STA, 19 June 2022 - Slovenian ultra-distance cyclist Marko Baloh, 54, has won the Race across the West in the US, which he took part in for the third time, clocking in 59 hours and 29 minutes.

The 1,497km race had more than 16,000 metres of climbing, running along the same route as the first part of the Race Across America (RAAM).

In a statement, Baloh said that apart from winning the race and setting a record in the 50+ age group, the goal was to get as close as possible to the average speed he achieved when he first won it in 2014 (28.9km per hour).

While the first two goals were achieved, Baolh said the third was not within his reach due the extreme heat.

He held on to his lead on the third and final night of the race in the solo competition, winning the stage at the same time as Team Alaska, which won the team category.

Baloh decided to take part because the Red Bull Trans Siberian Extreme race from Moscow to Vladivostok was again rescheduled while organising participation in RAAM in such a short time was not feasible.

He is happy with the result and with the fact that he managed to keep in touch with the competition at RAAM, which bodes well for the rest of the season and for next year. After three years of waiting, he will join in 2023 the Red Bull Trans Siberian Extreme.

STA, 18 June 2022 - Slovenia will get a Computer Museum (Računalniški muzej) on Saturday, located in Ljubljana's Šiška district and opening its doors with an exhibition highlighting computer software, among other things. The museum will feature one of the largest collections from the world of computers in this part of Europe.

The actual museum comes after the Computer Museum has already been active as an NGO since 2004. Its head Gaja Zornada told the press on Thursday the decision had been made because of the rapid changes in society, which was constantly in contact with technology.

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Zornada stressed the museum was not only meant for computer scientists, but for anyone unfamiliar with the history of computers. It also provides a supportive environment for educational processes.

"The Computer Museum is a place for active engagement, which is why we have several different volunteer programmes through which individuals can join specific museum projects to the best of their abilities, spend quality time together and learn new skills."

The opening exhibition, entitled "What About Software?", focuses on the less enduring side of computing - computer software.

It will also feature an item that will be part of the museum's permanent collection - one of Slovenia's most famous Internet servers from the 1990s, Stenar, which was ceremoniously handed over by the Academic and Research Network of Slovenia (Arnes) on Thursday.

The server was bought in 1991 to connect Slovenia to the world, allowing information to flow freely, and was also used by researchers and journalists at the Slovenian Press Agency to send information from Slovenia to the world in the 1990s.

The collection, which has been growing steadily for 18 years, now contains more than 1,500 items.

"I think we can comfortably say that this is one of the largest collections in this part of Europe," said Boštjan Špetič, head of the museum's collection.

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It ranges from computers to software and also includes an extensive collection of books related to computers, books that libraries normally refuse to hold on to nowadays.

Precious rare pieces featured at the museum include the first scientific pocket calculator HP35 and the first laptop computer of the Jožef Stefan Institute.

Learn more at the website: https://www.racunalniski-muzej.si/

STA, 18 June 2022 - Slovenian cycling superstar Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) finished the fourth stage of the Tour of Slovenia second on Saturday, leaving the victory to his teammate Polish rider Rafal Majka only meters before the finish line on the Velika Planina mountain. But Pogačar remains in the lead overall, followed by Majka.

The 23-year-old Slovenian is now only three seconds ahead of Majka before the final stage on Sunday. Domen Novak (Bahrain Victorious), who finished 11th today, is third, 1.56 minutes behind Pogačar.

As expected, today's race was decided in the final, 8.2-kilometre ascent to Velika Planina, where the Slovenian-Polish pair dominated. The two were separated from other competitors five kilometres before the finish line.

Thus, Pogačar and Majka were in an excellent position for the third time at the Tour, as Majka won the first stage (Pogačar was third) and Pogačar the third (followed by Majka).

Approaching the finish line together, far ahead of everybody else, the two first congratulated each other and then Majka crossed the finish line first.

Spain's Fernando Barcelo (Caja Rural Seguros), was third, arriving 22 seconds behind the winner. Italy's Vicenzo Albanese (EOLO-Kometa Cycling Team) was fifth, 25 seconds behind the winner.

On Sunday, the cyclists are in for the final, 155.7-kilometre stage from Vrhnika to Novo Mesto.

