this 1920s relic is preparing for a stylish return — with public input welcome A lightning-struck water tower that once doubled as an observatory is set for new life in the central Slovak town of Žiar nad Hronom Acquiring the structure through a land swap with the regional government Žiar plans to turn the tower into a café a museum celebrating local aluminium production offering stargazers another chance to peer at the heavens Locals are invited to share ideas for the space while renovation costs will be finalised once project plans are drawn up A helping hand in the heart of Europe offers a travel guide of Slovakia “We first need a designer and documentation Only then can we speak of cost,” said municipal spokesperson Lucia Šovčíková One thing is certain: this forgotten landmark is finally getting a second look A helping hand in the heart of Europe thanks to our Slovakia travel guide with more than 1,000 photos and hundreds of tourist spots Our detailed travel guide to the Tatras introduces you to the whole region around the Tatra mountains Lost in Bratislava? That's impossible with our City Guide The French city of Darnetal is offering residents honey in exchange for cigarette litter, reports Euro Pulse For each 1.5 liter bottle filled with butts volunteers receive a pot of honey from local apiaries 200 kilograms of cigarette butts end up on the sidewalks of Darnetal every year despite the fact that France punishes litterbugs with a fine of €135 per improperly discarded butt The plastic contained in the filters presents risks for water and soil The initiative is designed to motivate people to think about their contribution to environmental pollution European cities have been getting creative in tackling the problem of cigarette litter. In January, Slovakia announced a project to turn discarded butts into asphalt The first road made of cigarette butts was constructed in the city of Ziar nad Hronom ©2025 Nicotine Resource Consortium Working to sustain the natural world for the benefit of people and nature WWF® and ©1986 Panda Symbol are owned by WWF You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience During the confinement period, you can access PSG TV Premium for free and enjoy all this season's match videos. Learn more The Paris Saint-Germain midfielder has been picked by Bert Konterman to play in three friendlies in preparation for the U19 EURO qualification phase starting on 10 November Wednesday 6 October at 16:00 : Netherlands – Portugal (SNP Stadium in Banská Bystrica in Slovakia)Saturday 9 October at 19:00 : Slovakia – Netherlands (Mestský štadión ‎in Ziar nad Hronom in Slovakia)Tuesday 12 October at 16;00 : Germany – Netherlands (SNP Stadium in Banská Bystrica in Slovakia) Operator Slovalco blames high energy costs and government inaction Slovakia's only aluminium producer is shutting down its smelters after 70 years of production which is based in the central Slovak town of Žiar nad Hronom says that after decades of production it can no longer afford to run its last ten remaining furnaces Slovakia will be forced to buy aluminium from foreign sources The aluminium producer had been steadily restricting production in response to rising energy prices. According to the producer, Slovalco originally operated 226 furnaces. The number of furnaces in operation was decreased by 40 percent just over a year ago Alumnium smelting is among the most energy intensive of all industrial processes “The company Slovalco operates based on a long-term contract concerning supplies of electrical energy,” said managing director of Slovalco Milan Veselý when the firm began restricting its operations which needs stability and predictability to adopt long-term solutions “The shutdown of production is the result of the inaction of the government – the inaction of Environment and the former Finance Minister Igor Matovič (chair OĽaNO) they blocked the adoption of an amendment which would have adjusted the amount of compensation for energy-intensive enterprises to the level of other industrialised EU countries,” Slovalco wrote Veselý says he warned about the current scenario but that the government took an interest in the company only when it was too late despite Slovalco being of strategic importance for Slovakia as aluminium mainly goes to car companies – and with the arrival of Volvo in Košice In July 2022, 133 out of 226 electric furnaces - electrolysers - were running making Slovalco the largest consumer of electricity in Slovakia it consumes eight percent of the country's entire electricity production Although the price of aluminium on the stock exchange has been high the cost of electricity was and is at such a level that according to the company's management Slovalco would have been producing at a deep loss during 2023 Shareholders would probably have accepted the losses for a while but they saw no light at the end of the tunnel Despite the complete shutdown and the absence of financial support from the government the producer does not plan to withdraw from the market for good Slovalco will attempt to maintain the equipment within the factory at stable levels in order to allow for production to restart the producer would still need financial support from the government The shutdown of the furnaces is not the only measure that has been taken to save the producer from bankruptcy About 300 of the company's employees A further 2,500 jobs tied to aluminium manufacturing were thereby put at risk Slovalco now plans to gradually lay off its remaining employers who have kept the production and operation of its furnaces running Slovalco will operate a remelting centre to process aluminium waste which the company put into operation in June last year after the closure of primary aluminium production The rising cost of energy has affected other major employers and producers in Slovakia. About a week after Slovalco announced cuts to its production last year based in Oravský Podzámok (Žilina Region) The 19-year-old midfielder scored both goals for his side in the 76th and 82nd minutes respectively to help the Ziar nad Hronom based side finish impressively ahead of the resumption of the Fortuna Liga The Fajara-born player continues his goal-scoring form for manager Jan Kamenik after finding the back of the net four times in sixteen appearances for FK Pohronie this season The former Real de Banjul player moved to FK Pohronie on 6 March 2020 but his debut was delayed due to the league’s postponement as a result of the coronavirus pandemic Alieu Federa represented The Gambia in the WAFU U-20 champions in 2019 Fadera and his Slovak side FK Pohronie will on Saturday resume their Slovak Fortuna Liga game at home to Nitra FK Pohronie currently occupies twelve position in the league with 12 points after sixteen matches.