STA, 11 December 2020 - A total of 6,453 coronavirus tests were conducted in Slovenia on Thursday and 28% or 1,813 came back positive. The number of patients in hospitals rose by ten to 1,268, and the number of those requiring intensive care was up by seven to 196. Forty-nine patients died, the same as the day before.

A total of 113 people were discharged from hospital, the government said. Out of the 49 patient who died yesterday, 34 were in hospitals, and another 15 in care homes. With the new deaths, the total toll rose to 1,998.

The number of active cases in the country rose by 1% to 21,003, while 93,734 coronavirus cases have been recorded since the start of the pandemic, according to the tracker site covid-19.sledilnik.org.

The seven-day rolling average per 100,000 residents rose by 0.3% from the day before to 1,510.9, according to the tracker site.

It was the highest in the central Slovenia and the lowest in the Zasavje region.

A total of 147 new infections were confirmed in Ljubljana and 82 in Maribor. The 14-day rolling average per 100,000 people is the highest in the Posavje region (1,482) and the lower in Goriška (685), said deputy Covid-19 spokesperson Maja Bratuša.

Central Slovenia's 14-day incidence is also below 700, at 697.

Care homes remain important hotspots with 138 new infections confirmed among residents and 71 among staff members. On a positive note, 106 residents and 47 employees recovered from the disease.

There are currently 2,568 active infections among care home residents and 1,122 among staff, including 651 among medical staff, Bratuša said.

The number of infections in five social protection institutes was up by one to 241 among users and up by six to 165 among staff.

STA, 11 December 2020 - The Chamber of Commerce (TZS) has again called on the government to reopen non-essential stores. The appeal comes ahead of Saturday's government session where the future course of action to stem the epidemic is to be determined. Non-grocery stores have been closed four months and the chamber estimates the lost revenue at over EUR 2 billion.

The organisation highlighted on Friday that stores were not a source of infections or a factor aggravating the epidemiological status. It warned that retailers were facing huge problems, including seasonal goods piling up in their warehouses.

Moreover, consumers have been turning to the chamber reporting difficulties in acquiring urgently needed products.

"The closure of retail services is not underpinned by an assessment of the actual epidemiological risk in certain activities," said the head of the chamber Mariča Lah, adding that the lockdown had been causing disproportionate damage.

Retailers have been consistently heeding prevention measures, she added, calling on the authorities to reopen the stores and take steps that would aim to contain the actual coronavirus hotspots.

STA, 11 December 2020 - The Ski Flying World Championships at Slovenia's Planica will start on Friday with the first two rounds of the individual event. Four Slovenian jumpers will be in the competition. One of main favourites is Markus Eisenbichler of Germany, who topped Thursday's qualifiers.

Slovenia will be represented by Bor Pavlovčič, Timi Zajc, Anže Lanišek and Domen Prevc and another 36 jumpers will take part in the individual event, which will conclude on Saturday with two more rounds.

Eisenbichler, the winner of the last World Cup event on the Brothers Gorišek hill at Planica in 2019, has put his name among the favourites as he won the qualifiers with what was not actually the longest jump.

The longest flight was taken by Michael Hayböck of Austria, who landed at 242.5 metres for second place in the qualifiers. Halvor Egner Granerud of Norway, the winner of the last three World Cup events, was third.

Missing out was Slovenia's Peter Prevc, one of the heroes of Planica and former world champion and record holder, who failed to show a good form in internal Slovenian qualifiers during the official training.

Also out of the individual event is the current world record holder Stefan Kraft of Austria (253.5 metres in Vikersund in 2017), who has aggravated a back injury.

The Ski Flying World Championships, which is held without spectators due to the Covid-19 protocol and for the first time in Planica under floodlights in the afternoon hours, will wrap up on Sunday with the team event.

STA, 11 December 2020 - The 36th Festival of LGBT Film brings 18 feature film and documentaries and 17 shorts, which will be available free of charge on the Cinesquare platform and via Vimeo from Saturday until 20 December.

Feature-length films will be available only in Slovenia, for 24-48 hours, and will be capped at 150 screenings, said Brane Mozetič of the ŠKUC Society, which organises the festival.

Three films for which the organisers have failed to obtain the green light for online screening are to be screened at the Slovenian Cinematheque when it reopens.

The short films will meanwhile be available online throughout the festival.

The festival brings several lesbian-themed films, including Germany's Between Summer and Fall, and Bonnie & Bonnie, as well as South Korea's Moonlight Winter.

