By Tim Binnall
A Slovakian politician understandably raised eyebrows in his country when he suggested to a reporter that the Earth may be flat. Chief of Staff for the Culture Ministry, Lukáš Machala, reportedly put forward the very weird argument during a recent television interview. In discussing a new proposed public broadcaster, he was asked if those with alternative views, such as Flat Earthers, would be allowed airtime on the state-sponsored outlet. In response, Machala offered a rather surprising question of his own: "has it been proved that the Earth is round?"
Continuing this line of thinking, Machala queried the reporter "have you been into outer space? No, nor have I." As such, he ultimately mused that "I don't know" whether the Earth is round or flat. As one might imagine, Machala's curiosity concerning the shape of the planet garnered him a considerable amount of ridicule in his country, leading him to lambast the program while insisting that "I am not a conspiracy theorist." That said, the politician notably did not dismiss the infamous Flat Earth theory, despite Slovak astronaut Ivan Bella assuring another media outlet in the country that, indeed, the planet is round.