Slovakia

According to a recent survey, people in western Slovakia are more likely to buy a live carp for Christmas than those in the east, for the traditional dinner on 24 December; however, the number is down on previous years

Slovaks have achieved the highest level of English in history and are approaching the top of the world, the country being ranked 15th - the best so far - in the results of the EF English Proficiency Index 2022 survey

In the canyon of Lačnovský, a popular tourist resort near Prešov, a new hiking infrastructure has been added, an imposing metal staircase that makes the stretch along the waterfall safer

Colombian chocolate manufacturer Luker Chocolate has confirmed its intention to acquire a controlling stake in Slovak confectionery company Lyra Group

Thousands of protesters gathered in Prague to honour two gay men shot dead outside a popular bar in Bratislava

Fathers will be entitled to 2 weeks of paid leave, even if the mother receives maternity or parental allowance; the innovation was adopted by the EU directive into Slovakia's national legal system and will enter into force on 1 November

Pensioners entitled to the thirteenth pension will receive this benefit for the second time this year, but the amount will be reduced in November by a coefficient of 0,7, according to an amendment to Thirteenth Pension Law that was approved by Government

The past two years have seen an increase in extremism cases and the police initiated 28% more prosecutions for extremism in 2020 than in the previous year, the Slovak Interior Ministry said in its annual report

The government has approved a proposal that aims at reducing and simplifying the residency procedures that foreigners have to follow; the simplified course will be applied as of January 2023

Cardinal Jozef Tomko, the Holy See's most influential Slovakian, has died at 98 in Rome; under Pope John Paul II he became prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples and was the third most influential person in the Catholic Church