Good evening. Here is theTuesday, August 8 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
Far-right party has to apologise to a liberal
Progresívne Slovensko Deputy Chair Irena Bihariová. (source: SME - Jozef Jakubčo)
The far-right ĽSNS party has to apologise to Irena Bihariová, a deputy head of the Progresívne Slovensko party, for false information that the party published about the politician on its website and in its newspaper four years ago.
The Banská Bystrica Regional Court decided the case following an appeal made by the far-right party. The district court had also ruled in favour of Bihariová.
In 2019, ĽSNS wrote about the alleged subsidies of thousands of euros for Bihariová's non-governmental organisation from the Education Ministry.
"The article made the entire republic aware that I am a 'gypsy fanatic' who, for this money, goes to schools to 'brainwash children with a pervert agenda,'" the liberal politician wrote on Facebook.
The ĽSNS party has to refrain from similar actions, publish an apology on its website and in its newspaper, and pay the politician a €5,000 compensation.
More stories from The Slovak Spectator website
Justice: One of the three judges on the panel who decided on the high-profile Kuciak murder case three months ago, Jozef Pikna, holds a different opinion on whether oligarch Marian Kočner masterminded the killing of the investigative journalist.
Defence: Why a spa town's latest idea to tax NATO soldiers is absurd.
Travel: A new hiking trail is available to tourists visiting Muránska Planina, a small national park in central Slovakia. Take a picture along the way!
Health care: Vojtěch Drbohlav, Managing Director of Beckman Coulter Czech Republic, speaks about the current trend in laboratory automation, the challenges, the future, as well as the various solutions and innovations Beckman Coulter offers in this regard.
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FEATURE STORY FOR TUESDAY
A Slovak firm that develops holographic assistants
Vesna, a holographic assistant, can help clients with straightforward tasks like opening a bank account or dealing with a lost bank card. (source: Courtesy of Optio)
The Slovak company Optio participates in development of a holographic bank assistant called Vesna for Slovenská Sporiteľňa, the biggest bank in Slovakia. But Vesna is just a start.
EVENT FOR LEGO FANS
Bricklandia
A Slovak family exhibits its Lego country on Hviezdoslavova Street 1 in the city of Trnava, a stone's throw from Bratislava. The exhibition lasts until September 3.
In addition to the country, visitors can find pirates and Star Wars built from Lego here, among other things. But children can also play with Lego here.
You can find more information here.
In other news
The UK has sanctioned individuals and businesses in Turkey, Dubai, Slovakia and Switzerland who are supporting the war in Ukraine. As for Slovakia, it has been announced that recent sanctions also target Slovak national Ashot Mkrtychev for his involvement in an attempted arms deal between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and Russia.
Acting Agriculture Minister Jozef Bíreš has admitted that the ministry sent a letter to Brussels last week, in which it had to explain a police intervention in the Agricultural Paying Agency (PPA) from June 2023. During the intervention, five people were detained, including the head of the agency, Jozef Kiss. All the suspects were released. They continue to work for the PPA, while being investigated for the alleged misuse of European money. Brussels monitors Slovakia due to several past corruption scandals in agriculture. (Sme)
In the ski resort Jasná, central Slovakia, one of the largest hotels in central Europe has been opened. (Index)
According to preliminary data by the Agriculture Ministry, food manufacturers in Slovakia achieved a record profit of €294 million last year. Compared to 2021, this is a 57 percent increase in profitability. (SITA)
The General Prosecutor's Office rejects that Deputy General Prosecutor Jozef Sedlák would decide on the recent cancellation of the indictment of ex-interior minister Robert Kaliňák without seeing the case file. The Supreme Court provided the Office with a complete certified photocopy of the file, claims the Office. The Special Prosecutor's Office remains critical of the decision.
Since the beginning of August, people insured with the state-owned VšZP health insurance company have at their disposal the full range of health care at Bory Hospital, a new Bratislava facility owned by the Penta financial group.
A via ferrata in the Martinské Hole area, central Slovakia, on August 8, 2023. (source: TASR - Daniel Stehlík)
WEATHER FOR WEDNESDAY: A heavy cloud cover during the day, rain and showers are expected in several places around Slovakia. Cold weather and snow on the Tatras peaks. The highest daytime temperature will rise to 24°C. (SHMÚ)
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