(source: SME.sk / Hej,ty)
Good evening. The Tuesday, July 12 edition of Today in Slovakia is ready with the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
Bratislava's tram line construction problem
A tram in Bratislava. (source: TASR)
Just a few months after its launch, the building of the remaining tram line in Petržalka, a Bratislava borough, is facing problems.
In recent weeks, work on the stretch between Bosákova - Janíkov Dvor of the future line has been reduced to the bare minimum. Larger scale construction works have been hindered by a sudden increase in the prices of building materials and fuels.
The total price of the contract has increased so much that the contractor, the NS MHD Petržalka Association, is not willing to continue. The association is demanding that Bratislava make a contract amendment that would raise the value of the contract.
More stories from The Slovak Spectator website:
COURT: Former prosecutor general Dobroslav Trnka will return to a court room tomorrow and on Thursday. Here's what happened on July 11 during the trial.
FINE: In the past, the Economy Ministry bought a useless and overpriced IT system. The Ministry has now been fined for the purchase.
POLICE: Žilina Region police are carrying out checks to prevent illegal activities related to wood.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"I appeal to the SaS party to take a step back, put things in perspective, because the mafia is waiting at the door. Do not open!"
- PM Eduard Heger (OĽaNO) in reaction to a letter sent by SaS chair Richard Sulík to the prime minister on July 11 -
FEATURE FOR TUESDAY
Three captivating lookout towers in the north
Hike to the Terchovské Srdce lookout tower in Terchová, northern Slovakia. (source: Nina Hrabovská Francelová)
In the Žilina Region, there are dozens of lookout towers that allow tourists to enjoy the surrounding country from above.
The Slovak Spectator chose three viewing towers that take less than an hour to hike to, from which you can see far into various corners of northern Slovakia.
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IN OTHER NEWS:
The Slovenský Plynárenský Priemysel (SPP) energy supplier has now enough gas in its storage facilities, 49 percent, for households and firms to cover the next heating season, despite the fact that Gazprom cut gas supplies for Slovakia by half in mid-June. Economy Minister Richard Sulík (SaS) has also said the SPP will buy more gas for storing only if it is cost-effective. However, Peter Kremský (OĽaNO), chair of the economic affairs parliamentary committee, says Sulík is wrong.
The Jakub Škrabák trial, head of the far-right group and dissolved political party Slovenská Pospolitosť, indicted for the making and spreading of extremism-related materials, started on July 12 at the Specialised Criminal Court in Banská Bystrica. It will continue on September 13. The defendant faces a prison sentence of four to eight years. In the past, courts sentenced singer Michal Buchta, known as Reborn, and far-right politicians Marian Kotleba (ĽSNS) and Milan Mazurek (Republika) for extremism or racism.
Slovak people feel confident that they can recognise disinformation. Of all news sources, they trust public TV and radio stations the most, a new Eurobarometer survey shows. See the results for other EU member states.
The Denník N daily reports that University Hospital in Bratislava does not have enough space at its three maternity wards. Miroslav Borovský, head of the maternity ward on Antolská Street in Bratislava, has told the Sme daily that the hospital also lacks nurses and midwives.
In Croatia, it is no longer possible to pay fines for traffic offenses in cash at the scene where the offense was committed, the Foreign Ministry said.
The old village belfry, a wooden folk building from 1865, in the village of Jalovec in the Liptov region. (source: TASR)
In the Ružomberok district, central Slovakia, eight paediatricians decided to give notice at the emergency department of the local hospital due to exhaustion. There is a lack of paediatricians in the district and across the country, the aktuality.sk news website reports.
Slovakia reported 841 new Covid-19 casesand three Covid-19 deaths on July 11. See the map. Hospitals are looking after 300 Covid-19 patients.
Amateur astronomers can observe the non-periodic comet C/2017 K2 Panstarrs throughout the nights of July, the Slovak Academy of Sciences has said. In August, it will be possible to observe the comet until midnight. It will also be observable in September, but after sunset.
More than 200,000 Slovak citizens whose electronic ID was issued by June 2021 and use it for electronic communication with the state will face a problem. They can create their electronic signature only until the end of this year due to the ending validity of the security certificate of the chip installed in the IDs, the Slovensko.Digital association has warned. The Interior Ministry claims the problem will affect 30,000 people, adding that it will launch a campaign in September.
Michal Kaščák, head of the Pohoda Festival, has told the Denník N daily that it was a wrong move to invite bishop Jozef Haľko to the festival to hear people's confessions in a confessional. Activists protested against Haľko's presence at the festival. The bishop was nominated for the Homophobe of the Year award in 2022.
The Polish company Budimex will build the D1/D4 intersection in Bratislava, Transport Minister Andrej Doležal (Sme Rodina nom.) posted on Facebook. The intersection is necessary for Bratislava's D4/R7 zero bypass.
If you have suggestions on how this news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk.
