21 Sep 2020, 04:07 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Monday, 21 September 2020

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:

Tadej Pogačar crowned Tour de France champion as Slovenia celebrates historic double victory

PARIS, France - Slovenia's rider Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), 21, crossed the finish line of the Tour de France as the winner to round up his superb performance at the world's most prestigious race, a historic feat for Slovenian sport. His older compatriot Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma), throughout the race an undisputed favourite, lost to Pogačar after the 21-year-old put on a dramatic turnaround in Saturday's penultimate, time trial stage. "This is incredible, standing here in Paris on the top step of the podium," said Pogačar, draped in the Slovenian flag as his parents watched on. "I never thought I would be here. It's been an amazing three-week adventure."

111 Covid-19 cases confirmed in Slovenia on Saturday, one patient dies

LJUBLJANA - Out of 2,288 tests carried out, 111 came back positive on Saturday, and one patient died, with puts the national death toll at 142, the latest government data showed. The majority of the newly infected persons are from the 25-54 age group, while nine infections were confirmed in people older than 85. There are now 66 Covid-19 patients in hospital, of whom 13 are in intensive care. As many as 1,255 coronavirus cases are active.

Canoeist Savšek and men's team defend European titles

PRAGUE, Czech Republic - Slovenia's slalom canoeist Benjamin Savšek defended his European champion title having beaten his rivals in today's C1 final of the European Canoe Slalom Championships, and so did the men's C1 team. This is Savšek's third European title after Pau in 2019 and Markkleeberg in 2015. On Saturday, kayaker Peter Kauzer and the women's canoe team won silver.

IOC boss Bach to visit Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - Two days before a special sport day is observed in Slovenia for the first time, International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach will visit the country on Monday to meet politicians, sports officials and athletes, attend a fund raiser and visit the grave of recently deceased sports official Janez Kocijančič. He will be received by President Borut Pahor and PM Janez Janša, and address the press together with the president of the Slovenian Olympic Committee Bogdan Gabrovec. He was last in Slovenia in April 2016.

Minister Jaklitsch meets Slovenians in Germany

MUNICH/STUTTGART, Germany - Minister for Slovenians Abroad Helena Jaklitsch paid a visit to the Slovenian community in Germany this weekend, meeting representatives of a number of associations to discuss their challenges and priorities, the Office for Slovenians Abroad said. She visited several sport and cultural associations in the federal state Bavaria on Saturday and in Baden-Württemberg on Sunday.

Pesticide producer Albaugh improves revenue in 2019

RAČE - The Rače-based pesticide producer Albaugh, known as Primus before passing into US ownership in 2015, increased revenue by EUR 4.5 million to EUR 41.5 million in 2019 and reduced net loss from EUR 1.8 million to EUR under EUR 0.5 million. The chemical company, which has a 100-strong workforce, said in its annual business report that sales were up mostly because of the launch of new products as well as the entry onto new European markets.

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20 Sep 2020, 20:39 PM

Pogačar Wins Tour de France at 21 (Video)

STA, 20 September 2020 - Slovenia's rider Tadej Pogačar has crossed the finish line of the Tour de France in Paris to round up his superb performance at the world's most prestigious race, a historic feat for Slovenian sport. Coming in second was his older compatriot Primož Roglič, throughout the race an undisputed favourite, who lost to Pogačar at the eleventh hour.

21-year-old Pogačar (UAE-Team Emirates) was formally crowned the Tour de France winner on Sunday after putting on a dramatic turnaround in Saturday's penultimate stage, breaking several records.

He is the first 21-year-old to win the greatest of all three-week races as a Tour newcomer after France's Laurent Fignon in 1983. He is also the first to wear the yellow jersey (general classification leader), the polka dot one (best in the mountainous classification) and the white one as the best young rider.

"This is incredible, standing here in Paris on the top step of the podium," said Pogačar, draped in the Slovenian flag as his parents watched on.

"I never thought I would be here. It's been an amazing three-week adventure. I have to thank everyone who's been involved in the preparation for the race, everyone in my team and my family."

Despite his talent, Pogačar's victory is in a way a surprise given that his first three-week race was only last year's Vuelta, where he placed third.

Pogačar joined his first and only club before becoming a professional athlete - KD Rog Ljubljana when he was nine.

He first came to the attention of the Slovenian public at the Tour of Slovenia in 2017, which he finished fifth and got the white jersey as the best young rider.

