Good evening. Here is theThursday, August 31 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
Friday, September 1, is a public holiday in Slovakia. The country marks Constitution Day. Most shops will be closed, but parliament and Bratislava Castle will open their doors to the public and will host many events.
You can also find tips on how to spend this long weekend in our travel and culture roundup.
The next Today in Slovakia edition will be published on Monday, September 4.
In a Slovak village, a kindergarten for all children opens
A room in the new kindergarten in Spišské Tomášovce, eastern Slovakia. (source: Facebook/Obec Spišské Tomášovce)
In Spišské Tomášovce, eastern Slovakia, a new inclusive kindergarten was opened on Thursday.
"For the first time in history, we managed to merge a Roma and non-Roma kindergarten," mayor Zuzana Nebusová told the TASR news agency.
Seventy children, 33 of them from the Roma community, will attend the kindergarten. The previous two kindergartens were housed in a flat and in a church building.
"I am very happy that this work was successful and I am grateful that it complies with the principles of destigmatisation, desegregation, deghettoisation," said Ján Hero, the representative of the Slovak government for Roma communities.
Approximately 830 Roma live in the village of 2,205 inhabitants.
More stories from The Slovak Spectator website
Delivery services: A Ukrainian postal and courier company will open its first branch in Slovakia.
Labour: The government plans to offer more work visas to foreigners.
Sport: She is just 15, but this Slovak ice-hockey player is already a star.
Bratislava: In case you don't want to spend a cent on Bratislava events, here are some recommendations on how to have fun in the city for free.
Swimming: The Slovnaft refinery will open its swimming pool in Bratislava to the public from September 2.
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WHAT TO DO IN BRATISLAVA
Top 10 events in the Slovak capital
Sumatran orangutan in the Bratislava Zoo. (source: SITA)
Feeding animals, dancing to Balkan music or swimming in the Danube? See what's happening in Bratislava (and Trnava) in the days to come.
In other news
At the end of June, Slovakia had 5,426,352 inhabitants, the Statistics Office announced.
The national railway carrier ZSSK will increase the number of trains at the end of the summer holidays and at the start of the new school year, which starts on September 4. Roughly 720,000 pupils will return to school on Monday. The carrier also announced that trains between Galanta and Trnava will resume their usual operation from September 1 (no bus shuffles between Sereď and Galanta).
Many children from Ukraine still do not master the Slovak language, a report focused on the inclusion of pupils from Ukraine in education has found. In the period from February to April, research was carried out in 30 schools by the State School Inspectorate (ŠŠI) in cooperation with the Centre for Educational Analysis.
A fifth, specifically 20.3 percent, of the population of Slovakia is of the opinion that the next government should propose Slovakia's withdrawal from NATO, the latest AKO poll has found.
The number of people who could be described as 'anti-democrats' is growing, writes the Denník N daily based on the latest Ipsos poll. Around 25 percent of Slovak people fall into this group. Many would not mind if Slovakia ended up under Russian influence again. Also, up to 61 percent of people say that a strong leader that would not rely on parliament and elections would be a good path for Slovakia to set out on.
Realisation prices of all real estate in Slovakia in the second quarter of 2023 fell by 3.9 percent quarter-on-quarter. The price reduction also occurred in a year-on-year comparison, with buyers paying an average of 1.9 percent less for houses and flats than a year ago, the Statistics Office announced.
(source: Statistics Office)
WEATHER FOR THE WEEKEND: The weather on Friday and Saturday will be overcast, with daytime temperatures rising up to 29°C on Saturday. Sunday will be cloudy, with rain in some places. The highest daytime temperature will rise to 24°C. (SHMÚ)
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