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Good evening. Here is the Monday, March 4 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
Italy withdraws its air-defence system
The Italian SAMP/T Mamba air-defence system at Kuchyňa base, western Slovakia. (source: TASR)
On social media, Prime Minister Robert Fico announced that the Italian SAMP/T Mamba air-defence system will be withdrawn from Slovakia.
As part of NATO's advanced presence, a total of 145 soldiers have been stationed at Kuchyňa air base near the town of Malacky, western Slovakia.
"I was notified by the Italian government that the Italian missile defence system, which they lent us for a year, will be withdrawn from Slovakia, as they need it somewhere else," he said, asking who will protect the latter's nuclear power plants and other strategic sites.
Originally, Slovakia had the S-300 air-defence system, but donated it to Ukraine after Russia invaded the country. Then, several American Patriot missile defence systems were stationed in Slovakia, then withdrawn, replaced last year by the Italian system.
MORE STORIES FROM THE SLOVAK SPECTATOR WEBSITE
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LAST WEEK: How much hate can we take? Hate speech is a real problem, the experience of a well-known Slovak journalist shows. And she is not the only one.
UKRAINE: British ambassador explains to Slovak PM why he's wrong.
RAILWAY: Runaway locomotive passes 17 kilometres before stopping.
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FEATURE STORY FOR MONDAY
Creating a respected research centre
Dušan Galusek. (source: ESET Science Award/Linda Kisková Bohušová)
Many Slovak towns have a history when it comes to glass production or research. Trenčín in western Slovakia is no exception, boasting the only centre of excellence in this area. FunGlass was officially opened in 2017 by Dušan Galusek.
Talking to the Slovak Spectator, he says that, "in our field we are definitely the leader in Slovakia. I think we conduct research at a very respectable European level, I might even go as far as to say above the European average."
EVENT FOR THIS WEEK
Back to libraries
A boy is reading in a school library. (source: TASR)
Taking place between Monday and Sunday all over the country, the 25th edition of Slovak Libraries Week wants to demonstrate that libraries can keep pace with the modern world, continuing to provide an important function in everyday life. Head to your local library to find out about their particular programme throughout the week of March 4-10.
As part of the programme, a special event called 'Je Nás Počuť' (We Will Be Heard) is going to take place on Wednesday at 15:30. Participating libraries, actors, writers, activists and other figures will open their windows and read from books to people in the streets.
IN OTHER NEWS
On Sunday, Poland officially ended temporary checks at its border with Slovakia. Originally intended to last 10 days, border checks were reintroduced due to an increased number of illegal migrants arriving on the so-called Balkan route on October 4, 2023. (TASR)
On Sunday night, an unknown 25-year-old woman jumped the fence and trespassed on the grounds of President Zuzana Čaputová's house in Pezinok near Bratislava. She was restrained by the President's security detail. According to the police, the woman seemed to be under the influence and taken to a hospital. No one was harmed. The incident is being investigated. (Noviny.sk)
During a talk with Slovak Defense Minister Robert Kaliňák (Smer), US Secretary of Defence LLoyd Austin expressed appreciation for Slovakia's contribution to NATO, and thanked Slovakia for its commitment to spending over 2 percent of its GDP on defence. Kaliňák reaffirmed the country's commitment to further modernisation and continued cooperation with the United States. (US Department of Defense)
The average nominal salary in Slovakia reached €1,430 per month in 2023, up 9.7 percent year-on-year, the Statistics Office reported. On the other hand, real salaries continued to decline, dropping by 0.7 percent year-on-year. (TASR)
According to a survey carried out by the NMS Market Research Slovakia agency, 69 percent of Slovaks are convinced that they can distinguish a hoax from the truth, with 75 percent of men, 88 percent of those with university education, particularly confident in their ability to do so. More than 90 percent view users of social media as the biggest disseminators, with 58 pointing to Facebook as the worst in this regard. The dissemination of hoaxes is considered to be a societal problem by 79 percent. However, several international surveys have shown Slovaks to be among the nations that have the greatest tendency to believe conspiracies and hoaxes. Vaccination and later Ukraine war-related hoaxes are among the most popular. (TASR)
On Monday, Greenpeace activists placed a banner that reads "Environmental Destruction Ministry" above the entrance to the Environment Ministry in Bratislava. In their opinion, the ministry has no intention of protecting nature, but is doing the exact opposite by attacking NGOs, proposing 'scandalous' laws, and initiating projects that undermine the goals set in the recovery plan. (source: TASR)
WEATHER FOR TUESDAY: Partly cloudy, occasionally showers expected. Snowing at an altitude above 1,100 metres. Daily temperatures between 12 °C to 17 °C. (SHMÚ)
MARCH 5 NAME'S DAY IN SLOVAKIA: Fridrich
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