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This summary is provided by the STA:
Parliament endorses tax cuts
LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly endorsed amendments to the income tax act that bring higher take-home pay across the board, lower tax on capital gains, and a lower top tax rate. The legislation was slated for passage late last year but was put on the back burner because the coalition did not have a majority in parliament and due to the threat of a referendum pushed for by the Left. After Prime Minister Janez Janša raised the prospect of holding the referendum along with the general election in April, the Left abandoned the plan.
Pahor repeats call for diplomatic solution to Ukraine war
ANTALYA, Turkey - Addressing the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, President Borut Pahor issued an appeal for an all-out effort to end the war in Ukraine and find a diplomatic solution to the conflict, as he repeated that he was against NATO imposing a no-fly zone in Ukraine. "We must do all in our power to bring about an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and to encourage the two sides to find a diplomatic solution," Pahor said. He also reiterated that it would be wrong to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine, saying Ukraine needed to be helped in other ways. Pahor also held talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Janša tells Bloomberg "much more" needs to be done about Russia
PARIS, France - Prime Minister Janez Janša has told Bloomberg TV that it is evident war crimes are taking place in Ukraine and that Russia is denying it. "We should not tolerate this, we need to do much more than we are doing now". "We have seen such horrible pictures also in the recent history, in Vukovar and Sarajevo, and the same denying and the same propaganda going on," Janša said in an interview for the US television network on the sidelines of the EU summit in Paris.
Minister calls for immediate embargo on Russian oil and gas
LJUBLJANA - Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec called on the EU to impose an embargo on the imports of Russian oil and gas as soon as possible, arguing that the only way to secure peace in Ukraine is to stop funding Russia's aggression with oil and gas purchases. "Peace does not and cannot have a price in the EU. Human life does not have a price," he said. Slovenia will try to get additional gas supplies from north Africa via Italy and Croatia.
Hungarian official raises dust by saying Mura is border with Slovenia
LJUBLJANA - High-ranking Slovenian politicians have condemned a statement by a Hungarian Secretary of State for National Policy Árpád János Potápi, who labelled Mura as the border between Slovenia and Hungary, although the river actually runs between 20 and 30 kilometres from the current official border. The Foreign Ministry immediately summoned Ambassador Andor F. David and demanded an explanation. The Hungarian embassy said the statement was a "slip of the tongue".
Vasle says ECB decisions aimed at stabilising inflation at 2%
LJUBLJANA - Banka Slovenije Governor Boštjan Vasle commented on Thursday's decision of the European Central Bank (ECB) to keep key interest rates at a record-low level saying that the goal was to stabilise inflation in the medium term at the two-percent target. The Slovenian central bank governor said that members of the ECB General Council had adjusted the monetary policy given the solid economic activity, increasing inflation and growing uncertainty.
Constitutional Court stays Swiss franc act
LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court stayed a controversial act on Swiss franc loans, legislation challenged by nine banks which say it is be detrimental to banks and the economy as a whole. The court said enactment of the law, which entered into force at the end of February, was suspended until it has reached a final decision.
Staff protest as new editor named at public TV web portal
LJUBLJANA - Jadranka Rebernik, the new editor-in-chief of news programme at TV Slovenija, has appointed Igor Pirkovič as acting editor of the public broadcaster's web portal MMC. This has invited protest from the staff, who say Pirkovič is biased in favour of the ruling party and is not qualified for the job. Questions have also been raised about the appointment procedure, which has been described as unlawful.
Daily Covid cases up 19% week-on-week
LJUBLJANA - A total of 2,225 new coronavirus cases were confirmed in Slovenia on Thursday, a 19% increase on the same day a week ago. This is the seventh consecutive day that the case count has been rising week on week. Hospitalisations meanwhile continued to decrease, totalling 249 this morning, down by nine. This includes 68 Covid patients requiring intensive care, or six fewer than the day before. Five Covid patients died yesterday.
Task force established to coordinate assistance to Ukraine
LJUBLJANA - The government established at a correspondence session on Thursday an inter-ministerial task force to coordinate assistance to Ukraine, including the collection, storage, transportation and handover of humanitarian and technical aid to the affected population in the country. The task force is led by the defence minister.
Charter flights from Italy to revive Maribor airport in summer
MARIBOR - The Maribor airport has not seen charter flights for three years and things are expected to change this summer as the Slovenia Guide agency announced weekly charter flights from Bolzano, Pisa and Naples, with the first arrival scheduled for 30 June. As the project manager and director of the tourism company BMG Božidar Dokl told the STA, the idea was to connect providers of tourist services from the east of the country, while also not neglecting the rest of Slovenia.
Cross-country skier Lampič 2nd in World Cup sprint in Falun
FALUN, Sweden - Slovenian cross-country skier Anamarija Lampič finished second in the women's World Cup sprint in Falun, 8.41 seconds behind the winner, Jonna Sundling of Sweden. Lampič was more than a second ahead of another Swede, Maja Dahlqvist.
