News digest: Prosecutor gets green light to seek Fico's arrest

Good afternoon. Here is a quick summary of the main news of the day in our Friday, April 22, 2022 edition of Today in Slovakia. Get up to date in less than 5 minutes.

Bratislava offers more plots for community gardens

Community gardens have become popular in Bratislava. (source: TASR)

There are already several community gardens in Bratislava where city dwellers can grow their own fresh lettuce or tomatoes. Now, Bratislava City Council is offering 14 more plots to anyone interested in running their own community garden.

“We have simplified the process of establishing community gardens,” the council announced on social networks, adding that as these plots have already been approved for such use, applicants will save time and avoid red tape when applying for and launching a community garden.

Refugees from Ukraine

The large-capacity registration centres for refugees from Ukraine in Bratislava, Nitra and Žilina are changing their opening hours due to a drop in interest from applicants during night-time hours. From Monday, April 25, they will be open between 7:00 and 19:00. The centres in Michalovce and Humenné will continue to operate 24 hours a day.
1,849 women, 682 men and 669 children crossed the Slovak-Ukrainian border on April 21. The overall number of refugees who have come to Slovakia since the war started is almost 354,000, of whom some 70,000 have asked for temporary protection.
A Slovak team of diplomats, criminal investigators and experts arrived in Kyiv on Thursday evening, Foreign Affairs Minister Ivan Korčok announced on a social network, adding that they are there to assess the security situation and assist with the investigation of war crimes.

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Photo of the day

Predajná, a village in northern Slovakia, has been a dumping site for industrial waste including tar products. (source: TASR)

Slovakia is marking Earth Day with a number of events including the launch of the removal of a toxic dump of goudrons, particles of man-made tar used in the construction sector, in the village of Predajná, in northern Slovakia.

Prime Minister Eduard Heger pointed out in social media posts that oceans full of plastics, polluted air, felled forests and the deaths of animals give mankind a bad image.

“We can’t turn the clock back, but we can still reconsider our relationship with Mother Earth and change our behaviour. Earth Day reminds us how important the protection of nature, air and biodiversity is for our lives,” Heger wrote. “The whole world is facing climate change because we as mankind have forgotten that we are part of one whole, one home.”

Today's feature story

The Dobrý Trh (Good Market) is a popular street festival that is returning after a two-year pandemic break. Its spring edition will take place on April 30, and it will embrace some improvements based on the results of research into its impacts.

“The Good Market, like other civic festivals, is not just about food or music, it also contributes to community development, social inclusion and dialogue between different groups,” said Illah van Oijen, who, together with Barbara Zavarská, is behind the idea of the Good Market.

Anniversary of the week

'Forest Silence' by Ladislav Medňanský (László Mednyánszky). (source: Courtesy of SOGA)

Tomorrow, April 23, Slovakia will mark the 170th birthday of Ladislav Medňanský (László Mednyánszky), a prominent European artist from Slovakia and Hungary (April 23, 1852 – April 17, 1919).

In other news

The Special Prosecutor's Office has asked parliament to give its consent to taking MP and former prime ministerRobert Fico into custody. Fico is among the people charged in the Twilight case, along with his former right-hand man Robert Kaliňák. The Specialised Criminal Court will decide on custody for the latter later today (Friday, April 22). Fico is an MP, so any request to take him into custody must first be approved by parliament.
The monthly cost of living for one in three Slovaks has increased by €101 to €250, according to the results of a survey conducted by pollster AKO for the private broadcaster TV JOJ. The survey took place between April 5 and 11 on a sample of 1,000 respondents. About 30 percent of those polled said their monthly costs had risen by between €51 to €100, and almost 15 percent said they'd grown by up to €50. Only 2.5 percent of respondents recorded no increase in costs and fewer than 9 percent said their costs had risen by more than €250, the SITA newswire reported.
1,741 people were newly diagnosed as Covid positive out of 5,861 PCR tests performed on Thursday. The number of people in hospitals is 1,047, and 14 more deaths were reported on April 21. The vaccination rate stands at 51.29 percent. More stats on Covid-19 in Slovakia here.