Good evening. Here is the Monday, December 23 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
We'll be taking a break during the Christmas holidays on December 24-26, so the next edition of Today in Slovakia will be published on Friday, December 27. We hope you'll be taking a break too, and wish all our readers a very Merry Christmas.
Thousands against PM's Moscow trip, call it treason
People gathered in front of the Government Office near Námestie Slobody square to protest PM Robert Fico's visit to Moscow. (source: TASR)
Several thousand people took to Námestie Slobody square on Monday to protest against Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer)'s visit to Moscow a day earlier. The protest was held by the Mier Ukrajine (Peace to Ukraine) civic association. According to organisers, approximately 3,000 people showed up.
"We reject the exploitation of the gas transit against Ukraine and Europe for the purpose of collaboration with Russia. Through Fico, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is strengthening the weakening Russian influence, Russian propaganda, as well as the hybrid war against Slovakia and our real allies," the civic association stated.
The association also filed with the General Prosecutor's Office to investigate Fico's trip to Moscow. It also wants to know who traveled to Moscow with the PM and for what purpose.
Related: The opposition party SaS will propose other opposition parties to jointly initiate a special parliamentary session with a no-confidence vote in Robert Fico's government. The former views the PM's trip as treason, saying that Fico does not behave like a premier of a sovereign country, but as a collaborator. "We can legitimately ask how our partners in the EU and NATO will approach us," the party asks in a statement.
Related: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky took to social media, posting a statement in regards to the Slovak PM's Moscow trip in three languages. He claims that PM Fico does not want to participate in the European effort to be independent of Russia's gas, and that PM Fico also refused any compensation to ease the transit period. Slovakia is one of the last countries dependent on Russia energy-wise.
MORE STORIES FROM THE SLOVAK SPECTATOR WEBSITE
LAST WEEK: Slovak journalists reflect on 2024: 'Preserve and persevere'.
SPACE ECONOMY: Building on previous success, Slovak space industry takes off.
SHOPPING: Where and when to do grocery shopping around Christmas?
DINING: Looking for a place where you can escape to a warm haven, no matter the time of year? According to The Slovak Spectator's Mark Taylor, Arabeska in Bratislava is "a taste of adventure". Find out more in his review.
BUSINESS: Tax law abuse by shell companies definitely stopped by Slovak courts. The decision is likely to affect other cases of tax law abuse.
TRAVEL: Tracing a phantom is a fun way to discover Bratislava.
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FEATURE STORY
Learning to communicate with machines
Mária Bieliková during the ESET Science Award 2024 ceremony. (source: TASR)
At the beginning was the computer mouse, then the pen, and then gestures. But when it came to language, people needed a computer to communicate, says computer scientist Mária Bieliková, laureate winner in the main category of this year’s ESET Science Award. Today, we can communicate with machines using our own language, but that means we have to recognise the nuances of that communication, she tells The Slovak Spectator.
EVENT FOR CHRISTMAS
Not in a festive mood?
Slobodná Európa singer Miloslav 'Whisky' Láber at the 2022 Pohoda festival concert. (source: TASR)
If for any reason you prefer not to celebrate Christmas, there are some things you can do instead. Several concerts are taking place in Bratislava, for example the punk-rock band Slobodná Európa will perform its traditional concert in Randal Club. Grab your tickets here. The Nu Spirit Bar venue will hold a dance party called Polnočná (The Midnight One, in reference to midnight mass). Entry is free until 22:00.
IN OTHER NEWS
A little over 47 percent of Slovaks expect that next year will see a ceasefire and end of hostilities in Ukraine, with 11 percent saying 'definitely yes' and 36.3 'somewhat yes'. On the other hand, a little over 46 percent are of the opposite opinion, with 10.1 percent saying 'definitely no' and 36.1 'somewhat no'. Six percent did not know and the rest did not want to say. The survey was carried out by the AKO polling agency between December 16-19 on a sample of 1,000 people. (TASR)
With 22.8 percent, opposition party Progressive Slovakia (PS) would have won the parliamentary election had it taken place in December, followed by Smer (20.3 percent) and Hlas (13.9 percent), according to a new survey carried out by AKO on behalf of the JOJ 24 television channel. The opposition KDH with 7.3 percent, SaS with 6.6 percent and non-parliamentary far-right Republika with 5.4 percent would have also made it into the parliament. Although the Slovensko (formerly OĽaNO) is rising, it gained 6.2 percent, 0.8 shy of the necessary 7 percent threshold for a coalition. With 4.6 percent, governing SNS would not have entered the parliament. (TASR)
The Defence Ministry signed a contract to purchase 12 Black Hawk helicopters worth €150 million. The helicopters will be supplied by the US company ACE Aeronautics. The delivery schedule was not published. In addition, the ministry purchased two Bombardier Global 5000 transport aircraft for almost €46 million. (TASR)
On Sunday, Slovak biathlete Paulína Bátovská-Fialková finished third in the Annecy Le Grand Bornand Women’s 12.5 km Mass Start. The finish was very close, she came ahead of France’s Jeanne Richard by just 0.1 second. This is her first podium since March 2022. She sat out last season while on maternity leave. (Sportnet)
Slovak biathlete Paulína Bátovská-Fialková with her medal. (source: TASR)
WEATHER FOR CHRISTMAS: On Tuesday, skies will be cloudy and overcast, with snow and rain or a combination of the two expected occasionally. Daily temperatures will rise to 4 °C. Level 1 and 2 wind warning issued for districts in western and eastern Slovakia, see map here.
Wednesday and Thursday will see the cloud cover change, with daily temperatures rising up to 6 °C. Some light snow and showers may occur. (SHMÚ)
Also, if you're going to ski over the Christmas holidays, check for the latest snow reports and conditions here.
Although Christmas time is starting tomorrow, there are two name days ahead. On December 24 everyone named Adam or Eva are celebrating. December 25 is not a name day, but December 26 is a reason for Štefan to celebrate.
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