SUMMARY - Tuesday, 4 November 2025 - 5 p.m.

Bratislava, 4 November (TASR) - This year's approximately 11-metre-tall Caucasian fir Christmas tree was erected on Bratislava's Main Square (Hlavne namestie) on Tuesday and will be officially lit up on November 28, when Bratislava's Christmas market is scheduled to open, the Bratislava Cultural and Information Centre (BKIS) told a press conference on Tuesday, adding that stalls will be open a day earlier, on 27 November. https://etasr.sk/article/22625114 Bratislava, 4 November (TASR) – The Interior Ministry and the Police Corps are focusing intensively on the issue of so-called petty theft, adopting specific measures to improve security in shops and on the streets of towns and villages, but criminals in Slovakia are also encouraged to steal repeatedly by the opposition, the ministry's press department stated on Tuesday. https://etasr.sk/article/22625097 Bratislava, 4 November (TASR) - Foreign Affairs Ministry State Secretary Rastislav Chovanec will depart on Tuesday for a working visit to Sarajevo, with his official programme taking place from 5 to 6 November, TASR was told by the ministry's press department on the same day. https://etasr.sk/article/22624950 Bratislava, 4 November (TASR) – In the latest Digital Competitiveness Ranking by the Swiss Institute for Management Development (IMD), Slovakia fell by five places to 57th out of 69 assessed countries, with the top spots taken by Switzerland, the United States and Singapore, while the other Visegrad Group countries (Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland) ranked above Slovakia, the Institute of Freedom and Enterprise (ISP), which cooperated on the ranking, reported on Tuesday. https://etasr.sk/article/22624767 Bratislava, 4 November (TASR) - The Agricultural Payment Agency (PPA) started to pay out advance payments for direct payments under the 2025 call on Tuesday, Agriculture Minister Richard Takac (Smer-SD) announced at a news conference on the same day, adding that farmers will receive some €300 million in total in two rounds by 28 November. https://etasr.sk/article/22624748 Bratislava, 4 November (TASR) – The leaders of opposition parties Progressive Slovakia (PS), Freedom and Solidarity (SaS), the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) and the non-parliamentary Democrats met on Tuesday to discuss future cooperation, and they agreed to hold consultations on programme priorities with the aim of finding common ground, TASR learnt on the same day. https://etasr.sk/article/22624662 Bratislava, 4 November (TASR) - Cardinal Dominik Duka was a strong and inspiring voice of faith, leaving a lasting legacy, Slovak President Peter Pellegrini has posted on a social network in connection with the cardinal's death on Monday night. https://etasr.sk/article/22624565 Bratislava, 4 November (TASR) - The opposition believes that Health Minister Kamil Sasko (Voice-SD) should resign from his post following the Prosecutor-General's (PG) Office's ruling that the termination of the ambulance tender was unlawful, according to statements made by representatives of the opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS), the Christian Democrats (KDH) and 'Slovakia' parties on Tuesday. https://etasr.sk/article/22624548 Bratislava, 4 November (TASR) – The opposition Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) is warning of a worsening security in Slovakia as well as an increase in shop thefts, while claiming that recent amendments to the Criminal Code are to blame and calling for a constructive solution to petty property crime, announced KDH chair Milan Majersky and vice-chair Viliam Karas on Tuesday. https://etasr.sk/article/22624425 NOTICE: If you click on the link or copy it into the search window, the browser will display the full text of the message in the new e-TASR client zone. If you have any questions, please contact obchod@tasr.sk. jrg