(source: SME.sk / Hej,ty)
Good evening. Here is the Tuesday, November 15 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
US ambassador visits Košice, attends English class
US Ambassador Gautam Rana with Ukrainian refugees in Košice on November 15, 2022. (source: Facebook/U.S. Embassy Slovakia)
The new US ambassador to Slovakia, Gautam Rana, has paid a visit to Košice.
During two days, Rana attended an English class for Ukrainian refugees at the American Centre based in a local science library. He also met with representatives of the organisations that help the Roma minority, refugees and LGBT+ people.
Rana took a trip to the U.S. Steel Košice steelworks, the largest employer in eastern Slovakia, and talked to other companies as well.
"I had the opportunity to meet some of the best and brightest Slovak innovators and learn about their cutting-edge products and services in areas such as clean energy, artificial intelligence, business management and smart cities," the ambassador said.
He added that he was impressed by the creative and innovative potential that Košice and the region offer.
More from The Slovak Spectator website
Poll: Though Progressive Slovakia is out of parliament, it is the third strongest political party, a poll from November suggests.
Economy: In the third quarter of this year, Slovakia's gross domestic product increased by 1.2 percent year-on-year.
Infrastructure: The drilling of the Čebrať tunnel has come to an end after eight years.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY IN SHORT:
The price of electricity for municipalities will be capped at €199 per MWh, and for gas it will be capped at €99 per MWh. In the case of costs above the caps, 80 percent of it will be reimbursed by the state, PM Eduard Heger said. In October, his cabinet announced help for firms. Also, the state will help energy intense companies with €40 million this year. Help for households is expected to be announced at the start of December.
The number of retired pensioners below the poverty line has grown to 494,000, the Institute for Social and Economic Risk Research said. At the beginning of 2022, 27 percent of the total number of 1.1 million retirement pension recipients, which was more than 306,000 elderly people, ended up below the poverty line (€424 euros a month). Low pensions, insufficient assistance from the state and rising prices, have contributed to an additional 187,000 pensioners falling below the poverty line. (TASR)
A ship has been stuck in the Danube near the River Park multifunctional centre in Bratislava since last Friday. (source: TASR)
The EU marks Equal Pay Day on November 15. "We need to empower women so that they can fulfill their potential. However, an important piece of the puzzle is missing: pay transparency," said Věra Jourová, EC Vice-President for Values and Transparency, and Helena Dalli, Commissioner for Equality. Slovakia's labour inspectorate said last year that Slovak women had to work 2.5 months more to earn as much as their male counterparts.
Trade unions at U.S. Steel Košice have agreed with the employer on shortened working hours until the end of the year. The reduction of working hours from November 15 to December 31 will also apply to senior executives. (SITA)
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Feature story for Tuesday
Historical photo shows splitting of family so that at least someone survives WWII
(source: Courtesy of Bratislavské Rožky)
Descendants of old families from Pressburg, present-day Bratislava, share their memories and precious family photos in the new book "We Are Old Pressburgers".
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN A NUTSHELL:
Germany will establish a maintenance centre in Slovakia for the repair of weapons used in Ukraine, German Defence Minister Christine Lambrechtsaid on Tuesday. Repair work should start in the coming weeks. (Reuters)
The police have started criminal prosecution that concerns 10 exploding sewer hatches on Prievozská Street in Bratislava on November 14. No one was injured in the event, for the necessary time the police evacuated people from adjacent buildings. (SITA)
Hospital doctors might cancel their announced Thursday protest. They met with the government on Tuesday, saying that the government promised them answers to some of their demands on Wednesday. More than 2,100 doctors are ready to quit their jobs at 31 hospitals from early December. (TASR)
Universities will not close their premises after November 17, as announced in September, but they insist that the government will invest more money into higher education. (TASR)
Interior Minister Roman Mikulec (OĽaNO) is facing a no-confidence vote in parliament over increased illegal migration on November 15, 2022. It is the seventh attempt to remove Mikulec from the post. (source: TASR - Martin Baumann)
A drunk Englishman, 63, bumped into a police car in Prešov and continued driving. Later, he was taken into police custody and charged with endangerment under the influence of an intoxicant. He might spend a year in prison. (Korzár Prešov)
Slovak secondary schools can host American teachers to teach or assist in teaching English in the 2023/2024 school year. Schools need to submit an application by mid-December. More information available here.
The Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute has said that there is an increased probability that northern Slovakia will experience the first snow, or at least sleet, of this year by the end of the week. The highest daily temperature should not exceed 5°C.
If you have suggestions on how this news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk.
