Slovakia (6do encyclopedia)



Introduction:

Slovakia is a landlocked country situated in Central Europe, bordered by Austria to the west, the Czech Republic to the northwest, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, and Hungary to the south. Slovakia covers an area of 49,036 square kilometers and has a population of approximately 5.5 million people. The country’s capital and largest city is Bratislava. Slovakia is a member of the European Union, NATO, the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, and other international organizations.

History:

The history of Slovakia dates back to the 5th millennium BCE, when the first human settlements appeared in the region. In the 9th century CE, Slovakia became part of the Great Moravian Empire. Later, the Kingdom of Hungary annexed Slovakia in the 11th century. During the 20th century, Slovakia was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and later the Czechoslovak Republic. In 1993, Slovakia became an independent state following the peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia.

Culture:

Slovakia has a rich cultural heritage, which includes traditional arts, music, food, and festivals. The country is famous for its folk traditions, including costumes and customs. Slovak cuisine is a mix of local and international influences, with dishes such as bryndzové halušky (dumplings with sheep cheese) and kapustnica (cabbage soup) being popular among locals and tourists alike.

The country has a strong tradition in the arts, with well-known artists such as Andy Warhol, Martin Benka, and Janko Alexy. Slovakia is also home to several historic sites, including the Spiš Castle, the Devin Castle, and the wooden churches of the Slovak Carpathians.

Economy:

Slovakia has a developed high-income economy with a GDP of $115 billion. The country’s economy is heavily reliant on the automotive industry, with companies such as Volkswagen, PSA Peugeot Citroën, and Kia operating in Slovakia. Other key industries include electronics, chemicals, and machinery. Slovakia is also an important transportation hub in Central Europe, with several major highways and rail lines crossing through the country.

Tourism:

Slovakia has become a popular tourist destination in recent years, with its natural beauty, outdoor activities, and historic sites attracting visitors from around the world. The country’s mountainous terrain provides ample opportunities for hiking, skiing, and other outdoor activities, while its many spa towns offer relaxation and wellness treatments. Major tourist destinations include the High Tatras mountain range, the Slovak Paradise National Park, and the medieval town of Banská Štiavnica.

Politics:

Slovakia is a parliamentary republic with a president as the head of state and a prime minister as the head of government. The country has a unicameral legislative body composed of 150 members of parliament. Slovakia is divided into eight regions and 79 districts. The current president is Zuzana Čaputová, and the current prime minister is Igor Matovič.

Conclusion:

Slovakia is a beautiful country with a rich cultural heritage, a developed economy, and a thriving tourism industry. The country’s history, arts, food, and natural landscapes make it an attractive destination for visitors from around the world. Slovakia’s political system is stable, and the country is an active member of several international organizations. As a Central European nation, Slovakia has a unique place in the region and the world, both historically and economically.


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Zelensky wanted Eurovision to be hosted near Ukraine - not UK

Telegraph

23-05-11 09:01


Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he would have preferred Eurovision to be held in a neighbouring country to help Ukrainians attend the ceremony. The UK is hosting the competition this year, as Ukraine was unable to do so on safety grounds. Zelensky previously promised to host the event in Mariupol. Ukraine won Eurovision in 2022 with Kalush Orchestra in Turin.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/05/11/zelensky-eurovision-hosting-nation-uk/
Ukraine’s Hidden Advantage

Foreign Affairs

23-05-11 04:00


Despite previous doubts regarding Europe's commitments to Ukraine, its efforts in providing training and expertise to the military forces continue to be crucial to Ukraine's success on the battlefield. Training and advisory programmes provided by Canada, Lithuania, Poland, the United Kingdom and the United States, between 2014 and 2022, have enabled Ukrainian forces not only to improve military strength and discipline, but also to absorb irregular warfare tactics learned from Western advisers. Existing training continues to be crucial to Ukraine as over 120,000 personnel have been killed or wounded over the last year, and replacements still need to be trained in basic skills. As such, the European Union is providing all of Ukraine's basic combat training.

