Slovakia
Basketballs for schools
Twenty thousand basketballs purchased as part of a campaign led by a Slovak supermarket chain will be distributed to schools around the country by the end of June.
The Jednota supermarket chain collected more than Sk2.7 million as part of their campaign to improve sporting opportunities at more than 2,800 Slovak elementary schools.
The project's coordinator, Božena Chlpíková, said the campaign's goal was to supply sports equipment to Slovak schools and added that her company had decided to give schools one basketball per 36 pupils.
Martin
Police arrest human traffickers
CENTRAL Slovakia's police have arrested a gang of pimps and smugglers of women and charged them with human trafficking.
Investigators found that the gang was luring its victims with offers of lucrative work in the Czech Republic. But as soon as the women crossed the border, they were forced into prostitution.
According to the Nový čas daily, the traffickers even sold some of the women to erotic salons for about €500.
"They told many [women] that they would work as waitresses, but they told some straight away that they would be prostitutes," said investigator Alica Dordovičová.
After crossing the borders, the traffickers seized the women's passports and IDs and "if they refused to participate in prostitution, they threatened and physically attacked
them," said investigator Viktor Váraljai.
Prešov
Wine Queen crowned
NINA Darážová, 18, was crowned the country's Wine Queen on June 19 after proving to the jury that she was not only beautiful but also knew a lot about wine.
A competition in eastern Slovakia's Prešov tested 11 contestants on their knowledge of wine, including the identification of eight different types of wine.
Darážová, a student of viticulture, later said wine was her favourite alcoholic beverage and that she could drink more than a bottle when in the company of good friends.
"When the atmosphere is good I can drink as much as 8 decilitres," she told the Nový čas daily.
Spišský Hrhov
Longest spoon and other wonders
CARPENTER Ján Školník, along with six helpers, produced a 9-metre-long maple-wood spoon at a recent funfair in the eastern Slovak village of Spišský Hrhov.
In a separate event, Michal Smetanka produced the longest shepherd's whistle (7.24 metres long and 25 centimetres in diameter).
During another event, visitors to Spišský Hrhov festival participated in a loud whistling competition. The point was to whistle so that the sound could be heard from as far away as possible.
The whistle of the winner of the competition, Tomáš Wagner from Spišský Hrhov, was heard 800 metres from the point he had been standing.
Competitors also competed in a sword toss that consisted of three parts - drinking a 1-decilitre mixture of hot rum, borovička (juniper berry liquor), ketchup, and black pepper. Then competitors had to turn around three times and after that throw the 4.5-kilogram sword.
The winner, Ján Repaský from the eastern Slovak town of Levoča, threw his sword 30.1 metres.
Bratislava
Yugoslav-made grenades explode around the capital
POLICE are investigating a possible link between recent explosions at various places around the Slovak capital, caused by four grenades produced in Yugoslavia.
The first grenade exploded on June 16 near an erotic salon in Podunajské Biskupice, the second went off two days later at Tomášikova ulica in the Ružinov district.
Later still a grenade exploded in front of the restaurant Alfa in Petržalka, and finally an explosion was heard at night on June 20 near the restaurant Kotva in Veľký Biel.
Police are have no solid leads as to who the perpetrators might have been, and what links there might be in the series of explosions.
