MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Friday, December 20, 2024 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Thursday, December 19): BRATISLAVA - President Peter Pellegrini signed two amendments to a law on education on Thursday, one establishing a board of trustees for public universities and the other recognising educational documents and professional qualifications of nurses with professional training in Romania, TASR has learnt from the President Office's website. The former amendment also regulates the deadlines for announcing elections of rectors and the qualification requirements for filling the posts of professors and associate professors, etc. The latter amendment also introduces the concept of so-called automatic recognition of qualifications within EU-member states for continuing studies. BRATISLAVA - Bratislava I District Prosecutor's Office has lodged an appeal against a decision by Bratislava District Authority to halt proceedings regarding suspicions of an anti-campaign conducted by Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD) during this year's presidential election, TASR learnt from the 'Lets Stop Corruption' Foundation's communications specialist Norbert Chomistek on Thursday. NGOs that drew attention to the case pointed out that the prosecution service concluded that statements in social media posts written by the interior minister couldn't be interpreted logically in any other way than being aimed at influencing the campaign to the detriment of one of the candidates in the race. BRATISLAVA - As many as 56 new cases of hepatitis A were recorded in Slovakia last week, while a total of 4,013 cases have been reported since the beginning of the year, TASR has learnt from the Public Health Authority's (UVZ) communications department. "The disease has occurred in all regions of Slovakia, with the highest incidence in Kosice and Presov regions. It occurs in all age groups, with the highest sickness rate found among the 5-9 age group," the office noted. BRATISLAVA - Ukraine is paying much more because of the war with Russia than its neighbouring countries, including Slovakia, which will face higher energy import costs when Russian gas transit through Ukrainian territory ends as of January 1, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday afternoon after talks with leaders of the EU countries in Brussels, stressing that Ukraine is losing human lives. According to unnamed EU diplomatic sources, Zelenskyy spoke "behind closed doors" with EU leaders at the summit. Later, speaking to reporters, he stated that Russia is still attacking his country and has no interest in achieving peace. He also responded to the question of whether it's true that Russian gas will stop flowing through Ukraine to Europe after 1 January and whether he could imagine gas from other suppliers from other countries in transit, even if it was Russian gas. BRATISLAVA - A tram travelled along the new line in Bratislava's borough of Petrzalka for the first time in a trial run on Thursday, more than three years after construction work on the Jungmannova-Janikov Dvor section began, TASR learnt on the same day. The capital city declared that this was a watershed moment for the biggest transport project in the city. Set to follow is work on platforms, shelters and trackside structures as well as the completion of all permits. The launch of a full service is slated for spring 2025. BRATISLAVA - Members of Financial Administration's Criminal Office (KUFS) on Thursday seized accounting records from 23 companies that ran COVID-19 mobile testing facilities (MOMs) during the 2020-23 pandemic, Financial Administration spokesperson Daniel Sukup announced on the same day. The outcome of Thursday's operation is the impounding of a great number of accounting records, invoices and delivery slips dated from 2020-23. "The operation was conducted due to suspicions of tax violations committed in the running of MOMs as well as racketeering with antigen tests," explained the spokesperson. lin