European countries have been providing a wider array of weapons systems and equipment to the Ukrainians compared to the US, which in terms of the volume of aid, is the biggest donor. European countries’ advantage in leading the training on these specific systems is from their familiarity with a wider variety of equipment and weapons systems than their counterparts in the US. These European contributions will improve Ukraine’s capabilities to protect its infrastructure and civilians, which it has struggled with due to Russia’s use of Iranian drones, ballistic and hypersonic missiles to cause collateral damage throughout the country. The importance of Europe’s contribution will only increase as Ukraine needs to improve its capabilities to coordinate large masses of forces and firepower in what is known as combined arms manoeuvre, to recapture Russian-occupied territory.


https://www.foreignaffairs.com/ukraine/russia-war-ukraines-hidden-advantage

Czech president: Ukraine could have our L-159 jets

Reuters

23-05-10 15:11


The Czech Republic is considering giving Ukraine some of its L-159 fighter jets to support a planned counter-offensive. The L-159 is designed for air support of ground forces, reconnaissance and for air combat missions. The decision on military shipments will fall to the Czech government. Ukraine is asking allies to overcome hesitation about supplying modern fighter jets.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/czech-president-ukraine-could-have-our-l-159-jets-2023-05-10/
Lawmakers pave way for EU to ratify treaty protecting women

The Toronto Star

23-05-10 12:31


The European Union (EU) is a step closer to ratifying the Istanbul Convention, a landmark treaty protecting women from violence. Lawmakers in Strasbourg voted in favour of the convention, which obliges state authorities to take steps to protect women from gender-based violence. Six EU member countries, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia, have opposed the treaty. It was signed in 2011 and the EU signed in 2015, but ratification has been delayed. The EU court of justice has previously stated the Council could ratify the treaty without unanimity.

https://www.thestar.com/news/world/europe/2023/05/10/lawmakers-pave-way-for-eu-to-ratify-treaty-protecting-women.html
Stronger Japan-NATO ties were bound to happen

Japan Times

23-05-10 09:03


Japan is reportedly working to upgrade its relationship with NATO while the group looks to open its first Asia-based liaison office in Tokyo. Japan and NATO officials are working towards concluding a new agreement on cooperation before the next NATO summit in July. However, Japan's security threats are a world away in Asia and its constitutional provisions limit how far the country's Self-Defense Forces can go in formal cooperation with NATO militaries. Sources say it is a product of measured and deliberate advancements of a security partnership that is adapting to new domains and building upon a shared commitment to a rules-based international order, from a years-long process that was accelerated by Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. Suggestions that a possible 2016 planting of a Chinese undersea cable in waters close to Japan in dangerous locations that carry US military and intelligence data may have motivated Japan’s move are just speculation.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2023/05/10/commentary/japan-commentary/nato-japan-relations/
A comprehensive taxonomy of central bank logos, with jokes

Financial Times

23-05-16 04:24


Central banks have logos, and creative powerhouses they are not. Marking their presence as the guardians of monetary policy in countries around the world, the designs range from the minimalist and hipster chic to outlandish and bordering on kaiju-like. Worryingly perhaps, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has a hyper-detailed quasi-skeuomorphoglossy new logo that signifies "integrity and competence" – perhaps to compensate for its current placing in CNN's ranking of world central banks by size where it came in 50th, poised between Latvia and Serbia.

https://www.ft.com/content/9a7306bb-a226-4682-ad75-a29f62024d4e
Italy and EU allies "have the numbers" to block Euro 7 emission rules, Salvini says

Reuters

23-05-16 11:58


Italy's transport minister, Matteo Salvini, has stated that Italy and its allies in the European Union have the power to block the Euro 7 regulation, which tightens vehicle emission limits for pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide from 2025. Salvini mentioned France, the Czech Republic, Romania, Portugal, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Poland, and Hungary as countries with the numbers to block the regulation.

https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/italy-eu-allies-have-numbers-block-euro-7-emission-rules-salvini-says-2023-05-16/
Russian lawmakers vote to scrap Cold War armed forces deal

The Toronto Star

23-05-16 11:58


Russian lawmakers have unanimously voted to leave the Treaty of Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, an arms control pact, signed in 1990, which aims to prevent rivals from massing troops at or near mutual borders. The deal was not fully ratified until two years later, and in early 2015, Russia first declared its intention to withdraw. Last week, President Vladimir Putin introduced a draft bill to "denounce" the treaty which is contrary to Russia’s security interests. Since last February, hundreds of thousands of Russian troops have poured into Ukraine, a country that shares a border with NATO members Poland, Slovakia, Romania and Hungary.

