Public transport routes in the eastern Slovak city of Prešov will be rerouted starting Friday due to the reconstruction of two streets in the city. The changes, which affect bus services, will remain in place indefinitely until the roadwork is completed. No fixed end date for the construction has been announced.
The arrest of the founders of a Slovak investment platform called Seif.Finance has exposed the darker side of social media influencer culture in Slovakia, raising questions about accountability for online personalities who promote potentially fraudulent financial products. The case centers on the detention of the platform's founders on suspicion of financial fraud, with investigators alleging the scheme misled investors. High-profile Slovak influencers, including a popular personality known as Jovinečko, had publicly promoted Seif.Finance to their audiences, lending the platform credibility it may not have deserved. Despite the promotion of unregulated or questionable financial services by influencers being a broader concern, Slovakia's National Bank — the NBS, which serves as the country's financial regulatory authority — has not issued a single fine to any of the influencers involved. The case highlights a regulatory gap in Slovakia, where individuals with large online followings can advertise risky or fraudulent investment products to thousands of followers without facing meaningful financial penalties. Consumer advocates and financial experts are now calling for stricter oversight of influencer-driven financial promotions, as ordinary Slovaks who invested based on such recommendations face potential losses.
A new analysis of injury rates across Slovakia has identified the Turiec region in central Slovakia, the northeastern part of the country, and the Považie area along the Váh River as having the highest rates of accidents. The findings are based on data collected by Dôvera, one of Slovakia's major health insurance companies, which tracks injury-related claims and medical treatments across the country. Such regional breakdowns help public health authorities and insurers identify areas where workplace safety, road safety, or other preventive measures may need strengthening.
A human breast milk bank operating at a hospital in Bardejov, a city in northeastern Slovakia, has completed seven years of service, during which it has provided donated milk to hundreds of newborns. Over the course of its operation, approximately 120 women have donated more than 500 liters of breast milk to the facility. Human milk banks collect, screen, pasteurize, and store donated breast milk primarily for premature or ill newborns who cannot receive their own mother's milk, providing a critical nutritional and immunological resource in neonatal care. The Bardejov bank represents one of the key such facilities in Slovakia's eastern regions, supporting vulnerable infants who might otherwise lack access to this medically recommended nutrition.
Mountain rescue teams have been responding to a string of hiker falls and injuries on trails in the Tatra Mountains, Slovakia's highest mountain range along the border with Poland. Rescuers were forced to travel on foot to reach casualties after poor weather conditions grounded helicopters, slowing response times and complicating operations. The Tatra Mountain Rescue Service, a specialist emergency unit responsible for responding to accidents and medical emergencies across the mountain terrain, provided first aid and assisted injured hikers on-site. The Tatras are a popular destination for both Slovak and international tourists, and trail accidents — particularly falls — are among the most common incidents rescue teams face, especially during busy summer hiking season when varying weather and uneven terrain can catch unprepared visitors off guard.
Slovak police arrested a woman after stopping her vehicle for erratic, uncoordinated driving. Officers found the driver to be intoxicated and discovered she did not hold a valid driver's license. The woman has been charged with two separate criminal offenses in connection with the incident.
A professional hairdresser is debunking common misconceptions about hair oils, clarifying that despite their popularity, hair oils do not actually hydrate hair. The stylist explains that oils work by sealing the hair shaft and adding shine, but moisture must come from water-based products. Among the tips shared: using more than three drops of oil is unnecessary and can weigh hair down or leave it looking greasy.
A Slovak reader has written to an advice column describing the lasting psychological impact of growing up with a narcissistic father and a passive mother, and seeking guidance on how to preserve relationships with siblings and other family members. The reader describes a difficult childhood and adolescence that continues to affect her adult life, while also expressing a complex emotional reality: despite secretly wishing her father were absent from her life, she continues to fulfill his needs, including accompanying him on vacations. The letter reflects a broader social issue of adult children managing the long-term consequences of dysfunctional family dynamics, including strained sibling relationships resulting from a parent's behavior.
The gut microbiome — the vast community of trillions of bacteria living in the digestive tract — plays a significant role not only in digestion but also in immune function, mood, and energy levels. Nutritionists highlight six key foods and beverages that can help maintain and improve microbiome health. A balanced gut microbiome is increasingly recognized by researchers as a cornerstone of overall well-being, making dietary choices that support it an important consideration for everyday health.
A hospital in Ružinov, a district of Bratislava, recorded temperatures exceeding 42 degrees Celsius in patient rooms during a recent heatwave, exposing a severe lack of cooling infrastructure in Slovakia's public healthcare facilities. Doctors and nurses have been forced to pool their own money to purchase portable air conditioning units and hang bedsheets over windows in an attempt to provide relief to vulnerable patients. Medical staff warn that the extreme heat poses serious health risks beyond discomfort — in tropical conditions, the risk of infections rises sharply and patients' wounds can deteriorate rather than heal, turning what should be a recovery environment into a dangerous one. Despite the crisis conditions on hospital wards, Slovakia's health minister has described air conditioning in hospitals as a matter of comfort rather than medical necessity, a characterization that has drawn sharp criticism from healthcare workers on the front lines. The situation highlights a longstanding underinvestment in Slovak hospital infrastructure, leaving medical staff to improvise solutions to protect patients from life-threatening heat.
