Good evening. Here is the Thursday, March 2 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
Prime minister takes over another ministry after Lengvarský's resignation
Interim Health Minister Vladimír Lengvarský has resigned. (source: TASR - Martin Baumann)
Interim Health Minister Vladimír Lengvarský (OĽaNO nom.) has resigned over delays in major projects financed from the recovery plan, a post-coronavirus financial tool that aims to help Slovakia via reforms.
"We have been registering some problems in terms of meeting the milestones of the recovery plan," President Zuzana Čaputová said on March 2, adding that the interim minister and the interim prime minister see different reasons behind the delays.
She will appoint interim PM Eduard Heger (OĽaNO) as the interim health minister on Friday. Heger already serves as the interim finance minister as well.
The president cannot appoint a new minister because the country is being run by the interim government. However, she is prepared to appoint a technocratic government if delays in the projects are not eliminated.
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FEATURE STORY FOR THURSDAY
How cities can benefit from shared services
Municipal shared services may reduce administrative burden at towns and villages. (source: Unsplash)
The concept of cooperation between municipalities on a voluntary basis has been ongoing in Slovakia for some time already. Called joint municipal offices, there are currently 180 across the country. Still, Bratislava is the only city trying to build a shared service centre for now.
SONG OF THE DAY
Heaven Is Not Close Enough
Young Slovak singer Vanessa Weisz has released "Heaven Is Not Close Enough", a new single from her upcoming debut album titled "We Don't Talk About Dead People".
Weisz released her debut mixtape, "Wisdom Tooth", in 2021. The song "California Dream", which features on the mixtape, has almost a million listens on Spotify.
In a few lines:
The police have identified a man who sent threats to journalist Marta Jančkárová last week. The man is a 70-year-old pensioner and gun owner from Poltár, a town in southern Slovakia. (RTVS)
The state has signed a contract with the Bratislava capital, based on which the city will receive €81.8 million from EU funds to complete the Petržalka tram line. The contract recognises that the line will not be finished by the end of 2023.
The state-owned health insurance company, Všeobecná Zdravotná Poisťovňa, refuses to pay €2 million for a medicine that could help Editka Rischerová, a 22-month-old girl living with spinal muscular atrophy. Her parents have managed to fundraise €570,000. The medicine has to be administered by the time she turns 24 months. (SME)
A new meat processing plant is to be built in the northernmost village in Slovakia, Oravská Polhora. Mäsovýroba Skurčák wants to build it for €1.2 million. (MY Orava)
WEATHER FOR FRIDAY: Clear skies. The highest daytime temperature will range from 6°C to 13°C. Light wind. (SHMÚ)
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