https://www.thestar.com/news/world/europe/2023/05/16/russian-lawmakers-vote-to-scrap-cold-war-armed-forces-deal.html
Zookeeper found dead in animal enclosure in Slovakia

Associated Press

23-05-16 16:56


An investigation has been launched after a zookeeper was found dead in an animal enclosure in Slovakia. The cause of the death is not yet known, and an autopsy is being carried out. Local media has reported that the zoo breeds lions, tigers, goats, sheep, llamas, camels, donkeys, and monkeys.

https://apnews.com/article/slovakia-zookeeper-killed-e7956008097a40e5ad0f960ddb2573c2
Zelensky toured Europe seeking new weapons. Here’s what he came home with.

Washington Post

23-05-16 13:40


Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has completed a round of state visits to European nations as his country prepares for an expected counteroffensive against Russian forces. During the trip, national leaders pledged military aid, weapons, training, and support, including artillery, combat vehicles, missiles, drones and longer-range missiles. Among the strongest commitments were those made by Germany, which pledged $2.95 billion in a new package that includes more than 100 combat vehicles, 200 reconnaissance drones, 30 Leopard 1 A5 tanks, 20 Marder armoured personnel carriers and 18 self-propelled howitzers, crucially including IRIS-T air defence systems. France committed to training soldiers, refurbishing weapons, and repairing armoured vehicles and guns. The UK has offered “hundreds of air defence missiles” and “hundreds of new long-range attack drones," as well as training. Italy and Pope Francis were thanked for their efforts so far, but no significant new aid was dedicated.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/05/16/ukraine-aid-weapons-zelensky-europe/
Slovakia's interim government hopes to end political turmoil

Deutsche Welle

23-05-17 09:48


Slovak President Zuzana Caputova has appointed an interim government of technocrats to lead the country until parliamentary elections are held on September 30. The technocratic government, led by Ludovit Odor, has to face a vote of confidence in parliament within 30 days. Slovakia has had three governments in the past three years. Odor is the first member of Slovakia's Hungarian minority to lead the government in Bratislava. The cabinet is taking office at a time of great political crisis and high inflation, which currently stands at 15%.

https://www.dw.com/en/slovakias-interim-government-hopes-to-end-political-turmoil/a-65650650
A crucial deal aimed at averting a global food crisis has been extended. Here’s everything you need to know

CNN

23-05-17 16:38


Russia, Ukraine and Turkey have agreed to extend the UN-brokered Black Sea grain deal which has allowed the safe passage of ships from Ukraine and prevented global food insecurity occuring while Russia blockade vital grain exports. Ukraine is key exporter of grain with it accounting for 10% of the world wheat market, 15% of the corn market, 13% of the barley market, and a key global player in the sunflower oil sector. The agreement has been renewed for a third time for two months as there were fears that it would not be renewed after Russia called for it to be scrapped, citing concerns that a separate agreement with the UN to facilitate shipments of its own foodstuffs and fertilisers had not yielded results and dissatisfaction with the sanctions imposed by G7 nations. The EU had previously lifted all duties on Ukrainian grain via land to facilitate exports, causing a glut of cheap Ukrainian grain to flow into central and eastern Europe and affecting the sales of local producers.

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/05/17/europe/black-sea-grain-deal-extension-intl-ukr/index.html
Germany and UK say US must decide on fighter jets to Ukraine

Deutsche Welle

23-05-17 16:35


The British and Dutch governments are creating an ad hoc international F-16 fighter jet coalition to help Ukraine to obtain the planes. TOP

The creation of an alliance between the countries comes after US President Joe Biden refused Kyiv’s request to supply F-16 jets. The coalition members include countries that do not have F-16s that Ukraine is interested in obtaining, with Germany’s deployment of supplies in the conflict area needed to be American-led.


https://www.dw.com/en/germany-and-uk-say-us-must-decide-on-fighter-jets-to-ukraine/a-65661790

Factbox: Why Ukraine is bidding for F-16 jets and will it succeed?

