Good evening. Here is the Wednesday, March 13 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
Danko to file lawsuit against media, politicians
Andrej Danko (source: TASR)
SNS chair Andrej Danko is preparing lawsuits against Slovensko (formerly OĽaNO) movement chair Igor Matovič and SaS chair Richard Sulík for their "slander" and against media which "tarnished his name" regarding a traffic accident in January.
Danko's car struck a traffic light at a pedestrian crossing, wrecking it. He then drove away from the accident.
Talking on private television Joj 24, Danko emphasised that he did nothing wrong in leaving the scene as the crash was an insurance incident rather than a road accident, which would normally require a driver involved to remain at the scene.
The SNS chair said that under normal circumstances with a private citizen involved, the incident would have be investigated within a week and the driver would have been fined.
Speaking on private TV Markíza on March 3, Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok (Hlas) said that closing the investigation of the crash was a matter of days and that it might be over 'by next week'. However, no new information on the case had been provided since. The minister also confirmed that the police officers initially investigating the incident had received a reprimand, although he did not say what the reprimand was for.
Related: In his opinion piece published shortly after the accident, James Thompson wrote that Andrej Danko's winking shamelessness tells us all we need to know about how the political atmosphere has changed in recent weeks.
MORE STORIES FROM THE SLOVAK SPECTATOR WEBSITE
EDUCATION: Try this year's Maturita exam without having to worry about results.
REAL ESTATE: Work on €56 million development in capital expected to begin next year.
BRATISLAVA: Bratislava gets coronation dessert.
If you like what we are doing and want to support good journalism, buy our online subscription with no ads and a print copy of The Slovak Spectator sent to your home in Slovakia. Thank you.
FEATURE STORY FOR WEDNESDAY
Who owns what in Slovak media market
Illustratory image. (source: SME - Jozef Jakubčo)
Twenty years ago, a diverse mix of foreign investors based in Germany, Great Britain, and the US were operating on the Slovak media market.
But since then, the vast majority of foreign owners have left Slovak media, and been replaced by Slovak and Czech financiers. Find out who owns what at this link.
EVENT FOR SATURDAY
Help plant trees
Participants of the previous edition of the event. (source: TASR)
On March 16, another edition of the '10,000 Stromov' (trees) event will be held. Participants take to Bratislava's hinterland and plant dozens of bushes and trees. This time it will take place where borders of three countries - Slovakia, Austria and Hungary - meet. For more information on time, place, registration and how to get there click here.
IN OTHER NEWS
On Thursday, Slovak climber Peter Hámor is going to embark on a new expedition in the eastern part of Nepalese Himalayas, attempting to make the first ascent of the south wall of the 7,902 metre high peak of Kangbachen. So far, only Nives Meroi and Romano Benet reached a height of 6,300 metres in 2019. The two men will accompany Hámor on the expedition. They will attempt the first ascent some time in May. (TASR)
Slovak Jozef Hambálek, the European head of the Russian nationalist motorcycle club Night Wolves, had been taken off an EU sanctions list.He was accused by the EU of spreading Russian propaganda and training bikers to join Russian forces invading Ukraine. PM Robert Fico lobbied Germany to lift the sanctions. (TASR)
More than 600 employees of the RTVS public broadcaster have signed a statement calling on the Culture Ministry to withdraw proposed changes to the law related to the broadcaster. They say that the "proposed changes may practically result in a tool for the political takeover of RTVS by any government power". (TASR)
In January this year, 374,000 guests spent time in accommodation facilities in Slovakia, a year-on-year increase of more than 8 percent and almost at levels seen in 2019. However, it still lagged 17 percent behind the record-setting January 2020. (TASR)
On Wednesday, the government dismissed Office for Slovaks Living Abroad chair Miloš Koterec at his own request and appointed a new chair - Dagmar Repčeková will take over from March 14. (TASR)
Several thousand people gathered on Tuesday evening on Bratislava's Námestie Slobody square to voice their support of Ukraine and protest against the goverenment's action in regards to foreign policy. According to organisers, the government is following a pro-Russia policy that goes against interests of both Slovakia and European Union. (source: TASR)
WEATHER FOR THURSDAY: Cloudy to overcast skies, with occasional showers expected and winds reaching 25 kilometres per hour. Daily temperatures will range from 8 °C to 16 °C. (SHMÚ)
MARCH 14 NAME DAY IN SLOVAKIA: Matilda
Thank you for subscribing and reading. It means a lot to us.
P.S. If you have suggestions on how our news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk.
Follow The Slovak Spectator on Facebook and Instagram (@slovakspectator).