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:

Sancin says fmr govt prevented her UN appointment

NEW YORK, US - International law expert Vasilka Sancin the STA that her candidacy for a new term on the UN Human Rights Committee failed yesterday because the former government blocked her nomination. Her candidacy was submitted as the last one, in early June, almost two months after the 6 April deadline. Sacin was elected to the committee for the 2019-2022 term in 2018 and has been serving as one of its three vice-chairs since 2021. Her current term runs out at the end of the year.

Minister announces changes to digital inclusion act

LJUBLJANA - The Government Office for Digital Transformation is drawing up changes to the act on digital inclusion, which introduced digital vouchers for students and the elderly. Under the act adopted under the previous government, most money would go for digital equipment, while this government plans to allocate more money for digital literacy courses.

Time for cultured night out as Summer Museum Night turns 20

LJUBLJANA - The 20th Summer Museum Night is taking place tonight, yet again with an expanded list of museums, galleries and other institutions joining the initiative. Between 6pm and midnight, 80 institutions in 62 locations across Slovenia will open their doors wide, providing free special guided tours, exhibitions, workshops, concerts and other events.

Computer Museum opens in Ljubljana

LJUBLJANA - The new Computer Museum, located in Ljubljana's Šiška district, opened its doors with an exhibition highlighting computer software, among other things. The museum will feature one of the largest collections from the world of computers in this part of Europe. The actual museum comes after the Computer Museum has already been active as an NGO since 2004. Its head Gaja Zornada told the press on Thursday the decision had been made because of the rapid changes in society, which was constantly in contact with technology.

Majka wins stage 4 of Tour of Slovenia, Pogačar in the lead overall

KAMNIK/LAŠKO - Slovenian cycling superstar Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) finished the fourth stage of the Tour of Slovenia second on Saturday, leaving the victory to his teammate Polish rider Rafal Majka only meters before the finish line on the Velika Planina mountain. But Pogačar remains in the lead overall, followed by Majka.

Gymnastics: Kysselef, Belak win medals in Koper

KOPER - Slovenian gymnasts Tjaša Kysselef and Teja Belak won two medals in the vault at a World Cup event in Koper on Saturday. Kysselef won silver, scoring 13.200 points, and Belak won bronze with 13.050 points. Zsófia Kovács bagged the gold (13.325 points). Another Slovenian, Lucija Hribar, finished fourth in uneven bars, scoring 13.100 points.

What follows is a weekly review of events involving Slovenia, as prepared by the STA.

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FRIDAY, 10 June
        NEW YORK, US - The UN General Assembly elected Slovenia to the Economic and Social Council, one of the six principal UN bodies, for the 2023-2025 period. This was the country's first candidacy for the rotating membership of 54 UN member states.
        THESSALONIKI, Greece - President Borut Pahor said Ukraine must not be "left in the lurch" and urged EU enlargement to the Western Balkans as he addressed the annual summit of the South-East European Cooperation Process. He repeated his idea to give Bosnia-Herzegovina EU candidate status before the country carries out needed reforms.
        THESSALONIKI, Greece - FM Tanja Fajon attended a ministerial of the South-East European Cooperation Process, noting the importance of a credible EU enlargement policy for the reform efforts of the Western Balkans. She said that enlargement policy was the EU's most effective geostrategic policy.
        LJUBLJANA - A 101-strong contingent of the Slovenian Armed Forces arrived in Slovakia as part of NATO's international Enhanced Vigilance Activities. The Slovenian soldiers will operate within the framework of the international battle group command with a light infantry company.
        LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg - The Slovenian Interior Ministry said that for the time being, Slovenia did not intend to participate in the voluntary solidarity mechanism for the transfer of asylum seekers from the countries of their first entry, which has been unofficially joined by 12 EU member states.
        LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg - EU interior ministers reached agreement on a negotiating basis to reform the Schengen Borders Code to tighten the rules of reintroducing internal border controls. Slovenia's Tatjana Bobnar stressed these checks must be temporary, and introduced only when other alternative measures have been exhausted. Austria has been extending such checks since 2015.
        LJUBLJANA - Parts of a criminal complaint filed against former Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek over purchases of ventilators at the start of the epidemic were revealed on the Tarča current affairs show on TV Slovenija on 9 June. Investigators are said to have found proof of deals for the payment of kickbacks and of notification of suspects about upcoming house searches.
        MURSKA SOBOTA - An international conference heard of the worsening situation of the Roma in Europe as genocide, hate speech and anti-Roma activities spread in some countries and Roma refugees from Ukraine were mistreated. The conference sent out a message to European institutions on what the Roma propose for the situation to improve.

