Good evening. Here is theThursday, December 21 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
Help offered to Czechia after tragic Prague shooting
An ambulance drives towards the building of Arts Faculty of Charles University in downtown Prague on December 21, 2023. (source: TASR/AP)
The Slovak police do not have any information that the December 21 shooting at Charles University in Prague could in any way be related to Slovakia. At least 14 people were killed by a gunman, who is said to be a 24-year-old student at the university. He committed suicide after the incident.
The Slovak police are not underestimating the situation and are communicating with their Czech colleagues. Slovakia has also offered help to its neighbour.
In the early evening of Thursday, Slovak MPs observed a minute's silence in memory of the victims of the Prague shooting. President Zuzana Čaputová, party leaders, PM Robert Fico and several Slovak universities expressed their condolences, too.
The Slovak Foreign Ministry currently has no information about injured or dead Slovak citizens in connection with the shooting in the Czech capital. Thousands of Slovak students study in Prague and other Czech cities, including Brno.
More stories from The Slovak Spectator website
Politics: Slovak society remains polarised after the September parliamentary election, a survey shows.
Bratislava: Enjoy the capital with our selection of three things that you can try for free.
Restaurant review: If you want to warm your hands around a delicious and freshly cooked burger, "Tučný Kocúr" in Trnava is the place to go to.
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FEATURE STORY FOR THURSDAY
Photographer who lets the sun finish images
One of the attributes of today pedestrian is a mobile. (source: Anton Sládek )
Photographer Anton Sládek loves Bratislava and this can be felt from his photographs. He has been taking pictures of the Slovak capital for decades.
In an interview with The Slovak Spectator, he describes what an average Bratislava pedestrian look like.
EVENT FOR TOMORROW
Christmas Market to close
The Christmas Market event in Bratislava ends on Friday, December 22, 2023. (source: Facebook/Stará Tržnica)
If you still haven't bought Christmas presents, you can do so in the Old Town Market hall. Tomorrow is your last chance to visit the Christmas Market.
It is open from 12:00 to 20:00. Some events will be held there tomorrow, too. For example, you can dance with Hustle Bratislava on the balcony at 17:00 for free.
In other news
MPs approved the government's state budget bill for 2024. Speaker Peter Pellegrini (Hlas) ended the debate earlier through the approved procedural proposal. Several MPs who wanted to have their say in the debate thus were not allowed to speak. All 79 MPs present voted for the budget. The public finance deficit should fall to 5.97 percent of GDP (€7.84 billion). The deficit should thus be reduced by more than 0.5 percentage points from the expected level of 6.52 percent of GDP this year.
Slovenská Pošta branches will be closed during the Christmas holidays (December 24-26), January 1 and 6, 2024. All post offices will also be closed on New Year's Eve, December 31. Customers can find current opening hours in the Slovenská Pošta mobile application and on the website www.posta.sk.
The Economy Ministry has no plans to subsidise the purchase of electric cars. The ministry admitted the low sales of electric cars, though. For now, the ministry has only launched subsidies for building charging stations. (SITA)
Slovakia, like other European countries, is struggling with a shortage of drivers in logistics companies. Thousands of them are missing, the logistics company Raben said. The reason for this is mainly the time-consuming nature of the profession and its demands to maintain attention and patience. However, according to the company, the arrival of women in this profession could help the personnel crisis. (TASR)
Slovakia has the regulation of the bear population approved by the European commissioner, said Environment Minister Tomáš Taraba (SNS nom.). Slovakia can regulate all the bears that approach towns. "In the Commission, they were scratching their heads as to why Slovakia allowed such a situation as it is," said Taraba. (SITA)
US Senator John Fetterman has vowed to block the purchase of the American steel company U.S. Steel from the Japanese corporation Nippon Steel.
Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár (Smer) met with Russia's ambassador to Slovakia Igor Bratchikov on Thursday. The ministry said that Blanár informed the diplomat about the Slovak government's attitude towards the war in Ukraine. The minister emphasised that Slovakia considers Russia's invasion of Ukraine a violation of international law. (source: TASR)
WEATHER FOR FRIDAY: Thick cloud cover. Rain in most places, snowfall later in the day. The highest daytime temperature will range from -2°C to 8°C. Wind.
Wind and snow weather warnings are or will soon be in effect in some districts. See if yours is among them. (SHMÚ)
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