In 2018, he won Tour de l' Avenir in what was a great success.

It was his outstanding results that made him soon be spotted by the UAE's professional team and he was signed on in July 2018, fully joining it on 1 January 2019.

The Tour de France victory will bring him and his team more than EUR 600,000.

Many Slovenian fans came to Paris to cheer their winning champions, while locals in Pogačar and Roglič's home towns are celebrating with open-air parties.

Congratulations for both are pouring in, although Roglič's fans in the town of Kisovec are slightly disappointed, yet they still consider him a winner.

Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) held the Tour's yellow jersey since the end of stage nine in Laruns, and had an around one-minute lead on Pogačar before yesterday's stage, but had to take it off for the Paris grand finale as Pogačar did 59 second better in Saturday's time trial.

However the failure to win the Tour - his ultimate goal that seemed so close - could prove motivation for future. After all, the ski jumper-cum-rider won Spain's Vuelta and placed third at Giro d'Italia last year.

"I super proud. I proud of what I managed to do and us as a team which really put on super shows throughout the three weeks," Roglič, who came to the podium with his son Lev, said.

"I wouldn't change a single thing, there are no regrets, the best one has won, so sincere congratulations to Tadej. And we go on," he told public broadcaster RTV Slovenija.

Below is a list of Slovenian riders' best results at three-week races:

1st place - Tadej Pogačar, Tour de France 2020
1st place - Primož Roglič, Vuelta a Espana 2019
2nd place - Primož Roglič, Tour de France 2020
3rd place - Primož Roglič, Giro d'Italia 2019
3rd place - Tadej Pogačar, Vuelta a Espana 2019
4th place - Primož Roglič, Tour de France 2019
9th place - Tadej Valjavec, Tour de France 2008
9th place - Tadej Valjavec, Giro d'Italia 2004
9th place - Janez Brajkovič, Tour de France 2012
11th place - Jan Polanc, Giro d'Italia 2017
13th place - Tadej Valjavec, Giro d'Italia 2008
14th place - Jan Polanc, Giro d'Italia 2019
14th place - Janez Brajkovič, Giro d'Italia 2009
15th place - Tadej Valjavec, Giro d'Italia 2005
16th place - Tadej Valjavec, Tour de France 2006
18th place - Tadej Valjavec, Vuelta a Espana 2002
19th place - Tadej Valjavec, Tour de France 2007

20 Sep 2020, 17:08 PM

Feature: Double Tour de France Victory for Slovenia

STA, 20 September 2020 - A new cycling champion is to be crowned as Slovenian Tadej Pogačar is set to win the Tour de France in Paris later today. While Primož Roglič led for much of the world's most prestigious race as a strong favourite, his younger compatriot put on a dramatic turn in Saturday's stage, and the pair secured a historic double victory.

Despite placing second overall, Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) remains a key name of this year's Tour, so the U-turn in the penultimate stage could not spoil Slovenia's celebrations.

Yet a new star is being born as Pogačar (UAE-Team Emirates) took the yellow jersey from Roglič after he had held it for a dozen days, making Slovenian and Tour de France history.

"Nailing first and second in the biggest bike race in the world is a huge step for one of the smallest cycle racing nations," is how The Guardian put it today.

The time trial brought the 21-year-old from the town of Komenda, some 20 km north of Ljubljana, a 59-second lead on Roglič, and somewhat unexpectedly, even for Pogačar himself, the overall victory.

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Slovenian smiles#TDF2020 pic.twitter.com/jwfeKP832M
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) September 20, 2020

"Incredible. Nobody expected what happened on Saturday. Nobody imagined he could take a minute away from Roglič and add another one," Miha Koncilija, Pogačar's first-ever coach, told the STA today.

Twitter went crazy last evening and Pogačar is being praised around the globe, with some media labelling his performance a historic turnaround and the overall victory one of the biggest achievements in the Tour's 117-year history.

Although his talent had not passed unnoticed, only few had dared to think Pogačar would rise to the stars so quickly.

Being a 2020 Tour de France debutant, his dream had been not to win the race, but to race in it in the first place.

Almost a one minute-lead before yesterday's 36-kilometre time trial should have sufficed for Roglič to keep the yellow jersey.

However, the 30-year old rider, who claimed his first Grand Tour victory in 2019's Vuelta a Espana, had a bad day - his performance was not the best and his compatriot rival was doing brilliantly.

