MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Monday, 10 August 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Sunday, 9 August): TURANY/BRATISLAVA - A 42-year-old man was found injured near the exit from the D1 motorway at Turany (Zilina region) on Sunday evening, with the nature of his injuries suggesting he may have been attacked by a bear, the Zilina regional police spokesperson Zuzana Sefcikova told TASR on Sunday. "Police patrols were immediately dispatched to the scene, where they secured the area and are monitoring the situation. The man suffered injuries for which he was taken to hospital. The Brown Bear Intervention Team was also called to the scene," Sefcikova said, adding that no further details could be provided at this stage due to the ongoing nature of the incident. Petra Klimesova, the spokesperson for the Emergency Medical Service Operations Centre, told TASR that a rapid medical response unit was dispatched to the injured 42-year-old man. The patient was taken to hospital in Martin with polytrauma and injuries to his chest and head. BRATISLAVA - Opposition's Progressive Slovakia (PS) vice-chair Ivan Korcok should be employed by the party rather than setting up as a sole trader, Labour, Social Affairs and Family Minister Erik Tomas (Voice-SD) declared on TA3's discussion programme 'V politike' (In Politics) on Sunday, suggesting that such self-employment would constitute bogus self-employment. MP Marian Viskupic (SaS), also on the show, said Korcok would probably withstand the matter at the legislative level over receiving payment for his work for the party through his wife's company, but viewed it as a failure from a political and moral standpoint. According to Tomas, it is clear that Korcok wanted to avoid paying social and health insurance levies, and warned that the arrangement could constitute illegal employment, as a family member working for a family business must meet certain conditions. For example, they should not receive remuneration for their work and should be covered by pension insurance elsewhere. The minister expects the relevant authorities to examine the matter. Although Viskupic agreed that politicians should not seek to optimise their taxes and insurance contributions, he said there was a need to change the system so that people had no incentive to do so. In his view, the solution lies in simple, meaningful rules and lower taxes and insurance levies. The two politicians agreed that the state should not give up on people who are difficult to employ, although solutions in this area are long-term. Both agreed that the Slovak economy currently needs foreign workers. Tomas noted in this context that vacancies are mainly available for low-skilled workers, meaning Slovakia is not experiencing a shortage of highly qualified workers. Viskupic, however, sees this as a sign that Slovakia is failing to attract sophisticated jobs because of its poor business environment, while the best "brains" are leaving the country. BRATISLAVA - Speaking on JOJ 24's discussion programme 'Politika 24' (Politics 24) on Sunday, Health Minister Kamil Sasko (Voice-SD) stated that he has already prepared a proposal for a solution to the tender for operating emergency medical service (ZZS) ambulance stations and will present it at professional level shortly. "The tender, or the allocation of stations, clearly cannot and will never operate as it has until now. This is due to the decision of the Public Procurement Authority. In the coming period, certainly within a matter of weeks, the Health Ministry's proposal on how the whole system should operate will be submitted for discussion to the Commission for Urgent Health Care," Sasko said. He added that the proposal will reflect the new reality in light of the office's decision. According to the minister, it is a very good solution that was developed following long-term discussions with all relevant stakeholders. The minister also confirmed that new air-conditioning units funded by the ministry are gradually being installed in hospitals. "When I was in Kosice last week, for example, 14 units were being installed at the children's hospital and 30 units at Kosice's university hospital; in Bratislava, there are 60," he said. He reiterated that systemic solutions are also necessary in this area. "The wiring, electricity and so on need to be completely overhauled, which involves much larger investments," he said, adding that he plans to submit a proposed solution at an August government session. The minister also commented on the planned merger of private health insurers Dovera and Union. "For healthcare, the best solution is to have a combination of private, public, European and other sources. So I have no problem with this. What's important is that there is thorough monitoring, thorough oversight and a strong regulator," he said. VALCA/BRATISLAVA - A bear attacked a man riding a bicycle in the Valcianska Dolina valley near Martin (Zilina region) on Saturday evening (8 August), pulled him to the ground and caused multiple injuries, TA3 television reported on Sunday, adding that the man has been taken to a hospital in Martin. Petra Klimesova, the spokesperson for the Emergency Medical Service Operations Centre, told TASR that two emergency medical service crews attended the scene. "Rescuers transported the 55-year-old man, who had multiple open wounds, to a hospital in Martin," she added. MALACKY/BRATISLAVA - The Malacky District Office (Bratislava region) has declared a state of emergency over a large-scale fire in the Zahorie Military District, with an eye towards enabling more effective coordination of the forces and resources deployed in the affected area, Malacky District Office head Robert Petko told TASR on late Saturday (8 August). Petko underlined that the lives and health of residents are not currently at risk. "The reason is the scale of the fire and the fact that the affected area is located within a military district, outside the territories of the towns and municipalities in Malacky District," Petko explained. According to him, declaring a state of emergency also allows additional measures to be used to tackle the fire and its aftermath. He assured the public that the situation was being continuously monitored and pledged to keep it informed of any developments. The forest fire in the Zahorie Military District broke out on Saturday afternoon. According to Michal Bachraty, the spokesperson for the Defence Ministry, it was brought under control in the early evening. Dozens of professional and volunteer firefighters, along with firefighting equipment and helicopters, are involved in tackling the blaze. Military equipment is also expected to assist with clearing up the aftermath. jrg