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This summary is provided by the STA:
Slovenia and US sign 5G safety declaration
BLED - Slovenia and the US signed a joint declaration on safety of 5G networks as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo paid a visit. Pompeo said the tide was turning against the Chinese Communist Party. The declaration excludes "untrusted vendors" from 5G networks, which will "benefit the people of this country and all of us who share information across complex network systems". PM Janez Janša thanked the US on behalf of the Slovenian people for coming to Europe's aid twice in the previous century. He said Pompeo's and US President Donald Trump's work was recognised in Slovenia as the "continuation of support for the values of freedom, the rule of law, human rights and dignity". Two opposition parties criticised the joint declaration and the Chinese mobile company Huawei said that it would not benefit cyber security and would delay the introduction of 5G in Slovenia. A strong reaction came also from the Chinese Embassy.
Janša calls for fresh election in Belarus
BLED - Prime Minister Janez Janša called for a new election in Belarus under the presence of international observers as the only solution to the situation in Belarus, an approach he said was also supported by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who visited Slovenia today. "The only peaceful solution to the current crisis in Belarus is to repeat elections under the strong presence of international observation missions," Janša told a joint press conference after talks with Pompeo. Pompeo said he was "very hopeful that we can collectively work in a way I think it's a better outcome for the people of Belarus."
NLB Group net profit down 22% to EUR 73.7m in H1
LJUBLJANA - The NLB Group generated EUR 73.7 million in net profit in the first half of the year, a decrease of EUR 20.7 million or 22% year-on-year. The group's operations were affected by the Covid-19 epidemic, but the supervisory board said that despite impairments and provisions the group's operations were stable and profitable. Net operating income in the first six months of the year remained flat at EUR 260 million and profit before impairments and provisions was almost unchanged as well, dropping by 1% compared to the same period last year to EUR 115.2 million.
Outspoken judge suspended, PM speaks of chicanery
LJUBLJANA - Supreme Court vice-president Miodrag Đorđević temporary suspended district court judge Zvjezdan Radonjić over several grave disciplinary breaches. Radonjić, who has accused other judges of accepting bribes and claimed pressure had been exerted on him in a high-profile case, has been a vocal critic of the Slovenian judiciary. He made headlines as the presiding judge in the case of the 2014 murder of Chemistry Institute boss Janko Jamnik. The suspension has already triggered strong reactions. PM Janez Janša said that "the chicanery against judge Radonjić is ripe for a comprehensive investigation."
29 new coronavirus cases confirmed in 856 tests on Wednesday
LJUBLJANA - A total of 29 new cases of coronavirus were confirmed in 856 tests on Wednesday in Slovenia. No new deaths were reported. New cases were reported in 14 municipalities and the majority were in the 15-34 age group. Infections diseases specialist Mateja Logar of the Ljubljana UKC hospital told TV Slovenija yesterday that most of the latest cases were imported from Croatia. Based on the recommendation from experts, the government extended today the ban on night clubs, the only type of establishment in Slovenia that has not been able to reopen since mid-March, as well as the ban on gatherings of more than ten people or up to 50 when the organiser keeps a list of the participants.
Foreign direct investment in Slovenia up EUR 552m in H1
LJUBLJANA - Foreign direct investment in Slovenia increased by EUR 552 million in the first half of 2020, a significantly slower rate of increase than in the same period last year, when inbound investment rose by almost EUR 639 million. According to data released by Banka Slovenije, EUR 370.7 million of the increase in the first half of 2020 was accounted for by reinvested profit, EUR 116.7 million by an increase in debt instruments and EUR 64.5 million by equity. In the 12 months until the end of June, FDI was up EUR 725.7 million.
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