The surprising development took many in Slovenia by surprise and many experience a feeling of injustice, given that Roglič pedalled exceptionally for three weeks, but eventually experienced, despite the second place, a painful defeat.

"We all saw how hard it was for Primož. The entire team had worked hard for his success, they had everything under control, and then one bad day spoils it all. It's hard. Of course we're thrilled, but still the whole thing is a bit bittersweet," said Koncilija.

"Roglič was the best rider throughout the race, he had an excellent team. So I respect him, he is really a good friend and I too feel his defeat. But this is part of racing, we all try to win in the end," is how Pogačar summed up the dramatic turnaround in the last serious stage before today's largely exhibition one.

A day before he turns 22, Pogačar is set to become the second youngest Tour de France winner and the youngest this century.

Despite comparisons with some of the cycling greats such as Belgium's Eddy Merckx, he remains modest, hardly thinking about them.

Asked by journalists to tell them something about himself after yesterday's victory, he said: "I'm a young guy from Komenda. I have two sisters and a brother. I don't know what else to say - I enjoy life. Small things are important to me. This stage is definitely too big for me."

He described his felling about the victory similarly: "This morning I was happy to be in second place. Then I had a really good day and it transpired that I won. I'm very happy."

He thanked his UAE Emirates team for giving him the opportunity to race at the Tour and his parents for passing on their good genes which enable him to regenerate fast.

His Tour victory will go down in history as the biggest achievement in Slovenian cycling, while the double victory inspires even more pride among Slovenian fans.

Many have arrived in Paris for the finale, including almost 400 on two charter flights, as well as President Borut Pahor and Foreign Minister Anže Logar.

Commenting on the Tour even before Pogačar overtook Roglič, Slovenian Cycling Association vice-president Martin Hvastija said: "My view of the Tour? Things seem pretty ... surreal. I feel like I'm in a parallel world."

20 Sep 2020, 13:37 PM

Mladina Connects Hojs’ Discount Koper Land Purchase with Ex-Mayor, Russian Investor

STA, 18 September 2020 - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs has purchased a plot of land on the Slovenian coast for less than a third of the price the Koper municipality could have potentially fetched with the sale, Mladina reports on Friday. It suggests that Boris Popovič, the mayor of Koper at the time the land was initially sold to a Russian company, is involved.

The weekly says that Hojs purchased last July building land in the village of Kolomban, which overlooks the Slovenian coast near Koper.

The property was purchased from the Russian national Marat Idrisov, whose company had bought a larger piece of land in April 2017 at a public auction from the Koper municipality, which decided after the auction to service the land with a road and a sewage system.

The municipality, which was run by Boris Popovič at the time, sold a total of 3,894 square metres of land in Kolomban. Idrisov was the only bidder, as the land had not even been accessible by road at the time.

His company, Rjeckon, purchased the land at the asking price of EUR 262,920 or EUR 67.50 per square metre, which is a lower than the Koper municipality usually sells land plots to its residents, the weekly adds.

It notes that Rjeckon "is an unknown company, without particular references, and which prior to 2017 actually had no noteworthy revenue or assets expected from a company registered for real estate deals".

Idrisov is an acquaintance of Popovič's infrastructure advisor Radivoje Anđelković, who is believed to have helped the Russian buy the land. For instance, Anđelković allowed Idrisov to register his company at his home address in Ljubljana.

When the land was sold to Idrisov, it was still inaccessible by car, but after the sale the municipality decided to build utility infrastructure there - including a road to all land plots sold and a sewage system, the weekly notes.

Idrisov had thus actually purchased land for which other interested buyers could not have possibly known or predict that it would be provided with infrastructure at the municipality's expense.

Moreover, instead of a plot on which the local authorities built an access road, Idrisov was given the remainder of the available adjacent land to improve the functionality of the entire land plot.

Idrisov then divided his land into several plots and sold it to four persons, including Popovič, Anđelković and Hojs. The interior minister purchased 882 square metres for EUR 75,910, or EUR 86 per square metre.

Had the municipality serviced the land before selling it at auction, it could have fetched more than EUR 300 per square metre or more than EUR 1 million. In that case Hojs, would have to pay EUR 264,600 for his plot, according to Mladina.

The minister has told Mladina that he had reported the deal to the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption, that he had financed it with his own assets and a loan, and that Popovič had not helped him with the purchase.

In a response, Hojs told the press in parliament he had nothing to add because everything is written in the opposition Left's online bulletin - Mladina.

