SUMMARY - Tuesday, 13 October 2026 - 9 p.m.

Sydney, 13 October (TASR-correspondent) - The Slovak community in Sydney met at the Czech and Slovak community club on Tuesday for an expatriate evening featuring performances by the Lucnica folklore ensemble, local folklore ensemble Stonozka (Centipede), and the music band Kukabura, with the event attended by Foreign Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) and Culture Minister Martina Simkovicova (a Slovak National Party/SNS nominee) as part of their working trip to Australia. https://etasr.sk/article/23816635 Bratislava, 13 October (TASR) - The target for next year's public finance deficit, set at 4.9 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), is realistic, but such a development would represent a year-on-year deterioration in the state's fiscal position of 0.5 percent of GDP, and thus a reversal of part of the consolidation efforts made to date, according to an analysis of the draft general government budget for 2027-2029, presented by representatives of the Budgetary Responsibility Council (RRZ) on Tuesday. https://etasr.sk/article/23816664 Bratislava, 13 October (TASR) - MP and former environment minister Tomas Taraba (Independent) intends to found a new party called 'Taraba - Development of Slovakia'. https://etasr.sk/article/23816690 Bratislava, 13 October (TASR) – The government's proposed state budget for 2027 will result in Slovakia accumulating debt at its fastest rate since 2012, opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) leader Michal Simecka warned on Tuesday. https://etasr.sk/article/23816734 Bratislava, 13 October (TASR) - The salaries of civil servants will increase by 8.4 percent as of 1 July 2027, while their working hours will be reduced to 37.5 per week, according to higher-level collective agreements for the civil service signed on Tuesday, the Government Office's press department has informed TASR. https://etasr.sk/article/23816792 Bratislava, 13 October (TASR) - Parliament concluded the debate on the government's draft state budget for 2027 on Tuesday afternoon. MPs had been debating the budget, widely referred to as the key piece of legislation of the year, since 7 October. https://etasr.sk/article/23816892 Bratislava, 13 October (TASR) – The Whistleblower Protection Office (UOO) criticises statements by Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD) regarding the withdrawal of protection from a group of police officers centered around Jan Curilla, considering public calls for the withdrawal of protection without respect for statutory conditions unacceptable, Alexandra Znasikova of the UOO told TASR on Tuesday. https://etasr.sk/article/23816928 Pezinok, 13 October (TASR) - The Specialised Criminal Court (STS) in Pezinok (Bratislava region) on Tuesday found Ivana F. [the name abbreviated due to legal reasons] guilty of premeditated murder in connection with last year's tragedy in Bratislava's borough of Ruzinov, which claimed the lives of two children. https://etasr.sk/article/23817009 Bratislava, 13 October (TASR) - Power utility Slovenske elektrarne (SE) has delayed the synchronisation of the fourth unit of the Mochovce Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) with the electricity grid, originally planned for Tuesday, SE spokesperson Lenka Sarlakova has informed TASR. https://etasr.sk/article/23817160 Bratislava, 13 October (TASR) - Artificial intelligence (AI), data infrastructure and strategic investment were the main issues discussed at Tuesday's meeting between President Peter Pellegrini and representatives of Amazon Web Services at the Presidential Palace, the President's Office reported on Tuesday. https://etasr.sk/article/23817161 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. ko