Good evening. Here is theWednesday, September 13 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in fewer than five minutes.
One emergency situation ends
Stock image. Hundreds of pediatricians in Slovakia have resigned from the outpatient emergency service. (source: SME - Marko Erd)
At 6:00 on Friday, September 15, the emergency situation in regards to Covid-19 will end. Originally, it was declared in early March 2020 to adopt measures that would prevent and mitigate the spread of the pandemic.
"There are no longer any reasons for the emergency to remain in place," the government explained its decision on Wednesday.
The lifting will make it possible to expel illegal migrants coming from countries other than war-torn Syria and Afghanistan.
However, the emergency situation declared in regards to the mass migration of Ukrainians due to the war in Ukraine will remain in place.
MORE STORIES FROM THE SLOVAK SPECTATOR WEBSITE
RECIPE: For this traditional autumn meal, do you know the difference between hus, kačica, and husokačka?
REAL ESTATE: An old manor, Benjamin Franklin's home, is up for sale in central Slovakia. Tombs and secret passages included.
AIRLINES: New regular flights to connect Košice and Switzerland starting next year before Easter.
HIGH TATRAS: A man who did a handstand on the railing of the Lomnický Peak viewpoint divided people.
If you like what we are doing and want to support good journalism, buy our online subscription with no ads and a print copy of The Slovak Spectator sent to your home in Slovakia. Thank you.
FEATURE STORY FOR WEDNESDAY
Working 'mischung'
German journalist Katrin Litschko. (source: Courtesy of K. L. )
Bratislava-based Katrin Litschko is a woman of many jobs.
She is editor-in-chief of the German-language monthly Karpatenblatt. The German also works as a cultural manager at the Museum of Carpathian German Culture. If that is not enough, she is a freelance broadcast journalist for ZDF, a German public-service broadcaster as well.
"It's a great 'mischung' [a German word meaning 'mixture']," the journalist says of her blend of working positions.
EXHIBITION FOR THESE DAYS
Bringing life to a dilapidated place
Mutligenre exhibition Rozptyl. (source: TASR)
A collective of more than hundred Slovak and foreign artists have used their art to bring life back to a dilapidated former asylum house on 24 Karpatská Street in Bratislava's Old Town borough. Called Rozptyl (Dispersal), the idea was for the artists to use various materials and create ideas they could not express elsewhere.
The exhibition will last until Sunday, October 1. The place is open on Thursday and Friday between 17:00 and 20:00, on weekends between 14:00 and 20:00. For more information, click here (in Slovak).
IN OTHER NEWS
Swedish carmaker Volvo will manufacture 500,000 cars in its future plant near Košice, instead of the previously announced 250,000. In addition, more people will find a job in the plant as well, according to the final version of the project. (Denník N).
On Wednesday, Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová filed a complaint against Smer head Robert Fico, citing lies and false accusations the latter is spreading about her. Fico has repeatedly called Čaputová an American agent and other names. The President herself and her family as well have repeatedly received death threats after Smer leader's comments. Fico accused her of interfering with the election campaign and said that she was filing a complaint against the strongest opposition leader ahead of the September 30 elections.
Earlier Wednesday, OĽaNO head Igor Matovič gatecrashed the Smer party's press conference concerning illegal migration. Over a loudspeaker he stated that it was Smer politicians who approved the certificates migrants seek and who are now castigating the measure. What followed was a skirmish between Matovič, still inside the car, ex-interior minister Robert Kaliňák (Smer) and a Smer representative, but was stopped by the municipal police who now investigate what happened. Kaliňák later filed a complaint against Matovič. Politicians condemned the skirmish, some called it 'embarassing', 'extremely dangerous' and the 'new low' of the Slovak politics. (SME)
The European Parliament supports Katarína Kaszasová's candidacy to become a member of the European Court of Auditors. A total of 597 MEPs voted for her, while 12 were against and 33 abstained. Kaszasová is the country’s top auditor as the head of the Auditing Oversight Authority. Learn more about her by clicking here.
The Košice Regional Court ruled in favour of nine Roma who were forcibly evicted from their homes in Nižné Kapustníky in Košice 11 years ago under the pretext of garbage removal. They were not offered any alternative accommodation and became homeless. The court confirmed the previous decision of the Košice II District Court. The decision is final. (Korzár)
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the invasions of Hungary in 1956 and Czechoslovakia in 1968 were mistakes of the Soviet politics, adding that it is not right to do anything in foreign policy that harms the interests of other people and claiming that this is what the West is doing currently. His statements come as Russian soldiers continue the war in Ukraine. In the past, some Russian politicians were trying to justify the 1968 invasion, and an older documentary twisted the narrative as well.
WEATHER FOR THURSDAY
With the exception of eastern Slovakia, level 1 storm warning applies for the rest of the country from Wednesday 8 PM to Thursday 6 AM.
Overcast, showers and storms expected in many places, occasionally storms. Windy. Daily temperatures between 20 °C to 25 °C. (SHMÚ)
Thank you for subscribing and reading. It means a lot to us.
P.S. If you have suggestions on how our news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk.
Follow The Slovak Spectator on Facebook, Instagram (@slovakspectator) and Twitter(@slovakspectator).
