(source: SME.sk / Hej,ty)
Good evening. Here is the Thursday, July 14 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
Aluminium maker facing closure, lays off hundreds
Aluminium scrap at Slovalco factory in Žiar nad Hronom. (source: TASR)
A disaster - that is how Economy Minister Richard Sulík has described the fate facing Slovakia's only aluminium maker, Slovalco. The company is laying off 300 of its 450 employees in response to soaring energy costs, emissions restrictions and falling aluminium prices.
The firm, based in the central-Slovak town of Žiar nad Hronom, is also considering a complete shutdown of its plant - a development that means its ecologically-produced aluminium could be replaced by imports from Asia.
A further 2,500 jobs in the region which are tied to aluminium manufacturing are now also thought to be at risk.
The company has been sounding the alarm about its situation for several months. Production of aluminium at the plant was down 40 percent in February alone due to high costs of electric energy, while electricity expenses increased threefold year on year.
Slovalco is not the first large manufacturer to be affected by rising energy prices. Orava-based metallurgical business OFZ also recently announced mass lay-offs.
More stories on Spectator.sk
INFLATION: Prices in Slovakia are growing at the fastest rate since 2000. Rises are being seen in nearly all goods and services.
KUCIAK TRIAL: The Specialised Criminal Court has been hearing from more witnesses in the Ján Kuciak murder case and in a joint trial concerning an alleged plan to murder several prosecutors.
ROMA COMMUNITIES: A delegation of the European Parliament's Committee for Regional Development visited a Roma settlement in the village of Petrovce nad Laborcom, and slammed the "Middle Ages" conditions the minority live in.
DUTCH HAVING FUN: Several Dutch drivers moved concrete barricades blocking off a bridge so they could get through. Another ran amok at an airport.
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Feature story for today
At the beginning of July, the SaS party announced it was pulling out of the deal governing the coalition government, demanding the sacking of Finance Minister Igor Matovič due to what it said were constant internal tensions, attacks, and insults from him.
In an interview with the Sme daily, SaS chair Richard Sulík explains why the party wants Matovič out, the Finance Minister's cooperation with fascists in parliament, and what they will do if an agreement is not reached by the end of August.
Although the coalition can continue without the SaS, Matovič has forecast the party pulling out would bring about the collapse of the government.
Picture of the day
On July 14, 2022, a delegation of the EP Committee for Regional Development visited the Roma settlement in the village of Petrovce nad Laborcom, in the Michalovce District, to assess how funds for better inclusion of Roma people can be used.
Roma people. (source: TASR)
In other news
From Thursday and Friday, more hospitals in various cities and districts in Slovakia will put into effect bans on patient visits, with the exception of those visiting terminally ill patients or those in final stages of diseases, and for one person to visit a woman about to give birth. The bans come as Covid-19 infection numbers continue to rise. The cities include Levoča, Kežmarok, Krompachy, Faculty hospital in Nitra, and the Michalovce and Sobrance districts.
Slovakia has received six recommendations from the European Commission in the third annual report on the rule of law. The recommendations are related to various areas, including removal of judges, cases of judges abusing law, regulating lobbying, conflict of interests and asset declarations, objectivity of the prosecutor's office, laws and other guarantees to improve the physical safety and working environment of journalists, and mechanisms to strengthen the independent management and editorial independence of public media.
The police informed that the National Criminal Police (NAKA) found human bones in the village of Dolný Chotár near Galanta, western Slovakia. The remains could belong to a mobster Róbert Nigut murdered in 2013. According to cooperating accused, the locality is where Nigut was supposed to be buried. Analysis will have to be done in order to confirm the information. He was the right-hand man of the gang boss Robert Okoličány, who was sentenced to life.
The Žilina water utility Severoslovenské vodárne a kanalizácie has said so far here are no problems supplying water to various cities and villages in the region. However, the volume of water in reservoirs managed by the company is nearing historic minimums. In recent weeks, several villages and districts have had trouble with water supplies. You can read more about life in a village that keeps breaking temperature records here.
If people see a suffering animal, or one locked in a car during heat, they can break the window without having to pay damages, says Pavla Dugovičová, chair of Sloboda Zvierat (Freedom of Animals), citing the Civil Code. People do not have to wait for a police officer.
The Slovak Hydrometeorological Institue (SHMÚ) issued a warning for strong winds, starting Thursday at 23:00 to Friday 06:00 hours for western Slovakia. It warns the winds could cause small scale damage. SHMÚ also said the weather will get colder soon, although it will not be enough to help mitigate ongoing drought.
Slovak paratroopers from Trebišov marched during a traditional Bastille day military parade in Paris. The event marks the anniversary of the assault on the Bastille in 1789.
Slovak astrobiologist Michaela Musilová wants to apply to be a NASA astronaut. To gain experience she is planning a new scientific and educational expedition called the Crown of the Earth in which she aims to climb the highest peak on every continent.
During field work on his land in the village of Lúky, Púchov district, a man discovered a WWII artillery mine of Romanian origin. The ammunition was taken away to be destroyed.
There will be an Open Day at the Presidential Palace on Friday.
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