Several films focus on LGBT activists, among them The Silent Generation, a documentary about repression in Franco's Spain, the onset of democracy and the LGBT+ movement.

A Slovenian short, Kondom na Glavo (Condom on the Head) meanwhile brings a story about HIV prevention.

Mozetič said at a recent news conference that the festival had been featuring an increasing number of films about transsexual and intersexual topics.

This year both opening-night films - Italy's A Man Must Be Strong and Australia's Unsound focus on them.

The gay film selection meanwhile brings Canada's Saint-Narcisse, which won an award at this year's Venice Film Festival.

The international jury's award and the award for best Slovenian film will not be given out this year, the later due to an insufficient number of entries.

However, film viewers will be able to rate the films on Cinesquare and the winner is to be screened once again at the Cinematheque.

The accompanying programme will feature an online workshop for film critics and a talk with some of the film directors.

The Cinesquare page is here

Check the date at the top of the page, and you can find all the "morning headlines" stories here. You can also follow us on Facebook and get all the news in your feed.

This summary is provided by the STA: 

Janša says EU rule of law compromise "very good"

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Prime Minister Janez Janša welcomed the rule of law compromise put to EU leaders as "very good". If it gets the green light, it will provide adequate rule of law protection of all EU financial mechanisms as well as the recovery funds, he said on arrival at the EU summit. "I'm very glad we have a compromise proposal on the table regarding an instrument via which rule of law protects European funds, the common European budget and the recovery and resilience fund," he said. The compromise was endorsed by the EU leaders, with Janša saying on Twitter that it was "urgently needed" for fast recovery after the pandemic.

Logar and Di Maio for trilateral meeting on exclusive economic zone

ROME, Italy - The Slovenian and Italian foreign ministers, Anže Logar and Luigi di Maio, discussed plans by Italy and Croatia to declare exclusive economic zones in the Adriatic Sea. They agreed that they would hold a trilateral meeting on the topic with Croatian counterpart Goran Grlić Radman as soon as possible. Logar noted that the area had a specific coastal configuration, and that Slovenia, Italy and Slovenia were connected there so it was in the interest of all three to seek joint solution in an European spirit.

Coronavirus restrictions extended for now

BRDO PRI KRANJU - The bulk of coronavirus restrictions remain in force following the government session on Wednesday but the government may opt for easing should the situation allow on Saturday following consultations with hospital directors and business officials. The only substantive change is that from Saturday only surgical or washable face masks will have to be warn in indoor and outdoor public spaces, as lose fitting coverings such as scarves or bandannas will no longer suffice.

Govt endorses seventh draft stimulus package

BRDO PRI KRANJU - The government endorsed on Wednesday a draft of the seventh stimulus package mitigating the ramifications of the second Covid-19 wave. The draft will be finalised at one of the coming government sessions. It aims to mitigate or tackle the fallout from Covid-19 including in the economy, labour market, social security and healthcare. It includes a proposal to set up a EUR 200 million loan fund to boost new investments in tourism.

Germany added to Slovenia's quarantine list

BRDO PRI KRANJU - The government added Germany to Slovenia's red list of Covid-19 unsafe countries and regions, as well as the whole of the UK and Estonia starting from Saturday, 12 December. Meeting for a weekly session on Thursday, the government also moved Ireland and Iceland from the red to the orange list. Arrivals from countries on the red list face a mandatory ten-day quarantine except if they produce a negative coronavirus test, or if they fall under one of several exceptions. Arrivals from countries on the orange list can enter the country without restrictions.

Over 1,800 new coronavirus infections, 49 deaths

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia registered 1,849 new coronavirus infections on a test positivity rate of 28.8% on Wednesday, as 49 more Covid-19 patients died, taking the death toll from Covid-19 to 1,949. The number of patients hospitalised with Covid-19 decreased to 1,258 and the number of those in intensive care units to 189 even though more patients were admitted than discharged. Slovenia has confirmed 91,922 coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic, of which 20,803 are active infections.

ECHR to issue ruling on admissibility of LB case vs Croatia next week

STRASBOURG, France - The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) will release a ruling on admissibility of a case brought by Slovenia against Croatia over the defunct bank Ljubljanska Banka (LB) on 16 December. The decision, taken on 18 November, will be published in a written form, the court and Slovenia's state attorney said. The inter-state application was lodged by Slovenia in September 2016, with the country arguing that Croatian courts had been systematically preventing LB to recover debts incurred by Croatian banks in the 1990s.

