Unexploded WWII bomb paralysed downtown Bratislava

Good evening. The Tuesday, July 20, 2021 edition of Today in Slovakia is ready with the main news of the day condensed into a read less than five minutes. We wish you a pleasant read.

WWII ammunition stopped transport in the centre of the capital

(Source: TASR)

An unexploded aerial bomb, which was later identified as a WWII bomb that was dropped on Bratislava during the June 1944 bombing, was found at a construction site near the bus station on Tuesday morning.

The police evacuated nearby buildings and the Mlynské Nivy bus station, and closed the adjacent streets. Traffic passing through this part of the city was suspended, while public transport, buses and cars were diverted from the location.

In the afternoon, the crisis staff of Bratislava decided to remove the bomb and move it outside the city, in an undeveloped area. Traffic was restored at around 15:00.

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Only fully vaccinated people to meet the pope

Illustrative stock photo (Source: TASR/AP)

Only people who are fully vaccinated will be allowed to attend the events featuring Pope Francis during his mid-September visit to Slovakia.

This is the only way to allow for a higher capacity for the mass events than the current limit allows (i.e. 1,000 people outdoors) and, at the same time, prevent the uncontrollable spread of the virus, Health Minister Vladimír Lengvarský (OĽaNO nominee) said.

PM Eduard Heger (OĽaNO) said that this step had been approved by the coalition council that met earlier this week.

This means that people who would like to attend services celebrated by the pope and have not been vaccinated yet now have 11 days to register and receive the first shot of a two-dose vaccine in order to be fully immunised in mid-September.

Coronavirus and vaccination news

(Source: SITA)

35 people out of 7,892 tested with the PCR tests were positively diagnosed with the coronavirus disease in Slovakia on July 19, while out of 7,044 new antigen tests, 15 were positive. Four more people died of Covid.
Antigen tests will cost €5 and will be performed in hospitals from August 9, the coalition council agreed. The coalition is yet to agree on the final number of PCR tests carried out per month that will be reimbursed by the state.
Benefits for the vaccinated regarding entering certain premises or attending mass events should be discussed by the parliament again on Friday, July 23, said Zuzana Eliášová, spokesperson of the Health Ministry.

Picture of the day

The picture of a cherry tree near the village of Žabokreky in northern Slovakia captured across all four seasons has become very popular online. Several people have contacted the Slovak photographer.

Jozef Morgoš has been taking photographs of the Turiec region for seven years. (Source: Jozef Morgoš)

Feature story for today

Kysuce, a small region in the north of Slovakia bordering the Czech Republic and Poland, through which the Kysuca river flows, is dominated by hills and scattered rural settlements called osady. These are the core of Kysuce's slowly developing tourism.

In the latest edition of the Spectacular Slovakia podcast, a local shares her travel recommendations within the region, including a visit to the unique Textile Craft Centre in Čadca and the mysterious stone balls.

Scattered around Kysuce, quaint hilltop villages work their magic Read more

In other news

President Zuzana Čaputová appointed five judges of the new Supreme Administrative Court, namely Kristína Babiaková, Zuzana Šabová, Marián Fečík, Juraj Vačok and Juraj Vališ.
The Interior Ministry proposes shortening the moratorium for pre-election polls to 48 hours, from the current 14 days. The previous government attempted to push through the time limit of 50 days, but the Constitutional Court cancelled it after the president addressed it with the matter.
A bear that appeared near Starý Smokovec in the High Tatra and repeatedly returned to Žiarska Valley to search the trash bins was put to sleep. Her two cubs will be moved to a zoo.
The water level of the Danube in downtown Bratislava dropped below 730 centimetres on Tuesday morning, and is expected to continue decreasing.
The European Court of Human Rights decided in favour of former police officer Zoltán Varga who sued the state due his flat being wiretapped by the Slovak Intelligence Service intelligence agency within the Gorilla operation. The court awarded him with a compensation of €9,750, and court costs of €5,562.
The registered unemployment rate in Slovakia decreased in June by 0.16 percentage point month-on-month to 7.76 percent, with labour offices registering 212,635 people ready to take a job immediately. The total unemployment rate dropped by 0.1 percentage points m-o-m to 8.37 percent, according to the data of the Central Office for Labour, Social Affairs, and Family.
Amazon in Slovakia will increase the starting salary from €5.50 to €5.80 per hour from August, meaning that together with a commuting bonus, new employees can now earn at least €1,169 gross per month. The company is currently looking for new employees for its plants in Sereď and Bratislava.