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This summary is provided by the STA:
Daily coronavirus count hits six-week high
LJUBLJANA - A total of 3,393 new coronavirus cases were confirmed in Slovenia on Monday, the highest daily count since 22 November as the Omicron-driven outbreak accelerates. According to the National Institute of Public Health, the 14-day incidence per 100,000 population is now at 953, up by 85 from the previous day. Meanwhile, hospitalisations were down by 17 to 531 today, or by eleven to 162 in intensive care. Eight Covid-19 patients died.
Medical Ethics Committee urges considering vaccination mandate for high-risk groups
LJUBLJANA - The National Medical Ethics Committee joined a growing chorus of medical associations calling for Slovenia to consider imposing mandatory vaccination on vulnerable and high-risk groups of population, and, given new strains of the virus, possibly introducing a general vaccination mandate. It particularly points to the spread of transmissions among the elderly, which it blames on insufficient vaccination rates and the anti-vaccination sentiment.
Police trade union to file charges against police commissioner
LJUBLJANA - The Police Trade Union of Slovenia (PSS), one of Slovenia's two police trade unions with a membership of roughly 5,000, the bulk of the national police force, plans to file charges against Police Commissioner Anton Olaj over alleged violations of trade union rights and the right to participation in management. The union accuses Olaj of attempts to censor internal documents that the union distributes on the police intranet. Olaj rejects the accusations.
Slovenia's exports last November up 24% year-on-year
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia exported EUR 3.7 billion worth of goods in November 2021, while imports amounted to EUR 4.2 billion, with the former increasing by 24.1% compared to November 2020, and the latter going up by 25.6%, the Statistics Office said. In the first eleven months of 2021, Slovenia exported EUR 36.3 billion worth of goods, 19.3% more year-on-year, and imported EUR 38.1 billion worth of goods, an increase of 30% year-on-year.
Car sales in Slovenia up 3% in 2021
LJUBLJANA - A total of 63,675 new cars and vans were registered in Slovenia last year, a 3.18% rise over 2020, when car sales plummeted by more than 25% as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, show the figures released by the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce (TZS). While the number of new increased by a mere 0.58% to nearly 53,990, the number of new vans registered rose by almost 21% to nearly 9,690.
Slovenian tech company partners with London hospitals
LJUBLJANA - Slovenian software company Better has signed a contract with five London hospital districts that are part of the OneLondon health data-sharing system to use Better's digital health platform. The three-year contract is worth GBP 3.1 million or about EUR 3.7 million and comes with the possibility of a two-year extension. "Our platform will play a key role in continuing the process of digitising healthcare," Better's founder and CEO Tomaž Gornik said.
Club of independent mayors in the making
LJUBLJANA - Mayor of Kočevje Vladimir Prebilič has launched an initiative to form a club of independent mayors in a bid to increase their influence on local government policy, announcing the founding meeting of the new club for next Monday in Šentjur. Prebilič has sent the initiative to all mayors who were elected as independent candidates or ran without direct support from parties at the last local elections in 2018. There are 136 such mayors among the country's 212. The club plans no forays into politics at the national level for now.
Ljubljana temporarily without air connection with Brussels
BRNIK - The Slovenian capital will have no flight connection to Brussels between 10 January and 28 February as Brussels Airlines is suspending flights on this route at the end of Slovenia's six-month EU presidency. Wizz Air will suspend the Ljubljana-Brussels connection between 7 January and 11 March, according to web portal Ex-yuaviation. Brussels Airlines, which returned to Ljubljana airport just before the start of Slovenia's presidency of the Council of the EU, currently flies to Brussels four times a week. Wizz Air offers flights to Charleroi airport once a week.
Cankar's canon published in English for first time
KRANJ - The dramatic canon of Ivan Cankar, considered to be Slovenia's greatest playwright, has been translated into English for the first time to allow the West to discover a literary genius often compared to the likes of Henrik Ibsen. Devised by the Prešeren Theatre of Kranj in collaboration with the Crane Creations Theatre Company from Canada, the project Cankar Goes West aims to present to foreign audiences what is a major part of Slovenia's literary and dramatic canon.
New director takes over at Slovenia's leading theatre
LJUBLJANA - Dramaturgist Vesna Jurca Tadel took over as acting director of SNG Drama Ljubljana, Slovenia's leading theatre company, succeeding Igor Samobor, who stepped down in November after eight years on the job. Jurca Tadel, a dramaturgist, critic and translator who has worked at the Culture Ministry since 1995, has been appointed as acting director by Culture Minister Vasko Simoniti for a period of up to one year. A call for applications to fill the post of director will be published in the meantime.
