Good evening. Here is the Monday, December 2 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
Interior Minister warns of possible terrorist attack
Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok in parliament. (source: SME - Marko Erd)
Speaking on public broadcaster STVR's politics talk show Sobotné Dialógy, Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok (Hlas) said that the authorities have noticed activities that may indicate a group is preparing a terrorist attack on critical infrastructure in eastern Slovakia.
According to intelligence, an organised group surveyed the area near the Druzhba pipeline both in Slovakia and Hungary. The group should consist of a Slovak with Hungarian citizenship, a Ukrainian national, and two other unspecified people.
Opposition SaS MP Juraj Krúpa, also on the show, said that the situation is an attempt to show the public that activities are being carried out to protect critical infrastructure.
According to Korzár daily, a man was detained earlier last week in Michalovce, eastern Slovakia. He is a Ukrainian with Hungarian citizenship and has permanent residence in Slovakia. In addition to him, another eastern Slovakia resident was detained. Both are part of the group.
Since October 2023, the former has been the managing director of an international transportation company. According to the police, camouflage, drones and maps, among other things, were discovered during house and car searches of both men.
The Ukrainian national was released after four days.
The police say no further information can be provided at the moment.
MORE STORIES FROM THE SLOVAK SPECTATOR WEBSITE
LAST WEEK: We cannot go on like this for long, Prime Minister Robert Fico admits. Early elections mentioned following disarray in parliament.
CHRISTMAS: How much Slovaks plan to spend on Christmas gifts and how much prices went up compared to last year.
POLITICS: Boasting of contacts, nationalist leader Andrej Danko wants to go to Moscow. I can do a lot for Slovakia, he claims.
ADVERTIORIAL: When business partners fail. A guide to lost profit recovery.
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FEATURE STORY
Students beat climate anxiety by looking for solution
Teacher Martina Gánovská. (source: Juraj Sedlák)
Martina Gánovská, a chemistry teacher at the Secondary Polytechnic Vocational School of Jan Antonín Baťa in Svit, northern Slovakia, won this year's Cena Dionýza Ilkoviča. The prestigious award is given out annually to teachers who develop extracurricular activities for primary and secondary school students. Gánovská, who says she tries to pass on to her students her experiences of chemistry in everyday life, talked to The Slovak Spectator about her educational journey, what she teaches her students, and a NASA project she and her pupils are involved in.
ACTIVITY DURING THE CHRISTMAS MARKET
Festive Bratislava from above
The Bratislava Christmas Market in the Hlavné Námestie square. (source: SME - Marko Erd)
Being under a big Christmas tree, enjoying the festive time at a Christmas market can be magical. But how about experiencing it from a bird's-eye view? The Bratislava City Museum has decided to once again extend the opening hours of the Old Town Hall Tower until the end of December and have a look at the market below, along with a panoramic view of the entire city. The opening hours of St. Michael's Tower will also be extended. This is the first time this has been done. Find out more here.
IN OTHER NEWS
With 62 percent, Slovaks are among the least satisfied nations when it comes to the state of democracy in their country; only Cyprus (67) and Greece (71) had worse results. This stems from a new edition of the Eurobarometer survey. On the other hand, 85 percent of Slovaks are happy with the life they live. Among the problems that bother Slovaks the most are rising prices and cost of living, as well as the war in Ukraine. When it comes to trust, 52 percent trust the European Parliament as well as the European Commission, while 32 percent trust the Slovak parliament and 31 percent trust the government. Up to 72 percent of Slovaks say that the media provide trustworthy information, an 18-percentage point increase compared to spring 2024. (TASR)
Gas prices are expected to increase sharply next year, up to 33 percent for some households, according to Regulatory Office for Network Industries (ÚRSO) head Jozef Holjenčík. In the D1 category, meaning people who use gas for cooking, the price will increase by €11.50; as for the D2 category, which includes people who use gas for heating water in addition to cooking, gas prices should increase by almost €160; and finally, people from the D3 category who use gas for cooking, heating water, and heating, the prices will go up by €340. Whether households will actually pay that much will be decided by the government, which has neither decided in what form the state will pay energy subsidies to households. (SME)
The second attempt to convene the house to discuss a no-confidence vote against Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok (Hlas) was once again unsuccessful, as there were not enough MPs to open the session. The opposition will try again on December 3. The session was initiated by the opposition over the current situation in the Police Corps, the failure to address police brutality and bomb threats in schools, among other things. (TASR)
Up to 1,500 people dressed as St. Nicholas took part in a charity run in Košice on Sunday. The proceedings, totalling €15,060 will be donated to children with cancer. (source: TASR)
Police officers in Košice have been equipped with body cameras as part of a pilot project. They are expected to wear them when taking action against individuals. It will not be possible to delete what a camera captures. The measure comes in response to the November 5 incident in which a police officer beat a theft suspect to death. (Korzár)
More than 30 percent of people in Slovakia felt they lived in poverty in 2023, a 3.7-percent increase when compared to 2020, according to the Institute for Strategy and Analysis (ISA). The European average is 24 percent. ISA underlines, however, that there is a significant gap between perceived poverty and the risk of actual poverty. (TASR)
Slovakia has 5,115 shacks that house almost 40,000 people, according to a publication called 'Hidden Stories of the Census' based on the 2021 census, published by the Statistical Office. The shacks are located in 178 municipalities in Slovakia. The highest number of inhabitants living in shacks without water supply, bathroom and toilet is in the Košice, Prešov and Banská Bystrica Regions. (TASR)
On Saturday, a new skiing season has been opened in the Jasná resort in the Low Tatras mountain range. (source: TASR)
WEATHER FOR TUESDAY: Cloudy to overcast skies, showers occasionally expected. Evening snow in places above 600 metres in altitude. Daily temperatures will rise up to 5 °C. Level 1 ground frost warning issued for most of Slovakia. (SHMÚ)
DECEMBER 3 NAME DAY IN SLOVAKIA: Oldrich
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