Good evening. Here is theThursday, October 26 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
Interior minister's first task: Fire police chief
Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok. (source: TASR - Jakub Kotian)
Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok (Hlas) dismissed police chief Štefan Hamran on Thursday.
"If the police are to fulfil their true mission in accordance with the law, this step was necessary," said the Interior Ministry.
Šutaj Eštok has criticised the police chief in his Facebook videos for months. In one of the videos, he claimed that Hamran turned Slovakia into an "illegal migration motorway". However, illegal migration increased, in part, due to a change in legislation adopted by the previous Smer-led government, for which Šutaj Eštok worked. The change has attracted thousands of illegal migrants in recent months. Šutaj Eštok also slammed Hamran for the investigation of high-profile corruption cases that concern the major ruling party Smer. Unlike Hamran, the minister cannot fire the investigators dealing with these cases.
Hamran said several weeks ago that he would leave the police at the end of October. The minister’s decision to fire Hamran by sending him a written note thus lacks logic.
Rastislav Polakovič from Stará Ľubovňa, eastern Slovakia, will replace Hamran for the time being. Hamran, who has worked as a police officer since 1999, was told to join the police in Poprad, eastern Slovakia. Hamran lives in Komárno, western Slovakia.
Related: Charged former police chief Tibor Gašpar (Smer) was elected the new head of the defence and security parliamentary committee on Wednesday. His son, Pavol, has become the deputy minister at the Justice Ministry. He is known as an unsuccessful police officer and a lawyer who works for charged oligarch Norbert Bödör. Gašpar Jr. faced a perjury charge last year. The opposition has criticised some of the nominees for deputy ministers, including elected MPs Filip Kuffa and Štefan Kuffa. The son and the father are charged with attacking and threatening a farmer and his relatives in 2021.
More stories from The Slovak Spectator website
Government: PM Robert Fico (Smer) refuses to support Ukraine militarily, selects a pro-Russian and weak foreign minister, and plans an attack on NGOs.
Parliament: Hlas member Peter Žiga faces corruption charges. Nevertheless, he now serves as one of the deputy speakers of parliament.
Automotive: Electric cars will also be produced in Nitra. Jaguar Land Rover failed to say more.
Real estate: Slovaks are increasingly interested in buying real estate in Dubai.
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FEATURE STORY FOR THURSDAY
A Slovak's research on AI for Google
Michal Valko. (source: Christian Morel Photographer)
Michal Valko is a Slovak machine learning scientist at DeepMind in Paris. The company is part of Google and specialises in the research of artificial intelligence.
FREE BRATISLAVA EVENTS
Pay a visit to extraordinary pharmacy
The Salvator pharmacy has been closed for more than two decades. It will reopen on Saturday. (source: Sme)
Check out the affordable activities taking place in Bratislava, including the opening of a legendary pharmacy, U Salvatora, or a concert at Slovak Radio.
In other news
Pope Francis appointed the Reverend Fr. Jozef Jonáš Maxim, hegumen of the Univ Studite Lavra, Ukraine, as metropolitan archbishop of Prešov of the Byzantines, Slovakia, on Thursday.
The new government is said to split the public broadcaster RTVS and create two separate public service media: radio (SRo) and television (STV). This model had existed in Slovakia prior to 2011. (Denník N)
Slovakia's decision to stop military aid to Kyiv will not have a significant impact on the course of the conflict in Ukraine, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.
The Polish chain of grocery stores Biedronka will open its first stores in Slovakia by the end of next year. This week, Polish people can buy Slovak products at Biedronka stores.
Bratislavans are most proud of Bratislava Castle (94 percent), Hviezdoslav Square with the old Slovak National Theatre building (92 percent) and Hodža Square with the Presidential Palace (82 percent), shows an Mnforce survey. Bratislavans are most bothered by the main railway station, as well as Kamenné Square with the OD Prior building and the former Kyiv hotel. (Aktuality)
The sale of flowers and cemetery candles and lanterns in front of the Slávičie Údolie cemetery in Bratislava before the upcoming All Saints' Day in Bratislava on October 24, 2023. (source: TASR)
WEATHER FOR FRIDAY: Mostly cloudy with rain. The highest daytime temperature will rise to 17°C. Fresh breeze. (SHMÚ)
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