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This summary is provided by the STA:
Brussels freezes probe of MOL's takeover in Slovenia
BRUSSELS, Belgium - The web portal Necenzurirano reported that the European Commission had frozen the in-depth investigation of the acquisition of service stations of OMV Slovenija by the Hungarian energy group MOL. The investigation will resume when MOL provides the Commission with the requested information. The portal says the suspension will prolong the procedure at least until the end of the year. As a result of the takeover, Slovenia would have only two big fuel retailers left, MOL and Petrol.
Pre-tax profit of banks down 15% in H1
LJUBLJANA - Banks registered in Slovenia generated EUR 212.5 million in pre-tax profit in the first half of the year, a drop of 15.4% year-on-year, which a report by the central bank says is a result of higher operating costs and the creation of net impairments and provisions. The volume of household deposits increased by EUR 1.1 billion in the first half of the year. The capital strength of the banking system remained solid, and liquidity was good, finds the report.
Insurer Sava reports lower half-year profit
LJUBLJANA - The insurance group Sava saw its half-year net profit reduced by a third year-on-year to EUR 28.9 million as operating revenue remained level at EUR 364.2 million. The company said the drop was mainly due the frequency of vehicle insurance claims returning to pre-pandemic levels, inflation-fuelled cost of settling claims and provisions, as well as large weather-related losses. However, it also noted that compared to 2019, the pre-pandemic and pre-inflation year, the half-year net profit rose by 28.2%.
Trade unions cry foul over tagging of food couriers
LJUBLJANA - Trade unions lambasted the deal under which Wolt and Glovo food delivery couriers will have to wear identification numbers in Ljubljana so residents could report them for traffic offences. The youth trade union Mladi Plus, backed up by other unions, said the local authorities and the companies wanted to place the blame and responsibility for traffic violations on the couriers instead of taking responsibility for the conditions that force them to violate traffic rules in the first place.
Three months after explosion Melamin operates at 20%
KOČEVJE - Melamin has managed to resume about a fifth of the former scale of production since the Kočevje chemical company was hit by a deadly explosion on 12 May. An alternative location to move the most hazardous part of production out of the city is yet to be found. Antun Gašparac, the head of the commission monitoring the renovation, said the plan was to resume as much production in September to bring the factory "to a point where it could survive on the market".
NSi urges govt not to reverse tax reform
LJUBLJANA - The opposition New Slovenia (NSi) urged the government not to reverse the tax reform introduced by the previous government, while also noting that it should prepare a package of targeted measures to help vulnerable groups as well as measures to help business cope with the growing energy prices. NSi deputy Jernej Vrtovec warned an "avalanche of lay-offs and receiverships" could be be expected unless the government helped businesses cope with the rising energy prices.
Minister opposed to provinces proposal
DOBROVNIK - Public Administration Minister Sanja Ajanović Hovnik came out against proposed legislation to establish provinces as she met the mayors from the region of Pomurje on Tuesday. She said the proposal, tabled by the upper chamber of parliament in June, would hardly be among the priorities in the coming year, given all the current challenges such as global security and the energy and climate crisis. Moreover, she said it "undermined the entire system of state administration".
Higher Court upholds SD's EUR 10,000 libel claim against Janša
LJUBLJANA - The ruling ordering opposition Democrats (SDS) leader Janez Janša to pay EUR 10,000 in damages and apologise to the coalition Social Democrats (SD) for claiming the party operated from a "stolen Jewish villa" has become final. The SocDems said the Celje Higher Court ruling on Janša's appeal against the October 2021 verdict of the Velenje Local Court was of great significance since "Janša has once again been faced with accountability for his lying statements".
Golob promises govt to help Prekmurje develop
LJUBLJANA - Marking Day of Unification of Prekmurje Slovenians with the Homeland, Prime Minister Robert Golob promised for his government to move from words to action and help the north-easternmost region to make a development breakthrough. "After years of searching for solutions for a development breakthrough, it is time to be more concrete and sincere in our desire to recognise and support innovation, know-how and the desire for new, sustainable approaches that are being conceived in the region," he wrote.
TV Slovenija boss clashes with Mladina over latest editorial
LJUBLJANA - Uroš Urbanija, the director of the TV arm of RTV Slovenija, has decided to cancel the subscription for Mladina over an editorial that criticises staffing at the public broadcaster. Urbanija labelled the move as the end of business cooperation, whereas the editor-in-chief of Mladina retorted that there was no business cooperation in the first place, only a subscription to twenty copies of Mladina. Repovž said that by attacking the weekly, Urbanija was trying to cover up what was going on at TV Slovenija.
Almost 2,600 coronavirus cases on Tuesday
LJUBLJANA - A total of 2,591 cases of coronavirus were confirmed in Slovenia on Tuesday, more than a third more than a week earlier, which may be attributed to reduced testing on public holiday on Monday. One patient died, Health Ministry data shows. Hospital figures remained stable, while the 14-day case notification rate per 100,000 of the population rose by 41 from the day before to 887.
Third gold for Garnbret at European Championships
MUNICH, Germany - Janja Garnbret won gold in the new boulder & lead event, her third consecutive gold medal at the European Championships in Munich. Garnbret left nothing to chance as she dominated both the boulder and the lead events: there were 200 points available in both events and she took home 199.9 points. "It definitely feels incredible," Garnbret said in her first remarks after the event. Another Slovenian, Mia Krampl, finished in second place.
Tina Šutej wins bronze at European Athletics Championships
MUNICH, Germany - Slovenia's Tina Šutej won bronze in the pole vault at the European Athletics Championships, finishing with a height of 4.75 metres, just shy of her personal best of 4.76 metres in outdoor competitions. Šutej performed with a light injury that she sustained during the warm-up and competed with a bandaged hand.
Anna Netrebko will perform at Ljubljana Festival
LJUBLJANA - The concert of Russian soprano Anna Netrebko at the Ljubljana Festival remains scheduled for 26 September, the festival's director and artistic director Darko Brlek said after the Ukrainian community in Slovenia called for its cancellation. Brlek labelled the opposition to Netrebko's concert as "politicisation", which he said the Festival Ljubljana strongly condemns. In a written statement, Netrebko Netrebko condemned the war in Ukraine and distanced herself from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Photo exhibition celebrates Slovenian rivers
KANAL - An exhibition honouring 19 Slovenian rivers and 29 river guardians through the lenses of 19 acclaimed photographers is opening in Kanal pri Soči today. Part of an environmental project targetting persistent pollution, the exhibition will then travel around Slovenia accompanied by debates, workshops for activists and children, and art events until 2024. The project aims to raise awareness about the importance of protecting watercourses and to promote active citizenship.