Reuters

23-05-17 14:12


Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has revealed he is making progress in persuading the West to supply his country with fighter jets. He has set his sights on getting US-built F-16 jets flown by several NATO nations – Britain and The Netherlands have pledged to help. While no western-designed jets have yet been donated, Poland and Slovakia have given Ukraine 27 Mig-29s to supplement its current fleet. However, Poland can't provide F-16s due to shortage. One alternative to the F-16 could be the JAS Gripen fighter jet produced by Swedish defence manufacturer SAAB.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/why-ukraine-is-bidding-f-16-jets-will-it-succeed-2023-05-17/
Slovaks near vote on banning legal recognition for transgender people

Reuters

23-05-18 15:54


Slovakia's parliament is expected to vote on a proposal that would prohibit transgender people from changing their gender identity on official documents, effectively removing their legal recognition. The amendment would only allow a change in gender on documents if a genetic test showed that it had been incorrectly identified, which would block transgender people from being able to make the change. Human rights groups have criticised the proposal and it is expected to be challenged in the constitutional court. At present, transgender people can legally change their gender and other personal information on their ID cards.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/slovaks-near-vote-banning-legal-recognition-transgender-people-2023-05-18/
Walking in giant footsteps to save iconic Czech shoemaker

Deutsche Welle

23-05-19 08:28


Czech shoe company Botas has been saved by Vasky, a 25-year-old shoe company founded by Vaclav Stanek after he raised "tens of millions" of koruna to buy the business. Botas, which has made trainers since the 1920s, is known for providing footwear to Soviet sports stars and legends like Olympic champions Emil Zatopek and Vera Caslavska. The company still operates a network of stores across the Czech Republic and produces shoes for Nordic walkers and hikers. Botas was seeing a fall in output of trainers to 10,000 pairs per year and ceased production altogether at the start of this year. Vasky has six standalone shops and two production sites, turning over €11.1m last year, and will move production of Botas's shoes 100 km from their factory base in Skutec to their main site in Zlin.

https://www.dw.com/en/still-for-sale-botas-shoes-made-in-the-czech-republic/a-65629762
Ukrainian firms venture abroad for growth as war hits home

Reuters

23-05-19 06:34


With Ukraine's economy and consumer spending slumping dramatically, many businesses are turning to new markets, particularly those in Poland and Eastern Europe. Almost 5 million Ukrainians have been registered as leaving to reside in Europe, including over 1.5 million in Poland. Some firms are also looking towards Latvia and the Czech Republic, whilst others have acquired foreign brands to help tap into existing markets as well as expand in new ones, and two businesses are investing in production expansion in Ukraine and Lithuania to back up a forecasted 60-70% increase in exports by 2028.

https://www.reuters.com/markets/europe/ukrainian-firms-venture-abroad-growth-war-hits-home-2023-05-19/
Under-20 World Cup kicks off in Argentina for future soccer stars

Associated Press

23-05-19 05:55


Argentina will host the Under-20 World Cup after replacing Indonesia, which was forced to withdraw as a participant and organiser due to protests against hosting the Israel football team. The late switch of venues was a dramatic race to the start line for participants and organisers alike. The competition, involving 24 international teams, started on May 20 in four Argentinean cities. Argentina, which failed to qualify initially, will participate as host. Other contenders are continental champions England, Brazil and Senegal, who had a perfect qualification campaign in Africa. The top two teams of each of the six groups and the four best third-place finishers will advance to the round-of-16. European teams have won the most recent four editions of the Under-20 World Cup, staged for the 23rd time.

https://apnews.com/article/u20-world-cup-argentina-soccer-fifa-0668efaa7d6bb425a8e1ea3a009d2eea
LFS labour’s lost

Financial Times

23-05-19 10:20


The decline of response rates to statistics in the UK and the US, largely due to the Covid-19 pandemic, is making it harder for data to be "smoothed and gaps must be filled", which could skew results. In the US, the JPMorgan Asset Management note revealed declining response rates to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ current employment survey and Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS). Response rates for the active sample in JOLTS only improved to 64% from 58% between releases, while in the UK, the percentage of respondents to the Labour Force Survey has been steadily falling since the pandemic. While Eurostat identified issues with under-coverage in almost half the countries it contacted through the European Union Labour Force Survey, the response rate is still unclear. With less data to work with, statisticians are unable to offer broad accuracy, and data released in different formats can lead to large backwards revisions, which poses a risk to the reliability of statistics.

https://www.ft.com/content/6c92d9cb-d5f6-466d-9aad-3f28ef614f13