Staré Hory
Early snows catch unprepared bears off guard
Early snowfall in the Veľká Fatra and Low Tatra mountains has driven brown bears into their hibernation lairs, said Miroslav Saniga, a researcher for the Slovak Academy of Science's research centre in Stare Hory on November 29. The early snowfall caught some bears unprepared, he said, and has left those still without a lair in a grumpy mood.
"It is very dangerous for people to go to the forest right now because not all the bears are sleeping and they are very nervous," Saniga said.
Downtown Bratiślava was rocked by a car bomb explosion on November 30.photo: TASR
Bratislava
Car bomb kills man in city centre
A 24-year old man identified by police as Juraj Z. from Nové Mesto nad Váhom was killed in a car bomb explosion just before noon on November 30 in Bratislava. The bomb exploded on Lazaretská Street when Juraj Z and his brother Jozef Z. approached the car and appeared to unlock the doors with a remote controlled door opener.
Jozef Z. was uninjured in the blast. Juraj Z was transported to Ružinov hospital where he died from his injuries.
The bomb was placed in Jozef's Škoda car under the front left wheel. No other injuries were reported, although shock waves from the bomb smashed windows in neighbouring buildings and damaged two other cars.
According to a report in the daily Sme newspaper, police charged Jozef Z on December 1 with public endangerment after discovering a remote-control detonator in his possession. Sme wrote that Jozef Z. had also been in possession of a false police identification card bearing his photo, which he claimed to have found on the ground.
Bratislava
Secret service weapons dumped in garage
Weapons and ammunition belonging to the Slovak Secret Service (SIS) were discovered by Bratislava police on November 29 in a Bratislava garage, said Jaroslav Ivor, the director of the Interior Ministry's investigation department.
Police investigators were alerted to the whereabouts of the weapons by an anonymous caller. During their search of the garage, owned by a 62-year-old Bratislava woman who knew nothing of the weapons, police uncovered six functioning pistols, 65 machine gun cartridges, 9,786 bullets, 200 pistol signal flares, 32 grenades, 20 explosives, 20 fuses, two binoculars, 400 grams of the explosive Danubit and three bullet-proof jackets.
Ivor said the weapons had a street value of several hundred thousand crowns, and were supposed to have been destroyed on February 16 by Michal H., a former SIS officer who is currently being held in police custody.
Galanta
Slovak truck drivers captured by Kosovo Albanians
Three Slovak truck drivers delivering humanitarian aid in Kosovo for the Slovak - Austrian KFOR peace keeping troop were captured by a group of Kosovo Albanians on November 29. The kidnappers demanded 1,000 Deutsche marks for their release and threatened to kill the three drivers, all of whom are from Galanta, said Slovak Army spokesman Imrich Modrocky.
The vehicles were captured when one of the Albanians purposely drove his motorcycle into one of the trucks. When the three Slovaks got out to see if the man was hurt, more captors appeared with guns and began demanding money. The drivers told the kidnappers that they had no money, but that soldiers from Slovakia were nearby and would surely pay for their release.
The Albanians brought the drivers to the Casablanca army camp. An Austrian soldier guarding the entrance told a Slovak soldier that some Slovak citizens were seeking help. The Slovak soldiers told the Albanians that they would give them the money and provide transportation to Durakovac by NATO units. When the Albanians released the drivers, however, the soldiers took their guns and arrested them.
Košice
Mob boss attacked in restaurant with machete
Košice Mafia boss Miroslav S. was murdered in a Košice restaurant on November 29 when an unknown assailant attacked him with a machete and then shot him at close range, local police said.
Miroslav S. was a member of the underworld 'Borza group', which is the regional rival of mafia group controlled by Karol K. A war between the two sides started last year when Miroslav S. took control of the Košice underworld while Karol K. was in prison. Karol K. was released from prison this summer, and police sources said that seven of his men were at the restaurant during the attack.
The police classified the Saturday murder as a matter of "settling debts" and suggested that the Košice murder of the Borza group's František P. in August may have been related. An unknown gunman shot František P. in the abdomen and chest as he was getting out of his car in Košice's Kalvaria district.
Košice
UFO experts discuss ancient extraterrestrial Gods
The two-day, 8th annual Central European UFO Conference, named "UFO's - the Phenomenon of the Century," was held on November 27 and 28 in Košice. Hundreds of people interested in 'cosmic science' met with self-styled experts dealing with various paranormal phenomena and close encounters with aliens and UFO's.
Polish researcher Krysztof Piechota, a highly respected expert in the UFO community, was expected to provide the marquee speech of the conference. Piechota has been preparing a study called "Unveiling the Mystery of UFO's - Return to the Past" and was to announce his discoveries at the conference. However, Piechota was unable to attend, so his colleague Grzegorz Domanski, who is the Chairman of the Legnica, Poland Contact Club, presented the study in his place.
Piechota's study stated that the 'gods of the ancient world' were members of extraterrestrial "cosmic crews" who performed precisely defined tasks on Earth as ordered by their superiors.
Compiled by Chris Togneri
from SITA, TASR, and Reuters