SATURDAY, 11 June
        LJUBELJ - A ceremony marking the 77th anniversary of the liberation of the Ljubelj concentration camp urged efforts to prevent the spread of evil and called for peace in light of the war in Ukraine. The keynote speaker, Anica Mikuš Kos, head of Slovenian Philanthropy, pointed out that the horrors of the past could serve as a cautionary tale.
        LJUBLJANA - The Pride Parade festival culminated in Ljubljana Pride in what was a parade celebrating difference and urging equality. Members of the LGBTIQ+ community called for peace in Ukraine, and several senior officials participated in Pride.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia ranks seventh out of 180 countries in the Environmental Performance Index, which is calculated by Yale University to assess the state of sustainable environmental care. Slovenia is the highest-scoring Eastern European nation in the report.

SUNDAY, 12 June
        AURISINA, Italy - Igor Gabrovec was elected mayor of Duino-Aurisina/Devin-Nabrežina, a municipality north of the city of Trieste bordering Slovenia.
        MARIBOR - The Škofja Loka Passion Play, a Jernej Lorenci-directed production of the early 18th century rhymed-verse parable of human salvation, won the main prize at the 57th Maribor Theatre Festival, along with the award for best music. Sebastijan Horvat took best director for his take on Heiner Müller's Cement in a production by SNG Drama Ljubljana Theatre.
        ANNECY, France - Primož Roglič won the eight-day Criterium du Dauphine road cycling race after letting Jumbo Visma teammate Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark take the final mountain stage. Roglič is the second Slovenian to win this race after Janez Brajkovič attained the feat 12 years ago.
        MUNICH, Germany - The Slovenian women's team won bronze in the Olympic recurve bow discipline at the European Archery Championships in Munich. Ana Umer, Urška Čavič and Nina Corel defeated Denmark in the bronze medal match for what is the best result for Slovenian women recurve bow archers since 2005.

MONDAY, 13 June
        MARIBOR - Slovenia's stance on the war in Ukraine will be shaped by the parliamentary Foreign Policy Committee, PM Robert Golob said in response to a letter by nearly 20 academics and politicians urging the government to take a stance encouraging Ukraine and Russia to engage in serious peace talks. Another opposing letter was addressed to the government later by a different group of public figures, calling for decisive support for Ukraine's defence.
        DIVAČA - The first of the seven tunnels on route of the new, 27-km railway linking the port town of Koper with the Divača railway junction was broken through. The hole-through ceremony for the Mlinarji tunnel was attended by Slovenian and Turkish infrastructure ministers as the track is being built by Slovenian company Kolektor CPG in cooperation with two Turkish partners.
        MARIBOR - PM Robert Golob visited Maribor, Slovenia's second largest city, underlining the only right way forward for the country is polycentric development. He believes that the eastern half of the country needs a capital that would equal Ljubljana, and that Maribor has a lot to offer.
        LJUBLJANA - Parliamentary Speaker Urška Klakočar Zupančič called for respecting the credibility and independence of supervisory institutions as she received Court of Audit President Tomaž Vesel. If this respect is undermined, democracy and its immune system are undermined, she warned and announced greater cooperation with the Court of Audit.
        LJUBLJANA - The 9 June session of the European Central Bank and the announcement of the first interest rate rise after eleven years has pushed up the yield on the Slovenian 10-year bond - to 2.92%, a new high after the 2013 and 2014 banking system bailout.
        LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg - The European Court of Auditors found in a special report that Slovenia failed to inform the European Commission of the introduction of border checks on EU borders due to the Covid pandemic in the summer of 2020 and spring of 2021 and the Commission failed to check compliance with Schengen rules.
        LJUBLJANA - The Freedom Movement gained 4.6 points to 31% in the June poll commissioned by the newspaper Delo to extend its margin ahead of the Democrats (SDS) to 9.5 points, despite the opposition party gaining 3.4 points from May to 21.4% for its best showing since the 2018 election.

