presents the history of iron ore mining and processing in this village and its surroundings, in an attractive way.
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FEATURE STORY FOR THURSDAY
Central Europe's largest ski resort is also open in the summer
The Krupová cable car station on the southern side of Chopok. (source: Peter Dlhopolec - The Slovak Spectator)
In summer, four cable cars in the Jasná ski resort connect the northern, more developed, side of the popular Chopok peak in the Low Tatras with the south. Therefore, even non-hikers can spend a lovely day in the area.
EVENT FOR NEXT THURSDAY
Organ inspirations
St. Martin Cathedral in Bratislava. (source: TASR - Dano Veselský)
In Bratislava, the International Cathedral Organ Festival takes place until September 7. Next Thursday, on August 24, St. Martin Cathedral will host British artist Michael Harris.
Time: 19:30
Music: W. Byrd, K. Leighton, J. S. Bach, W. Walton, J. MacMillan, H. Statham, A. Hollins
Admission: €12 (students and older people - €8, disabled people - €1)
In other news
By 2030, Slovakia will be able to use almost €2 billion from the Modernisation Fund for decarbonisation, the Environment Ministry said. One billion euros is intended for the area of heating and €750 million is allocated for the decarbonisation of industry.
Smer would have won the election in August, the latest Ipsos survey has found. The party would have obtained 19.7 percent, followed by Progresívne Slovensko with 16.9 percent and Hlas with 13.3 percent. Even the coalition of Smer, Hlas, SNS and Sme Rodina would not have achieved a majority. They would have had 75 MPs. (Denník N)
The extremist party Republika must pay infectologist Peter Sabaka €15,000 for hateful social media posts. The party must also publicly apologise to him three times in a row three weeks apart and must not publish any other post for the next 48 hours. The decision is not yet final, the parties to the dispute can appeal to the Regional Court in Nitra.
In Slovakia, you need 14 annual gross salaries for a new flat, which is the highest among the countries evaluated by the Deloitte ranking. Bratislava came second after Amsterdam. (Denník N)
The recreational area Tíšava by the Domaša water reservoir, eastern Slovakia. (source: TASR - Veronika Mihaliková)
WEATHER FOR FRIDAY: Clouds, showers in some places, stuffy weather. The highest daytime temperature will rise to 32°C. (SHMÚ)
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