(source: SME.sk / Hej,ty)
Good evening. The Tuesday, August 24, 2021 edition ofToday in Slovakiais ready with the main news of the day in less than five minutes. We wish you a pleasant read.
Slovakia knows of 250 people who want to leave Afghanistan
In this photo, taken on Aug. 16, 2021, hundreds of people gather near a U.S. Air Force C-17 transport plane along the perimeter at the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. (source: TASR)
250 people who want to leave Afghanistan have addressed Slovakia so far. This includes relatives of Slovak citizens of Afghani origin, as well as people working in various institutions cooperating with Slovakia, said Foreign Affairs Minister Ivan Korčok (SaS nominee).
If necessary, a special plane could be sent to the country, added Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď (OĽaNO). Korčok said that every person is being checked for security reasons.
He went on to say that there is one Slovak citizen, living outside of Kabul, who does not plan to leave for now.
Naď did not want to provide more details about the possibility of another special plane being dispatched to Afghanistan, though he stressed that there is no problem with sending one.
PM Eduard Heger (OĽaNO) commented that he is in contact with partners. Still, Slovakia is not a destination where these people would like to stay, he added, noting that Slovakia is regarded as more of a transit country.
The soldiers and the Defence Ministry employees who took part in the evacuation of 24 people from Afghanistan last week were awarded today. US Ambassador to Slovakia, Bridget Brink, and Slovak Ambassador to NATO, Peter Bátor, were awarded for carrying out tasks related to humanitarian aid as well.
Meanwhile, non-governmental organisations active in Slovakia have called on the government to offer safety to more people from Afghanistan. The public petition was signed by 3,700 people so far.
Coronavirus and vaccination news
Illustrative stock photo (source: TASR)
111 people were newly diagnosed as Covid positive out of 7,578 PCR tests performed on Monday. The number of people in hospitals has dropped to 68 people. The vaccination rate is at 42.82 percent. 2,355,086 people have received the first dose of the vaccine. More stats on Covid-19 in Slovakia here.
Almost 950,000 people have registered for the lottery for vaccinated people on the Bytzdravyjevyhra.sk website. Most of them are from the Bratislava Region (152,000 people), followed by the Prešov Region (140,000), while more than 19 percent are older than 65.
27 people awaiting the second dose of the unregistered Russian vaccine Sputnik V. The majority of them (13) are in the Banská Bystrica Region; the Sputnik vaccination ends on August 31. By now, 37,882 doses of the Russian vaccine have been administered in Slovakia, 19,073 being first doses.
Picture of the day
Tomášovský Výhľad (Viewpoint) is a popular hiking route in Slovenský Raj National Park for many. The intense rainfall in eastern Slovakia created large puddles in the park, but hikers were not deterred.
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Feature story for today
Three witnesses are testifying against him. Their testimonies partly match the records of the intelligence agency he used to lead. His former colleagues took his side, while the police failed to find traces of his DNA on the money.
The investigation of the former director of the Slovak Information Service (SIS), Vladimír Pčolinský on the corruption charges he is facing, is nearing its end.
In other news
In July 2021, 7,695 new passenger cars were registered in Slovakia, down by 6.9 percent year-on-year. Most were of the Škoda brand, with a share of about 19.5 percent, followed by Volkswagen and Hyundai with almost 12 percent.
More than 400 people will lose their jobs as the Trim Leader plant in central Slovakia will be closing.
Slovak hotels and guesthouses have about 50 percent more visitors than last June. However, compared to the same month of the pre-pandemic year of 2019, their number was lower by half.
Prešov will offer free public transport during the mid-September visit of Pope Francis. Passengers will be able to use free transport in both tariff zones on September 14.
Education at Comenius University in Bratislava in the upcoming winter semester should be held in hybrid form, meaning that some should take place in person and some in remote form. In-person education can be conducted only under strict safety and hygienic conditions, the university said.
More than half of train stations and stops in Slovakia do not have barrier-free access, according to a poll of Ombudswoman Mária Patakyová.
Do not miss on Spectator.sk today
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