Good evening. Here is the Wednesday, December 4 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
Who will operate Bratislava-Košice flights?
Bratislava airport. (source: SME)
A tender for regular flights from Bratislava to Košice has been announced by Transport Minister Jozef Ráž (Smer nominee). Expected to launch in March next year, the flights with a capacity of at least 40 are to depart every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
According to the minister, the European Commission's permission to launch an air link has been obtained. "We'd like to invite all operators interested in serving this route to apply for the tender," said the minister on Wednesday.
The maximum one-way ticket without luggage has been set at €80, a ticket with luggage at €90. A return ticket without luggage should cost €130 tops, while a ticket with luggage shouldn't exceed €145. The minister added that the price can only decrease and expects the tender to be over by the beginning of next year. Further information on prices will be announced after the tender is over.
Ráž expects huge demand from airlines.
MORE STORIES FROM THE SLOVAK SPECTATOR WEBSITE
CULTURE: World-renowned mime Milan Sládek has died at 86. The news was confirmed by the artist's family, writes Denník N.
SPORT: Former Slovak ice-hockey goalkeeper Peter Budaj is making waves in NHL as Anaheim Ducks' goalie coach. The team's two netminders are among the best.
TRAVEL: Are you planning on going skiing in the next few weeks? Even though the VAT is going to increase from January 1, operators of ski resorts have already increased prices of ski passes. Find out how much.
CULTURE: Dating back to 1930s, Serbian Slovaks' art is now included on the UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
AWARD: Saved from certain destruction, a historic mansion in Orava region rose like a phoenix to claims awards as a hotel, including the latest: it is the best historic hotel in Europe design-wise.
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FEATURE STORY
When in 1. Slovak Pub, order Pirohy
Slovak traditional dish called Pirohy. (source: TASR)
During the year or so he has been reviewing restaurants, The Slovak Spectator's Mark Taylor had yet to visit a basic Slovak pub-restaurant that serves pirohy and halušky with plenty of good local pilsner. Find out why and what he thinks of the traditional Slovak dish in his review of the 1. Slovak Pub, the venue that claims to be the biggest and the best Slovak pub.
EVENT FOR THE COMING WEEKS
Christmas tram to take to streets
The Christmas tram in Bratislava. (source: TASR)
On Friday, Bratislava's Christmas tram is once again going to take to streets. The historic K2G articulated car (#7085) will follow a circular route through the city centre via the following stops: Jesenského - Námestie SNP - Kapucínska - Nábrežie - Jesenského. The tram rides, lasting for 30 minutes at a time, are scheduled between 16:00 and 20:00 during working days and between 12:00 and 20:00 during weekends.
IN OTHER NEWS
Slovakia will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and supplies of non-lethal military equipment, stated Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Juraj Blanár (Smer) after the talks of NATO Foreign Ministers in Brussels. According to the Slovak minister, Slovakia will provide the 14th humanitarian package by the end of the year, which will include electric generators. (TASR)
Compared to their counterparts in EU and OECD countries, Slovak fourth-graders lag significantly behind in mathematics. When it comes to natural sciences, their performance is at the same level as the average of these countries. This stems from the new edition of the TIMSS international study, in which 162 Slovak primary schools and almost 4,790 pupils took part in May 2023. The study also showed that there is a connection between a student's socioeconomic background and their results. Education Minister Tomáš Drucker (Hlas) announced that the ministry is preparing a concept for compulsory pre-primary education for children from the age of 3. According to the minister, this should one of the key measures to help children from weaker socio-economic backgrounds or from marginalized Roma communities. (Education Ministry, TASR)
Slovakia is exposed to a record reliance on foreign funding. According to ČSOB analyst Marek Gábriš, the state reported debt of some €73 billion in late November, while the lion's share is constituted by the sale of government bonds, with loans making up the rest. (SITA)
After eight years of operation in Štúrovo, southern Slovakia, the Spanish company SKC Foundry plans to increase production, creating 120 new job opportunities. A new industrial hall with infrastructure will be built next to the current production hall. The construction will be carried out in two stages, with the first one starting in 2025 and finishing a year later, followed by the second stage in 2027. According to Finstat, SKC Foundry increased its profit by 357 percent to €2.116 million in 2023. Its sales increased by eight percent to €31.63 million. (My Nové Zámky)
On Wednesday, the police identified and found a man who had called the President's Office a day earlier, announcing he would set himself on fire in front of the Presidential Palace in Bratislava. The man's behavior is the subject of investigation. (TASR)
From left: Danish Army Major General Jette Albinus, Commander of the Multinational Division North, and Slovak President Peter Pellegrini during his traditional visit of Slovak soldiers of the SLOVCOM unit in Latvia. (source: TASR)
WEATHER FOR THURSDAY: Cloudy to overcast skies, occasional showers expected. Daily temperatures will rise to between 0 °C to 5 °C. (SHMÚ)
DECEMBER 5 NAME DAY IN SLOVAKIA: Oto
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