Good evening. Here is the Friday, October 20 edition of Today in Slovakia – the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
Inspectors to pay a visit to Bratislava's refinery
Gas being flared at the Slovnaft refinery on October 19, 2023. (source: TASR - Jaroslav Novák)
The Slovak Environmental Inspectorate (SIŽP) says it will carry out an unscheduled inspection at the Slovnaft refinery in Bratislava in the near future.
On Thursday, many people living in Bratislava contacted the inspectorate because of the plumes of black smoke they saw rising from the refinery. The inspectorate said that it had been informed about an emergency situation at the refinery, the TASR newswire wrote.
According to Slovnaft, the limits on aerial pollutants were not exceeded as a result of the situation. The company said it had to shut down several production units at the refinery on Thursday due to a power outage, which is why local people could see more intense burning of gases and hear increased noise.
However, electricity distribution firm Západoslovenská Distribučná, which supplies electricity to the site, said that it had not recorded any power outages affecting the refinery.
People may continue to see burning of gases and hear noise coming from the refinery. This is related to the gradual ramping-up of production units, which can take several days, TASR noted.
More stories from The Slovak Spectator website
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WHAT'S ON IN BRATISLAVA
Oktoberfest at Fresh Market
Fresh Market in Bratislava. (source: Facebook)
Beer lovers are invited to Bratislava's very own Oktoberfest, being held at the Fresh Market grocery market and culinary venue. You can taste original Munich beers, both bottled and on tap. A variety of other types of ale and lager will also be available at the Bratislava Oktoberfest.
Here are some more Bratislava events to look forward to.
FEATURE STORY FOR FRIDAY
A rare earthquake reveals family solidarity (and institutional weakness)
An older village house in Ďapalovce. (source: Courtesy of J. T.)
Pavlina, 82, has been a Ďapalovce resident all her life. Since the 1960s she has lived in the same house, the one that she and her late husband built and where they raised their eight children. Now she will never return, as damage from the October 9 earthquake means it will have to be torn down. Pavlina's home was a modest dwelling, but it held precious memories for dozens of people, accumulated over more than half a century, writes James Thomson.
In other news
During an October 17 meeting, the S&D Group in the European Parliament suspended three Smer MEPs from its group. Two MEPs, Monika Beňová and Katarína Roth Neveďalová, had resigned shortly before. The third has been suspended until he makes a clear commitment to the group's progressive values. The European Socialists group had earlier suspended Smer, as well as Hlas.
In the past two days, Bratislava police have documented three incidents involving collisions between pedestrians and trams. Two of these accidents resulted in injuries requiring hospitalisation. One collision resulted in the death of a 14-year-old boy.
A police investigation into former economy minister Peter Žiga (Hlas), who is due to become the deputy speaker of the parliament, is still ongoing. He faces corruption charges. (SME)
Former police chief Tibor Gašpar, who also faces corruption charges but was nonetheless elected as an MP for the Smer party on September 30, should head parliament's defence committee. (Aktuality)
The opening session of the new Slovak parliament will take place at 10:00 on Wednesday, October 25.
The general government deficit in 2022 reached €2.22 billion, which represented 2.02 percent of GDP. The total general government debt reached €63.38 billion, which is 57.8 percent of GDP. (source: Statistics Office)
WEATHER FOR THE WEEKEND: Expect cloudy skies and light rain on Saturday and Sunday, with daytime temperatures reaching up to 22°C. On Monday, you can expect clear skies and rain in some places. The highest daytime temperature will be 20°C. (SHMÚ)
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