Check the date at the top of the page, and you can find all the "morning headlines" stories here. You can also follow us on Facebook and get all the news in your feed.
This summary is provided by the STA:
Triple murderer Drevenšek sentenced to 30 years in prison in retrial
PTUJ - A retrial in the case of a man who murdered his estranged spouse and her parents in front of his four-year-old son on Christmas Day 2020 ended with a sentence of 30 years behind bars, as Silvo Drevenšek was found guilty of all counts. He was handed 29 years each for the three murders and four more for the neglect and cruel treatment of a minor. However, the penal code allows for a maximum of 30 years bar a life sentence. In the original trial at the Ptuj District Court, quashed because six instead of just five judges ruled on the case, Drevenšek had been the first to be sentenced to life imprisonment since the sentence was reintroduced in 2008. Until 1998, the highest possible punishment in Slovenia was 20 years in prison.
Delo poll: Freedom Movement's rating stable, SDS's at 4-year high
LJUBLJANA - Voters are a bit less critical of the government, but despite this, more than half of them see its performance as negative, shows Delo newspaper's August public opinion poll. A total of 25.9% of those polled have rated the government's performance as positive or very positive (up 4.6 points from July) and 53.3% as negative or very negative (down 2.7 points). If an election was held tomorrow, 30.6% of the respondents would vote for the ruling Freedom Movement, which is practically on a par with July (30.2%) and June (31%). The largest opposition party, the Democrats (SDS), meanwhile polled best since September 2018.
Govt reintroduces energy efficiency contribution
LJUBLJANA - Petrol and diesel will be slightly more expensive as of 17 August, as the government decided on Monday to reintroduce energy efficiency contributions, which had been abolished temporarily to reduce energy prices. Diesel will thus be 0.8 cents more expensive per litre and petrol will be 0.736 cents dearer per litre. The government said after a correspondence session that the contribution had to be reintroduced because it provided funds for Eko Sklad, the country's sustainable energy development scheme fund. "These funds support investments that increase energy independence, efficiency and increase the share of renewables," the government said.
Pahor paying state visit to Turkey this week
LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor will start a two-day state visit to Turkey on Tuesday at the invitation of his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Bilateral relations and the situation in Ukraine will top the agenda. The situation in the Western Balkans and the Middle East will also be discussed. In addition to Erdogan, Pahor will also meet Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Cavusoglu. He will kick off the visit by addressing the participants of an annual get-together of Turkish diplomats.
Novo Mesto Bishop Saje reportedly suspected of tax evasion
LJUBLJANA - Delo has reported that Bishop of Novo Mesto Andrej Saje is suspected of tax evasion and that a criminal complaint against Saje was sent to the Slovenian tax authorities and the prosecution service three months ago. It alleges he had received pay for helping out with mass on Sundays and holidays at two parishes in the Diocese of Gurk-Klagenfurt in Carinthia, Austria, between 2014 and the period when he was appointed bishop in June 2021. On the other hand, Saje has told the STA that he has no knowledge of the criminal complaint that is said to have been filed against him this year, and could not comment on it in detail.
No major drop in property prices expected yet
LJUBLJANA - Judging by the available statistical data, Slovenia's housing market is not showing signs of cooling just yet although real estate agents say prices have stopped going up mid-year. Still, pundits do not think any major drop in prices is likely over the next six months. After a record surge last year, prices of residential properties rose by a further 4.1% in this year's first quarter on the quarter before, going up by as much as 19.6% year-on-year, the latest data from the Statistics Office shows.
Summer film season starts at Museum Plaza
LJUBLJANA - Tonight's screening of Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator will lift the curtain on a series of events organised by the Slovenian Cinematheque at the Museum Plaza on Metelkova Street. The events include the three-day festival Summer on the Silver Screen and between the Covers, mini festivals of short film and videos, and debates about the present and future of print media in a digital-first world.