A director at a Slovak labour inspectorate office is facing accusations of serious workplace bullying from her own employees — the very agency responsible for protecting workers' rights. Staff members described a hostile work environment in which the director allegedly monitored who went to the toilet and when, among other forms of controlling and intimidating behaviour. Despite the gravity of the allegations, an official inspection confirmed the problems, yet the director has retained her position and continues to lead the office. The case has drawn attention due to the obvious irony that the Labour Inspectorate — Slovakia's state body tasked with enforcing workplace standards and protecting employees from mistreatment — is itself the site of alleged systematic bullying by management. The fact that the director was reinstated or remained in her post despite a confirmed inspection finding raises questions about accountability within the institution and the enforcement of the very rules it is meant to uphold.
Mothers of children with serious illnesses in Slovakia are raising concerns that the state is systematically rejecting their applications for care allowances as part of broader government austerity measures. The women suspect that benefit denials are linked to Slovakia's ongoing fiscal consolidation effort — a government-wide push to reduce public spending and bring the national deficit under control. Care allowances are payments provided to parents or guardians who must leave employment to care for a severely ill or disabled child at home. The affected mothers say the rejections appear coordinated rather than based on individual case assessments, fueling suspicion that budgetary targets are influencing what are supposed to be independent administrative decisions. The allegations raise serious questions about whether vulnerable families are bearing a disproportionate share of Slovakia's cost-cutting measures.
A proposed Slovak law targeting school truancy will disproportionately harm the country's most vulnerable children, a social policy analyst has warned. The legislation, championed by Erik Tomáš, a politician from the ruling Hlas-SD party, would introduce penalties aimed at reducing chronic absenteeism in schools. However, analyst Bednárik argues that punitive measures cannot solve a problem rooted in poverty and inadequate infrastructure. Some children in Slovakia's most deprived communities — predominantly Roma settlements in rural areas — walk as far as three and a half kilometers to reach their nearest school, making regular attendance a physical and logistical challenge rather than a matter of choice or parental negligence. Bednárik cautioned that punishing families who are already struggling with hunger and extreme poverty will only deepen their hardship without addressing the structural barriers that keep children out of classrooms. Slovakia has long struggled with educational inequality, particularly among marginalized Roma communities in eastern and central parts of the country, where poverty, poor infrastructure, and social exclusion contribute to high rates of school absence. Critics of the proposed law argue that investment in school transport, social support, and community outreach would be more effective than financial or legal sanctions against impoverished families.
A driver who struck an elderly woman at a pedestrian crossing in eastern Slovakia has been convicted, following a legal process in which he initially denied responsibility and later contested the proposed sentence. The victim did not live to see the conclusion of the court proceedings, having died before the case was resolved. The driver first denied guilt when the case came before the court, and subsequently attempted to reject the sentence near the end of the process. The court ultimately ruled against him. The case highlights the lengthy nature of Slovak criminal proceedings in traffic fatality cases, during which victims or their families must often endure prolonged legal battles before a verdict is reached.
A three-year-old girl named Sophie, who requires supplemental oxygen to survive, has been left without adequate institutional support after Slovak social services authorities denied her family home care assistance, effectively forcing them to transport the critically ill child on public transit with a portable oxygen tank. Sophie's case has drawn public attention to the consequences of Slovakia's ongoing social services reform, which critics say has created gaps in care for the country's most vulnerable residents. Under the reformed system, families with severely ill children have reportedly struggled to access the in-home support they previously relied upon, leaving parents to manage complex medical needs without professional assistance. Slovakia's social services sector has been undergoing significant restructuring in recent years, with changes to eligibility criteria and funding models that advocacy groups and families say have reduced access to care rather than improving it. Sophie's situation has become a symbol of broader frustrations with the reform, with critics — including social workers, disability advocates, and opposition politicians — arguing that the overhaul prioritizes cost-cutting over the welfare of children and adults with serious medical conditions. Calls are growing for the government to urgently review the reform's impact on the most vulnerable cases.
A nationwide police traffic enforcement operation identified dozens of violations in the Prešov region of northeastern Slovakia, with drivers using mobile phones while driving emerging as the most common offence. The operation was part of a coordinated, country-wide effort by Slovak police to crack down on road safety breaches. Using a handheld phone while driving is a leading cause of traffic accidents across Slovakia, and authorities regularly conduct such sweeps to deter dangerous driving behavior.
Slovak police are upholding the conclusions of an independent oversight body's review of their handling of the murder case involving a teacher from Gelnica, a town in eastern Slovakia. The case has prompted authorities to announce steps to improve protection for individuals identified as being at risk. The murder raised serious questions about whether police procedures for safeguarding vulnerable or threatened persons were adequate, and the independent review was conducted to assess the force's conduct. Police say they accept the findings and are committed to strengthening protocols for protecting people deemed to be in danger.
Consumers looking to enjoy premium coffee at home can save money and get a fresher product by purchasing it online rather than in traditional retail stores. Buying directly from roasters or specialist online retailers cuts out middlemen costs, which are typically passed on to shoppers in brick-and-mortar shops. Online purchases also tend to deliver more recently roasted coffee, as products are often shipped shortly after roasting rather than sitting on store shelves for extended periods.
The small Slovak village of Štrba is set to receive a modernized sports facility following a renovation project valued at over 500,000 euros. The upgrade will include the construction of a running oval, new sports courts, and changing room facilities, significantly expanding recreational infrastructure for local residents.
A woman cyclist was injured after being struck by a car in the eastern Slovak city of Prešov. Police say the driver failed to yield the right of way to the cyclist, causing the collision. The woman sustained injuries as a result of the incident.