TUESDAY, 14 June
        LJUBLJANA - FM Tanja Fajon indicated Slovenia's efforts regarding Ukraine would shift to the provision of development and humanitarian aid, such as demining, after the previous government focused on sending military aid. This came after she said earlier in the week that Slovenia's foreign policy should focus on humanitarian and development aid, and that getting Russia back to the negotiating table remained the common goal.
        KYIV, Ukraine - Slovenia's Ambassador to Ukraine Tomaž Mencin returned to Kyiv, having left the capital city at the outset of Russia's invasion in what Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon described as "an important message to Ukraine".
        LJUBLJANA - The opposition Democrats (SDS) proposed a resolution in support of a resolution by the European Parliament that is dedicated to the fight against impunity for war crimes in Ukraine. MP Branko Grims said the crimes that were committed there showed clear signs of genocide.
        LJUBLJANA - Speaker Urška Klakočar Zupančič pledged to advocate for Constitutional Court rulings to be put into effect as she received the court's president Matej Accetto. The rulings must be respected, she said. Accetto said the court expected mutual cooperation from the legislature aimed at enhancing the rule of law.
        LJUBLJANA - The recently-discovered Heiligenkreutz manuscript from the 12th century has turned out to feature the second-oldest known document in Old Slovenian after the famous Freising Manuscripts. An analysis confirmed that the numerals from one to ten are written in an early Slovenian language, public broadcaster TV Slovenija reported.
        VATICAN CITY, Vatican - The leadership of the Slovenian Bishops' Conference met with Pope Francis during their visit to the Holy See. They discussed sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, noting the importance of zero tolerance to sexual violence, the Bishops' Conference said.

WEDNESDAY, 15 June
        LJUBLJANA - Banka Slovenije upgraded its economic growth forecast for Slovenia by 1.8 percentage points from its December outlook to 5.8% for this year as a result of a carry-over from last year, while downgrading the projection for 2023 by 0.9 points to 2.4%. Inflation is projected to run at 9% this year before easing to 4.5% and 2.3% over the next two years.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - Ten EU member states, including Slovenia, addressed an open letter to decision makers in the EU warning about making the Fit for 55 package less ambitious, arguing that this could affect the EU's reaching the set climate goals.
        LJUBLJANA - PM Robert Golob set out the first government measure to tackle the cost-of-living crisis, announcing a return to a model where fuel retailers' price margins at service stations outside motorways are regulated while prices of fuels sold along motorways will be liberalised. The new regime will kick in for a year on 21 June. PM later announced regulation of gas and electricity prices as possible additional measures to fight price hikes, as well as measures to tackle high food prices.
        LJUBLJANA - PM Robert Golob talked to his Ukrainian counterpart Denys Shmyhal on the phone, expressing Slovenia's firm support for the war-torn country, its sovereignty and peace efforts. Golob moreover expressed support for Ukraine's efforts to acquire EU candidate status and Slovenia's firm support for the Western Balkans.
        LJUBLJANA/TOKYO, Japan - SID Banka, the state-owned export and development bank, signed a cooperation agreement with the Japan Bank for International Cooperation. The two banks plan to create new business opportunities in digitalisation, clean energy, environment and quality infrastructure in Slovenia and third countries.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia gained two spots in the annual IMD Competitiveness Ranking to place 38th among a total of 63 countries included. Considering the circumstances, the result is satisfactory, economists taking part in the project said. They warned, however, that Slovenia failed to reduce its gap toward countries with which it likes to compare itself.
        LJUBLJANA - The National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) appointed Ivan Eržen its acting medical director. The appointment follows government moves that curtailed the powers of the director general. Eržen, the NIJZ previous head, said he counted on cooperation with its current head, Milan Krek, and announced a response strategy will be prepared for the potential new Covid wave.
        LJUBLJANA - The government proposed for the National Assembly to recall two supervisors of the Slovenian Sovereign Holding (SSH), arguing that Božo Emeršič and Leon Cizelj did not meet the necessary requirements for the job. The government also appointed Franci Jagodic acting director of the JGZ Brdo State Protocol Services, the Government Communications Office said.
        LJUBLJANA - Digital vouchers worth 150 euros became available to students from 7th grade of primary school through to university. The vouchers can be used to purchase computer hardware. New Digital Transformation Minister Emilija Stojmenova Duh said the vouchers, initiated by the previous government, would only widen the digital and social gaps.

