Good evening. Here is theMonday, September 4 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in fewer than five minutes.
KDH chair under fire for calling LGBTI 'plague'
KDH (Christian Democratic Movement) chair Milan Majerský. (source: TASR)
Not a year has passed since last year's terrorist attack in Bratislava's city centre, which saw two LGBTI people murdered. Over the past months, the community has been the target of many politicians' attacks, the latest on Sunday.
During a Sunday political show on private television network Markíza, KDH (Christian Democratic Movement) head Milan Majerský called 'LGBTI' a 'plague that destroys any given country', placing it on a par with corruption and saying that both are unfortunate circumstances for countries.
Although he later issued an apology, saying that his words were misunderstood and he meant the 'ideology' not people when talking about the plague, he met with backlash from open-minded politicians and people alike.
KDH has sternly opposed registered partnerships on many occasions in the past. The Catholic Church and its members have been blamed for spreading hate against the community.
An April poll by the Profesia job search website found that Slovak employees accept LGBT+ colleagues the least.
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OPINION: Amid the parliamentary election campaign, a former foreign minister says that he will run for president. What to make of it?
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THE HIGH TATRAS: In the Tatras, new bakery and pub open in incredible Kuszmann’s Bazaar.
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FEATURE STORY FOR MONDAY
Charges against two former SIS heads may cause less intelligence exchange
The Slovak Information Service. (source: TASR)
After two former heads of the Slovak Information Service (SIS) were accused of serious crimes, foreign intelligence agencies may be reluctant to share information, KATEŘINA HUŠKOVÁ says in an interview with the daily Sme. She is the author of the book "Internal Security Forces and Intelligence Services in Central Europe".
They will monitor whether Smer wins the September election and whether Robert Fico will become PM, she adds.
EVENT FOR SUNDAY
Get a taste of the Slovak Philharmonic
Daniel Raiskin and the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra. (source: Peter Brenkus)
Come hear what the upcoming 75th concert season at the Slovak Philharmonic will sound like. The orchestra will perform at the renovated fountain on Námestie Slobody square on September 10 from 17:00.
The music of Slovak, Czech, Austrian, Italian, French and American composers will be heard far and wide. The programme is framed by the idea of culture as a unifying, and yet unique element of the individual nations of Europe and the whole world. Admission is free.
IN OTHER NEWS
The new school year has started on Monday. This also means that Bratislava public transport starts operating on the 'Workdays, School term' schedule, with the exception of lines 31, 39, 87, which will continue to operate according to the holiday schedule until September 17 when the new semester starts. Some minor changes to select lines apply, click here for more information (in Slovak for the time being).
The unemployment rate in the economically active population amounted to 5.7 percent in the second quarter of this year, down 0.4 percentage points year-on-year, the Statistical Office reported on Monday.
The first of 76 Patria 8x8 armoured modular vehicles from Finland is set to be delivered to Slovakia in September, the Defence Ministry announced. The last vehicle is expected to arrive in 2027. Total price of the contract, including logistics, infrastructure and ammunition, is €447 million.
Government Plenipotentiary for Roma Communities, Jan Hero, on Sunday called on the far-right political parties Republika and ĽSNS to remove billboards that present the Roma as "antisocial individuals".
Comenius University Bratislava (UK) will not introduce a new fee for the usage of private electric appliances at its dormitories in Bratislava’s Mlynská Dolina student town. Originally, a €5 monthly fee per appliance was supposed to be introduced in September. In the near future, UK will introduce a set of regulations and asks students to respect it.
Participants during an attempt to enter the Book of Slovak Records for the longest strudel with 11 fillings in Strážske, Košice Region. According to the official measurement, its length was 162.5 metres, improving upon the former Slovak 2016 record of a 149.40-metre long strudel. (source: TASR)
WEATHER FOR TUESDAY
Sunny, daily temperatures between 18 °C to 27 °C expected. (SHMÚ)
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