Good evening. Here is theThursday, October 19 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
Fico's six
Smer leader and future PM Robert Fico talks to the press on October 18, 2023. (source: TASR)
In a video posted on Facebook on Thursday, Smer leader and future PM Robert Fico announced his party's nominees for the six ministries that Smer will be responsible for once President Zuzana Čaputová appoints a Smer-led government.
All the nominees, but one, are party members.
Earlier in the week, Smer's partners, Hlas and SNS, revealed their candidates.
Related: The first candidate from Fico's ministerial list, nominated by the SNS party, was rejected by the president on Thursday.
Other stories from The Slovak Spectator website
Politics: The top police investigators who uncovered that organised crime thrived under the previous Smer-led governments will not lose their jobs despite threats from the Smer party.
Bratislava: The construction of integrated passenger transport terminals (TIOPs) will soon begin in the capital.
Real estate: How much does a new apartment in Bratislava cost?
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SHORT STORY FOR THURSDAY
A thatched-roof house
Thatched-roof houses, like the two in this picture, are a rare sight these days.
In this postcard from 1921 you can see houses from Klečenov, a municipality that is now part of Zemplínska Nová Ves, 50 km southwest of Košice. The village was inhabited by farmers and wine makers.
FREE EVENTS IN BRATISLAVA
A hike to Gajdoš
Trees in the Small Carpathians. (source: VaGa)
This weekend a group of foreigners will travel to Kuchyňa, western Slovakia, in the morning. From there, they will start walking to Gajdoš. Here's more tips for you in case hiking is not something you are eager to do at the weekend.
In other news
Trnava will hold a local referendum after 25,837 people signed a petition for the referendum on cancelling the current parking policy in the city. According to the law, local councillors must declare the referendum because the petition was supported by at least 30 percent of eligible voters, which is about 15,200 people in Trnava.
A strike alert has been declared at the UniCredit Bank. Unions in the firm have galvanised employees to demand a faster pay rise. At the end of the first half of 2023, the inflation in Slovakia was 10.8 percent, and it is the increase in wages that the unions are asking for from January 2024. A UniCredit Bank employee earns €1,250 brutto. The bank has increased salaries by 6.19 percent this year. Currently, the bank offers a 5.5-percent pay rise from April 2024. According to the Statistics Office, the average salary in banking was €2,415 in the second quarter of 2023.
Two heated tents will be built up in the village of Ľubotice for illegal migrants who are currently in Prešov. Prešov and Ľubotice have declared an emergency station in connection with illegal migration.
WEATHER FOR FRIDAY: Prepare for many clouds. If you live in central or eastern Slovakia, prepare also for a bit of rain. Otherwise, the weather will be warm. The highest daytime temperature will rise to 21°C.
A yellow wind warning will be in place in western Slovakia, an orange one will be in place in the Tatras region. (SHMÚ)
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