THURSDAY, 16 June
        LJUBLJANA - PM Robert Golob met European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the outset of his first official trip abroad as PM, expressing Slovenia's unequivocal support for granting Ukraine EU candidate status and announcing that Slovenia would ask for its first reimbursement from the EU's post-pandemic recovery fund by the end of this month.
        LJUBLJANA/OHRID, North Macedonia - President Borut Pahor sent a letter to EU Council President Charles Michel calling for Bosnia-Herzegovina to be granted the EU candidate country status without any conditions. In light of the war in Ukraine, Pahor believes tangible steps need to be made for the EU to expand to the Western Balkans as soon as possible. Pahor presented the letter in detail at the Prespa Forum Dialogue in Ohrid where he underlined the importance of dialogue about EU enlargement to the Western Balkans.
        LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor announced he will nominate Jana Ahčin for Court of Audit president and Milan M. Cvikl for a new vice-governor at the central bank after the coalition parties picked the pair as their favourite candidates.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - After his first NATO ministerial meeting, Defence Minister Marjan Šarec told reporters Slovenia's commitments to NATO remained unchanged and the country did not plan to reduce defence spending.
        LJUBLJANA - Ukrainians whom Slovenia awards the status of temporary protection from now on receive a card rather than a written decision to prove their status. The cards will be valid until 4 March 2023. They will also serve as an ID card and as a permit for temporary residence in Slovenia.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenian real estate fund Equinox announced a deal under which it will transfer management of three hotels in the centre of Ljubljana, among them the iconic Grand Hotel Union, to Spanish group Grupo Hotusa for 20 years with the option of two five-year extensions. The deal is worth at least EUR 100 million.
        LJUBLJANA - The permanent ban on blood donation based solely on the personal circumstances of gender and sexual orientation will be abolished on 1 July, an expert group for transfusion medicine and infectious diseases decided after the equality ombudsman raised the issue last December.
        LJUBLJANA - The equality ombudsman assessed that the National Assembly election act discriminated against persons with mental and psychosocial disabilities and unjustifiably deprived them of the right to vote. Speaker Urška Klakočar Zupančič said one of the priorities in the new term would be to ensure the right to vote for all individuals, regardless of their disability.

STA, 17 June 2022 - The 40th Idrija Lace Festival will open on Friday evening to feature in three days almost 50 various events dedicated to the bobbin lace making in the western Slovenian town, including presentations, exhibitions, lace making workshops, competitions and culinary and musical shows.

The theme of this year's festival, which will open with the raising of the festival flag, is What Will You Do With That?, which "indicates the constant search to express oneself by Idrija lace in a new way," the organisers said.

Almost 50 events will take place as part of the festival, with the main one scheduled for Saturday, when the quality of lace featured will be assessed and the best ones receive the Idrija Lace certificate.

A national lace making competition will take place on Sunday, while the festival will also see an in-person gathering of lace makers who have been connected on-line during the coronavirus epidemic.

A total of 16 lace-related exhibitions will be held at various venues in Idrija, most of which will remain open all summer.

The main exhibition is set up in Idrija Castle, featuring selected projects as part of cooperation between textile design students at the Ljubljana Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering and a local experimental group of lace makers.

"The products are connected by the idea of combining traditional Idrija lace and modern street fashion, with the students transferring the tradition of the past to the present," said Maja Svetlik of the local lace making school.

Multimedia artist Eva Petrič will be featured with two projects, including a 20-square metre "corona rose" made of bobbin lace, which was previously exhibited in Munich and Bern. It will be put on display in the Church of Saint Joseph the Worker.

An exhibition of lace produced as part of an international competition will make a comeback after ten years, featuring pieces from Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and other countries, with as many as eleven authors being under the age of 18.

The local lace making school will stage an exhibition of works by its students, while a collection of golden jewellery modelled after Idrija lace will be on display at Kenda Mansion.

