Dávka - Your daily dose of Slovak news
Last refreshed: 28/07/2026 05:39 · 38 articles added
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Missing Man Found Dehydrated Near Hungarian Border in Eastern Slovakia

A man who went missing in a forested area near the Hungarian border in the Zemplín region of eastern Slovakia was found alive, dehydrated but uninjured, following a search operation. Emergency and rescue teams combed the woodland terrain before locating the individual. Zemplín is a historically and geographically distinct region in Slovakia's far east, bordering Hungary, characterized by extensive rural and forested landscapes that can make search operations challenging.

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Society

Slovakia Opens Home Renovation Grants of Up to €11,000 for Low-Income Households from July 15

Slovakia will launch a new state grant program on July 15, offering low-income households up to €11,000 to fund home renovation and energy efficiency improvements. The scheme is designed to help financially vulnerable homeowners cover the costs of upgrading their properties, which can include insulation, heating systems, and other structural improvements that reduce energy consumption. The program reflects broader efforts across the European Union to improve building energy efficiency and reduce household energy costs, with grants targeted specifically at those least able to afford renovations on their own.

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Society

Man Arrested After Returning to Home He Was Ordered to Leave, Becoming Aggressive

A man in Slovakia was arrested and charged with obstructing an official decision after returning to a residence from which police had previously barred him. Officers had issued a formal removal order — a legal measure allowing police to expel a person from a shared home, typically used in domestic dispute situations to protect other occupants — but the man returned the following day and behaved aggressively. Police responded and detained him, placing him in handcuffs. He now faces criminal charges for violating the terms of the official removal order.

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Society

Slovak Customs Seizes Kratom on Bus at Hungarian Border Crossing

Slovak customs and financial administration officers seized 500 grams of kratom during an inspection of a bus at the Vyšné Nemecké border crossing, located on Slovakia's border with Ukraine. Kratom, a plant-derived psychoactive substance originating from Southeast Asia, is classified as a banned narcotic in Slovakia. The seizure was made as part of routine border control checks on passenger vehicles.

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Society

Should Twins Be Separated Into Different School Classes? Advice for Slovak Parents

A parenting question gaining attention in Slovakia asks whether twin children benefit from being placed in separate school classes. The case involves 8-year-old twin boys whose parents have noticed that while their close bond is natural and positive, it also creates complications in their development. One twin is noticeably more confident, assertive, and communicative, while the other is quieter and more reserved — a dynamic that raises questions about whether shared classroom environments reinforce dependency and hinder individual growth. Child development experts generally suggest that separating twins into different classes can encourage each child to build independent social skills, develop their own identity, and form relationships outside the sibling bond. However, the decision depends on the specific emotional needs of each child and should be made in consultation with teachers and school counselors. For Slovak families navigating the question, the key consideration is balancing the emotional security the twins provide each other against the developmental benefits of fostering individual independence.

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Society

Tesco Slovakia Donates Over 66 Million Meals Worth of Food in a Decade

Tesco Slovakia has donated more than 66 million meal portions worth of food to people in need over the past ten years, the supermarket chain announced. Since 2016, the British retail giant's Slovak operations have systematically reduced food waste in its stores by 81 percent, redistributing unsold food on a daily basis rather than discarding it. Over the ten-year period, the company rescued a total of 27,593 tonnes of food, which were converted into approximately 66.55 million meal portions for vulnerable people. Tesco is considered a leader in food waste reduction among supermarket chains operating in Slovakia.

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Society

Elderly Czech Tourist Dies After Fall in Slovak Mountain Area

An elderly Czech tourist died after falling in the mountains below the Sokolie ridge in the Vrátna valley area of northwestern Slovakia. Mountain rescue teams recovered her body and transported it by stretcher down to Vrátna, a popular resort village in the Malá Fatra mountain range. The circumstances of the fall were not detailed, but such incidents are not uncommon in the area, where steep terrain poses significant risks to hikers.

