(source: SME.sk / Hej,ty)
Good evening. Here is the Thursday, July 21 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
EU mulls putting Slovak on Russian sanctions list
A Night Wolves biker near Slavín Memorial. (source: TASR)
The Slovak leader of a pro-Putin biker gang may end up on the EU's Russian sanctions list, it has been reported.
EU officials are considering including Jozef Hambálek, head of the European branch of the Night Wolves biker gang, on the list of people sanctioned in connection with Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Members of the gang, which is financially supported by the Russian government, cannot continue their activities within EU borders because they are actively spreading propaganda, argue officials who have proposed putting gang members on the sanctions list.
Hambálek is accused of training members in a camp in Slovakia for combat in Ukraine, the Reuters newswire reported.
Just a day before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Hambálek met with the Russian ambassador.
Read more on Night Wolves in Slovakia:
Hambálek has received several fines in the past, including for failing to fulfil legal obligations related to storage of decommissioned military equipment.
A petition urged public officials to take action against the gang.
Hambálek established a complex in the village of Dolná Krupá near Trnava. Questions have been raised over the complex.
Long-term head of the Institute for Military History Miroslav Čaplovič lent old military equipment to a civic organization led by Hambálek.
More stories on Spectator.sk
TRAVEL: The Slovak passport remains among the strongest in the world according to latest international rankings.
ENERGY: Investments into nuclear energy and gas will flow west, not into Slovakia.
NATURE: Three-metre-wide beech trees grow in primeval forest.
MOSQUITOES: With the ongoing heat wave, mosquitoes have not had the opportunity to proliferate. Could this change?
CULTURE: TV series on former Slovak prime minister Mikuláš Dzurinda will not stream on HBO Max.
If you like what we are doing and want to support good journalism, buy our online subscription. Thank you.
Feature story for today
Germany remains an important economic partner to Slovakia. While Slovakia continues to be an attractive location for German investments, Slovak companies consider Germany their most important trade partner.
“Germans are very pleased with Slovakia,” Barbara Wolf, Ambassador to Slovakia, told The Slovak Spectator.
The best-known company in Slovakia is carmaker Volkswagen Slovakia - the country's biggest private employer with 11,500 employees and total investments of €4.7 billion. But it is only one of about 490 companies with German capital operating in Slovakia and which in total employ almost 139,000 people.
Picture of the day
Harvesting early potatoes near the village of Iža in the Komárno District.
Harvesting early potatoes in the vicinity of the village of Iža, the Komárno District. (source: TASR)
In other news
On Thursday afternoon, a temperature of 40 degrees Celsius was measured in the village of Dolné Plachtince, Veľký Krtíš District, according to the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute.
A third case of monkeypox has been confirmed in Slovakia. According to the Office of Public Health, infection of the patient probably occurred abroad. The individual, who is middle-aged, is isolated, and hospitalization was not required. Slovakia expects sporadic outbreaks, and plans to buy vaccines against the disease.
The University Hospital of L. Pasteur in Košice has started administering fourth doses of coronavirus vaccines. Its vaccination centre is open every working day, with no need to register. Everyone above the age of 50 and people with weaker immunity can get a fourth jab.
Slovak soldiers with a UH 60M Black Hawk helicopter equipped with a fire-fighting module and six firefighters with three vehicles and a water truck will be deployed to help deal with fires in Slovenia. Last year, Slovak firemen helped their colleagues in Greece.
From Monday, July 25, to August 7 public transport lines 25, 26, and 92 will not operate in Bratislava, due to a company-wide holiday at Volkswagen Slovakia.
The J. A. Reiman University Hospital in Prešov has banned patient visits due to the worsening Covid pandemic situation in the city. A similar measure has been implemented in the Spišská Nová Ves hospital as well. Read more here about how the current pandemic wave is expected to develop.
Water mist sprayers, drinking fountains, mechanical flushing of roads, and extended opening hours at swimming pools are just a few measures Bratislava prepared to alleviate the current heatwave. The sprayers can be found on Hviezdoslavovo Square, Hlavné Square, SNP Square, Dulovo Square, and in the Medical Garden park. Drinking fountains, which were shut down during the pandemic, are again in operation on various places in the city centre.
Extreme drought and high temperatures have caused several problems with the supply of drinking water in the region operated by the Bratislava Water Company (BVS). This includes the town on Modra and the village of Buková, places traditionally associated with problems with mains water supplies. People in the Záhorie region are facing similar problems. Ongoing drought and high temperatures are causing problems in many parts of the country, especially several places in the east of Slovakia.
During the current heat wave, public rail operator ŽSR has reported several fires in the vicinity of the tracks, as well as rails buckling.
On Wednesday, a total of 108 people needed medical treatment in connection with the heat. The youngest was a three-year-old child in the Žilina region. Paramedics have warned that children, the elderly, and people with chronic disabilities are most vulnerable in hot weather and advise people to drink water continuously throughout the day. Heat alerts have been issued .
Mountain rescuers helped three tourists with five children aged three to nine who got stuck in the area of the Letanovský Mill in Slovak Paradise.
On Wednesday, a forest fire that broke out in the valley of Velická dolina above the village of Tatranská Polianka. The blaze was put out after four hours.
If you have suggestions on how this news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk.
