Peter Filip, the lawyer of Jozef Majský, sentenced for the embezzlement of non-banking companies, at the Supreme Court on July 29, 2020. (source: TASR)
This is the overview of news from Wednesday, July 29, 2020. Learn more about important events in Slovakia in less than 5 minutes, and do not miss our tips for interesting reads you can find at our website.
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Majský case wrapped up after 17 years
It took more than 17 years to close the case in which Jozef Majský, a Vladimír Mečiar-era oligarch, faced charges for embezzling non-banking companies BMG Invest and Horizont Slovakia.
The Supreme Court turned down his complaint against the 2015 verdict issued by the Specialised Criminal Court in Pezinok, sentencing him to nine years in prison. The ruling is valid.
Majský was not present at the July 29 proceeding, nor did he apologise for being absent.
The hottest day so far
The highest temperature in 2020 so far has been measured in the town of Senica (Trnava Region). It reached 36 degrees Celsius on July 28, 2020.
The hot weather was shortly replaced by storms that have caused several damages, particularly in western Slovakia.
Coronavirus affects cross-border purchases
The closed borders between Slovakia and its neighbours have affected the shopping in these countries.
The volume of card transactions carried out in Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Poland dropped more than 90 percent year-on-year in spring, according to the recent analysis of Poštová Banka.
The situation is gradually changing though, particularly since the borders were reopened.
In other news
Altogether 41 people were positively diagnosed with the coronavirus disease in Slovakia on July 28, increasing the total number to 2,245. With 16 more people recovering from the disease, the country now reports
585557 active infections. Check out detailed statistics here.Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď (OĽaNO) will publish the investigation file on the biggest air disaster in the history of Slovakia, a 2006 military plane crash in the Hungarian village of Hejce, flying from Kosovo to Košice.
Trade unions in U.S. Steel Košice have announced a strike alert after they failed to agree on a new collective agreement with the company’s management. If the dispute is not solved within 30 days after a mediator is assigned to help, it is possible they will go on strike, said the head of the local trade unions organisation Juraj Varga.
The High Tatras are flooded with tourists. Check out the video, capturing the situation on the popular hike to Rysy peak.
The seasonally adjusted three-month moving average of the economic sentiment indicator (ESI) increased by 9.7 points to 74.5 points in July 2020, after the historic fall over the last three months. The confidence significantly increased in services, more considerably in industry, while it increased only slightly among consumers and in construction and deteriorated slightly in trade. (Statistics Office)
The charter season in Košice was opened by the flight to Larnaka (Cyprus) with 176 passengers on board, operated by Air Explore. Nine flights to Larnaka have been scheduled, with the last taking place on September 22.
Slovakia has the second-lowest number of newly registered vehicles with alternative drive in the EU, after Lithuania. Its share on the total number of newly registered vehicles was 1.15 percent, as stems from the data of the Institute for Environmental Policy. While in 2018, 290 new e-cars were registered, a year later it was only 171.
Slovakia is the second most reliant country on nuclear power in the world, after France. As much as 55 percent of electricity is generated from nuclear energy. France has 58 nuclear reactors generating more than two-thirds of its electricity, while the US has the most nuclear reactors (97), generating about one-fifth of the country's electricity. (Statista)
(source: Statista)
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