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Last refreshed: 27/07/2026 17:42 · 75 articles added
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High Tatras Region Bids for Europe's Most Desirable Destination Title

The High Tatras region of Slovakia is competing for the title of Europe's most desirable tourist destination, in a bid that could add to its growing collection of international accolades. The High Tatras, located in northern Slovakia along the border with Poland, is the country's premier mountain resort area, known for its dramatic alpine scenery, ski resorts, and national park. The region has previously received international recognition for its tourism offerings, and a successful bid for this latest title would further raise its profile as a top European travel destination. Such recognition typically boosts visitor numbers and supports the local economy, which relies heavily on tourism.

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Society

Dermatologist Highlights Top Ingredients for Slowing Skin Aging

A Slovak dermatologist has identified the most effective skincare ingredients for combating skin aging, naming retinol as the gold standard while citing azelaic acid as her personal top recommendation. The physician outlined which active compounds offer the greatest benefits for those seeking to slow the visible signs of aging, with retinol — a vitamin A derivative long recognized by dermatologists worldwide for stimulating collagen production and accelerating cell turnover — leading the list. Azelaic acid, a naturally occurring compound known for its anti-inflammatory and skin-brightening properties, was singled out as particularly versatile and well-tolerated.

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Society

Living Alone by Choice: Slovak Woman Questions Whether Solitude Comes at a Cost in Old Age

A 34-year-old Slovak woman reflects on her preference for single life, questioning whether choosing to live alone is a personal quirk or simply a different way of living. Having had several short relationships and one more serious partnership, she consistently finds that independent life suits her better — yet wonders whether this choice could leave her disadvantaged in old age. The piece explores the tension many people face between genuine contentment with solitude and social expectations that equate a fulfilling life with being in a long-term partnership. The question of whether it is more practical to seek a partner as a safeguard against loneliness and vulnerability in later years touches on broader social debates about aging, independence, and what constitutes a good life.

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Society

Financial Influencers Who Advised Followers to Invest Now Face Fraud Investigation

A group of financial influencers — social media personalities who promoted investment advice to large audiences — are now in custody and under criminal investigation by Czech and Slovak police, working jointly with Europol, the European Union's law enforcement agency. The influencers, who cultivated images of luxury lifestyles featuring expensive cars and residences in places such as Dubai, are suspected of fraudulent activity related to the investment advice they dispensed to followers. The case highlights the risks posed by so-called 'finfluencers,' individuals who use social media platforms to guide ordinary people toward financial products or investment schemes, often without formal qualifications or regulatory oversight. The cross-border nature of the investigation, involving both Slovak and Czech authorities alongside Europol, suggests the alleged scheme extended across multiple countries.

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Society

Two Traffic Deaths in Slovakia: Elderly Cyclist and Child Die After Road Collisions

Two separate road accidents in Slovakia claimed the lives of an elderly woman and a child within a short period, authorities confirmed. In the village of Veľké Kostoľany, in western Slovakia's Trnava region, an older woman riding a bicycle was struck by a car. She was transported to a hospital in the regional city of Trnava, where she died from her injuries several hours after the collision. Separately, in Trebišov, a town in eastern Slovakia, a child was hit by a vehicle and later died in hospital. Police are investigating the circumstances of both accidents. The two incidents highlight ongoing road safety concerns in Slovakia, particularly regarding vulnerable road users such as cyclists and pedestrians. Authorities have not yet released further details on the causes of either collision.

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Society

Woman Targeted by Fraudster Posing as Priest Offering Apartment Blessing

A woman in Slovakia narrowly avoided being defrauded after a neighbor who offered to have her apartment blessed turned out to be a con artist. The scam was uncovered when the woman's bank flagged unusual transactions on her account and alerted her to the suspicious activity. The case highlights the continued use of social engineering tactics by fraudsters, who exploit trust — in this instance, religious customs — to manipulate victims into financial transactions.

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Society

Slovak Same-Sex Couple Says State Is Ignoring Their Legally Registered Marriage

A same-sex couple in Slovakia say authorities have refused to recognize their marriage for months, leaving them in legal limbo and prompting suspicions of politically motivated obstruction. Martin and Vlado, who are legally married, say the civil registry office — the state body responsible for recording and certifying vital life events such as births, deaths, and marriages — has failed to respond to their case for months, a tactic they describe as deliberate silence. The couple suspects the inaction is the result of political pressure from the highest levels of government. Slovakia does not legally recognize same-sex marriages performed domestically, and the country's conservative-leaning ruling coalition, led by Prime Minister Robert Fico's Smer-SD party, has strongly opposed extending marriage rights to same-sex couples. The case highlights the ongoing tension between LGBTQ+ rights advocates and the Slovak state, and raises questions about whether administrative bodies are being used as tools to sidestep legal obligations stemming from marriages contracted abroad or under other legal frameworks.

