(source: SME.sk / Hej,ty)
Good evening. The Monday, May 30 edition of Today in Slovakia is ready with the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
Slovak PM's two faces
Eduard Heger, Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic, attends a panel session at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on May 25, 2022. (source: AP - Markus Schreiber)
Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger (OĽaNO), who described Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion against Ukraine as "a barbaric act" soon after it began, pledged that his government would, in cooperation with the EU and NATO, throw its full support behind Ukraine.
In addition to his clear foreign policy stance, observers have praised him for his willingness to step into the international arena. His fluent English earned him high-profile invitations to appear on CNN and the BBC, during which he was grilled about Slovakia's decades-long high dependence on Russian energy, as well as his attempts to restore trust in the prime minister's office after years of misrule and scandal.
Yet his hold on the prime minister's chair has never been weaker since he took office in April 2021.
Nothing at the Slovak border
Slovak PM Eduard Heger's advisor Eduard Buraš. (source: Feman)
Eduard Buraš, advisor on cross-border cooperation to Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger, has spent the last three months at the Slovak-Ukrainian border dealing with the events that arose after the invasion of Ukraine.
In an interview with The Slovak Spectator, he talks about his work, the problem with Transcarpathian Roma, the situation at the border crossings in the past few weeks, why Slovakia should not forget about Ukraine after the war, and what to expect from this year’s Days of Ukraine event.
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.
UKRAINE AND UKRAINIANS IN SLOVAKIA
Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď (OĽaNO) talked to his Ukrainian counterpart Oleksii Reznikov about the situation in Ukraine and how Slovakia could further help Ukraine, including the provision of the Zuzana 2 howitzers. "Ukraine can continue to count on our help," Naď said.
In May, the central labour office offices paid the last benefits to Ukrainian refugees holding the status of temporary protection. From June, four international organisations will take over and pay the money to the refugees.
2,874 Ukrainian refugees crossed the Slovak border with Ukraine to enter Slovakia on Sunday, May 29. Seventy-five applied for temporary protection, the Interior Ministry said.
Ukrainians can apply for jobs at Jaguar Land Rover.
Slovakia is interested in doctors and nurses from Ukraine, Prime Minister Eduard Heger wrote on his social media account on May 29.
The Education Ministry signed a memorandum with UNICEF on systemic strategic support for children and pupils coming from Ukraine.
Easy read for Monday
Bratislava theatre's new look
Theatre Aréna is one of the oldest playhouses in Bratislava. (source: Bratislava Region)
The appearance of Theatre Aréna, one of several playhouses in Bratislava, should return to its pre-1939 period next year.
The Bratislava Region decided to completely reconstruct the national cultural monument on the Petržalka side of the River Danube for €7 million.
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IN OTHER NEWS
OĽaNO MP György Gyimesi, an admirer of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and opponent of same-sex marriages, wants to ban rainbow flags on public buildings. OĽANO chair and Finance Minister Igor Matovič considers the proposed ban to be good. "Exploiting public buildings to spread the propaganda of any sexual orientation is not in the public interest," Matovič told the TASR newswire.
A legendary credit card firm is terminating operations in Slovakia.
The first investor for the planned construction of rental apartments with the support of the state has been announced. The Austrian insurance group Vienna Insurance Group, which also operates in Slovakia, is ready to invest €300 to €500 million in this sector, Deputy PM Štefan Holý (Sme Rodina) told the SITA newswire.
A police investigator has accused a man threatening people in the Spiš region with a mass killing through a terrorist attack. The man was detained by the police on May 27.
The Memorial of the East Slovak Peasant Uprising of 1831 is a national cultural monument built on Furča Hill above the village of Haniska near Prešov. (source: TASR - Milan Kapusta)
Almost a third of Slovak schools with 150 to 600 pupils do not have a gym. This specifically concerns 301 schools out of a total of 977, the Education Ministry told TASR.
In 2021, the Office for Slovaks Living Abroad supported 722 activities abroad in the total amount of €4.7 million.
Slovakia has been a part of the United Nations peacekeeping force since its start. In 29 years, thousands of Slovak soldiers have taken turns in 16 UN-flagged missions around the world, Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď said.
Speaker Boris Kollár (Sme Rodina) has not yet officially announced the date of the autumn regional and municipal elections. He had previously said that the elections should take place on October 29.
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