News digest: Czech Radio no longer cooperates with Slovakia's state broadcaster

Exquisite garden to be revitalised, Studio Ghibli movies screening, and brace yourselves for high temperatures.

By: sme.sk

Aug 19 2024
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News digest: Czech Radio no lo

Good evening. Here is the Monday, August 12 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.

Czech reporters no longer on air in Slovak Radio

Slovak Public Radio building. (Source: TASR)

The Czech Radio (Český rozhlas/ČRo) public broadcaster has indefinitely suspended cooperation with the Slovak state broadcaster STVR (Slovak Television and Radio), reports Sme daily. The news was confirmed by the former's spokesman Jiří Hošna. This means that for the time being, Czech reporters will no longer be heard on air.

"We have deemed and still deem the forced ending of RTVS (Radio and Television of Slovakia) and the creation of STVR a purposeful move and the first step leading to the nationalisation of the public broadcaster," says Hošna. "We fear that the leadership and programme of the newly established STVR will come under political influence." ČRo now wants to closely observe the actions of the new leadership and whether demands placed on a public service medium such as freedom of expression, independence and balance are met.

Slovak Radio (Slovenský rozhlas/SRo), a part of STVR, has heavily relied on cooperation with ČRo since the former dismissed its own correspondents from abroad several years ago. This means that, among others, awarded war reporter Martin Dorazín, who covered the war in Ukraine, as well as reporter Štěpán Macháček, who covered the Middle East, will not be heard on air. According to Slovak Radio employees, this is a significant loss.

In response, STVR says that "Slovak Radio covers its foreign news from several sources, so it will continue to fully report about events from the mentioned areas".

Exquisite garden to be revitalised

The place used for medical sunbathing today is shadowed by cherry trees. (Source: Jana Liptáková)

Koch Garden, sprawling above the private brick-façade Koch Sanatorium on a steep slope in Bratislava’s Old Town, was inaccessible for long years. A fence overgrown with dense foliage did not even allow a small glimpse inside.

While the garden is only a shadow of what it used to be, the city now has a plan to return the garden's lost beauty.

EVENT FOR THE COMING WEEKS

Screening of Studio Ghibli movies

The reconstructed Kino Lumiere. (Source: TASR)

Stating on Wednesday and continuing until the end of September, the Kino Lumiere cinema in Bratislava will be screening Studio Ghibli movies, including Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro, The Boy and the Heron and more. The screenings will be held on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday each week, with a special lecture preceding the movie each Wednesday. Learn more and get your tickets here.

IN OTHER NEWS

An initiative to support Slovak culture has been established in Czechia, with local artists saying that they are concerned about the development in Slovakia. It was initiated by actor, director and teacher at the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts, Břetislav Rychlík and his colleagues, according to whom institutions and individuals could support Slovak culture through direct cooperation with Slovak artists and experts. An establishment of a Czech-Slovak cultural fund to financially support affected individuals and their families has also been proposed. (Novinky.cz)
The Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (SHMÚ) warns of high temperatures throughout the week, in particularly on Wednesday when they may rise to 37 °C accompanied by sultry conditions in the south-west of the country. (TASR)
The Culture Minister's right-hand man Lukáš Machala took to social media to say that the Denník N daily "is finished" at schools. This was a response to information that its reporters educate students about disinformation, social media, and that the daily has been publishing educational manuals since 2017. A campaign for a magazine on the Slovak National Uprising (SNP) is underway, with the publication to be freely distributed to secondary schools. (Denník N)
From August 1, drivers do not have to pay any tolls on the Bratislava highway from its Lamač borough all the way to Stupava, meaning no stamps are required. Motorists can use the highway section between Stupava and Bratislava without a highway sign. (Stupava.sk)
On social media, PM Robert Fico (Smer) said that he is planning to travel to South Korea with the intention of discussing possible cooperation in the construction of a new nuclear unit in the Jaslovské Bohunice plant in western Slovakia. South Korea was mentioned as a potential partner in May during Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár's (Smer) trip to the country. (TASR)
The 28-member Slovak athletic team won only a single medal at the recent Olympic Games in Paris, making the event a disappointment for Slovak sport, said Jozef Liba, the secretary-general of the Slovak Olympic and Sports Committee. (TASR)

Approximately 9,000 people gathered in Bratislava to protest against recent actions of the Culture Ministry, including the dismissal of directors of the Slovak National Gallery and Slovak National Theatre. (Source: TASR)

WEATHER FOR TUESDAY: Light cloud cover, but in some places occasional showers and rain are expected. Daily temperatures will rise to 35 °C. Level 1 and 2 high temperature warning issued for districts in western and central Slovakia, see map here. (SHMÚ)

AUGUST 13 NAME DAY IN SLOVAKIA: Ľubomír

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