Hojs is defending some of his past actions in the National Assembly as MPs are discussing the opposition-sponsored motion of no-confidence in him.

20 Sep 2020, 13:19 PM

What Mladina & Demokracija Are Saying This Week: SDS Greed vs Deep State Attacks on Hojs

The covers and editorials from leading weeklies of the Left and Right for the work-week ending Friday, 18 September 2020. All our stories about coronavirus and Slovenia are here

Mladina: SDS driven by greed not ideology

STA, 18 September 2020 - The left-wing weekly Mladina argues in the latest editorial that the government's actions and decisions are driven by the ruling party's desire for money rather than by ideology.

"It is all about money (...) this is why the Slovenian government is one of the few that, at the time when the country is paralysed and hysterical with the epidemic, are busy with changes in the very system and makeup of the state," writes editor-in-chief Grega Repovž.

As one example he offers the creation of a demographic fund where he says the coalition are admitting they are redistributing the state silverware and the power of its management based on party formula.

Another is the tax reform where Repovž says the tax burden on top earners will be reduced, and the plan to annul tax on luxury vehicles.

He finds it paradoxical that "the government is mostly supported by voters who will never have those luxury cars, who will never be in top tax brackets, and they still believe those in power are some kind of fighters for social justice."

Instead, Repovž says that PM Janez Janša, Interior Minister Aleš Hojs and other members of the government are those rich people that they are fighting for, so they do not see what is wrong with leveraging power to adapt tenders, legislation and business ways to make money.

He refers to an article in the latest edition of Mladina about how Hojs was sold an elite plot of land by the Koper municipality under Mayor Boris Popovič to the local community's detriment.

"We have people in power who are involved in suspicious dealings, do business with suspicious people, meet people who are in criminal procedures, work with people who propagate publicly they do tax evasion, they interfere in criminal procedures to help people in procedures over human trafficking and prostitution (...). None of them has denied any of that."

In conclusion of the piece headlined In Plain Sight, Repovž says that the hardest thing to understand is how none of deputies or other ministers of the junior coalition partners are bothered even though they know exactly what is going on.

Demokracija: Charges against Hojs ludicrous

STA, 17 September 2020 - The right-wing magazine Demokracija defends Interior Minister Aleš Hojs against accusations in the opposition-sponsored motion against him and the criminal complaint targeting him, which it finds absurd.

In the latest edition, Jože Biščak, the editor-in-chief, calls the charge over the reversal of the ban on concert of Croatian singer Marko Perković Thompson "the most stupid accusation on the planet" after the US Democrats' attempt to impeach President Donald Trump.

He says the accusation is based on disagreement with the ideological views of a Croatian singer the majority would never even heard about had the leftists not banned his concert in 2017, a ban that the Interior Ministry lifted after a series of complaints.

Biščak supports Hojs's view that the ministry's decision is based on human rights and freedoms guaranteed by the constitution, including freedom of speech, arguing that a Thompson concert is one such freedom, while being offended by such a concert is not a basic freedom.

He argues that back in 2017 the Miro Cerar government should have provided security to Thompson and his fans against a mass of people who planned to prevent the concert.

Meanwhile, he says it "would not be worth wasting one's breath over the criminal complaint against Hojs for ordering a revision of the most controversial corruption cases that have never seen a closure if it did not make obvious the political motivation of those who filed it".

The fact that they signed the complaint as 'honest police officers' should send alarm bells ringing as it is, writes Biščak under the headline The Heartbeat of Guerilla Politics, adding that the anonymous complaint is likely to be taken seriously by prosecutors even though it should end up in a bin.

"Experience of the justice system, which instead of guaranteeing equal and fair treatment of all by law dwells behind the door to hell, teaches us that we will witness a new farce. You know the way it goes: leftists adapt and change rules in guerrilla fashion so they suit the conduct of deep state evil doers."

All our posts in this series are here

20 Sep 2020, 12:21 PM

Covid-19 & Slovenia: 111 New Cases Saturday From 2,288 Tests, Pivka Hotspot, No New Rules

STA, 20 September 2020 - Out of 2,288 tests carried out, 111 came back positive on Saturday, and one patient died, the latest government data, posted on Twitter on Sunday, shows. The majority of the newly infected persons are from the 25-54 age group, while nine infections were confirmed in people older than 85.

There are now 66 Covid-19 patients in hospital, of whom 13 are in intensive care, of whom 12 need ventilator support to breathe, shows data on the national tracker site covid-19.sledilnik.org.