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Society

Breast Milk Bank in Bardejov Marks Seven Years Supporting Newborns

A breast milk bank in Bardejov, a city in northeastern Slovakia, is marking seven years of operation providing donated human milk to newborns who cannot receive it from their own mothers. The facility is a specialized medical unit that collects, processes, and stores donated breast milk for infants whose mothers are unable to breastfeed due to illness, complications, or other medical reasons. Such banks play a critical role in neonatal care, as human milk provides essential nutrients and antibodies that support the immune systems of vulnerable newborns, particularly premature infants. The Bardejov bank is one of a small number of such facilities in Slovakia, helping to ensure that the most vulnerable babies have access to safe, tested donor milk when their mothers cannot provide it.

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Society

Motorcyclist Dies After Striking Barrier in Vlkyňa

A motorcyclist was killed after colliding with a barrier in Vlkyňa, a village in Slovakia. Police have opened a criminal investigation into the incident on suspicion of causing death, a charge used under Slovak law when a fatality results from negligent or reckless conduct. Further details about the circumstances of the crash are under investigation.

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Society

Slovak Police Release Recording to Warn Public About Phone and Online Transfer Scams

Slovak police have published an authentic audio recording exposing the tactics used by fraudsters who pressure victims into transferring money over the phone or via the internet. The recording illustrates how scammers create a sense of urgency and time pressure to manipulate people into acting quickly before they can think critically or seek advice. Police are urging the public not to trust anyone who contacts them by phone or online and requests a money transfer, regardless of how convincing or official the caller may sound. Authorities warn that these scams often involve callers posing as bank employees, police officers, or other trusted figures to gain the victim's confidence before persuading them to move funds.

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Society

Opinion: Weight-Loss Injections Like Mounjaro Offer False Promise, Expert Warns

Popular injectable weight-loss drugs such as Mounjaro, Wegovy, and Ozempic — medications that suppress appetite by mimicking gut hormones — may cause serious metabolic and muscular side effects, according to a commentary by fitness and nutrition expert Miloš Malejčík. While the drugs effectively reduce hunger, Malejčík argues that users risk long-term damage to their metabolism and significant loss of muscle mass in exchange for short-term weight reduction. The opinion piece warns that relying on these injections without addressing underlying lifestyle habits amounts to a costly trade-off that undermines the body's natural biological processes.

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Society

Comenius University Secures Nearly Half of Slovakia's Excellence in Science Grant

Comenius University in Bratislava has secured nearly half of a government grant allocated for excellence in scientific research, dominating the latest round of funding distributed among Slovak higher education institutions. The university, Slovakia's largest and oldest, outpaced competing institutions by a significant margin in claiming the subsidy, underlining its position as the country's leading research center. The concentration of such a large share of public research funding at a single institution is likely to fuel debate about the distribution of academic resources across Slovakia's university sector.

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Society

Slovak Village Residents Have Gone 16 Years Without Reliable Tap Water

Residents of a Slovak community have been without a regular supply of safe drinking water from their taps for 16 years, forcing them to rely on bottled water purchased from shops for their daily needs. The prolonged water supply failure highlights a persistent infrastructure problem affecting some rural communities in Slovakia, where aging or inadequate water systems have left households unable to depend on basic utilities. The situation underscores broader challenges facing smaller municipalities in maintaining and upgrading essential public services.

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Society

Man Threatens to Blow Up Apartment Block After Facing Eviction Through Auction

A man in Slovakia threatened his neighbors that he would open a gas valve and blow up their apartment building after learning he was set to lose his flat through a forced auction. Police were called to the scene and the man was taken into custody. He now faces the prospect of homelessness upon his release from pretrial detention, as the auction of his property is expected to proceed. Forced property auctions in Slovakia are a legal mechanism used to recover unpaid debts, and disputes over them occasionally escalate into serious confrontations.

