Good evening. Here is the Monday, March 6 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
Journalists still attacked by politicians
Five Years Without Ján and Martina, a public gathering in Bratislava on February 21, 2023. (source: TASR - Pavol Zachar)
Five years after the double murder on Ján Kuciak and Martina Kušníčová, as well as massive anti-government protests, Kuciak’s father asked the several hundreds of people gathered on a Bratislava square at the end of February not to give up and to continue demanding justice and decency.
Addressing the crowd alongside Kuciak’s father, Beata Balogová, editor-in-chief of the Sme daily, called on politicians to stop targeting journalists. “How far is it from verbal attacks to murder?” she asked.
Several days later the public broadcaster RTVS published a statement in which it said that one of its political journalists, Marta Jančkárová, had received emails and a phone call containing rape and death threats from a Smer party supporter.
More stories on Spectator.sk
OPINION: The political comeback of former prime minister Mikuláš Dzurinda has turned out to be shorter than anyone expected – himself included.
BUSINESS: A Dutch discount retail chain has opened its first store in Slovakia. Some goods sold by Action cost less than €2.
CHOCOLATE: As part of Toblerone production moves to Bratislava, the packaging will have to drop the iconic Matterhorn mountain.
FINANCIAL SITUATION: Survey - almost a third of Slovaks do not have financial savings.
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Feature story for today
Two million architecture fans follow the Instagram posts of Danish influencer Christian Trampedach. He visited Bratislava in September of last year.
In an interview, he explains why he likes Petržalka, the biggest Bratislava borough, buildings from the socialist era, and how Slovak cities and towns could be developed to be modern as well as preserve their past legacy.
Movie tip of the day
The film Invalid (loosely transl. Disabled Person) is a black comedy about a revenge that takes place in a small Slovak town during the wild 90s. Prepare for brightly colored jackets, large tape recorders, dancefloor music, video rental shops, fraudsters, the beginning of organized crime, as well as the associated violence and corruption.
This week, the Kino Nostalgia cinema in Bratislava is screening the movie with English subtitles.
In other news
On Monday March 6, Slovakia commemorates the people who died during the Covid-19 pandemic for the first time.
This week, primary and secondary school pupils and students from the Prešov and Košice regions are the last to have spring holidays.
Upon the invitation of Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová, the new Czech President Petr Pavel will visit Slovakia for a two-day trip on March 13. "(Petr Pavel) thus continues the tradition of his predecessors, whose first trip abroad was also to Slovakia. The visit will take place just a few days after the official inauguration," says spokesperson Martin Strižinec.
After the failure of the Blue Coalition, former PM Mikuláš Dzurinda (in the background) is muling another option. On Monday, he announced a new project called Blues - European Slovakia. (source: SME - Jozef Jakubčo)
According to a new poll for the private TV Markíza, more than 18 percent of people would like current President Zuzana Čaputová to remain in office. In the poll by Focus agency, people were asked to say the name of a person they would prefer in the office. The next presidential elections will take place in 2024.
Last year, the number of residents in Slovakia decreased for the second year in a row. At the end of last December, there were 5,428,792 people living in Slovakia, according to the Statistical Office. The natural decline reached 6,915 people, due to the fact that more people died than were born. The downward trend in the number of children born also continued. Last year, 6.9 percent fewer children were born than the year before.
A prosecutor from the General Prosecutor's Office has initiated a criminal prosecution, based on the suspicion that improper management of the pandemic by public officials occurred in the years 2020 to 2022, resulting in "unjustifiably increased mortality". The death of at least 21,000 people could have been prevented, according to the office. Charges have yet to be announced.
People skiing in the resort in Vrátna in the Malá Fatra mountain range, Žilina District. (source: TASR)
Weather for Tuesday
Mostly cloudy, with daily temperatures between 2 to 7 degrees Celsius. Level 1 warning for wind on mountains applies to districts around the High and Low Tatras.
If you have suggestions on how this news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk.
