Good evening. Here is the Wednesday, September 4 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
More schools, courts hit with bomb threats
The primary school in Bernolákovo near Bratislava. (source: TASR)
Following nearly 270 bomb threats on Tuesday, on Wednesday a number of schools across Slovakia received an e-mail this tine claiming that landmines had been planted on their premises.
Once again, the bomb scares extended beyond Slovakia's borders; schools in the Czech Republic also received them.
Slovak police checked the schools, but did not find anything.
"We are actively communicating with the Education Ministry and intensively cooperating with other state security agencies and partners abroad, including Czech colleagues," the police said, adding that they are prepared and proceeding according to standard operating procedures, as are schools.
The police said that measures have been taken for the safety of children.
In this regard, Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštók (Hlas) wants to propose a national camera system project covering approximately 3,200 primary and secondary schools. The cameras would monitor who enters the school premises; they would be able to track faces and detect people with a criminal record.
The minister also said that the recent bomb threats bear the same modus operandi as the bomb threats in May this year. At the time, similar incidents happened elsewhere in the region and were seen as elements of hybrid war. The May emails originated from addresses run from Russian domains.
In addition, bomb threats were reported at courts across the country. In the early morning, an unknown male voice called 112 in Nitra and said that 'a bomb has been planted at a court'. The police found nothing.
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FEATURE STORY
Where to get clothes at a good price
Bargain hunters on the prowl (source: TASR)
Every year, the number of vintage shops in Bratislava is increasing, with more businesses offering a larger selection of original assortment.
Vintage shops are not to be confused with second-hand shops; the clothes in the former are specific to a certain time period and individual pieces may not have been worn before. The latter means any used clothing. Here are five vintage shops in the capital that are worth visiting. You don't have to be a fashionista to get something nice.
EVENT FOR NEXT WEEK
Enjoy Bratislava's central park
The part at the Račianske Mýto locality. (source: TASR)
On Saturday, the revitalised park at the Račianske Mýto locality in Bratislava's Nové Mesto borough will once again play host to the Živé Račko festival. Originally intended for the wider local community, it has now grown beyond and attracts people from all over Bratislava. The fifth edition will take place at two stages, with bands such as punks group Berlin Manson, Slovak avant-garde legends Bez Ladu a Skladu, and rockers Walter Schnitzelsson performing.
Children can look forward to a puppet theatre and magician, among other things. In addition to the music program, the event will offer visitors a number of accompanying activities, such as the exchange or donation of books, education at the stands of civic associations, or street food. Admission is free, the event starts at 13:00. Find out more here.
IN OTHER NEWS
The Slovnaft refinery in Bratislava has started shutting down part of its production. This is due to autumn maintenance. However, residents are warned of increased levels of smell, noise and flames from the refinery's field burners. (Denník N)
The Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute warns that the night from Wednesday to Thursday will probably be extremely warm and expects temperatures around 25 °C, especially in the southwest of Slovakia in the vicinity of the Little Carpathians mountain range. (SHMÚ)
Former Slovak ambassador to NATO Peter Bátor has joined the opposition Progressive Slovakia party. He will act as a defence and security expert as well as executive director of an analytical institute being set up within the party. "I'm going to be involved professionally, I want to be involved politically as well," Bátor noted. (TASR)
In Slovakia's famous vine region of Tokaj, grape harvest has begun two weeks earlier than last year due to persistent high temperatures that speed up the ripening process. (source: TASR)
Defence Minister Robert Kaliňák (Smer) considers the report about the acquisition of Pegasus spyware untrue and also evidence that its authors lack understanding of the matter. He pointed out that running such a system would violate Slovak legislation and is extremely expensive. Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok (Hlas) claimed to have no information about such a procurement. Opposition parties voiced concerns regarding potential unprecedented disruption of the privacy and security of Slovak citizens and asked for the restoration of the currently dysfunctional Special Parliamentary Session for the Supervision of the Slovak Information Service. (TASR)
Richard Sulík, founder and former head of the SaS party, is giving up his seat in Parliament. The reason is that he needs 'some distance from politics after 15 years'. He might run in the next general election, if there is 'demand for the kind of policy' he promotes. He will still be a party member. In Parliament, he'll be replaced by Karol Gálek, who previously served as a state secretary at the Economy Ministry. (TASR, SME)
MP Ľubomír Galko has left the caucus of Slovensko (formerly OĽaNO)-Za Ľudí-Kresťanská Únia coalition, the Slovensko movement spokesperson Matúš Bystriansky announced, adding that Galko had informed caucus chair Michal Šipoš about his decision earlier in the day. The latter also suggested that Galko is to join the non-parliamentary Demokrati party. Last week, Demokrati chair Jaroslav Naď suggested that his party would have its first MP. Neither Naď nor Galko confirmed this at the time of writing. (TASR)
WEATHER FOR THURSDAY: Mostly sunny, in some places cloud cover will temporarily increase, in mountainous regions a chance of showers. Daily temperatures will rise to between 26 °C to 33 °C, as level 1 high temperature warning issued for western Slovakia. (SHMÚ)
SEPTEMBER 5 NAME DAY IN SLOVAKIA: Regina
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