MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Sunday, 29 June 2025 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Saturday, 28 June): BRATISLAVA/BUDAPEST - As part of the regular rotation of diplomats, the Foreign Affairs Ministry has appointed Eva Ivancova to head the Slovak Institute in Budapest, the ministry's communication department has informed TASR, adding that strengthening ties between cultural and economic diplomacy will be her priority. "We are working to bring Slovakia closer to Hungarians through the institute, to present not only what it has to offer in terms of culture... but also to make Slovakia known as a good place to do business and invest. At the same time, my goal is to expand the activities of the institute from Budapest to Hungarian regions," said Ivancova. Ivancova has 12 years of experience in the field of international cooperation - she worked at the Foreign Affairs Ministry's headquarters, at the Consulate General in St. Petersburg, and at the Embassy in Oslo, where she served as a deputy ambassador. Slovakia has nine active Slovak institutes: in Berlin, Budapest, Jerusalem, London, Paris, Prague, Rome, Warsaw and Vienna, said Foreign Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar. "Slovak institutes in these metropolises present Slovak art and history to the foreign public, spread the good name of our homeland, are a point of support for Slovak compatriots and also create suitable conditions for promoting Slovakia from the viewpoint of investment and innovative potential, as well as an attractive tourist destination," explained Blanar. He announced that the Slovak government intends to open the tenth Slovak institute in Beijing in 2025. BRATISLAVA - The Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV) and the SAV Institute of Astronomy presented the European Solar Telescope (EST) scientific project, a European astronomy scheme focusing on ground-based research on the Sun. Using the solar telescope, scientists want to study the physics of plasma and dynamic phenomena on the Sun. SAV presented the project to the community of experts on Tuesday (24 June) at an event called EST Slovakia Infoday, which aimed to bring together key players from industry, research and public administration and to open a discussion on the possibilities of participating in this pan-European project. According to director of the SAV Institute of Astronomy Peter Gomory, the project has been in preparation since 2008 and is currently in the phase of addressing the financing method. He added that such large scientific projects cannot be funded only via grant schemes, so support from national governments is also expected. „Europe keeps this in mind in the sense that it has created some kind of legislative framework called Eric, where all member states can contribute financially on the basis of their national laws so that such infrastructure can be built," said Gomory. The scientific project also gives space for Slovak companies to get involved. According to Gomory, this is a project that is on the edge of scientific and technological knowledge, so the SAV Institute of Astronomy wants to reach out to companies dealing with new technologies. Gomory opined that companies could be found in Slovakia that could construct the necessary equipment for the solar telescope mirror which will be unique in the world. With the European solar telescope, scientists would like to investigate the plasma physics and dynamic phenomena of the Sun. They want to investigate more closely how solar eruptions are formed, and the scientific findings could also contribute to more efficient use of solar radiation in the energy sector. BRATISLAVA - A police operation called “Active Shield” was carried out from Thursday to Friday in the Bratislava region within the railway zone as part of a Europe-wide initiative organised by the European Association of Railway Police – RAILPOL. During the operation the officers inspected 27 passenger trains, two freight trains, 19 railway stations, five luggage storage facilities, 27 lockers, and 38 individuals. "Between 7.00 a.m. on Thursday (26 June) and 7.00 a.m. on Friday, the operation focused on monitoring compliance with generally binding legal regulations related to the safety and smooth operation of rail transport, identifying unlawful conduct by passengers, railway company employees, and other individuals on passenger trains, in railway stations and their surroundings, preventing theft of passengers’ property, detecting illegal migration, and searching for persons and items," the spokesperson explained. During the inspection, four individuals were fined on the spot for crossing the tracks in prohibited areas. mf