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Society

Woman Scammed Out of Savings She Had Set Aside for Ill Son by Man Posing as Priest

A woman in eastern Slovakia has fallen victim to a fraud after being deceived by a man posing as a Catholic priest, losing savings she had put aside to care for her sick son. The case is now under police investigation. Details of the exact amount lost and the circumstances of the deception have not been publicly disclosed, but authorities are treating the matter as a criminal fraud. Scams involving individuals impersonating clergy or other trusted figures exploit the social and religious trust that such roles carry, making victims particularly vulnerable to manipulation.

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Society

Bear That Attacked Man Near Slovak Village Office Killed by Response Team

A brown bear that attacked a man in Závažná Poruba, a village in northern Slovakia, has been killed by a specialized wildlife response team. The incident occurred close to the local municipal office, raising alarm about the proximity of dangerous wildlife to populated areas. Following the attack, the village has called for stricter regulations to better protect residents from bear encounters. Brown bears are a protected species in Slovakia, but rising numbers and frequent human encounters in recent years have sparked ongoing debate between conservationists and local communities over how to manage the population and ensure public safety.

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Society

Slovak Mother and Daughter Speak Out on System's Failure to Help Mentally Ill Family Member

A Slovak mother and daughter are speaking out about what they describe as a systemic failure by the state to provide adequate support or protection when their husband and father developed a serious mental illness. Ľubomíra Števová, a 57-year-old high school teacher in Bratislava, and her daughter Miriam, a 31-year-old veterinarian working in Prague, say that police, doctors, and the courts all failed to respond effectively as the man's condition deteriorated. The father, a formerly active and well-educated forestry engineer with no prior history of mental health problems, fell ill several years ago, leaving the family to navigate a system they say was unable to help them. According to the women, rather than receiving meaningful assistance, the family was effectively left to deal with the crisis alone — with devastating consequences. The case highlights broader concerns about gaps in Slovakia's mental health care system, including the coordination between medical institutions, law enforcement, and the judiciary when dealing with individuals experiencing acute psychiatric episodes. Critics and advocacy groups have long argued that Slovakia lacks sufficient crisis intervention mechanisms and legal tools to compel treatment for mentally ill individuals who may pose a risk to themselves or others, leaving families in prolonged and often dangerous situations with little recourse.

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Society

Prosecutor Drops Triple Murder Charges in Eastern Slovakia Over Insanity Finding

A prosecutor in eastern Slovakia has halted criminal proceedings against a man accused of killing three family members, ruling that he cannot be held criminally responsible due to insanity at the time of the crime. The suspect had been charged in connection with the murders of three relatives in Vranov nad Topľou, a town in the Prešov region of eastern Slovakia, in January. The prosecutor determined that the man's mental state at the time of the killings meant he lacked the legal capacity to be held accountable under Slovak criminal law. Under Slovak legal standards, a person found to be in a state of insanity — meaning they were unable to understand or control their actions due to a mental disorder — cannot be criminally prosecuted. While the charges have been dropped, the case may still result in the suspect being ordered into compulsory psychiatric treatment, a measure Slovak courts can impose in place of criminal punishment when a person is deemed not criminally responsible.

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Society

Nitra Hospital Closes Part of Internal Medicine Ward Due to Nursing Shortage

A hospital in Nitra, a regional city in western Slovakia, has been forced to close part of its internal medicine clinic after failing to recruit sufficient nursing staff. The closure has reduced the ward's bed capacity by approximately one quarter, limiting the number of patients the facility can treat at any given time. The development reflects a broader and persistent staffing crisis in Slovakia's healthcare system, where hospitals across the country have struggled to retain nurses due to comparatively low wages and demanding working conditions. The shortage has prompted some medical professionals to seek employment in wealthier European Union countries, leaving Slovak facilities understaffed. The partial closure in Nitra raises concerns about access to medical care for patients in the region who depend on the hospital for treatment.

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Society

Man Who Kicked Pregnant Partner and Threatened to Kill Her Sentenced to Prison

A man in eastern Slovakia who physically assaulted his partner and threatened to kill her has been handed a prison sentence, moving from pre-trial detention into a full custodial term after entering a guilty plea. The man had kicked his partner in the abdomen and made explicit death threats against her. He originally faced up to three years in prison, but received a reduced sentence in exchange for his confession. The case highlights the ongoing issue of domestic violence in Slovakia, where courts have increasingly moved toward custodial sentences for perpetrators of intimate partner violence.

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Society

Prešov Public Transport Adds Hybrid MAN Bus to Its Fleet

The public transport operator in Prešov, a city in northeastern Slovakia, has expanded its fleet with a new hybrid-powered MAN bus. The vehicle will enter service following technical adjustments and preparation. The addition of a hybrid bus marks a step toward more environmentally friendly urban transport in the region, as Slovak cities gradually modernize aging public transit fleets with cleaner technologies.

