Good evening. Here is theTuesday, January 23edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
Culture minister's faux pas
Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová in Trenčín in December 2023. (source: TASR)
Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová (SNS nom.) visited the Austrian town of Bad Ischl last weekend. It was named the 2024 European Capital of Culture.
The ministry shared a post about the visit on Facebook. In it, the ministry wrote that the Slovak minister, who lives in Austria, had met with her Austrian colleague Werner Kogler. The ministry used "she" when mentioning Kogler in the post although the politician is a man.
Mocked by people, the ministry later edited the post and restricted the comments section. The next day, all the posts shared by the ministry following Šimkovičová's appointment last October disappeared from Facebook (the Austrian politician was not the only reason).
Moreover, the Denník N daily writes, the Slovak minister didn't meet with Kogler last weekend. Šimkovičová initially accepted the invitation. Then, she cancelled it. It's not clear why.
One of the Slovak tabloids, Plus 1 Deň, slammed the minister for her cheap outfit at a meeting with Austrian Archduke Markus Emanuel Salvator of Austria.
More stories from The Slovak Spectator website
Ukraine: PM Robert Fico says that there is no war in Kyiv. Still, he will travel to western Ukraine tomorrow, not to Kyiv, to meet his Ukrainian counterpart Denys Shmyhal.
Culture: Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová has officially lifted a ban on communication and cooperation with Russia and Belarus. However, it is a petition against her serving as minister that everyone is talking about.
Museum: A local hospital in Bojnice has opened a very unusual doctor's office for visitors.
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FEATURE STORY FOR TUESDAY
Why don't Slovak universities rank among the best?
The University of Economics in Bratislava. (source: SME - Jozef Jakubčo)
It is difficult for smaller universities, like the ones in Slovakia, to fulfil the criteria needed to reach the leading spots. However, the truth is also that some universities of similar size in neighbouring countries manage to place higher than Slovak ones. Why?
SLOVAK FESTIVAL OFF TO UKRAINE
Pohoda loves Ukraine!
The popular Slovak summer festival Pohoda will organise a one-day music event at the Atlas club in Kyiv, Ukraine, on January 27.
The line-up includes Slovak and Ukrainian artists: Berlin Manson, Michael Kocáb + Karpatské chrbáty, FVLCRVM, FARA, VBPS, Hyphen Dash, Lucas Bird, and Stantsiya Myr band. Explore the artists by listening to their music on streaming services!
In other news
Fourteen people want to run for president, writes the Sme daily. For now, Speaker Peter Pellegrini and ex-foreign minister Ján Kubiš and Ivan Korčok are confirmed as the candidates who have met the necessary requirements.
The World Economic Forum cites a deepfake audio clip released before the 2023 Slovak parliamentary elections as an example of how AI may influence any election. It adds that the elections will be held in more than 45 countries over the next year.
The government has allocated €2 million for humanitarian aid and projects in Humenné and Vranov nad Topľou districts. A strong quake hit the area last year. A person affected by the quake can obtain up to €800.
Charged Smer MP Tibor Gašpar (ex-police chief) has said that he hasn't been offered the job of the Slovak Information Service chief. PM Robert Fico sees Gašpar as one of the top candidates for the post.
Almost 64,000 people were living on material need benefits at the end of 2023. With other family members taken into account, the number is higher (136,000). Most of these people live in Revúca, Rimavská Sobota and Kežmarok districts.
A woman tries to walk on an icy pavement near an apartment building in Bratislava on January 23, 2024. (source: TASR)
WEATHER FOR WEDNESDAY: Wednesday will be cloudy. Snowfall is expected in most places in the morning and throughout the day. In southwestern Slovakia, it will rain. Later, it will rain in most regions. The daytime temperature will range from -1°C to 12°C. (SHMÚ)
JANUARY 24 NAME DAY IN SLOVAKIA: Timotej.
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