MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Sunday, 19 July 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Saturday, 18 July): BRATISLAVA - The Slovak Parliament will once again open its doors to the public, with an Open Day taking place this year jointly with the Presidential Palace on 30 August, as was the case in 2025, despite the parliament building undergoing renovation during the summer months, Parliamentary Speaker Richard Rasi (Voice-SD) announced on social media. The Presidential Palace also confirmed the date on social media. As before, the Parliament's Open Day will take place in the Parliament's main building at Alexander Dubcek Square, as well as throughout the Bratislava Castle complex. Visitors will be able to see premises that are normally closed to the public, including the parliamentary chamber where MPs hold sittings, as well as the representative rooms of Bratislava Castle, where high-level foreign delegations are received. The Parliament's Office has not yet published the detailed programme. In the past, however, the west terrace of Bratislava Castle has hosted presentations by parliamentary caucuses, allowing visitors to meet MPs. The accompanying programme has traditionally included displays of military, police and firefighting equipment, as well as demonstrations by police units and the Financial Administration (the tax and customs office). During the Open Day, the Presidential Palace on Hodza Square usually opens its representative rooms to visitors and also displays all types of state decorations and the state seal. BRATISLAVA - The opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party will address the wiretapping case at the Arts Support Fund (FPU) during a meeting of the parliamentary culture and media committee, proposing a parliamentary inquiry into FPU, TASR was told by Katarina Kopcanova from the PS media department. "I believe that this time our coalition colleagues will not want to cover up the surveillance of employees and will approve the inquiry," said PS MP Zora Jaurova. Listening devices have allegedly been found by Arts Support Fund employees on FPU's premises, head of the FPU Director's Office Daniela Jahnova has confirmed for TASR, adding that law-enforcement authorities are investigating the matter. It was Joj television channel which first broke the news that FPU employees had found the devices under their office desks. According to a statement signed by FPU director Frantisek Kornaj that was provided to TASR on Thursday (16 July), FPU has never engaged in monitoring or wiretapping its employees. The statement claimed that both the timing and manner in which these allegations became public are an attempt to damage the fund and its leadership. HUMENNE - The town of Humenne (Presov region) was hit by a severe storm with hail, torrential rain and strong winds lasting around half an hour on Saturday afternoon, causing extensive damage across the town, according to Marian Skuba from the Humenne council's press department. Parts of Mierova and Nemocnicna streets were flooded within a short period of time, while strong winds uprooted several large trees. "In order to assess the difficult situation, Mayor Milos Mericko visited the affected areas in the very first moments. The situation was monitored and subsequently handled by employees of the Humenne municipal technical services, with rescue and police units also deployed to provide help with removing the trees from roads and coordinating traffic," added Skuba. BRATISLAVA - After previously dispatching a rescue team, Slovakia continues to provide assistance to earthquake-hit Venezuela by sending an in-kind humanitarian aid consignment that took off from Bratislava Airport on Friday (17 July), TASR has learnt from Interior Ministry spokesperson Matej Neumann. The Interior Ministry sent the consignment with a total weight of almost eight tonnes in cooperation with the Foreign and European Affairs Ministry and the Ecumenical and Pastoral Service Centre of the Armed Forces and the Armed Corps of the Slovak Republic. The aid is intended to meet the basic needs of people in the affected areas and comprises technical equipment such as sludge pumps, shelter supplies (tents, beds and blankets), as well as hygiene supplies. Worth more than €65,500 in total, the humanitarian aid includes 22 tents valued at €29,700 and supplied by the Ecumenical and Pastoral Service Centre, with the Interior Ministry covering the rest. "This assistance is an integral part of the EU's broader international response to the critical situation in Venezuela, implemented through the EU's Civil Protection Mechanism. In addition to the Slovak consignment, the cargo aircraft provided by the EU is also transporting humanitarian shipments from Finland and Hungary," explained the Interior Ministry, adding that the transport is co-financed by the EU. jrg