Good evening. Here is the Monday, January 22 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
Dangerous Bulgarian driver compared to Prague killer
A filling station demolished by a Bulgarian driver in early January 2024. (source: Facebook/Polícia - Trnavský kraj)
The Bulgarian man who crashed a Volvo into a filling station by the D1 motorway near Červeník, Trnava Region, in early January 2024 is seen as a religious fanatic, writes startitup.sk.
The 28-year-old shouted out "Al*h Akb*r" during police interrogations. When asked by the police why he did it, he said that "a voice in my head" told him to.
The judge likened the foreigner to the Prague shooter who killed 13 people at a Prague university in December 2023. He added that if similar attempts had been repeated, it would not have been excluded that he could have directed the vehicle into a crowd of people.
According to available information, the cause of the accident was not alcohol, drugs, or microsleep. On January 4, the Bulgarian hit fuel pumps, damaged surrounding vehicles and the petrol station. Nobody was seriously injured.
The police started a criminal prosecution over general endangerment. When searching the vehicle, police officers found and seized several items that could be related to criminal activity.
More stories from The Slovak Spectator website
Opinion: "By expressing a willingness to play a potentially disruptive role within the EU, Fico is following the example set by Orbán, who over his 14 years in power in Hungary has shown that doing so can result in considerable political profit for comparatively little consequence," writes Michaela Terenzani in Last Week in Slovakia.
Sport: Olympic champion Petra Vlhová's alpine ski season ended after a serious fall during the weekend giant slalom race in Jasná, Slovakia.
Opinion: "We are tirelessly working to find common solutions in the interest of our countries and of Europe. Our cooperation serves Europe," German Ambassador Barbara Wolf and French Ambassador Pascal Le Deunff write in their opinion on the day France and Germany are celebrating the anniversary of the signing of the Elysée Treaty of 1963.
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FEATURE STORY FOR MONDAY
Disinformation media enter new era
PM Robert Fico. (source: TASR)
Until now, disinformation media profiled themselves as an alternative, but now resemble pro-government propaganda. Many government politicians, including PM Robert Fico, do not decline an interview request from such media.
TRIP FOR THIS WEEK
Water in Hornád River Gorge likely will not freeze
Unfrozen Hornád River Gorge. (source: Slovak Paradise National Park)
In the heart of Slovak Paradise National Park (Slovenský Raj), water in the Hornád River Gorge is defying the cold and remaining unfrozen. The last time it froze was seven years ago, and also the year before that.
"This phenomenon is irregular and unpredictable," said national park administration.
The tourist trail in the gorge is passable and cleared of fallen trees. However, it is icy. The administration recommends adjusting your behaviour and equipment accordingly.
Related:Listen to our Spectacular Slovakia podcast about the Slovak Paradise gorges.
In other news
There are so many postponed operations that they cannot be performed on time. In Slovakia, in three years, there are over 100,000 patients awaiting surgery, President of the Association for the Protection of Patients' Rights, Mária Lévyová, tells the Hospodárske Noviny daily. After the pandemic, the situation is further complicated by the personnel crisis in hospitals.
The Culture Ministry has filed a criminal complaint against the petition demanding Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová's resignation, citing suspicion of unauthorised access to computer systems, sabotage, and other related offences. The petition has garnered over 150,000 signatures in a few days, criticising the minister's autocratic leadership, disregard for professional discourse, and actions conflicting with cultural and creative industry strategy. The ministry has temporarily suspended the use of its Facebook and Instagram pages. (Sme)
Anti-government protests organised by some of the opposition parties (PS, SaS and KDH) will continue on Thursday, January 25, in Bratislava and other towns.
Drinking water in public water supply systems has been of very high quality for a long time, according to the Report on the State of the Environment of the Slovak Republic in 2022. As many as 90.27 percent of Slovaks are supplied with water from public water supply systems.
Customs officials discovered protected cacti in a teddy bear that arrived in Slovakia in a package from Thailand, the Financial Administration said.
The Roman waterfall in the park near the Betliar mansion, eastern Slovakia, which turns into an icefall in winter. (source: TASR)
WEATHER FOR TUESDAY
Weather for Tuesday is forecasted to be variably cloudy. In some places, especially in the east, snowfall or snow showers are to be expected. The highest daytime temperature ranges from -1 °C to 4 °C. The Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute is also issueing a yellow warning due to black ice. Be cautious while driving.
JANUARY 23 NAME'S DAY IN SLOVAKIA: Miloš.
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