Good evening. Here is theThursday, September 14 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
Friday, September 15, is a public holiday in Slovakia. Most shops will be closed. The next news digest will be published on Monday.
Another Russian diplomat told to leave Slovakia
The Slovak Foreign Ministry building in Bratislava. (source: Slovak Foreign Ministry )
Slovakia has expelled a Russian Embassy employee on Thursday.
His activities, which were in direct violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, have been cited by the Slovak Foreign Ministry as the reason.
"The said person must leave the territory of the Slovak Republic within 48 hours," added the ministry.
The ministry, moreover, summoned the ambassador of the Russian Federation to Slovakia, Igor Bratchikov, to urge him to carry out their activities in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
Russia's Foreign Ministry told the TASS agency that it will respond to the expulsion of one of its diplomats.
"Moscow will give an appropriate response," the ministry pointed out.
Related: A few weeks after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Slovakia expelled 35 Russian Embassy workers. For espionage suspicions, three staffers had also been expelled before. Slovakia expelled several Russian Embassy workers in 2020 and 2021 as well.
More stories from The Slovak Spectator website
Election: The latest public opinion poll shows that Smer, Hlas and the SNS could be the coalition that will rule Slovakia from October.
Bratislava: A woman went missing last weekend.Is Bratislava a safe city?
Feel-good stories in short: This week's selection of good news stories will take you to the Slovak village of 2023, which you probably have not visited, and will show you a NASA photo. It is beautiful.
Art: The next lecture in the Slovak National Gallery's Open Studio will be dedicated to cyanotype photography. It starts tomorrow afternoon.
Food: Slovak chef Daniel Karakas is obsessed with Korean specialty kimchi. Are you?
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ANALYSIS FOR THURSDAY
In eye of illegal migration storm
Illegal migrants from Syria, as portrayed at the Foreigners' Police office in Bratislava on September 8, 2023. (source: TASR - Henrich Mišovič)
Migrants have been arriving in Slovakia in ever-larger numbers, attracted by a document introduced by a former Smer government five years ago which they believe, wrongly, grants them the right to stay in the EU.
WHAT'S ON IN BRATISLAVA
3 things to do in Bratislava for free
You can set out on an easy hike or listen to an album by Alicia Edelweiss. The Austro-British artist will perform in the city next week. Do not miss it!
In other news
In August, the Supreme Court confirmed the verdict of the Regional Court in Bratislava in the case that concerns former Czech PM Andrej Babiš. The Supreme Court dismissed Babiš's appeal against the decision of the regional court from last year. The regional court then dismissed the politician's lawsuit against the Slovak Nation's Memory Institute. The institution possesses the documents that show that Babiš was an agent of the communist secret service, but Babiš has repeatedly rejected this claim. His lawyers have sued Slovakia at the European Court of Human Rights due to the delays in the court proceedings. The case has been dragging on for more than a decade.
Slovakia is ready to extend the ban on the import of Ukrainian grain after September 15, if the European Commission does not do so. The ban would concern wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower seeds. Poland announced a similar decision on Tuesday.
In connection with the upcoming parliamentary election in Slovakia, the American Democratic Senator Bob Menendez has called on the head of Meta company Mark Zuckerberg to ensure that his social networks do not give space to disinformation and distorted news spread by Russia in Slovakia. Menendez has written a letter to Zuckerberg following a recent NYT article.
After Facebook and YouTube, the disinformation medium Kulturblog has also been banned from TikTok. It had almost 1,800 followers there. The medium has close links to far-right politicians Milan Mazurek and Milan Uhrík. (Aktuality)
The protection of Devínska Kobyla, a peak in the Small Carpathians near Bratislava and a nature reserve, will increase to Level 5 following a recent government decision. Devínska Kobyla has been a protected area since 1964. Slovakia has been facing a lawsuit, filed by the Commission, because of the lack of protection of the territory.
After 15 years, Bratislava renovated the buffet building on the popular Partizánska Lúka meadow. (source: Facebook/Bratislava - hlavné mesto SR)
WEATHER FOR FRIDAY: A foggy morning in some places. Clouds will remain with us for most of the day. Some had better prepare for showers or rain. The highest daytime temperature will rise to 26°C. Saturday and Sunday will be warmer than Friday, with less cloud cover. (SHMÚ)
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