Good evening. Here is theTuesday, May 14edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
The Culture Ministry wants children to think critically, but there is one problem
Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová during a no-confidence vote in parliament on May 14, 2024. (source: TASR)
The Culture Ministry is reportedly working on a media education project. The focus will be on students enrolled in primary and secondary schools.
The project should help them improve their critical thinking and improve their independence in thinking and decision-making in the face of external pressure from mass media. The issue is that Lukáš Machala, chief of staff at the Culture Ministry, should be in charge of the project. Recently, he garnered attention for questioning the shape of the Earth, which he asserts to be flat. He has also co-authored a bill on the yet to be established public-service broadcaster. Petra Flach, the friend and neighbour of Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová, should also join the team, as should Petra Bačinská, the spokesperson for the Culture Ministry. Bačinská holds pro-Russian views and, as a layman, explores topics such as the harm of vaccines. It appears that the culture minister herself enjoys being part of the disinformation media scene.
Although media are under the Cultural Ministry, media education is under the Education Ministry. Minister Tomáš Drucker (Hlas) has stated that he is unaware of any project regarding media education being prepared at the Culture Ministry.
Related: The SNS party has requested the convening of a coalition council. The party wants to talk about how the government will continue after Peter Pellegrini (Hlas) becomes president. At present, it appears to be operating smoothly. Šimkovičová (SNS), just like Health Minister Zuzana Dolinková (Hlas), survived no-confidence votes in the debating chamber on Tuesday thanks to the coalition MPs.
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OPINION FOR TUESDAY
American Dream found in Slovakia?
Bratislava. (source: Pexels-Lukas Kosc)
"Slovakia's solid integration in the NATO, the European Union, Schengen and the Eurozone has created a sense of security for many Slovak descendants. Slovakia is no longer just associated with the nostalgic memory of a great-grandfather long passed; it also represents practical gains for the descendant, in addition to being a strategic gateway to the European Union," writes Global Slovakia founder Zuzana Palovic.
EVENT
The Night of Museums
Railway Museum in Bratislava. (source: TASR)
The 20th edition of the European Night of Museums (La Nuit européenne des musées) will take place on Saturday, May 18. On this evening, many cultural Slovak cultural institutions will open their doors to people in all regions.
IN OTHER NEWS
After its members elected her at the Council's session on Tuesday, Judge Marcela Kosová has become the new chair of the Judicial Council. She supported the decision to cancel the Special Prosecutor's Office. She also went to a traditional pig slaughter attended by, among others, now convicted fraudster Marian Kočner, who is believed to have masterminded the murder of journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová. She gives interviews to disinformation media as well.
The Visegrad Four nations, namely the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia, expressed their opposition to the adoption of a new agreement on migration and asylum during a meeting of EU finance ministers held in Brussels on Tuesday. In the qualified majority vote, Slovakia voted against two proposals of the 10-point reform package - against the payment of €20,000 for each unaccepted migrant and against compliance with certain asylum obligations - and abstained from eight less fundamental proposals. (TASR)
Michael O'Flaherty, the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, expressed concern about the compatibility of two draft laws affecting civil society and the public service broadcaster with human rights standards. He is, for example, concerned that the registration and labelling of 'organisations with foreign support' will have a chilling effect on civil society in Slovakia.
The two Slovak energy companies, PPA Energo and VUJE, have received authorization to work at the construction site of the new British nuclear power plant Hinkley Point C. The companies will start work in Great Britain under the leadership of the French EDF and its subsidiary Framatome.
ZSE Drive has opened the first public charging site for lorries. It is located in the EMPARK complex in Trnava. The site is currently the most powerful charging station in Slovakia with a maximum output of 400 kW. ZSE Drive operates almost 500 public charging points in Slovakia, and plans to build some 150 more ultra-fast
charging points by the end of this year. It uses electricity generated by small hydroelectric plants in Slovakia. (SITA)
The opening of the National Training Centre in Košice on May 14, 2024. (source: TASR)
WEATHER FOR WEDNESDAY: The skies will remain clear, however, additional clouds are expected to appear during the afternoon. The maximum daytime temperature may rise to 25°C. (SHMÚ)
MAY 15 NAME DAY IN SLOVAKIA: Žofia, Sofia.
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