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Society

Plans to Reopen Defunct Landfill in Eastern Slovak Town Raise Safety Concerns

Officials in Snina, a town in eastern Slovakia, are considering reactivating an old, non-functional waste landfill, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from environmental experts. The town currently has no local landfill and is forced to transport its municipal waste to a facility in a neighboring village, adding logistical and financial burdens to local waste management. An expert quoted in connection with the plan has described the proposal as reckless, raising concerns about the safety and environmental risks of reopening a site that had previously been decommissioned. Landfills that have been closed are typically subject to strict environmental regulations in Slovakia and across the EU, as inactive sites can develop contamination issues over time that make reactivation potentially hazardous. The debate highlights a wider challenge facing smaller Slovak municipalities, many of which struggle to manage waste disposal costs and infrastructure independently.

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Society

Crowds Gather for Čaputová-Pavel Debate at Pohoda Festival as Loud Bang Rattles Venue

A highly anticipated public debate between former Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová and Czech President Petr Pavel drew large crowds at the Pohoda music festival in Slovakia, though the event was briefly unsettled when a loud bang echoed through the festival grounds shortly before it was set to begin. Pohoda is one of Central Europe's most prominent open-air music and arts festivals, held annually near Trenčín in western Slovakia. It has a tradition of hosting political and cultural discussions alongside its musical program. The debate between Čaputová, who served as Slovakia's president until June 2024 and is widely regarded as a liberal, pro-European figure, and Pavel, the former NATO general who became Czech president in 2023, reflected strong public interest in dialogue between two of the region's most prominent pro-Western political personalities. The nature of the loud bang was not immediately clarified, but the large crowds that had gathered underscored the significant public appetite for civic and political discourse at the event.

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Society

Many Homeless People Unaware of Postal Delivery System Available to Them

Slovakia's public ombudsman has raised concerns about a significant gap in awareness among homeless people regarding an existing postal service system designed to help them receive official correspondence. The ombudsman, an independent constitutional official who investigates complaints about public authorities and advocates for citizens' rights, warned that the lack of awareness carries serious social consequences. Without access to official mail, homeless individuals risk missing critical government communications, including those related to social benefits, legal proceedings, or administrative deadlines — potentially deepening their social exclusion and making it harder to reintegrate into society.

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Society

Tick Season Warning: Quick Shower Won't Remove Attached Ticks, Experts Say

A shower after spending time outdoors will not wash off a tick that has already attached itself to the skin, health experts warn. While a quick rinse does not remove an embedded tick, it can reduce the risk of a tick latching on in the first place and makes it easier to conduct a thorough, step-by-step check of the entire body afterward. Ticks are a significant health concern in Slovakia, as they can transmit Lyme disease and tick-borne encephalitis. Experts recommend carefully inspecting the whole body after outdoor activity, paying close attention to areas such as the hairline, behind the ears, armpits, and the backs of the knees, where ticks commonly attach.

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Society

Bear Attack Near Village Hall Leaves Man with Minor Injuries in Northern Slovakia

A brown bear attacked a man in the village of Závažná Poruba in the Liptov region of northern Slovakia, leaving him with minor injuries. The incident occurred just 100 meters from the local village hall, highlighting how close wildlife encounters have come to populated areas. Nature conservationists are monitoring the area following the attack and are urging residents to exercise increased caution. Brown bear encounters have become a recurring concern in Slovakia, where the animals frequently venture into villages and populated areas, prompting ongoing debate about wildlife management policy.

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Society

Slovak Passengers Stranded at Zakynthos Airport as Bratislava Flight Delayed Over 10 Hours

Slovak travelers found themselves stranded at the airport on the Greek island of Zakynthos after a flight from Bratislava suffered a delay of more than 10 hours. Passengers were left waiting at the popular Ionian island destination, which is a common summer holiday spot for Slovaks, while the inbound flight from Bratislava was also affected by the disruption. No immediate explanation for the cause of the lengthy delay was provided.

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