Govt amends international protection act

BRDO PRI KRANJU - The government adopted changes to the international protection act on Wednesday to promote fast and effective procedures. The proposed solutions are also aimed at preventing abuses of the system of international protection, the Interior Ministry, which had drawn up the changes, said. Proposed are sanctions for obstructing the procedure, for not fulfilling the duties of asylum seeker, for violating the rules of accommodation centres, the public law and order, and for criminal offences, and allow for more efficient restricting of people's movement due to absconding risk.

Govt gives go-ahead for promotion of chief of general staff

LJUBLJANA - The government gave its go-ahead to the Defence Ministry's proposal to promote Brigadier General Robert Glavaš, the chief of the general staff, to the rank of major general. Glavaš meets skills-based conditions for the promotion, while he will fully meet the formal requirements on 17 December when two years will have passed since his last promotion in rank. SAF generals and admirals are promoted by the head of state as the commander in chief.

DeSUS remains in coalition, will examine cooperation with SMC MPs

LJUBLJANA - The Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) remains in the government coalition, but will examine the possibility of closer cooperation with the coalition Modern Centre Party's (SMC) deputy group, DeSUS deputy group leader Franc Jurša said after a meeting between the deputy group and new party leader Karl Erjavec. Jurša said a task force was to be set up with the SMC to study the potential for cooperation between the two deputy groups.

Slovenian, Croatian home ministers seek to tackle illegal migration

LJUBLJANA - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs spoke with his Croatian counterpart Davor Božinović via videoconference about preparations for the introduction of the Entry/Exit System (EES) on the Slovenian-Croatian border. He informed Božinović that Slovenia would continue introducing the system on its southern border. They also agreed to look for solutions for preventing illegal crossings of the border by migrants and the implementation of the agreement on the handover of persons who enter the country or reside in the country illegally.

Defence ministers of Germany, Portugal, Slovenia discuss EU presidency

LJUBLJANA - The defence ministers of Germany, Portugal and Slovenia held an online meeting at the initiative of Germany's Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer to exchange views on the German six-month stint at the helm of the European Council and discuss the priorities for next year, when Portugal and Slovenia will take over successively. Kramp-Karrenbauer along with Joao Gomes Cravinho from Portugal and Slovenia's Matej Tonin discussed strategic decisions, cooperation between the EU and NATO, and the importance of transatlantic cooperation.

Foreign Ministry backs declaration on journalists' safety

THE HAGUE, the Netherlands - The Foreign Ministry backed a declaration on the safety of journalists that was adopted on the sidelines of a two-day global media freedom conference hosted by the Netherlands and UNESCO on Wednesday. Addressing the online ministerial, Foreign Ministry State Secretary Stanislav Raščan said journalists had a key role in presenting unbiased information on the current situation, which was why journalists must be ensured safety and proper working environment.

Maja Brkan slated for nomination for EU's General Court

LJUBLJANA - Following consultations with parliamentary deputy groups, President Borut Pahor announced that he would nominate Maja Brkan for Slovenian judge on the General Court of the European Union. Extra consultations are however needed on candidates for the EU Court of Justice. Brkan, an associate professor of EU law at the Maastricht University's Faculty of Law, enjoys more than sufficient support in parliament, the president's office said.

Public interest prevails over nature conservation in Mokrice project

LJUBLJANA - The government decided that the public interest of producing energy from renewable sources prevails over the public interest of nature conservation in the case of the planned Mokrice hydro plant on the Sava river. It has also determined compensatory measures that need to be carried out by the investor. The decision follows what was the first-of-a-kind procedure to allow other public interests to prevail over nature conservation.

Contract signed for new communications system for police

LJUBLJANA - A EUR 15 million contract to build a new Tetra secure communications system for the police and other government agencies was signed in a bid to replace the 17-year old communications system. The contractors - two Slovenian and one Finnish company - have 400 days to set the system up. The new communications system will give the police force the best equipment currently on the market, the Interior Ministry said in a press release.

Slovenia receives EUR 8.8m from rescEU mechanism

BRDO PRI KRANJU - Slovenia has successfully applied to a call published by the European Commission to help countries tackle the coronavirus epidemic. The country will receive EUR 8.8 million from the rescEU mechanism, while another EUR 1.8 million will have to be secured from the budget as part of the project, the government said after getting acquainted with the information Wednesday. The mechanism aims to secure strategic supplies of medical and personal protective equipment.

