(source: SME.sk / Hej,ty)
Good evening. Here is the Thursday, September 30 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
For weekend events and news on travel and culture in Slovakia, see the latest edition of our Spectacular Slovakia newsletter.
A peek inside a new hospital in Bratislava
It is as if you are in the TV show 'House: M.D.' There are rooms with glass doors, single beds, and large en-suite bathrooms. There are also modern operating theatres. The company Svet Zdravia, part of the Penta group, showed the Sme daily what its hospital in Bratislava's Bory district looks like from the inside.
Penta will open the hospital, located in the northwest of the capital, next spring. It should be fully operational from the autumn of 2023.
Among other departments, the hospital will house a maternity ward and departments of oncology, traumatology, neurosurgery and cardiac surgery, and will also treat metabolic and digestive disorders.
More stories on Spectator.sk
MEDIA: Journalists reject Matovič's attacks on them. In a speech in parliament the former prime minister dubbed them "progressive fascists" and compared himself to the victims of Hitler.
FOREIGNERS: Top 10 events in Bratislava.
CULTURE: Lumière Cinema won’t open again till next year due to a fire.
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Feature story for today
With local elections just a month away, some foreigners living in Slovakia will soon be able to take what migration experts have pointed out is possibly their biggest opportunity to engage in local politics and decisions that affect their daily life.
The chance to vote in municipal and regional elections was one of the topics discussed on Thursday, September 22, at the ParCityPation event, which was part of the [fjúžn] festival held in Bratislava.
Picture of the day
The roof of Kunerad Castle, a manor house in Žilina District, is being replaced.
The reconstruction of the roof of Kunerad Castle, Žilina District. (source: TASR)
In other news
Space discoveries, robots, prototypes of technological innovations, groundbreaking knowledge from biology, medicine, physics, even experiments. This is what awaits visitors to the European Night of Researchers taking place in the cities of Bratislava, Košice, Banská Bystrica, Žilina and Poprad this evening, Friday, September 30. Visitors will learn about the latest scientific discoveries and innovations, they will be accompanied by both foreign and Slovak scientists. The motto of the 16th year is "We believe in science".
President Zuzana Čaputová, Speaker of Parliament Boris Kollár (Sme Rodina) and Prime Minister Eduard Heger (OĽANO) have issued an outspoken condemnation of Russia's attempt to illegally annex parts of Ukraine.
Since the reintroduction of checks on the Slovak-Czech borders, more than 360 illegal migrants and 20 smugglers have been caught by the Czech police. The border control was reintroduced due to an increase in illegal migration. A similar measure was adopted by Austria.
More than 200 billboards and other types of visual advertisements disappeared from the streets of Nitra between 2019 and 2021. This year, the city authorities have already removed 43 structures including billboards and bigboards. Around four dozen more illegal advertisements will have been removed by the end of October, authorities say. In June, Bratislava got new rules for ads in the capital. City authorities have previously taken measures to cut excessive outdoor advertising in the streets.
The city of Žilina does not expect increased expenses for electricity in 2022 and 2023 as it has contracted electricity prices until December 2023, according to the city's spokesman Vladimír Miškovčík. Thus, the the authorities do not think about restricting teaching sessions in schools in the coming winter. Moreover, the current situation will not affect even Christmas lights in the city. Many schools in Slovakia have been shocked by new bills.
No restrictions of operation for large sports facilities such as halls, swimming pools, or ice rinks until the end of the year are planned in the city of Prievidza. The authorities have employed measures earlier and are currently implementing more. In the past, they focused on reducing the energy demands of buildings, kindergartens were insulated, and street lights were modernized.
The number of flu cases in the Nitra Region has begun rising in recent days, with a total of 513 reported - an increase of 22 percent in comparison to the previous week. Just yesterday Health Minister Vladimír Lengvarský recommended that people get vaccinated against flu. Due to anti-pandemic measures during the last two years, incidence of seasonal flu has been low, resulting in lower immunity in the population.
From October, the National Security Authority will lose the authority to block harmful content on the internet. A proposed amendment to the law on cyber security has yet to advance. After Russia invaded Ukraine, the Slovak parliament passed a law to temporarily shut down media spreading disinformation. But many outlets that had been blocked are now back and spreading lies.
The city of Nitra plans to revitalise the hill below Nitra Castle. The city has received more than €800,000 from the Integrated Regional Operational Program to repave walkways, build a new lookout, and maintain shrubbery.
The city of Košice is starting another phase in its continuous repairs to roads and adjacent pavements. The repairs concern eight streets, which will result in temporary restrictions to public transport and parking.
If you have suggestions on how this news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk.