As many as 1,255 coronavirus cases are active, and six of yesterday's infections were in elderly home residents.

The new cases were detected in more than 40 of Slovenia's 212 municipalities, with Ljubljana leading the way with 28.

In Pivka, a small municipality which has been a hotspot since last weekend, 12 new infections were confirmed, and another seven in the nearby municipality of Postojna.

Since the first case was confirmed on 4 March, Slovenia has seen 4,420 novel coronavirus infections confirmed, while 142 people have died.

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Where is Pivka? See below

20 Sep 2020, 03:33 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Sunday, 20 September 2020

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 celebrates double victory at Tour de France

BESANCON, France - Slovenians Tadej Pogačar and Primož Roglič reigned supreme at Saturday's decisive stage of the 107th Tour de France with Pogačar becoming the big winner after a surprise twist at the only time trial of the race. After making up for Roglič's 57-second lead, the 21-year-old Pogačar became the second youngest winner of the Tour. Bagging his third stage victory at the Tour, Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) took the yellow, white and polka dot jerseys, beating Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) by almost two minutes.

Finance Committee adopts revised budget, rejects all amendments

LJUBLJANA - The Finance Committee adopted the revised national budget for 2020 as the last parliamentary body before the plenary on Saturday with the opposition voicing concern over the rising expenditure that will have to be paid eventually and Finance Minister Andrej Šircelj arguing the budget is adjusted to the new reality.

Slovenian, Austrian speakers honour victims of Nazi violence

GLOBASNITZ, Austria - Parliamentary Speaker Igor Zorčič joined his Austrian counterpart Wolfgang Sobotka for a memorial ceremony in Austria's Globasnitz honouring the victims of a Nazi attack on a Slovenian farm in 1945. Their meeting also marked the 100th anniversary of the Carinthian plebiscite. According to a press release from the National Assembly, both stressed the importance of dialogue with ethnic minorities.

113 new coronavirus cases in Slovenia on Friday

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded 113 new coronavirus infections on Friday after 3,070 tests were performed, putting the number of active cases at 1,187. Currently, 67 Covid-19 patients are being treated in hospitals, ten of them in intensive care. One person with Covid-19 died, which puts the number of deaths so far at 141. Health Minister Tomaž Gantar said hospitals treating Covid-19 patients would switch back to the regime they had during the epidemic.

C-bank governor says situation better than it seemed in spring

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia will see a significant drop in gross domestic product (GDP) this year, but the final two quarters will be positive, central bank governor Boštjan Vasle told the newspaper Delo in an interview. He said the developments are not as catastrophic as it seemed in the spring and that the demand for liquidity loans was low.

Masks now mandatory outdoors when distancing not possible

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia has made face masks mandatory outdoors as of today in cases when it is not possible to maintain a physical distance of at least two metres. The government issued the new decree on Friday evening with the addendum that it would made a biweekly assessment of whether the measure is still necessary. The decision comes after a sharp spike in new infections, with triple-digit increases in new cases for most of this week.

Due to Covid-19, annual Catholic youth meeting scattered around Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - Several thousand Catholic youths came together at 30 locations around Slovenia for an annual jamboree that promotes socialising and prayer. What is dubbed Young Stična was this year held under the slogan Stand Up. President Borut Pahor addressed the youth in Stična, praising their efforts for an inclusive society.

Slalom canoeist Kauzer wins silver at European championship in Prague

PRAGUE, Czechia - Slovenia's Peter Kauzer bagged silver at the European championship in canoe slalom in Prague. Gold went to Czech jiri Prskavec. This is Kauzer's third silver medal from European championships, while he has also won two golds. The Slovenian women's team, featuring Eva Alina Hočevar, Lea Novak and Alja Kozorog, also won silver today, while the men's team had to settle for fourth place after touching a gate.

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19 Sep 2020, 18:40 PM

Tour de France 2020: Pogačar First, Roglič Second, Slovenia Celebrates (Video)

STA, 19 September 2020 - Slovenians Tadej Pogačar and Primož Roglič reigned supreme at Saturday's decisive stage of the 107th Tour de France with Pogačar becoming the big winner after a surprise twist at the only time trial of the race. After making up for Roglič's 57-second lead, the 21-year-old Pogačar became the second youngest winner of the Tour.

Bagging his third stage victory at the Tour, Pogačar took the yellow jersey, beating Roglič by almost two minutes.