Govt proposes legal basis for platforms like Uber

BRDO PRI KRANJU - The government on Wednesday approved a proposal to amend the road transport act which introduces legal basis for digital labour platforms, such as Uber. The proposal sets down that drivers via these gig economy companies would need to get a licence. The amendments would also abolish mandatory use of taximeters for taxi drivers, and put taxi services and private car and driver rentals on an equal footing by standardising conditions for using such apps.

Renault launches special series for Slovenian market

NOVO MESTO - French car maker Renault will launch the Renault Clio, Twingo and Twingo Electric, models manufactured at its Novo Mesto assembly plant Revoz, in a special I Feel Slovenia series available only in Slovenia. The fifth generation Clio, city car Twingo and its electric version will be now launched in a version bearing the slogan I Feel Slovenia. The Twingo Electric is the first all-electric Renault made in Slovenia. The model has been manufactured in Novo Mesto since September.

Exports up 2.1% in October year-on-year

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's exports totalled EUR 3.2 billion in October, up by 2.1% on the same month in 2019. Imports meanwhile fell by 8.5% to EUR 2.9 billion, creating a surplus of EUR 0.2 billion. Data from the Statistics Office also show that Slovenia recorded a drop in trade with EU member states, mainly on the back of a drop in trade with main partners. Exports in the first ten months dropped by 3.2% on the same period in 2019 and imports decreased by 8.9%.

Industrial output up 3.1% in a month

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's industrial output expanded by 3.1% in October from the month before, but dropped 1.1% on the same month a year ago. In the ten months to the end of October, industrial output was 7.3% below the level a year ago, the Statistics Office reported. Industrial revenue increased for the sixth month running in October, by 3.3% from September, but dropped by 3.1% year-on-year.

Retrial ordered in Tušmobil spectrum bribery case

LJUBLJANA - The Ljubljana Higher Court repealed the acquittal of Tomaž Simonič, the former director of the Agency for Communication Networks and Services, in a case involving wireless spectrum bribery. It ordered a retrial, Delo reported. The court reached the decision after an appeal by the prosecution, which alleged infringement of essential procedural requirements.

Pixxelpoint moves online

NOVA GORICA - This year's Pixxelpoint, an international festival of contemporary new media art, brings a review of Slovenian festivals dedicated to contemporary art practices at the crossroads of art, science and technology. It will be held in Nova Gorica for the 21st year between 10 and 17 December, and due to Covid-19, entirely online. It will feature the International Festival of Computer Art, KIBLIX, the Trbovlje-based Speculum Artium, SONICA, which brings electronic music and transitory art, Lighting Guerilla, and IZIS.

Looking for a gift this Christmas that says “Slovenia” and will keep you and your loved ones happy and well fed for years to come? Then check out the beautifully produced book Cook Eat Slovenia, with 100 easy to follow recipes for all seasons. The book has won three awards at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2020, for best translated, best self-published, and best food tourism cookbook for Slovenia, and for the second best in the world for food tourism, and third best  for self-published. Our review is here, and you can order a copy from anywhere in the world here.

If you're learning Slovenian then you can find all our dual texts here

STA, 10 December 2020 - Slovenia registered 1,849 new coronavirus infections on a test positivity rate of 28.8% on Wednesday, as 49 more Covid-19 patients died. On the upside, hospitalisations have dropped slightly.

Data released by the government show a total of 6,410 tests were conducted on Wednesday. The test positivity rate dropped from 30.5% the day before but rose compared with 26.4% on Monday.

Slovenia Adds Germany to Quarantine List

The number of patients hospitalised with Covid-19 decreased by a further 24 to 1,258 and the number of those in intensive care units dropped by nine to 189.

This was as 110 Covid-9 patients were newly admitted and 97 were discharged, Jelko Kacin, the government's Covid-19 spokesman, told today's press briefing.

Most Coronavirus Restrictions Extended, May Be Eased Saturday, Only Real Face Masks Allowed

Slovenia has confirmed 91,922 coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic, of which 20,803 are active infections, according to the tracker site covid-19.sledilnik.org.

The death toll from Covid-19 has increased to 1,949.

The seven-day rolling average per 100,000 residents rose by 0.7% from the day before to 1,506.9, according to the tracker site.

