(source: SME.sk / Hej,ty)
Good evening. The Monday, October 3 edition of Today in Slovakia is ready with the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
Drunk driver kills five people at Bratislava bus stop
Five people, including university students, perished on October 2, 2022 in Bratislava's Old Town after a car hit a crowded bus stop at full speed. (source: Facebook/Slovak police)
Following a tragic car accident in Bratislava on Sunday night, five people are confirmed to have died - three are university students.
A driver, who is an official of a top sports Slovak organisation according to media reports, was drunk and visibly exceeded a speed limit, hitting several people in a split second, a video shows, at the Zochova bus stop in Bratislava's Old Town.
The driver is in police custody.
Starometská Street, where the bus stop is located, is one of the busiest traffic areas in the city. Many students change buses here to reach university dormitories.
Politicians are calling for the more severe punishment for drivers who are under the influence while driving.
Police: In 2022 the police reported more than 8,200 drivers who sat behind the wheel under the influence of alcohol, the Denník N daily wrote.
Traffic: Buses stop at Zochova again after the police concluded their investigation at the scene.
More stories from The Slovak Spectator website
Defence: Slovakia will produce a further 16 howitzers for Ukraine.
Disinformation: PM Eduard Heger (OĽaNO) warned Slovak people against Russian propaganda, calling on them to verify the information they receive.
Energy crisis: The Slovak prime minister threatened that Slovakia may move to nationalise the electricity already sold abroad.
Animation: The annual Biennial Animation of Bratislava has kicked off in Bratislava, offering film screenings, exhibitions and lectures with Oscar-nominated directors.
Travel: The Slovak town of Žarnovica has a new attraction - "Beautiful Forest".
For a deeper insight into current affairs, check out our Last Week in Slovakia piece published earlier today. You can sign up for the newsletter here.
FEATURE FOR MONDAY
Ukrainian scientist's attempt at water purification
Inna Melnyk (third from left), and her colleagues V. Kyshkarova (Voznesensk, Mykolaiv region), O. Porodko (Lviv), N. Chechitko (Bucha, Kyiv Region), H. Yankovych (Uzhgorod), and O. Semeshko (Kherson). (source: I. M. )
Inna Melnyk, a Ukrainian scientist based in Slovakia, has the aim of creating new materials, studying their structure and properties, and researching their application in water purification. This is in order to remove heavy metals and dyes, as well as create catalysts for the destruction of organic pollutants in water, including antibiotics, urea and dyes.
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IN OTHER NEWS:
Slovakia summoned Russia's chargé d'affaires Kirill Sapozhenkovin response to the sham referenda and the annexation of Ukrainian territories. Last week, Slovak officials officially condemned Russia's recent steps.
The interior ministers of the Slovak Republic, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Austria agreed that the Schengen Area is an achievement, and it is necessary to protect its external borders, not adopting partial measures. The ministers were also in accordance that negotiations need to be held with the Western Balkans countries, for instance, on their visa policy. Slovakia also offered Hungary assistance with the protection of the external Schengen border. Details of the assistance are not known. The four ministers, moreover, agreed that the EU should be more involved in tackling the issue of secondary illegal migration. Austria and Czechia reintroduced checks at the border with Slovakia last week. (SITA)
Sixty percent of Slovaks would want to see early elections take place as soon as possible, according to a Focus poll carried out in late September. Only 17 percent support Eduard Heger's minority government, and 15 percent would want President Zuzana Čaputová to appoint a caretaker government. The poll was carried out for the Markíza television channel.
Slovak Foreign Minister Rastislav Káčer admitted on Monday that Slovakia does not fulfill the readmission agreements related to illegal migration. He noted the system of these agreements in the EU is outdated. (TASR)
Last year, according to preliminary data from the Statistics Office, each resident of Slovakia, regardless of age, consumed an average of 2.8 kilograms of coffee, almost 8 percent (200 grams) more than in 2020.
Former foreign minister Ivan Korčok is not going to engage in Slovak politics for the time being, declining SaS chair Richard Sulík’s offer to cooperate closely with the party.
If you have suggestions on how this news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk.
