(source: m.smedata.sk)
Good evening. The Monday, May 2 edition of Today in Slovakia is ready with the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
Jill Biden will spend Mother’s Day in Slovakia
First Lady Jill Biden attends the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner on April 30, 2022, in Washington. (source: AP/TASR)
First Lady of the United States of America Jill Biden will visit Slovakia during the upcoming weekend.
Her first steps will lead to the American embassy in Bratislava, where she will meet with its staff on May 7. The next day she will travel to eastern Slovakia. The First Lady will spend Mother’s Day with Ukrainian refugees, humanitarian aid workers and Slovaks helping the refugees. In addition to Košice, she will stop in Vyšné Nemecké, a small town at the border with Ukraine.
On Monday, the First Lady will hold talks with government officials. The White House will provide more details later.
Speech: Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky wants to address Slovak MPs in the near future.
Custody will not harm ex-PM Fico
Smer chair Robert Fico in the parliament on April 26, 2022. (source: TASR)
MPs in parliament are debating a request by the General Prosecutor’s Office to allow Smer leader Robert Fico to be taken into custody, based on the serious criminal charges laid against him on April 20.
Parliament’s mandate and immunity committee has already recommended that MPs approve the request, but its decision is not binding on parliament.
If Fico is taken into custody, he will not lose his MP mandate but would be unable to exercise it. Observers agree that this would probably not mean a significant decrease in popular support for Smer.
Fico has been preparing for this moment for two years in the opposition, signalling consistently that any allegations would be political acts designed to harm his party, observers add.
For a deeper insight into current affairs, check out our Last Week in Slovakia piece published earlier today. You can sign up for the newsletter here.
WHAT TO LISTEN TO
BBC interviews PM Eduard Heger
Presenter Stephen Sackur sits down with Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger in Bratislava to talk about the war in Ukraine and the current gas crisis in Europe.
Listen to the BBC HARDtalk interview.
The prime minister recently appeared on Newsnight, which is broadcast on BBC Two. In an interview with Kirsty Wark, he speaks about the war in Ukraine once again.
Slovak PM is interviewed by the BBC on April 28, 2022. (source: Facebook/Eduard Heger)
If you like what we are doing and want to support good journalism, buy our online subscription. Thank you.
IN OTHER NEWS
3,392 Ukrainian refugees arrived in Slovakia on May 1. A total of 116 of refugees applied for temporary refuge on the same day.
Criminal rates for personal use of marijuana are reduced from May 1 while maintaining the current quantitative limits. A person may spend no more than one or two years in prison.
150 people have been recently diagnosed as Covid-positive. There are 735 people with Covid in Slovak hospitals, and 14 more Covid deaths have been reported.
Prosecuted lawyer Marek Para has been detained, following a Supreme Court decision from May 2. He has been accused of establishing and supporting an organised crime group.
The Defense Ministry wants to procure not only reconnaissance but also combat drones. The purchase is being discussed with several manufacturers on the market.
Slovan Bratislava became the Slovak ice-hockey champion in the 2021/2022 season after the club defeated HC Nitra 5 : 2 in game 6 on May 1. (source: TASR)
Poland will protect Slovakia's airspace free of charge. Slovakia will only pay the country for fuel costs, Defense Minister Jaroslav Naď wrote on Facebook.
Pope Francis was given a crystal cross made by artisans from Lednické Rovne, Slovakia, on April 30, during a pilgrimage to the Vatican. The pilgrimage was a thank you for his visit to Slovakia.
More on Spectator.sk:
If you have suggestions on how this news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk.
