Good evening. Here is the Monday, July 24 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
Pellegrini's Hlas on the decline
The billboard reads "We will protect the weak." (source: SME - Jozef Jakubčo)
With a little over two months before Slovakia’s citizens take to the polls to decide on their country’s next step, following what feels like a three-year non sequitur, there is very little evidence that what might be called a proper election campaign is actually taking place.
Smer has been setting the political tone, rather than Pellegrini’s Hlas, which had maintained a steady lead for the preceding two-and-a-half years. Hlas is now polling second or even third.
The latter retained its neither-here-nor-there stance on virtually every topic for fear of alienating any of its larger voter blocks, including Covid vaccination, the defence cooperation agreement with the US, and aid to Ukraine.
But it appears that voters in Slovakia have rather firmer opinions on such issues, writes Michaela Terenzani in her Last Week in Slovakia.
More stories from The Slovak Spectator website
OPINION: This past year was a sad reminder of how hateful words can easily lead to hateful actions, embassies emphasise.
WEATHER: Lightning struck near me, I'm lucky to be here, says Slovak storm chaser Richard Tóth, who does this in his spare time.
GREECE FIRES: Slovak tourists flee wildfires on the Greek island of Rhodes, while Slovak firefighters were deployed to help with the situation.
REAL ESTATE: A new complex with 900 apartments is set to be built in Bratislava's Dúbravka borough.
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FEATURE STORY FOR MONDAY
Conductor wants to bring more renown to Slovak music
Daniel Raiskin. (source: Peter Brenkus)
Slovakia’s leading symphony orchestra was established in 1949; Daniel Raiskin began to work with the orchestra for the first time about 13 years ago. In 2o2o, he replaced the chief conductor, Briton James Judd, to become the Slovak Philharmonic’s fifteenth principal conductor.
"It’s a relationship that grew," Raiskin says about the Slovak Philharmonic, "It’s as if we were dating, and now we are married."
CONCERT FOR THE WEEK
Emma Ruth Rundle's first trip to Bratislava
The American singer-songwriter, known for her post-rock ventures in the Marriages and Red Sparowes, will make her first trip to Bratislava this Saturday. Rundle will perform her more personal piano songs in the Mirror Hall in the Primate's Palace. Admission is €25, buy tickets here.
In other news
Were the snap election to take place in July, Smer would win with a gain of 19.4 percent of votes, followed by Progresívne Slovensko with 15.9 percent and Hlas with 14.9 percent, respectively, shows a survey by the Ipsos agency fothe h daily Denník N. The extremist Republika party, a coalition of OĽaNO, Sme Rodina, the Christian Democrats (KDH) and the Slovak National Party (SNS), would also get into the parliament.
On Monday, the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute issued a Level 2 storm warning for the west and easternmost Slovakia from 5:00 PM to midnight. TheLevel 1 warning applies for the rest of the country. The Level 3 warning applies to the districts of Stropkov and Svidník in the north east. A supercell storm has already developed in the region and there is chance of hailstones with 5 centimetres in diameter.
Storm warnings for Slovakia as of Monday 16:00 PM. (source: Screenshot )
For the 30th year, foreign volunteers from Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Ireland, Latvia, Sweden, the Netherlands and other countries will come to Slovakia to provide help in various places, states the Inex Slovakia civic association. During the workcamp, they will help with the renovation of Tibava and Brekov castles, prepare leisure activities and trips for young people with disabilities and seniors in the Barlička community centre in Prešov. In the village of Lukovišia, southern Slovakia, volunteers have been renovating a former school into an art centre for the fourth year.
In July, the above-normal warm weather has lasted for an extremely long time, resulting in a high number of consecutive "tropical" days (the day when the temperature climbs to 30 °C or beyond), even in places that are sometimes referred to as colder areas of Slovakia.
Due to reconstruction of the National Council Building, the MPs have to meet in the Winter Riding Hall of Bratislava Castle. On Saturday, two extraordinary sessions did not take place as there were not enough MPs present. (source: TASR)
WEATHER FOR TUESDAY
Overcast, rain and occasionally storms expected in many places, with Level 1 storm warning applying for all Slovakia. Daily temperatures between 22 °C to 29 °C. (SHMÚ)
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