Good evening. Here is theTuesday, July 9 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
It took them a while, but they condemned the attack
PM Robert Fico chairs a government meeting in Bratislava on July 9, 2024. (source: SITA)
Unlike Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský, who announced on July 9 that he would summon the Russian ambassador over the Monday missile attack on a children’s hospital in Kyiv, top Slovak officials remained silent on the issue initially.
“While the useful idiots are rambling about peace with Putin, he is sending missiles to a children’s hospital,” the Czech politician posted on social media on Monday.
It took more than a day for top Slovak officials to respond to the attacks.
President Peter Pellegrini described the Monday attacks as “unfortunate”, adding that “such attacks do not suggest that Russia is willing to sit at the negotiating table.” Several Slovak ministers also condemned the attacks, although none of them explicitly named Russia.
On Monday, the National Institute of Children’s Diseases offered assistance to the affected Kyiv children’s hospital by accommodating cancer children in Slovakia.
Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer), who had stated last Friday that he would like to meet with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin to stop Russia’s war in Ukraine, spoke with Ukrainian counterpart Denys Shmyhal on Tuesday. According to the TASR news agency, Fico confirmed to him the offer to hospitalise child cancer patients from Kyiv in Slovakia. Shmyhal mentioned on social media that Fico also condemned the attack.
“We agreed to hold the third joint meeting of the governments in the autumn,” Shmyhal concluded.
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FEATURE STORY
A Ukrainian carpenter finds unexpected satisfaction in Košice
Marharyta Rudenko and Kostiantyn Chepizhenko lived in the Kharkiv region. They left due to the war. (source: Elizaveta Blahodarova)
Kostiantyn Chepizhenko, a skilled furniture maker from the Kharkiv region, fled with his family due to the war, finding refuge in Košice, Slovakia, where a friend resided.
“When you watch it on TV, you will never understand it,” he says about the war. “It was only when the war came directly to Kharkiv that I understood it, I began to feel scared.”
In Košice, he has established his own business, continuing his craft.
EVENT
Partying with Peggy Gou at Pohoda
Morcheeba, Royal Blood, James Blake, Arlo Parks, Skepta, and more headline the Pohoda festival at Trenčín airport this weekend, with South Korean DJ Peggy Gou launching a big party on Thursday night. Have a listen to her latest single, Lobster Telephone, which is named after a 1936 object created by Salvador Dalí.
IN OTHER NEWS
In Brezno and its surroundings, central Slovakia, a windstorm and hailstorm swept through on Monday. Strong winds broke trees, while hail damaged gardens, cars, and several buildings. (MY Bystrica)
Smer MEP Judita Laššáková’s husband, Tomáš Laššák, joined the supervisory board of the state-owned energy company OKTE in February. Laššák, who has admitted that he got the post thanks to Smer, works as a special educator. His wife is closely associated with Daniel Bombic, a wanted anti-Semite and hoax spreader. (Aktuality)
Two years ago, the Russian embassy in Bratislava and General Prosecutor Maroš Žilinka claimed that the military cemetery in Ladomirová, eastern Slovakia, had been destroyed. According to Denník N, investigations did not confirm such allegations. The case is expected to conclude with a fine of €50.
The logo of the new public media STVR (Slovak Television and Radio) has not been revealed yet, even though the media has been operational since July 1. Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová (SNS) promised last week that the logo would be unveiled in the coming days, but this has not happened so far. Instead, today the broadcaster deleted the original logo of its predecessor, RTVS, from the Facebook page of its flagship news programme, Správy RTVS. (Sme)
In response to the PM Fico’s remarks about building a wall against liberal ideologies, Christian Democratic Movement leader Milan Majerský said that he does not rule out that if, for example, a ban on same-sex adoption were to be included in the Constitution, the movement might vote in favour of it.
The Volkswagen Slovakia plant in Bratislava will suspend car production for two weeks. It is part of the regular summer shutdown. Production will be completely halted from July 15 to July 28.
The new natural turf at the stadium of the football club MŠK Žilina has been unveiled in Žilina. See more pictures by clicking on the photo. (source: TASR - Daniel Stehlík)
WEATHER FOR WEDNESDAY: Prepare for a mix of sunshine and clouds throughout the day. Isolated showers or thunderstorms may develop, particularly in the afternoon. Temperatures will soar to between 30°C and 37°C, creating extremely hot and humid conditions across the country. Authorities have issued first and second-degree heat warnings for nearly all regions of Slovakia, excluding the northern part of central Slovakia. (SHMÚ)
JULY 10 NAME DAY IN SLOVAKIA: Amália.
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