The festival celebrating the tradition that has made it to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity will also feature guest lace exhibitions from Žiri and Croatia's Lepoglava and Split.

Learn more at the website

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:

Golob, Pahor advocating Bosnia be granted EU candidate status

BRUSSELS, Belgium/OHRID, North Macedonia - PM Robert Golob said he would propose that Bosnia and Herzegovina be granted EU candidate status at next week's EU summit. He acknowledged that a single member state can prevent this process, but hopes that reason will prevail. He welcomed the EU Commission's backing of Ukraine's bid to join the bloc. President Borut Pahor meanwhile underlined the importance of dialogue about EU enlargement to the Western Balkans at the Prespa Forum Dialogue in Ohrid, North Macedonia, on Thursday. Pahor presented a letter he sent to European Council President Charles Michel, advocating that Bosnia be granted EU candidate status without having to meet conditions first.

Golob to attend summit of European Liberals next week

BRUSSELS, Belgium - PM Robert Golob, the leader of the Freedom Movement, will take part in a summit of leaders belonging to the liberal Renew group in the European Parliament as he also attends an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday. The Renew meeting will focus on the integration of the liberal political block at EU level, which Golob discussed with Renew leader Stephane Sejourne in Brussels today.

Pahor attending Three Seas Initiative summit in Riga on Monday

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor will attend a summit of the Three Seas Initiative in Riga on Monday at the invitation of his Latvian counterpart Egils Levits. The meeting of leaders of twelve countries is expected to be addressed via video link by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. This year's summit will focus on the war in Ukraine and how to cooperate with Ukraine. The leaders are expected to adopt a declaration inviting Ukraine to join the initiative as a partner country.

Govt endorses Kopač as candidate for ECC secretary general

LJUBLJANA - The government has endorsed the candidacy of Janez Kopač for the secretary general of the Regional Cooperation Council (ECC), saying that Kopač is a credible candidate with all the required references and experience in the national and international political space, in particular in the Western Balkans. At today's correspondence session, the government also authorised the Foreign Ministry to do what is necessary to announce the candidacy and notify the presiding country of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP).

Slovenia to pay legal costs to Croatia over arbitration lawsuit

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia will pay legal expenses to Croatia over its border arbitration-related lawsuit against Croatia before the EU Court of Justice, which had decided that the lawsuit is inadmissible, the Slovenian Foreign Ministry said. The country nevertheless sees this issue as part of the procedure to implement the 2017 border arbitration award. This is part of the procedure to implement the arbitration award, to which Slovenia has called Croatia on several occasions, the ministry said, noting that Croatia also had to reimburse Slovenia part of the arbitration costs.

Coalition files changes to communicable diseases law

LJUBLJANA - The coalition parties filed to parliament changes to the communicable diseases act that will make the country's efforts to fight infectious diseases in line with the constitution. This is after the top court ruled a year ago Article 39 unconstitutional, giving the National Assembly two months to remedy the situation. The Constitutional Court said at the time that the parts of the act allowing the government to restrict movement and public assembly are unconstitutional.

C-bank vice-governor Vodopivec Jean resigns for personal reasons

LJUBLJANA - Irena Vodopivec Jean, one of the three vice-governors of Banka Slovenije, has asked the parliament to be relieved of her duties. "The National Assembly should relieve me of my duties early, as of 31 July, for personal reasons," she said in the resignation statement. Vodopivec Jean took over as a vice-governor of the central bank and thus a member of its governing board in the autumn of 2015. Last autumn she was appointed for a new term, which would have expired in October 2027.

Tensions over RTV Slovenija strike escalating

LJUBLJANA - In the run-up to another strike at RTV Slovenija, tensions are growing as in-house trade unions accused the management of attempting to obstruct the strike. The management decided to reduce news shows on the prime channel to the minimum on Monday when the strike is announced. "We're in favour of an intact, unabbreviated programme, whereas the director general is in favour of a state of emergency," said journalist Ksenija Horvat. Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon meanwhile urged RTV director general Andrej Grah Whatmough to rethink his proposal to reduce the number of foreign correspondents.

