Good evening. Here is theTuesday, January 9 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
Fico buys flat, pays nothing (for now)
Sokolská Residence was built near the Foreign Ministry in Bratislava. (source: sokolska.sk)
The Sme daily has obtained a copy of PM Robert Fico’s apartment purchase contract from an anonymous source. The politician has refused to comment on how much he paid for his new luxury property in Bratislava.
The document shows that Fico bought the flat for €509,000 last December. A real estate expert approached by the daily estimates the actual value of Fico’s big dwelling at €850,000. The PM bought it from Smer MP Dušan Muňko. The lawmaker, who bought the flat for €600,000 in 2019, confirmed the published price to Sme.
Before Fico bought the property, he had paid a rent to Muňko for three years. The rent was much lower than estimated by experts at the time for this type of property.
So far, Fico hasn’t paid anything for the purchase. Fico should pay the first part of the purchase price, €150,000, within three months. The rest should be paid within six months.
The prime minister did not say where he obtained the funds to buy the flat.
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FEATURE STORY FOR TUESDAY
Slovak Matters: Don’t forget to wear papuče
The cold of winter has arrived in Slovakia, and with it the first kýchania (achews) of the winter cold season. (source: Pixabay)
In Slovak, you don’t have a sore throat but the throat pains you. For a remedy, have you tried the drink with bacon grease, caramel, and slivovica?
EVENT FOR JANUARY AND FEBRUARY
Winter Food Festival
Illustrative photo. (source: Pexels)
Chefs of the top Slovak restaurants will cook meals in three different categories - Our Iconic Food, Flavours of the Regions and the Chef’s Choice - from January 13 until February 25 for all the customers looking for a gourmet adventure.
Price: €32-€55/three- or four-course menu/person
Other news
The Irish airline Ryanair will operate 21 regular flights from Bratislava during this summer season, from the end of March to the end of October. After almost 20 years of operation at the Bratislava airport, Ryanair transported 15 million passengers on Monday. A person travelling to Thessaloniki, Greece, became a 15 millionth passenger.
In 2023, 350,224 cars were produced at the Kia plant in the north of Slovakia. This is the best result of the plant in its 18-year history. Kia Slovakia reached the best production result in 2019 when it produced 344,000 vehicles. The production capacity is set to 350,000 vehicles.
PM Robert Fico asked Finance Minister Ladislav Kamenický (Smer) to submit a new report on food prices to the government as soon as possible. The Finance Ministry is reportedly working on an application for price comparison of the most important foodstuffs. The PM also announced the extension of the remission of part of the levies for primary food producers. Agriculture Minister Richard Takáč (Smer) should prepare an analysis on how the levy waiver has helped reduce food price increases. According to Takáč, the extension of the measure should be valid until June and should also be extended to fruit and vegetable growers.
The National Crime Agency (NAKA) might be abolished, Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok (Hlas) told the daily Štandard. However, it is more likely that this authority will undergo some kind of transformation. The minister believes that NAKA has got too many specialised departments and executive officers.
A lie detector has shown that the key witness in the Daniel Tupý murder case lied. Vladimír Malíček claims that he punched the stabbed university student in the face in 2005 and left the scene near the Danube River in Bratislava. The lie detector identified lies. Lawyer Adam Puškár, who has been in custody for 10 months, is the only charged person in the case. The trial will continue at the end of February. (Sme)
In Červený Kláštor, northeastern Slovakia, the temperature fell to -24.1°C last night. It is the lowest temperature of this winter, the met office said.
Fields near Topoľčany, western Slovakia, on January 9, 2024. (source: TASR)
WEATHER FOR WEDNESDAY: Clear skies, light breeze and no showers. The daytime temperature will range from -3°C to +3°C. Low temperature warnings are in place in northern Slovakia.(SHMÚ)
JANUARY 10 NAMEDAY IN SLOVAKIA: Dáša
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