MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Wednesday, 30 September 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Tuesday, 29 September): STASKOV - An eighth-grade pupil carried out the knife attack at the primary school in the village of Staskov in Cadca district (Zilina region) after the first lesson of the day on Tuesday, Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD) stated at a press conference in Staskov on the same day. A teacher died as a result of the attack, while two others - another teacher and a pupil - sustained injuries. The injured teacher is out of danger, but the pupil is fighting for her life. According to the minister, the attacker has been apprehended. The case is being handled by the Office for Combating Organised Crime (UBOK). Sutaj Estok declined to comment on any motives behind the attack. The interior minister praised the actions of the headteacher, who was reportedly present at the scene. "She followed every single procedure outlined in the available manuals to the letter and prevented the tragedy from becoming even worse," said Sutaj Estok, adding that the police arrived at the scene of the attack shortly afterwards and apprehended the attacker. The minister added that intervention teams and psychologists were dispatched to the school to provide counselling and support to both pupils and teaching staff. BRATISLAVA - Parliament ousted Environment Minister Tomas Taraba (a Slovak National Party/SNS nominee) with 77 votes on Tuesday evening, with all 77 MPs present in the chamber voting in favour of his dismissal and 73 MPs absent. Parliament debated the no-confidence motion against Taraba for just over an hour. Apart from opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) MP Tamara Stohlova who submitted the motion, only Taraba and SNS leader Andrej Danko took part in the debate. Earlier on Tuesday, the opposition along with almost all MPs of the SNS caucus succeeded in bringing the motion forward on the agenda, with SNS also agreeing to this procedure as, according to Danko, the party had exhausted all options. SNS did not agree with Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) withdrawing the proposal for Taraba's dismissal. Fico justified it by stating that "developments triggered by SNS's request and the subsequent stances taken up by its representatives pose a serious risk to maintaining the parliamentary majority and the proper functioning of the government". BRATISLAVA - President Peter Pellegrini will officially dismiss Environment Minister Tomas Taraba (a SNS nominee) from office on Wednesday (30 September), TASR learnt from the President's Office on Tuesday. "Following the delivery of the decision by Parliament expressing no confidence in Environment Minister Tomas Taraba, the President will dismiss him from office on Wednesday, 30 September," the President's Office stated. Presidential spokesperson Patricia Medved Macikova clarified that the exact time of the official ceremony will be announced on Wednesday. BRATISLAVA - The main coalition Smer-SD party will convene a party leadership meeting on Wednesday (30 September) to decide the next course of action following the ouster of Tomas Taraba (a SNS nominee) from the post of deputy prime minister and environment minister by Parliament on Tuesday. Smer-SD chair Robert Fico announced this on social media, adding that the junior coalition SNS party has forced him to take this approach. "What the Slovak National Party did today is forcing Smer-SD to convene its party leadership tomorrow at 5 p.m. to decide on the next course of action," Fico declared. BRATISLAVA - Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) held talks in Bratislava on Tuesday with his German counterpart Johann David Wadephul on bilateral relations, trade and cooperation within NATO, the ministers told a joint press conference following the talks, adding that the situations in Ukraine and the Middle East were also on the agenda. Blanar described Germany as one of the most important trading and political partners within the EU and at the multilateral level. "Germany is the driving force behind the European economy, and if something happens in Germany, we all feel the effects, the Slovak Republic all the more so," he said, noting that 20 percent of Slovakia's exports are destined for the German market. He added that Slovakia is also an important partner for Germany. Wadephul pointed out that relations between the two countries are based on a firmer foundation than mere economic ties, and that their shared history serves as a reminder of what they've managed to build together in Europe. "In 1989, people in Leipzig, Prague and Bratislava demonstrated for freedom, democracy and a united Europe. Today, Germany and Slovakia are partners in the European Union and allies in NATO," he said. BRATISLAVA - Slovakia's central bank (NBS) has revised its GDP growth forecast for this year upwards to 0.8 percent and the forecast for inflation downwards to 3.6 percent, according to the latest autumn figures presented by NBS governor Peter Kazimir and central bank chief economist Michal Horvath at a press conference on Tuesday. In June, the bank's projection for GDP growth amounted to 0.5 percent, with the one for inflation at 4 percent. According to Kazimir, NBS is bringing two pieces of good news in its latest prognosis. "The first is that we are raising our forecast for GDP growth this year. The second is that we aren't downgrading our growth outlook for the next two years," he stressed. GDP is expected to grow by 1.9 percent next year and by 2.7 percent in 2028, which is almost unchanged from the figure that the bank forecast in June. ko