Good evening. Here is the Wednesday, August 2 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
Bratislava open fire ban lifted
Former lodge-turned ammunition depot in Bratislava forest now serves as a leisure pavilion with outdoor facilities. (source: TASR)
Earlier in July amid scorching temperatures, the Fire and Rescue Brigade of Bratislava banned people from starting an open fire in local forests and within their protection zone (50m from the forest border).
On Wednesday, the ban was lifted.
Visitors to Bratislava's forests can also use newly repaired fire pits at the Železná Studnička and Kamzík localities.But people are being advised not to create fire pits outside designated areas as they are unlikely to be properly constructed or built under trees, where they would be a fire hazard.
Other short news from Bratislava:
On August 4-5, the City of Bratislava plans to carry out regular maintenance of steel parts of the Most SNP bridge. The work will require restrictions. From Friday 8:00, the footbridge facing the Sad Janka Kráľa park will be closed, but will remain open on the other side. From 21:00, part of the right lane, a 60-metre section in the direction of the centre will also be closed. The restrictions will be in place until Saturday at 14:00.
Due to the work on the extension of the Petržalka tram line, traffic restrictions will come into effect on Jantárova Street near the Draždiak Lake in the southern part of the borough. They will be in place from Saturday, August 5 to the end of November and will also affect public transport lines 59, 68, 83, 92, 94, 95, 98, 99, 192, N95 and N99. For more information, visit the Bratislava Public Transport Company website (in Slovak), or imhd.sk where the information will be translated later.
More stories from The Slovak Spectator website
POSITIVE STORIES: Slovak choir conquers the world and wins two medals in Asia, a restaurant comes up with a way to serve meals to worse-off people.
BEER: Slovaks discovering new beer styles, seasonal special becoming more popular.
ELECTION CAMPAIGN: OĽaNO likes to drop A-bombs, Igor Matovič says of the party's Fiat 500s.
DANUBE: Record-breaking flood tests near Bratislava. Bi-annual floods help restore ecosystem of Danube’s inland delta.
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FEATURE STORY FOR WEDNESDAY
Police war sees first sentencing
The building of the Police Corps HQ. (source: SME - Jozef Jakubčo)
Former Slovak police investigator Marián Kučerka has been sentenced to 10.5 years in prison in absentia. Kučerka, who is in Bosnia and Herzegovina where he applied for asylum, was sentenced for accepting huge bribes for sweeping the investigation of several financial crime cases under the rug. One case involved a relative of ex-economy minister Peter Žiga (Hlas).
Authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina have said they will not extradite the former policeman to Slovakia.
EVENT FOR THE WEEKEND
Dragon Days at a fairytale castle
This weekend, July 5-6, a fairytale festival for the whole family will take place at the Smolenice Castle near Trnava, west Slovakia. Called Dragon Days, the festival consists of four four-hour blocks running throughout both days. Each includes theatrical performances, a parade and an investigation. For more information, click here (in Slovak).
Admission is €15.
In other news
According to a new survey, 51.5 percent of Slovaks think the next government should stop providing help to Ukraine while 43.2 percent of Slovaks think the next government should continue with assistance to the war-torn country. Around 90 percent of voters of Smer, SNS and extremist Republika parties said help should stop, while most voters of Progresívne Slovensko, SaS, KDH and OĽaNO say it should continue.
At the end of July, the International Organisation for Migration Slovakia launched a new website providing practical information about safe travel for work abroad and how not to become a victim of human trafficking. The web also provides important information for people who come to work in Slovakia from other countries.
Slovaks who filed declarations rejecting extraordinary military service are currently receiving replies, with most being reassigned for alternative services, Defence Ministry spokesperson Maria Precner said on Wednesday. Thousands of Slovak men filed the declaration earlier this year following a mobilisation hoax.
On August 2, Slovakia observes the Roma Holocaust Remembrance Day in commemoration of nearly 3,000 Roma men, women and children who died on the night of August 2-3, 1944 in the largest Nazi extermination camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau. In addition, historians from the Czech Academy of Sciences launched a website with dozens of stories of Roma people, including Slovak Roma who survived the Nazi repressions. The stories are available in English.
Water melon picking near the village of Marelová, south Slovakia. (source: TASR)
WEATHER FOR THURSDAY:
Little cloud cover. However, that will gradually increase in west and north Slovakia, where occasional showers are expected. Daily temperatures between 20 °C and 31 °C. (SHMÚ)
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