Good evening. Here is the Monday, October 21 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
New team to look into pandemic management
Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok in parliament. (source: Sme - Marko Erd)
Not long after Peter Kotlár, the government's representative for investigating the Covid-19 pandemic management known for his anti-vaccine stance, unveiled his report compiled in collaboration with disinformation agents and recommending halting the use of mRNA vaccines in Slovakia, the Interior Ministry announced that it is creating a specialised team to investigate the management.
It will operate under the Office for the Fight against Organised Crime (ÚBOK), announced Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok with police chief Ľubomír Solák.
Kotlár, who alleged that vaccines alter human DNA without providing relevant data and claimed that the pandemic had not occurred in Slovakia, will not be a part of it. The minister stated that he still expects the former to cooperate and emphasised that the investigation will be carried out strictly on the basis of evidence and facts.
The team will focus on four areas. The first will be the allocation of public funds to establish mobile facilities for collecting samples, the second will be the purchase of medical supplies. According to Šutaj Eštok, both lacked transparency. The team will also look into the purchase of vaccines; especially the procurement of Russian-made Sputnik V ones. Finally, the death toll of 20,000 will also be investigated.
Thanks to Kotlár, Slovakia has uniquely distanced itself from the updates of WHO health regulations this year. Their goal is to prevent the international spread of disease, improve the sharing of information and methods to combat a pandemic, conduct surveillance for potential health threats of all kinds, among other things.
MORE STORIES FROM THE SLOVAK SPECTATOR WEBSITE
LAST WEEK: The investigation of assassination attempt is testing the integrity of the system. The PM has his version of the story, but the investigation is telling a different one.
NIGHT SKY: A comet visible to the naked eye is trailing the night sky above Slovakia. Here are a few tips on how to spot it.
ANIMALS: A mushroom picker was surprise-attacked by a bear with two cubs, a basket on his back probably saving his life.
RETIREMENT: The alarming state of pensions in Slovakia.
TRAVEL: How can the Small Carpathians awaken your adventurous spirit?
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FEATURE STORY
Slovak AI expert poached by Zuckerberg
Michal Valko. (source: Christian Morel Photographer)
Until a few months ago, Slovak machine-learning scientist Michal Valko was training AI for Google’s DeepMind. However, after being personally contacted by Mark Zuckerburg, in March this year he moved to Meta where he trained an AI model that was recently shared for free.
An envoy of the Eset Science Award, Valko spoke to The Slovak Spectator ahead of the announcements of this year’s winners, describing his work for Meta, and revealing the endgame of developing and training AI.
CONCERT FOR WEDNESDAY
Jazz, electronic and acoustic
Otomo Yoshihide is a Japanese composer, guitarist and electronic music producer who belongs among the key figures in the experimental music movement. This Wednesday he is going to introduce his 17-strong jazz-electroacoustic improvisational project in Bratislava. The event will take place at the A4 venue starting at 20:00. Get your tickets here.
IN OTHER NEWS
Slovak skier Petra Vlhová will not start in the upcoming World Cup season opening race in Sölden, Austria as she is still rehabilitating after the knee injury she suffered earlier this year. She hopes she will be able to return in December. (TASR)
Compared to other European countries, Slovaks show the lowest level of happiness. This stems from the latest round of the European Social Survey, focusing on subjective well-being, happiness and how often people meet with friends, relatives and colleagues. On the scale from 0 (extremely unhappy) to 10 (extremely happy), Slovaks scored 6.57; still, it should be noted that Slovak men and women were on average more 'inclined' to say they felt happy than unhappy. Residents of Switzerland, Finland and Norway placed in the top three places, with a score of 8.15, 8.07 and 7.95 respectively. When it comes to meeting with friends, relatives and colleagues, Slovaks ranked in the middle of the list. In other words, they usually see them once a week. (SAV)
Slovak National Uprising participant Karol Kuna died at the age of 96 on Monday. He operated as a liaison in the 'For the Freedom of Slavs' partisan unit. (TASR)
According to the Statistics Office, the total general government deficit in 2023 reached €6.4 billion, making up 5.21 percent of Slovakia's GDP. The public debt in 2023 amounted to €68.9 billion, equalling 56.05 percent of the GDP. (TASR)
Slovakia borrowed €446 million in an auction of government bonds with maturity dates between 2028-2036 in September, reported the Debt and Liquidity Management Agency. (TASR)
Starting Monday, Tram 3 will depart in the direction of the city centre and Rača from the Farského stop instead of the Jungmanova one. This temporary closure lasting until January 17 is due to the ongoing expansion of the Petržalka tram line. The service will stop at Jungmanova in the opposite direction. (DPB)
WEATHER FOR TUESDAY: Mostly sunny, in some locations during night and morning low cloud cover or fog expected. Daily temperatures will rise to between 13 °C to 18 °C. (SHMÚ)
OCTOBER 22 NAME DAY IN SLOVAKIA: Sergej
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