Good evening. Here is the Tuesday, February 14 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
The Supreme Court's historic decision on segregation
The Supreme Court building in Bratislava's Old Town. (source: SME - Marko Erd)
After seven years, the Centre for Civil and Human Rights has achieved a major win in the court case against the state and the town of Stará Ľubovňa, eastern Slovakia. The case concerns Roma segregation.
The Supreme Court has ruled that a primary school in the town is segregating Roma children, seen as a groundbreaking decision by the Centre.
A decade ago, the Centre won a similar case. Back then, it concerned another eastern Slovak town and it caught the world media’s attention.
Other stories from The Slovak Spectator website
ECONOMY: People in Slovakia helped the country's economy at the end of 2022. Its GDP is estimated to have increased by 1.1 per cent y-o-y.
TRAVEL: A lesser-known cave in the Liptov region has surprised cavers, but other cave enthusiasts will not see the surprises in person.
EVENT: Bratislava will host the Carnivalduring the weekend. Here's what you can look forward to.
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FEATURE STORY FOR TUESDAY
A poor boy from Terchová who met Bruce Willis and Nicole Kidman
Film set maker Jozef Mičo during the release of his book A Passion Called Film last year. (source: TASR)
"Colleagues in Hungary have built studios and are booked out for a year in advance. Quality studios are lacking in Slovakia," says film set builder Jozef Mičo in an interview with The Slovak Spectator, noting that it would greatly help Slovak cinema and lure foreign productions.
SONG OF THE DAY
Beethoven's Missa Solemnis
The Missa Solemnis - Beethoven's Mass in D major will be performed in the concert hall of the Slovak Philharmonic on Thursday and Friday, February 16 and 17, 2023, by the Slovak Philharmonic and the Slovak Philharmonic Choir.
The concerts will start at 19:00.
The Missa Solemnis represents the composer's personal confession of faith. He called the mass his greatest work. Due to its difficulty and length, it was not played during liturgies. The Missa Solemnis was not performed in its entirety until 15 years after Beethoven's death in Bonn.
In a few lines:
Psychologists from the IPčko civic association answered more than 178,000 requests for help last year, 2.5 times more than in 2021. Almost 16,000 concerned suicidal thoughts. On Tuesday, IPčko psychologists symbolically brought mental suffering to the roof of the National Bank of Slovakia in Bratislava to draw attention to the importance of available psychological help. (TASR)
The opposition party Smer-SD is preparing a criminal complaint against political commentator Marián Leško, for his statements on the case concernimg the abduction of a Vietnamese citizen in summer 2017. The party is also preparing a civil lawsuit in the matter. In an interview with the Denník N daily, Leško has recently opined that then interior minister for Smer-SD, Robert Kaliňák, had knowledge of the abduction and has tried to cover it up until now. Unlike in Slovakia, where an investigation is still continuing, two men have been convicted in Berlin. A Slovak government plane was used during the kidnapping.
US artist Caroline Polachek and UK artist Ben Howard will perform at the Pohoda Festival in Trenčín in summer.
The Ordinary People and Independent Personalities (OLaNO) party has submitted to the house a proposal, based on which the state shall pay €500 to each voter for participating in this year's parliamentary elections.
Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová accepts the credentials presented to her by the new Ukrainian Ambassador Myroslav Kastran on February 14, 2023. (source: The Presidential Palace)
WEATHER FOR WEDNESDAY: Clear skies. Light wind. The highest daytime temperature: 5°C - 10°C. Fog warnings remain in place across Slovakia until Wednesday morning.
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