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Society

Slovak Ethnologist Recalls Landmark Holocaust Survivor Research That Broke Decades of Silence

A pioneering oral history project conducted in Slovakia in the 1990s revealed the depth of trauma carried by Holocaust survivors — many of whom spoke about their wartime experiences for the first time during the research. Ethnologist Peter Salner, together with colleagues, conducted interviews with 148 Holocaust survivors in Slovakia between 1995 and 1997, in what was the first study of its kind in the country. The project was initiated by Yale University in the United States as part of a broader effort to document survivor testimonies. Salner has reflected on the profound impact the research had on his own understanding of the Holocaust. Despite believing he was well-informed on the subject before the project began, he said that after the first interviews he realized he had known almost nothing. The testimonies revealed that many survivors had never previously spoken publicly — or at all — about what they had endured, underscoring how deeply suppressed the trauma remained decades after World War II. The Holocaust in Slovakia was a particularly dark chapter in the country's history. During the wartime Slovak State, a Nazi-allied regime, more than 70,000 Slovak Jews were deported, the vast majority to Nazi extermination camps where they perished. The Yale-initiated project, known internationally as the Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies, sought to preserve survivor accounts before they were lost to time. Salner's work helped bring that effort to Slovakia, creating a historical record that had not previously existed in the country.

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Society

Slovak Government Office Flags Forced Relocation of Roma Settlement Residents as Irregular

Slovakia's Office of the Government Plenipotentiary for Roma Communities has declared the eviction of residents from the Lubina Roma settlement irregular and has launched a review of the circumstances surrounding their relocation. The office, which is a government body responsible for coordinating state policy toward Roma communities — one of Slovakia's largest and most marginalized minority groups — raised concerns about how the removal of residents from the settlement was carried out. Officials said the process was non-standard and warranted further investigation. Forced or unplanned relocations of Roma communities have long been a sensitive issue in Slovakia, often drawing criticism from human rights organizations and European Union institutions. The EU has repeatedly called on Slovak authorities to ensure that any displacement of Roma residents complies with legal standards and respects the fundamental rights of those affected. The outcome of the review could have implications for local authorities responsible for managing the relocation.

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Society

Slovak Geneticist Urges Patients to Request Genetic Testing After Years Without Diagnosis

Patients who have spent years seeking a correct diagnosis for unexplained medical conditions should actively request genetic testing, according to Slovak geneticist Róbert Petrovič. Speaking on the medical programme Vizita, Petrovič said that where there is a justified clinical reason, patients have the right to pursue genetic examination as a diagnostic tool. Genetic testing can be crucial for identifying rare or hereditary conditions that may be missed by conventional diagnostic approaches, potentially ending long and frustrating diagnostic journeys for patients and their families.

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How to Avoid Surprise Phone Bills While Traveling Abroad This Summer

As summer holiday season gets underway, Slovak travelers are being reminded how to manage mobile data usage abroad and avoid unexpectedly high phone bills upon returning home. While EU roaming rules allow Slovak residents to use their mobile data plans at no extra cost within European Union member states — under the 'Roam Like at Home' regulation in place since 2017 — charges can rise sharply when traveling outside the EU, such as to popular destinations in Turkey, Egypt, or the United States. Travelers are advised to use measures such as enabling airplane mode with Wi-Fi only, purchasing local SIM cards, using hotel or café Wi-Fi networks, or activating a dedicated international data package through their Slovak mobile operator before departure. Checking roaming settings and data limits before leaving is recommended as the simplest way to avoid unwanted charges.

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Last Artillery Veteran of Slovak National Uprising Dies

František Švidraň, the last surviving artillery soldier of the Slovak National Uprising, has died. Švidraň was one of the final living links to the 1944 armed resistance against Nazi occupation, in which Slovak soldiers and partisans rose up against the German-backed wartime Slovak state. In his final message to younger generations, he urged them to take pride in Slovakia's role on the right side of history. "Value the fact that as Slovaks we joined, through our precious Slovak National Uprising, the right side of history. Speak of it especially to the young, so they know, do not forget, and are proud of it," he said. The Slovak National Uprising, known by its Slovak initials SNP, remains one of the most significant events in Slovak national memory and is commemorated as a public holiday each year on August 29.

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Slovak Commentary Calls for Broader Condemnation of Forced Roma Sterilizations

A Slovak opinion piece has renewed attention to the longstanding issue of the forced and coerced sterilization of Roma women in Slovakia, arguing that condemnation must extend beyond cases of direct coercion to also include sterilizations carried out through deception and misinformation. The practice of sterilizing Roma women without proper informed consent is a documented human rights violation that has haunted Slovakia for decades. Investigations and legal cases have established that Roma women were in some instances sterilized without fully understanding what was being done to them, often in state-run medical facilities. The European Court of Human Rights and international human rights organizations have repeatedly criticized Slovakia over these cases, and the Slovak government has faced pressure to formally acknowledge and apologize for the abuses. The commentary underscores that a genuine reckoning with this chapter of Slovak history requires acknowledging the full spectrum of wrongdoing — not only outright forced procedures, but also those achieved through manipulation or the withholding of truthful medical information from vulnerable women.

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