Good evening. Here is the Friday, January 5 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
Saturday, January 6, is Epiphany, a public holiday in Slovakia. Most shops will be closed (Delia and Malina will be open).
Turkish giant to arrive in Slovakia
The Turkish e-commerce giant Trendyol, which primarily sells fashion, is planning a major expansion into the eastern European market. By the end of 2024, the firm plans to have two million customers in this region, the Daily Sabah website writes.
In the first quarter of 2024, Trendyol wants to come to Romania, Greece, Hungary and the Czech Republic. Later, Slovakia will also follow.
Trendyol will operate in Slovakia as an online marketplace through which external merchants sell goods. Similar platforms, including About You, Answear, Zoot and Zalando, already operate on the Slovak market.
Trendyol was founded 14 years ago by entrepreneur Demet Mutlu. The Chinese group Alibaba currently owns an 86 percent stake in it. In addition to the platform for the sale of goods from external merchants, the firm has its own clothing brand, transport infrastructure, and runs an online thrift shop.
More stories from The Slovak Spectator website
Politics: SNS leader AndrejDanko is seeking to make Speaker Peter Pellegrini's sexuality a topic ahead of the presidential race in the spring.
Business: The R&D super-deduction, a very simple tax relief tool, is available to all businesses in Slovakia that invest in research and development.
Good news: Slovaks made some most strange Google searches in 2023.
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OPINION FOR FRIDAY
A Ukrainian refugee's three Christmastime miracles
(source: Pixabay)
In her second column, Ukrainian psychologist and refugee Iryna Zinchenko shares three miracles that happened to her in Slovakia around Christmas.
WEEKEND IN SLOVAKIA
Slovakia's first 'Bird Hour'
Birdwatching in Bratislava (source: Courtesy of watching.sk)
This weekend the Vtáčia Hodinka (Bird Hour) project will take place. The project allows for anyone who is interested in observing birds and promoting their well-being to help with counting and gathering data on the feathered animals.
See how to spend your weekend in Slovakia well.
More things that happened in Slovakia:
One day after the police discovered the body of a dead woman in the Bratislava borough of Ružinov, they found two more dead bodies on Friday. The latter two were found in the borough of Nové Mesto.
Amid speculation that criminal suspect and Smer MP Tibor Gašpar might become Slovakia's next spy agency chief, there are now reports that Marián Zetocha, who also faces serious criminal charges, could be his deputy. The latest claims come from ex-defence minister Jaroslav Naď. Zetocha is a former National Crime Agency (NAKA) official. Like Gašpar, he faces charges as part of the Očistec (Purgatory) case, in which prosecutors allege that corruption and an organised crime group existed within the police force during previous Smer-led governments. The Slovak Information Service (SIS), Slovakia's main intelligence agency, did not comment on Naď's claim.
An opposition-led protest will take place on SNP Square in Bratislava next Thursday, January 11, at 18:00. Similar protests, all of them demanding that the government halts its planned changes to the Criminal Code, will be held in other towns too.
In Bratislava, a regional prosecutor filed charges against convicted fraudster Marian Kočner and four other men for the illegal surveillance of journalists and other well-known people, including Special Prosecutor Daniel Lipšic. Kočner is alleged to have been the leader of the group.
Czechia and Poland have extended controls on their borders with Slovakia until February 1-2. Slovakia has decided not to extend border controls after late January; the illegal migration situation is stable, says Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok (Hlas).
Ex-foreign minister Ivan Korčok, a presidential hopeful, is considering filing a criminal complaint against people who are spreading a hoax about him having a US passport. Korčok says that he has only a Slovak passport.
On Thursday afternoon, January 4, a 28-year-old Bulgarian crashed his car at high speed into the filling station at the D1 highway's Červeník rest stop, in Trnava Region. His alcohol test came out negative.
WEATHER FOR THE WEEKEND: Saturday will be cloudy, misty and rainy. At higher altitudes, snow will fall instead of rain. The highest daytime temperature will range from 3°C to 8°C.
The skies will mostly be cloudy on Sunday. Rain, freezing in some places, is expected to fall across a wide area, although it will not last the whole day. Prepare for cold and windy weather as the day progresses. Daytime temperatures will range from 2°C to 8°C.
On Monday, a frost is expected across the whole country. (SHMÚ)
NAME DAYS IN SLOVAKIA: Antónia(Jan 6), Bohuslava (Jan 7), Severín (Jan 8)
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