Meanwhile, the 14-day average remains highest in the Posavje region, in east central Slovenia, at 1,481, with Brežice and Krško singled as the hotspots by Kacin.

Only four regions have a 14-day average incidence of less than 800 per 100,000 residents: Gorenjska (773), Obalno-Kraška (760), Osrednjeslovenska (697) and Goriška (685).

Health Ministry State Secretary Marija Magajne, who also addressed the briefing, announced changes to notification of those who get tested of their test results.

As testing is becoming increasingly widely accessible and with the introduction of rapid antigen tests alongside PCR tests, the notifying of the results is being automatised.

Test results will be sent to the person concerned by text message from the National Institute of Public Health rather than from their GPs or the testing point, except for those who wish so.

To protect data privacy the notification will be two-stage so that the recipient of the first text message will need to enter a code to get the results by another message.

Test results will continue to be available via the e-health portal.

All our stories on Slovenia and coronavirus

STA, 10 December 2020 - The bulk of coronavirus restrictions remain in force following the government session on Wednesday but the government may change them on Saturday following consultations with hospital directors and business officials.

The government extended the bans on gatherings and movement between municipalities, the 9pm-6am curfew, and the suspension of public transport and closure of non-essential stores, according to a release issued following the cabinet session at Brdo pri Kranju last night.

Precautionary measures such as hand sanitising and the wearing of face masks also remain in force, both in public indoor and outdoor spaces.

However, loose fitting nose and mouth coverings such as scarves or bandannas are no longer deemed sufficient shields under changes that enter into force on Saturday.

Presenting the details at a coronavirus briefing on Thursday, Health Ministry State Secretary Marija Magajne said that masks would now be mandatory, not just surgical but also washable cloth masks.

"Those are especially suitable because we can wear them longer before they get wet. Surgical masks as a rule must be replaced every two hours," she said.

The government also added outdoor cultural heritage sites such as archaeological sites or botanical gardens to libraries as the cultural institutions that can be open.

The condition is that the viewing does not involve organised guided viewing and that the one person per 30 square metre rule is observed within the fenced public premises.

Jelko Kacin, the government Covid-19 spokesman, told TV Slovenija last night that the government would meet representatives of health institutions and businesses for consultations before deciding on potential changes to the measures.

In meeting with hospital directors, hospital capacities will be discussed as to establish the extent of the burden hospitals can sustain in the coming days and weeks, said Kacin.

Meanwhile, the meeting with business representatives will look into the options for potential easing of measures considering the potential in view of the coronavirus situation.

"Should the situation allow, the government will decide on potential easing right after the consultations," said Kacin, noting the differences in the rate of infections between the regions.

In the previous days Health Minister Tomaž Gantar urged shutting down all non-essential business activities for a fortnight to drive down the curve of infections, while Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek called for a gradual lifting of restrictions on some businesses provided safety can be maintained.

All our stories on Slovenia and coronavirus

STA, 10 December 2020 - The government has added Germany to Slovenia's red list of Covid-19 unsafe countries and territories, as well as the whole of the UK and Estonia. The change applies from Saturday, 12 December.

Reviewing the coronavirus status lists at a session yesterday, the government moved Ireland and Iceland from the red to the orange list, according to a release issued after the session.

Arrivals from countries on the red list face a mandatory ten-day quarantine on entering Slovenia except if they produce a negative coronavirus test, or if they fall under one of several exceptions, including international hauliers, persons in transit and members of foreign official delegations.

Arrivals from countries on the orange list can enter the country without restrictions.

The government also added some administrative units of EU countries to the Covid-safe green list: Denmark's Faroe Islands and Greenland, the Finnish province of Aland and the Norwegian county of Trondelag.

The changes, which enter into force on Saturday, were made in the decree on measures on the border designed to contain the coronavirus epidemic.

All our stories on Slovenia and coronavirus

Check the date at the top of the page, and you can find all the "morning headlines" stories here. You can also follow us on Facebook and get all the news in your feed.

This summary is provided by the STA: 

Slovenia's Covid-19 death toll hits 1,900 as case count tops 90,000

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia logged 2,139 new coronavirus cases for Tuesday, 12% fewer than a week ago on what is typically the day of the week when infections peak, as test positivity remained above 30%. A further 38 Covid-19 patients died, taking the death toll to 1,900. The figures, released by the government, bring the country's case count from the start of the pandemic to 90,075 of which 20,738 are active infections. Hospitalisations dropped to 1,282 with the number of ICU patients up to 198.

