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This summary is provided by the STA:
24 people test positive for coronavirus, one death
LJUBLJANA - A total of 879 tests for the novel coronavirus were performed in Slovenia on Wednesday, with 24 persons testing positive. One person died of Covid-19, the latest government data show. A total of 22 persons were in hospital with Covid-19, five of them requiring intensive care. So far, a total of 2,139 novel coronavirus infections were detected in Slovenia and the national death toll increased to 118. The Ljubljana University Medical Centre (UKC), the country's largest hospital, has started preparing for an expected surge in coronavirus infections with the arrival of autumn and winter. Insights acquired so far will help in the treatment of patients.
Violent storms cause huge damage across country
LJUBLJANA - Violent storms with strong winds, downpours and hail hit Slovenia Wednesday evening, causing huge damage and disruption across central, eastern, northeastern and southeastern Slovenia. Several hundred firefighter units were dispatched to over 500 locations to pump water from houses, patch up roofs, divert torrents and clear fallen trees and debris from roads. Power outages landslides and flooded premises were reported. The Domžale area in central Slovenia was hit the hardest, battered by hail the size of an egg. As Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek inspected the damage it was estimated at around EUR 2.5 million the municipality alone.
Contact tracing app deemed operational
LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian contact tracing app #OstaniZdrav (#StayWell) will be localised and uploaded to GooglePlay and AppStore by Saturday, the deadline for the app to be up and running. According to the Public Administration Ministry, the app is operational and currently being tested by the ministry and National Institute of Public Health. It is expected to be available for download in mid-August or the second half of August. However, the Information Commissioner deems the legal basis for the app inappropriate.
Krka group ups net profit by 15% to EUR 160.3m in half year
NOVO MESTO - The pharma group Krka reported EUR 803.8 million in sales revenue for the first half of the year, a 6% increase year-on-year, as net profit rose by 15% year-on-year to EUR 160.3 million. The management said in the half-year report that "the Krka Group performed well in the first half of the business year, and reached record results." The release adds that the Novo Mesto-based group planned for the entire 2020 to generate operating income of EUR 1.52 billion, and to increase net profit to EUR 210 million.
Telekom Slovenije net profit down 24% to EUR 14.8m in H1
LJUBLJANA - The telecoms group Telekom Slovenije made EUR 335.4 million in total operating revenue in the first half of the year, a decline of 2% year-on-year, while net profit was down 24% to EUR 14.8 million. "The Telekom Slovenije group revenue in the first half of the year was affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, with revenue in the mobile segment decreasing due to lower revenue from roaming," the company said. Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) stood at EUR 20.7 million, but adjusted for the effects of the agreement on the sale of Planet TV, EBIT would amount to EUR 27.3 million, or 15% or EUR 3.5 million more year-on-year.
Hidria signs EUR 15m deal with three luxury car brands
IDRIJA - The industrial conglomerate Hidria, a major car industry supplier, announced it had signed a EUR 15 million deal with Germany's Audi and Porsche and Italy's Lamborghini under which it will develop and supply them with key aluminium engine parts. In the next five years, the Idrija-based company will be supplying parts for high-performance diesel and petrol engines for premium and super-sport vehicles of the three marques. Audi, Porsche and Lamborghini will install in their vehicles aluminium parts developed in Hidria, which will make the vehicles lighter and more efficient, with better fuel economy, faster acceleration and lower emissions.
Mediana poll suggests odds slim for Janša govt to fall
LJUBLJANA - Almost 41% of those questioned in a poll by Mediana for the newspaper Delo do not favour an early election, and more than half do not believe a potential attempt by the opposition to vote out the Janez Janša government would succeed. Almost 44% believe that there is no suitable candidate to lead an interim government in the given parties and a new person would have to be found for such a job.
Constitutional Court says 2019 budget did not violate fiscal rule
LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court ruled that the 2019 supplementary budget documents were not in conflict with the Constitution. It was the then opposition Democrats (SDS) and New Slovenia (NSi) who petitioned the court in April 2019, claiming the budget expenditure planned was so high it violated the fiscal rule. The court said that the shortcomings claimed by the two parties did not amount to jeopardising the fiscal sovereignty of the country.
Newly established AI centre hosts first event
LJUBLJANA - The International Research Centre On Artificial Intelligence (IRCAI), which was established under the auspices of UNESCO in March, completed its first cooperation with UNESCO this week, an online consultation on drafting of guidelines about AI ethics. IRCAI, which is a part of the country's top research institute, the Jožef Stefan Institute, hosted the online conference involving players from Europe alongside the Ministry of Education. Apart from Slovenia, 23 other countries had been invited by UNESCO to nominate AI experts for ethics guidelines cooperation.
Slovenians among most satisfied in EU with inter-personal relations
BRUSSELS, Belgium - An Eurostat survey suggests that Slovenia's residents are among the most satisfied in the EU in terms of inter-personal relations. The average mark for satisfaction in Slovenia on a one-to-ten scale is 8.6, well above the EU average of 7.9. The only other countries in the EU to have reached such rate are Austria, Malta and Ireland. Overall, satisfaction with inter-personal relations in the EU has not changed much since 2013, when it stood at 7.8. It has increased in Slovenia in this period by 0.3.
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