Diaspora minister visits Slovenian minority in Gorizia

GORIZIA, Italy - Minister for Slovenians Abroad Matej Arčon paid an official visit to Gorizia to meet representatives of the umbrella organisations of the Slovenian minority in Italy. They talked about future cooperation and topical issues, including how to secure a minority representative in the Italian parliament. "We will also precisely determine goals in the autumn and chart the path to these goals," Arčon said after the meeting.

Legendary illustrator Marlenka Stupica dies

LJUBLJANA - Legendary illustrator and painter Marlenka Stupica, best known for her illustrations of world classics such as Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Mehurčki, the collection of children's poetry by Oton Župančič (1878-1949), has died aged 94, publisher Mladinska Knjiga said. Stupica illustrated more than a hundred children's books in her almost 70-year career and received many awards for her work in Slovenia and abroad, including the Prešeren Prize for lifetime achievement in 2013.

Prešeren Prize-winning translator Kajetan Gantar dies

LJUBLJANA - Kajetan Gantar, an acclaimed translator of classical literature and philosophy who won the 2022 Prešeren Prize, the highest national accolade for lifetime achievement in culture and arts, died on Thursday at the age of 91. He produced an impressive body of translation work, including translations of Homer, Hesiod, Pindar, Sappho, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristotle, Plutarch, Procopius, Plautus, Terence, Horace, Ovid and several books of the Bible.

Ukrainian poet warns of Putin's appetite to conquer

NOVO MESTO - Talking about Russia's aggression against Ukraine, Ukrainian author Eugenia Chuprina warned of Russian President Vladimir Putin's appetite for conquering countries at a literary event held in Novo Mesto on Thursday evening. Chuprina, who sees herself as a punk, underground poet, warned other countries, including Slovenia, against Putin's potential actions in the future. Slovenia too should think about its security and defence against Putin's Russia, she said.

Coronavirus spread gaining pace

LJUBLJANA - The increase in coronavirus infections driven by a new Omicron subvariant is gaining pace in Slovenia with Thursday's case count up by nearly 60% over the figure reported the same day a week ago. Data from the Health Ministry shows 463 new cases of coronavirus were confirmed on Thursday as one patient with Covid-19 died. A total of 35 patients are treated in hospitals for Covid as their main condition, including five in intensive care.

At-risk-of-poverty rate down to 11.7% in 2021

LJUBLJANA - The at-risk-of-poverty rate in Slovenia declined by 0.7 percentage points last year to 11.7%. The threshold of poverty risk was EUR 771 per month. Social transfers including pensions remain an important tool in lowering poverty, according to the Statistics Office. Around 243,000 Slovenians lived on an income below the at-risk-of-poverty threshold, including 85,000 pensioners, 46,000 employed, 40,000 children under the age of 18, 38,000 unemployed and 34,000 other persons.

World No.1 cyclist Pogačar wins stage 3 of Tour of Slovenia

CELJE - Slovenian rider Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) won the third stage of the Tour of Slovenia in what was a fierce attack before the finishing line. The world No.1 cyclist now leads in the race's overall standings. His teammate, Poland's Rafal Majka, was second and Italy's Nicola Conci (Alpecin Fenix) finished third. The win was a repeat of last year's feat when Pogačar won stage two of the Slovenian race by showcasing all the tricks of the trade. Both last year and this year he attacked some 20 kilometres before the finishing line during a steep ascent, the only difference being that today he was chased by Majka.

Writer Florjan Lipuš gets honorary degree from Klagenfurt uni

KLAGENFURT, Austria - Florjan Lipuš, an acclaimed author and member of the Slovenian minority in Austria, will receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Klagenfurt next Friday to join the company of another Slovenian minority author Maja Haderlap, as well as Austrian authors Peter Handke, Josef Winkler and Peter Turrini. In addition to Lipuš, the honorary doctorate will also be awarded to Austrian philosopher, author and literary critic Franz Schuh.

Imago Sloveniae opens summer of concerts in historic settings

LJUBLJANA - The RTV Ljubljana Symphony Orchestra featuring up-and-coming Slovenian conductors and soloists is launching a series of concerts in the capital this summer under the banner of Imago Sloveniae and Summer in Old Ljubljana. The festival, known foremost for classical music, but also jazz and world music concerts in historical town settings, has made it its mission to educate young audiences in particular as interest in classical music has been waning.