Pahor suggests political uncertainty should be resolved with vote of confidence

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor believes politicians in Slovenia should end political uncertainly as soon as possible and enhance trust. It should be made clear whether the government still has a majority support in parliament and then all energy should focus on the fight against the epidemic, he told public broadcaster Radio Slovenija. Pahor is convinced that cooperation in the name of responsibility towards people would be a major shift in facing the epidemic. As he held talks with deputy group leaders today, he urged coalition and opposition parties to sit down and try to find solutions before Christmas holidays.

Pahor, Svetina highlight importance of human rights during epidemic

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor received Human Rights Ombudsman Peter Svetina ahead of World Human Rights Day, with the pair stressing the importance of respect for human rights during the epidemic and after. If humanity is to build a more resilient, just and sustainable world after this pandemic, tolerance, compassion and humaneness must come first, the pair agreed. At Svetina's initiative Pahor joined a UN-sponsored campaign raising awareness of human rights, Pahor's office said.

Catholic bishops urge govt to restore religious freedom

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian Catholic bishops have addressed a letter to PM Janez Janša saying they expect the government to lift the ban on religious services amid the Covid-19 epidemic. They also expect the government not to disproportionately limit religious freedom, which enjoys the highest level of protection in the Slovenian constitution.

Nurses, care workers threaten with strike

LJUBLJANA - As the coronavirus epidemic takes its toll among nurses and care workers, with many being exhausted, their trade union has started raising stakes, threatening with a strike. "If nothing else works, we will stop working," the Trade Union of Health and Social Care Workers said after a session of its executive committee. A mjor issue seems to be the fact that the majority of employers in health care and social care have not yet paid out the bonuses for working in an emergency and for additional workload.

Logar to meet self-isolating Di Maio virtually

LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Anže Logar will meet his Italian counterpart Luigi Di Maio virtually, rather than in-person as originally scheduled, as Di Maio is self-isolating after being in contact with Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese, who tested positive for coronavirus. The ministers were due to meet in Rome on Thursday, but they will talk online as Di Maio. The Foreign Ministry said Logar would nevertheless travel to the Vatican to meet Holy See officials on Friday.

Brdo-Brijuni summit postponed again

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor has informed leaders of the Brdo-Brijuni Process that the summit marking the 10th anniversary of this initiative for the Western Balkans, which was to be held next Monday in Slovenia, has been cancelled due to the current epidemiological situation. This is the second postponing of the summit that was originally to be held on 29 June but had to be postponed because of the coronavirus situation in Balkan countries.

Govt legal office says STA independent also from government

LJUBLJANA - The Government Office for Legislation has issued an opinion on the suspension of financing of the Slovenian Press Agency (STA) by the Government Communication Office, saying this could only be the ultimate penalty, as a stoppage of public service would be unlawful. It also says the law secures the STA independence, also from the government.

CoE commissioner calls on Janša to reintroduce STA funding

STRASBOURG, France - Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović wrote a letter to Prime Minister Janez Janša on Monday, urging him to immediately reintroduce funding to the Slovenian Press Agency (STA). She expressed concern that the suspension of public funding could jeopardise the agency's future. Mijatović noted in the letter obtained by public broadcaster RTV Slovenija, commercial broadcaster POP TV and the STA that she was paying particular attention to the promotion and respect of media freedom in all Council of Europe (CoE) member states.

Ministry proposes zero VAT for Covid-19-related services, products

LJUBLJANA - The Health Ministry said on its web site it had proposed that the seventh stimulus package include a provision on remission of value added tax (VAT) for Covid-19 vaccine, tests, testing and vaccination kits, and all related medical services. If the proposal is accepted, all vaccination points, hospitals, community health centres, concessionaires, mobile units, and all those conducting tests will be able to buy Covid-19-related substances and products without paying VAT. According to the ministry, the proposal follows an agreement adopted at the EU level.

Committee backs Koper rail project talks with Hungary

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Foreign Policy Committee gave the Infrastructure Ministry the green light to launch negotiations with Hungary on the neighbouring country's participation in the Koper-Divača rail investment, the committee's chair Monika Gregorčič told the press after a closed-door session.

MPs commend work of courts in 2019, point to reduced efficiency

LJUBLJANA - The Justice Committee discussed a report on the performance of courts in 2019, with the MPs assessing that courts operated relatively well and successfully last year, and also warning that the efficiency has continued to drop. Several systemic issues related to the judiciary were also raised during the debate, including judges' pay.

