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This summary is provided by the STA:
Janša to attend EU summit before traveilling to Ukraine
BRUSSELS, Belgium - PM Janez Janša will attend an emergency EU summit on Ukraine in Brussels on Thursday evening and then travel on to Ukraine for a working visit aimed at supporting the country as it faces the threat of Russian invasion, as part of which he is to meet his counterpart Denys Shmyhal and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, while Slovenia will also deliver material aid to Ukraine. The EU summit and Janša's Ukraine visit come after Russia recognised independence of the rebel-held east Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk with President Vladimir Putin ordering troop deployment there. This comes aster Janša met heads of relevant institutions to assess foreign policy, security and cyber risks for Slovenia in the wake of Russia's latest steps.
Logar and Truss sign statement on strengthening relations
LONDON, UK -Foreign Minister Anže Logar met his British counterpart Elizabeth Truss in London on Wednesday to sign a declaration of intent to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries. Logar also met the president of the 26th UN Climate Change Conference, Alok Sharma, the Slovenian Foreign Ministry said. Ministers Logar and UK Foreign Secretary Truss stressed that Slovenia and the United Kingdom are partners and allies, sharing common values and similar interests on many issues and policies.
Foreign Ministry summons Russian ambassador over Ukraine
LJUBLJANA - The Foreign Ministry said it had summoned Russian Ambassador Timur Eyvazov over Russia's recognition of independence of the eastern Ukrainian regions Donetsk and Luhansk. Bogdan Batič, deputy political director at the ministry, informed the ambassador of Slovenia's resolute opposition to Russia's actions along the Ukrainian border, especially the unilateral recognition of independence of the two Ukrainian regions. The ministry said this was a grave violation of international law and of the obligations that Russia had assumed with a number of agreements, including the Minsk agreements.
Tonin talks to CNN about risk for W Balkans in Ukraine crisis
LJUBLJANA - Defence Minister Matej Tonin discussed Russia's actions in Ukraine in an interview with the CNN on Tuesday, underscoring that unity was the Western allies' strongest tool. He warned that at the moment when all eyes are on Ukraine something bad could happen in the Western Balkans, in particular Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Unofficial report: Gen Energija boss Novšak dismissed
LJUBLJANA - The supervisory board of Gen Energija, the company managing the Slovenian half of the NEK nuclear power station, dismissed the company's long-serving director general Martin Novšak, while citing no reasons for the move, according to several unofficial media reports. As Necenzurirano portal reports, Novšak was dismissed by the representatives of the ruling coalition on the supervisory board. He is to be replaced by Blaž Košorok, an Infrastructure Ministry state secretary, who comes from the ruling SDS, and who is reportedly opposed by both certain people in the SDS and in the Posavje region, where NEK is located.
Slovenian, Italian ministers propose minority education task force
BOLOGNA, Italy - Slovenian Education Minister Simona Kustec and her Italian counterpart Patrizio Bianchi urged the formation of a task force for cooperation in minority eduction that would address open issues, as they met in Bologna. "This is an important step forward because we will jointly address the open issues to resolve them as they emerge," Kustec was quoted by the Education Ministry as saying. The minister also labelled it as a sign of excellent bilateral cooperation.
Report: Radio City gets Hungarian owner
MARIBOR/BUDAPEST, Hungary - The Maribor-based radio station Radio City has been acquired by companies Media Moment and Radio Factory, owned by Hungarian Gabor Deak, the newspaper Večer reports, quoting Hungarian web portal Medial. It says Deak is linked to the circles of Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Watchdog finds integrity breach by Počivalšek in ventilator deal
LJUBLJANA - The anti-graft watchdog has found breach of integrity by Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek, noting he interfered in the work of the Commodity Reserves Agency in relation to a purchase of ventilators from the supplier Geneplanet. This was established during investigations into PPE procurement during the first Covid wave. Počivalšek dismissed the watchdog's findings, saying his aim had only been to ensure the fastest possible delivery of emergency medical supplies.
Left proposes moratorium on sale of bad bank's assets
LJUBLJANA - The opposition Left proposed legislative changes that would provide for a moratorium on the sale of all tourism and housing facilities owned by the Bank Assets Management Company (BAMC), and for these assets to pass into the ownership of the state assets custodian, Slovenian Sovereign Holding (SSH). At the same time, the party also proposed that the state-owned bad bank be liquidated early and all its assets transferred to SSH and the Housing Fund.
Just over 2,370 new coronavirus cases confirmed as drop continues
LJUBLJANA - The number of new coronavirus cases in Slovenia on Tuesday stood at 2,372, and although it was up by 107 from yesterday, the steady drop continues as the number of new cases was down by 50% week-on-week. There are currently 496 Covid patients in hospitals, down 15 from yesterday, including 98 in intensive care, two more than the day before, the government said on Twitter. Ten more patients with Covid have died.
Illegal migration more than doubles in January y/y
LJUBLJANA - The police dealt with 693 instances of illegal migration in the first month of 2022 alone, more than double the figure recorded in January last year. By far the largest number of illegal migrants caught last month were Afghans, which is to be expected given the situation in the country, the police said. Afghan nationals accounted for almost half of all the migrants caught crossing the border illegally in January.
TPV Automotive recruiting more staff this year
NOVO MESTO - TPV Automotive, a Novo Mesto-based automotive supplier, announced it was recruiting more staff at all its plants. By the end of the year, they will have recruited a significant number of new employees, with the new hires being made in several towns and villages in eastern and south-eastern Slovenia. New jobs at TPV Automotive have opened up due to the development of breakthrough projects, said the company in a press release. In addition to production workers, they are also looking for highly skilled professionals from a wide range of fields, including engineering, IT, robotics and logistics.
Five vaccine cheaters get convicted, says report
LJUBLJANA - The Kranj Local Court has issued convictions for five men involved in a Covid-19 vaccination fraud where one of them got vaccinated on behalf of the other four. The verdicts are not yet final, the daily Delo reported on Tuesday. One of the defendants was given a sentence of ten months in prison, while the other four were fined.
Ljubljana's architectural gems showcased on French stamps
PARIS, France - The French post has issued a series of four stamps depicting Ljubljana's architectural landmarks. The stamps show the Triple Bridge, St. Nicholas Cathedral, Ljubljana Castle and Tivoli Park. The French post has thus underlined the charm of the Slovenian capital, the Slovenian Embassy in France said on Twitter, adding that Ljubljana landmarks designed by architect Jože Plečnik (1872-1957), including some of those showcased on the stamps, are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