Museum of the World's Oldest Vine opens in Maribor

MARIBOR - Maribor, Slovenia's second largest city, prides itself on having what is arguably the world's oldest vine. Today, it also got a museum dedicated to the venerable grapevine and the history of viticulture. The Museum of the World's Oldest Vine is located in a former cold storage room in Lent, the historical part of Maribor, that has been refurbished with the help of EU funds. It is closely linked to the nearby Old Vine House.

E-bike rental system now available in Ljubljana

LJUBLJANA - More than ten years after becoming the first city in Slovenia with a bike sharing system, Ljubljana also got its own e-bike rental system with 75 Nomago Bikes made available at 25 docking stations on Thursday. Ljubljana thus became the 12th municipality with an e-bike rental system operated by Nomago, a travel and transportation company. The bikes have a battery capacity from 60 to 80 km. Renting the bike for 30 minutes costs EUR 1.3, with different subscriptions also available.

STA, 17 June 2022 - Slovenian rider Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) won the third stage of the Tour of Slovenia on Friday in what was a fierce attack before the finishing line. The world No.1 cyclist now leads in the race's overall standings. His teammate, Poland's Rafal Majka, was second and Italy's Nicola Conci (Alpecin Fenix) finished third.

The win was a repeat of last year's feat when Pogačar won stage two of the Slovenian race by showcasing all the tricks of the trade. Both last year and this year he attacked some 20 kilometres before the finishing line during a steep ascent, the only difference being that today he was chased by Majka.

The Polish rider won stage one on Wednesday and was leading in the overall standings until Pogačar's latest stage win. Slovenia's Domen Novak (Bahrain-Victorious) currently ranks third overall.

In what was another highlight of today's stage, Slovenia's Luka Mezgec (Team BikeExchange - Jayco) finished fourth.

"I gave it my all," Pogačar told the public broadcaster RTV Slovenija after the win.

Pogačar's and Majka's cycling team, UAE Team Emirates, said today that two of their riders had tested positive for coronavirus, including Denmark's Mikkel Bjerg, who had been competing in the Slovenian race and has since pulled out of it. His room-mate, Norway's Vegard Stake Laengen, has also waved goodbye to the competition under a precautionary measure taken by UAE Team Emirates.

Other riders and staff in the team, including Pogačar, have tested negative for now.

On Saturday, the 152 km queens stage will take the riders from Laško in the east to Velika Planina in the north.

The Tour of Slovenia is the country's biggest road cycling race that has become a final competitive test before the Tour de France for many riders in recent years. Pogačar will be defending his two-time title at the 2022 Tour de France.

STA, 17 June 2022 - The swimming season is kicking off at the coast with the opening of a new beach and park in Koper's Žusterna district. As part of a EUR 3.7 million investment the municipality of Koper transformed a degraded area into a beach that is now suitable for swimming and other activities.

The project began in early 2019 when rock seawalls were moved from the area and an embankment was built to protect it from flooding.

Now, lawn covers most of the park, while the rocky part of the coast is covered with large concrete plates. A walkway with benches runs through the park where around 200 trees and many bushes have been planted.

There are free toilets available and multiple food and drinks establishments.

Access to water is possible on a shingle beach.

The project was mostly funded by the municipality of Koper with the EU contributing around EUR 770,000 in grants.

STA, 17 June 2022 - A 49-year-old German woman was killed in a paragliding accident in the Kobarid area in the west of the country on Thursday, the police have said.

Bovec police have ascertained that the 49-year-old had been a member of a group of eight German paragliders who took off from Kobala in the Tolmin area just before 1pm on Thursday.

She was found lying motionless by mountain rescuers in an overgrown and hard to access terrain on the northern slope of Stol, a 1,673 metre-high mountain. A doctor pronounced her dead and ordered a post mortem.

Considering the facts and circumstances, the police have ruled out foul play, finding the paraglider fell and died of her injuries, according to a press release from the Nova Gorica Police Department.

The police have notified the investigating judge and prosecution service in charge of the accident as well as an air accident investigator. They will also submit a report on their findings to the district prosecution office in Nova Gorica.