Good evening. Here is the Wednesday, January 15 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
The most bizzare phrases Slovaks googled last year
Illustrative image. (source: SME)
'How much for a kidney', 'Aliens in Slovakia', 'Why Lidl sales assistants do not smile' are just a few out of 14 most bizzare phrases Slovaks searched in Google last year. The list was once again compiled by the Visibility marketing agency and is available on its blog.
The list is topped by the phrase 'I love [PM Robert]Fico' which was searched more than 590 times. The phrase came into prominence to a viral video of an elderly woman that appeared on social media.
'How to earn money' and 'How much for a kidney' came second with 260 searches. 'Aliens in Slovakia' came up 140 times.
Slovaks were also interested in why Lidl sales assistants do not smile, how much does a camel cost, why is internet down, how to become a porn actor, as well as how to curse a human being or a charm to get him back.
In December, Google unveiled its annual round-up, showing what captured the nation’s attention online, painting a vivid picture of the tumultuous 2024. Topping the list of searches was the attempted assassination of Prime Minister Robert Fico in May. Politics remained at the forefront, as Slovaks also searched for updates on the presidential election, and European Parliament elections as well. Find out more here.
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CULTURE: Famous Russian opera singer to perform in Bratislava, dozens of SND Drama Company members distance themselves from it.
FUN: Extreme ironing on top of popular peak attracks Slovaks, foreigners alike.
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FEATURE STORY
Upper Orava's hidden treasures
Visitors in Museu of Orava village in Zuberec (source: Erika Ďurčová)
Trstená, a key town in the Upper Orava (Horná Orava) region, offers a unique blend of socialist architecture and historical significance, particularly in its religious monuments. The standout is the Catholic St. Martin’s Church, distinguished by its four turrets beneath the main tower.
If you're interested in blending tourism with spiritual enrichment, this region might be as good as any. Just outside the town, a pilgrimage site was recently established. But there is more. The region is a paradise for cyclists, you can enjoy skiing and swimming in hot water as well. Find out more here.
EVENT FOR THE WEEKEND
The beauty of ice sculptures
Artists from Spain are creating a sculpt as part of the last year's edition of the Tatry Ice Master. (source: TASR)
Over the weekend, the High Tatras will once host the traditional Tatry Ice Master event. Skilled sculptors from around the world - even from Kenya and Indonesia - will descend on the Hrebienok resort above Starý Smokovec to turn 50 tonnes of ice into beautiful works of art. While on Saturday the theme will be "Angels Among Us", on Sunday the sculptures will reflect the theme of "World Without Borders". The event will be accompanied by a rich programme and you can take part in the voting as well. Learn more here.
IN OTHER NEWS
Last year, the Kia Slovakia car manufacturer produced record 351,270 cars, the biggest number in its 18-year history. The production capacity of the plant in Teplička nad Váhom, northern Slovakia, is actually 350,000 vehicles. With over 221,000 units produced, the Sportage was by far the most popular model; the remainder were four version of the Ceed model. The three main export markets last year were the United Kingdom, Germany and Spain. This year the company plans to launch the production of electric cars. (My Žilina)
The Mier Ukrajine (Peace to Ukraine) civic association has launched another phase of the money collection to buy ammunition for the invaded country. The name of the phase is "We are Europe - We are still sending". People can support the collection here. Since PM Robert Fico visited Moscow in late December, the initiative has held several protests against his actions, with the most massive yet held on January 10 in several towns across the country. More protests are planned on January 24. In the meantime, members of the initiative are travelling across Ukraine, meeting with its politicians, soldiers and other people. (Facebook)
On Wednesday, US Ambassador to Slovakia Gautam Rana recognised four human rights advocates. Humanitarian worker and public health expert Lucia Roussier and parish priest Anna Polcková both won the Women of Courage category. While the former was honoured for her unwavering commitment to humanitarian principles, the latter for her dedication to support of minorities. Former journalist, analyst and deputy director of the Zastavme Korupciu (Stop the Corruption) foundation Xénia Makarová received the Ján Kuciak Transparency Award. Despite threats, she showed courage in exposing corruption and continues to do so. The Human Rights Defender Award was given to director of the non-profit organization Cesta Von (A Way Out), Pavel Hrica, who helped empower women and provided hundreds of children with educational and developmental opportunities.
Three more land registry departments in Púchov (Žilina Region), Sabinov and Medzilaborce (both Prešov Region) have resumed their work as of Wednesday and will only provide services for districts within their territorial jurisdiction. They joined the 24 that were opened on Monday, following last week's crippling cyber attack on the Office of Geodesy, Cartography and Land Registry (UGKK).
Attendees of the public gathering outside the office of the Slovak Arts Council fund (FPU) in Bratislava, which is now under the control of the Culture Ministry. The banner on the left reads "We have read you like a book. Libraries stand behind FPU", while the one on the right "FPU belongs to experts, not nominees". (source: TASR)
On Wednesday, the IBU Cup Brezno-Osrblie in central Slovakia started. The opening men's 15 km short individual race was dominated by Norway, with its biathletes taking the top 3 places, Sivert Guttorm Bakken finishing first. The best Slovak biathlete, Šimon Adamov, finished 44th. Norway's Karoline Erdal won the women's 12.5 km short individual race, with France's Voldiya Galmace Paulin placing second and Ukraine's Anastasiya Merkushyna on third. The event will continue on Friday with sprint races and on Saturday with relays. (Biathlon World)
Slovak Mountain Rescue Service warns of the moderate avalanche danger in the Western Tatras and High Tatras. In the Low Tatras, as well as the Malá Fatra and Veľká Fatra mountain ranges the moderate danger is above the forest level. Over the last weekend, several dozen centimetres of fresh snow fell in mountain ranges in northern Slovakia (HZS)
As a result of the pre-Christmas and year-end rivalry between retail chains, consumer prices of goods and services decreased by 0.4 percent month-on-month in December 2024, the biggest monthly drop seen in 8.5 years, the Statistics Office reported on Wednesday. The average inflation rate for the whole of 2024 amounted to 2.8 percent, falling below 3 percent following two years of extremely high double-digit figures. (TASR)
A cyclist in the forest near Košice, eastern Slovakia. (source: TASR)
WEATHER FOR THURSDAY: Cloudy to overcast skies. Daily temperatures will rise up to 5 °C. (SHMÚ)
JANUARY 16 NAME DAY IN SLOVAKIA: Kristína
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