Almost 27% more deaths in October than a year ago

LJUBLJANA - The Statistics Office registered 17,575 deaths in Slovenia in the first ten months of 2020, up by 2.7% on the same period in 2019. The number of deaths in October alone was up by 26.8% year-on-year to 2,073. Interim data, released on Monday, also show the number of births in the period between January and October fell by 4.8% compared to the same period in 2019 to 15,540. Excess mortality in the period was 4.5% compared to the average in the same period between 2015 and 2019.

Calls to strengthen integrity on International Anti-Corruption Day

LJUBLJANA - On International Anti-Corruption Day, the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption launched an integrity project aimed at strengthening integrity through all levels of the education system and society. Endorsing the project, President Borut Pahor said raising awareness and education about fighting corruption was key to boosting trust in society. Justice Minister Lilijana Kozlovič said sensibility of society to integrity had died out recently. NGO Transparency International (TI) Slovenia called for continued efforts to overhaul anti-corruption legislation in Slovenia, for a comprehensive system of protection of whistle blowers and oversight over the use of public funds.

Floods hit coastal region, heavy snow the west

KOPER/BOVEC - Persistent heavy rains and a high tide have flooded parts of the coastal region, causing landslides and blocking roads, including part of the main road leading to the Dragonja border crossing with Croatia. Emergency services have been dealing with disruption caused by landslides, flooded homes and cars, and sunk vessels. The region was already flooded on Sunday. Meanwhile, large amounts of wet snow caused power cuts in the north of the Primorska region.

Looking for a gift this Christmas that says “Slovenia” and will keep you and your loved ones happy and well fed for years to come? Then check out the beautifully produced book Cook Eat Slovenia, with 100 easy to follow recipes for all seasons. The book has won three awards at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2020, for best translated, best self-published, and best food tourism cookbook for Slovenia, and for the second best in the world for food tourism, and third best  for self-published. Our review is here, and you can order a copy from anywhere in the world here.

If you're learning Slovenian then you can find all our dual texts here

STA, 9 December 2020 - Slovenia recorded 2,139 new coronavirus cases for Tuesday, 12% fewer than a week ago on what is typically the day of the week with the highest number of cases, as test positivity remained above 30%. A further 38 Covid-19 patients died, taking the death toll to 1,900.

Presenting fresh data at the daily press briefing, the government Covid-19 spokesman Jelko Kacin said that a total of 7,003 tests were performed on Tuesday.

October Saw 26.8% Rise in Deaths Year-on-Year

While increasing on the previous day, the test positivity rate dropped by 3.3 percentage points from the rate a week ago to 30.5% and the daily infections decreased by 290, said Kacin.

The number of Covid-19 patients in hospitals dropped by 22 to 1,282 as 104 were discharged home and 106 were newly admitted. The number of those treated in intensive care units rose by five to 198.

The highest rolling 14-day average of infections per 100,000 residents was recorded in east central region of Posavje, at 1,447, and the lowest in Central Slovenia, at 722.

According to the tracker site covid-19.sledilnik.org, Slovenia has so far confirmed 90,075 coronavirus cases, of which 20,738 are active infections. The seven-day rolling average per 100,000 is 1,496.3, down 2.8% on the day before.

Eva Grilc, an epidemiologist with the National Institute of Public Health, reported that epidemiologists, helped by medical students, managed to contact all or at least two-thirds of the newly infected daily.

Over 25% of them cite place of work as the likeliest source of infection, and over 22% family or household members, while over 27% say they cannot say where they caught the virus.

After the government opened a special website yesterday where the population can register their intention to get vaccinated against Covid-19 when the vaccine becomes available in the country, 16,930 registered in less than 24 hours, Kacin said.

After Tuesday's virtual meeting of Slovenian hospital managers, joined by the health minister, UKC Ljubljana director general Janez Poklukar reported their observation that hospitalised Covid-19 patients were increasingly old with an increased number having five more underlying conditions.

"Hence, a growing number of Covid-19 patients require longer hospitalisation or even cannot be discharged to their current place of residence, so a proposal was formed to increase the number of nursing bed capacities for Covid and post-Covid patients," said Poklukar in a release today.

Hospital directors also noted that 10% to 20% of post-Covid patients were being admitted to hospital due to complications incurred during the course of recovery from the disease with internist emergency wards facing the most pressure in that respect.

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