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:
Five new coronavirus cases reported for Sunday, no fatalities
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded five new cases of coronavirus from 335 tests performed on Sunday, the lowest single-day increase since the end of June. The latest increase brings the total number of confirmed infections since the start of the pandemic to 2,087. Twenty people were in hospital on Sunday, down one on the day before, with the number of those in intensive care likewise dropping by one to three. The death count remains at 116, because two deaths at the Hrastnik care home have not been added to the tally yet.
Pivec defends conduct, says she paid for accommodation
LJUBLJANA - Agriculture Minister Aleksandra Pivec defended her conduct after questions were raised about potential ethics breach over her appearance in a wine maker's promotional video and uncertainty over who paid for her family's trip to western Slovenia at the end of June. Pivec said in a Facebook post she had paid for the accommodation for herself and her sons during the 25-26 June visit to Kras region. If necessary, she will show the receipts to the competent institutions. The wine maker said the minister's visit and the video were not meant to promote the company.
Jaka Brezigar named European prosecutor from Slovenia
BRUSSELS, Belgium - Prosecutor Jaka Brezigar was appointed the Slovenian member of the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) by the Council of the EU, along with prosecutors of 21 other participating member countries. Brezigar, 41, was one of the three candidates nominated for the position by the Slovenian government last year, along with prosecutors Tanja Frank Eler and Marjana Grašič. The EPPO is to become operational at the end of the year. It will investigate, prosecute and bring to justice crimes against the EU's financial interests.
POP TV poll shows SDS firm even as govt rating slips
LJUBLJANA - The ruling SDS remains firmly in the lead in the polls even as the rating for the Janez Janša government as a whole dropped below 40% for the first time since it took office, shows a poll run by POP TV on Sunday. The SDS gained more than half a point to 17.4%, while the Social Democrats (SD) in second rose by four points to 12.3%, leapfrogging the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), which shed more than two points to 8.1%. The Left remains in third place at 9.3%, up from 8.9% in the month before.
Incoming ambassadors present credentials
LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor received the credentials of newly appointed German Ambassadors Natalie Kauther and Adrian Pollman in what is the first such ambassador rotation duo. Credentials were also presented by Algerian Ambassador Ali Mokrani, the Sultanate of Oman's Ambassador Yousuf Ahmed Hamed Aljabri and the Dominican Republic's Ambassador Lourdes Gisela Antonia Victoria-Kruse.
Ombudsman says failure to wear mask cannot be penalised
LJUBLJANA - The Human Rights Ombudsman assessed that the failure to comply with the government decree on the mandatory use of face masks in public indoor spaces cannot be penalised. The ombudsman's opinion is based on an appeal by a citizen who opposes the rule that was reimposed on 25 June. The ombudsman's office says the issue is that the rule is based on an article of the communicable diseases act that is only a general provision, while fines are foreseen with reference to a separate chapter of the act.
Top court stays renaming Titova Road until referendum
LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court stayed implementation of a municipal decree amending the naming of streets, squares and villages in the Radenci municipality until there is a final say on a referendum proposal launched by locals who oppose renaming a road that bears the name of the former Yugoslavia's communist leader Josip Broz Tito. Radenci Mayor Roman Leljak, who initiated renaming Titova Road Slovenian Independence Road, was critical of the decision. He believes the referendum could be held in the spring of 2021.
Retail sales down by a tenth in January-June
LJUBLJANA - Retail sales in Slovenia declined by 9.6% year-on-year from January to June as the coronavirus epidemic shut down most stores for several weeks in spring. The figures for June suggest the sector is slowly picking up. Lower sales were reported across all segments of retail for the six-month period. In June, however, only the motor fuel segment (-17.9%) and the food and drinks segment (-8.4%) saw sales contract.
Pandemic's impact on companies more uneven than 2009 crisis
LJUBLJANA - The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted Slovenian companies much more unevenly than the latest recession in 2009. A survey carried out by the Slovenian Marketing Association and the pollster Valicon shows that 58% of companies have had negative effects, 17% of them have benefited. In the autumn of 2009, 79% of the companies surveyed reported negative effects of the global economic crisis. Back then, positive effects were felt by 6% of the companies surveyed.
Ultra cyclist breaks world record
DOBROVNIK - Slovenian ultra cyclist Marko Baloh has set a new 1,000-km time trial world record with 28 hours, 50 minutes and 14 seconds, bicycle maker Spiegel Bikes reported on its Instagram. The 53-year-old started chasing a number of world records over the weekend. He bagged the major one, the 1,000-km record, whereas Austrian Christoph Strasser remains the person who has ridden the longest distance on a road bike in 24 hours (896.2 km); Baloh managed 865.3 km in a day.
If you're learning Slovenian then you can find all our dual texts here
