News digest: Will Slovakia beat England or will they go home?
Don't miss out on Ukrainian art at the national gallery and try one of the best pizza restaurants in Europe.
Good evening. Here is the Friday, June 28 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
Captain Škriniar ready to surprise England
Slovak football representative Milan Škriniar during a press conference at the European Football Championship in the German city of Mainz on Friday, June 28, 2024. (Source: TASR)Slovakia will face a significant rival on Sunday, June 30, as they will meet England in the Round of 16 at this year's EURO. The football match will start at 18:00 CET.
The English team is one of the tournament favourites, but they have not impressed in Germany so far. Maybe that is why there is a sense of optimism on the Slovak team, one of the pleasant surprises at the tournament. The team captain Milan Škriniar is one of those who believe that they can make the match a challenge for England.
"We have to try to play our game. The whole team believes that we can surprise them," he said. Despite acknowledging the superior quality of English players like Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, Škriniar has confidence in Slovakia's teamwork and strategy. "If we just sit back in front of our penalty area, they will eventually score. We need to impose our game on them so that they realise: 'Hey, we can't do whatever we want here because this team know how to play football,'" Škriniar said.
The national football teams of Slovakia and England have met six times so far. It was almost always a competitive match, a friendly duel in just one case. They also met at the European Championship eight years ago. However, Slovaks have nothing to brag about, their overall record being 0 wins, 1 draw and 5 losses.
MORE STORIES FROM THE SLOVAK SPECTATOR WEBSITE
- Politics: Slovak lawmakers rejected a resolution to join the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children. Eight MPs even voted against the resolution.
- Travel: Have you tried "Gerlaching?"
- Good news: Dive into another Slovakia-related selection of good news. Our Radka will tell you about volunteers repairing bridges in the High Tatras and one of the best pizza restaurants in Europe, which can be found in Slovakia.
- Archaeology: Archaeologists have discovered a treasure trove of coins under Šariš Castle.
- Foreigners: Registry offices will no longer cause problems for parents of children born abroad.
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FEATURE STORY
The Eye of the Storm
(Source: Jana Liptáková )The mysterious and surreal works of little-known Ukrainian artists have recently found shelter in the Slovak National Gallery. See some of the highlights.
HOW TO SPEND THE WEEKEND
Dance like nobody is watching
Are you in the mood for summer partying? The town of Trnava will host a special Latin America-inspired party, giving you the impression that this town resides right next to the sea. Check out other tips on what to do this weekend here!
IN OTHER NEWS
- On Friday, parliament approved changes to the Audiovisual Fund, pushed by the far-right Slovak National Party, which will bring about several significant modifications, including a 13-member board, with five members appointed by Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová (SNS nom.), deciding on grants instead of the fund's director. The amendments, set to take effect on August 1, 2024, have been criticised by film industry professionals for reducing transparency and aiming for political control of the fund.
- Progressive Slovakia, a liberal opposition party, warns of the hidden privatisation of water in Slovakia, citing a report from the Supreme Audit Office and criticising the government for inaction. PS leader Michal Šimečka highlighted that half a million people lack water supply and over a million lack sewage systems, with potential threats to safe drinking water access, while Environment Minister Tomáš Taraba (SNS nom.) dismisses these concerns.
- Slovak President Peter Pellegrini held talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky for the first time since taking office. As Pellegrini told Friday's press conference, during their brief meeting on the sidelines of the EU summit in Brussels, he told the Ukrainian head of state that Slovakia will continue to provide electricity supplies to Ukraine. The Slovak president also informed Zelensky about strengthening the production capacities of the Slovak defence industry.
- In order to manage extraordinary situations related to migration, Slovakia will receive material aid worth almost 970,000 US dollars from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) during June and July. As the Interior Ministry announced, the equipment will help the state to respond more flexibly and efficiently to unpredictable situations all over Slovakia.
The opening of the historic Salvator Pharmacy in the Old Town of Bratislava on June 28, 2024. (Source: TASR)WEATHER FOR THE WEEKEND
The weekend weather promises to be clear to partly cloudy, locally stuffy. Showers or storms may occur, especially on Sunday in the western part of Slovakia. The highest daytime temperatures will range from 28°C to 35°C. Because of this, the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute has issued a yellow high temperature warning for Saturday and an orange one for Sunday. (SHMÚ)
NAME'S DAY IN SLOVAKIA: Saturday - Peter, Pavol, Petra, Sunday - Melánia, Monday - Diana.
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