Roglič, visibly exhausted, finished fifth after the 36.2km course from Lure to La Planche des belles filles, to take the second place overall.

"I think I'm dreaming. I really don't know what to say," Pogačar said in his first statement after the race. "I'm really proud of the team. They did a really great job," he added.

19 Sep 2020, 11:03 AM

Slovenia Makes Masks Mandatory Outdoors If Distancing Impossible

STA, 19 September 2020 - Slovenia has made face masks mandatory outdoors as of Saturday in cases when it is not possible to maintain a physical distance of at least two metres.

The government issued the new decree on Friday evening with the addendum that it would made a biweekly assessment of whether the measure is still necessary.

The decision comes after a sharp spike in new infections, with triple-digit increases in new cases for most of this week.

In indoor public places, masks have been mandatory since the first wave of the epidemic in spring. That part of the rule has now been tightened, including in schools, where students and teachers have so far been required to wear masks only in common areas.

Under the decree, students up to grade 6 of primary school are not required to wear masks in the classroom, while teachers have to wear them only if they cannot maintain a 2-metre physical distance from students in class.

From grade 7, both students and teachers must wear masks at all times unless they can maintain a 1.5-metre physical distance. In many classrooms, maintaining a physical distance is not possible.

The original plan involved making masks mandatory for kindergarten teachers as well, but strong backlash from the public appears to have convinced the government to backtrack.

Even the new mask rule in schools appears likely to provoke protests, judging by reactions by teacher and parent association to the government's preliminary announcement.

The latest statistics on coronavirus and Slovenia, and the latest police news on red, green and yellow list countries. All our stories on coronavirus and Slovenia. Can I transit Slovenia? Find out from the police...

19 Sep 2020, 03:54 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Saturday, 19 September 2020

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 sees record 137 new coronavirus infections on Thursday

LJUBLJANA - The number of new coronavirus infections reached a new all-time high in Slovenia on Thursday, as 137 out of 3,557 tests came back positive, the government said on Twitter. The number of active cases is also at a record high of 1,116. Sixty-seven Covid-19 patients are in hospital, 11 of them need intensive care. Three people were discharged from hospital, while four people infected with coronavirus died, putting the national death toll at 140. According to the tracker site covid-19.sledilnik.org, the number of total confirmed cases since early March, when the first one was confirmed, stands at 4,195.

Hojs defends his actions in parliament as opposition wants to oust him

LJUBLJANA - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs defended his actions in parliament as the opposition levelled at him a number of accusations in a ouster motion, which he is however expected to survive. Matjaž Nemec of the SocDems argued Hojs was never apt to serve as minister. He accused him of trampling on human dignity by supporting individuals glorifying the Croatian pro-Nazi Ustasha, of subjugating the police force to the ruling Democrats (SDS) and of aggressively clamping down on protestors. While he condemned the Ustasha regime and fended off all the other accusations, Hojs said the motion was an attempt to smear him ideologically. He announced he would discuss his position in the government with PM Janez Janša should he survive the ouster motion. This is after he already offered to resign earlier this year. The MPs could vote on the motion in the small hours of Saturday morning.

Logar expresses solidarity with Greece in face of migrations, Turkey relations

LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Anže Logar expressed solidarity with Greece concerning migrations and relations with Turkey as he hosted his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias. Dendias thanked him for the support and welcomed Slovenia's desire to join the MED7 group. Logar stressed Slovenia would continue to support EU member states. "Solidarity is the most important principle in the EU," he said. During what is the first visit by a Greek foreign minister in ten years, Logar and Dendias agreed to enhance their communication in the future. The Greek minister was also received by PM Janez Janša and President Borut Pahor.

Pahor calls for continued pursuit of UN's 2030 Agenda goals

LJUBLJANA/NEW YORK, US - President Borut Pahor addressed via videoconference the UN's global summit on the sustainable development goals until 2030, saying that the "2030 Agenda offers a better future for billions of people around the world and for our planet as a whole". The summit is taking place in a virtual form due to the Covid-19 pandemic, featuring only 24 UN members. Slovenia was selected due to its regular and transparent reporting on the implementation of the objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the president's office said.

Slovenia added to UK quarantine list

LONDON, UK - The United Kingdom added Slovenia to the list of countries from which arrivals must self-isolate for two weeks, the Slovenian Embassy in London announced. Those wanting to travel to the UK have until 4am on Saturday to get there without needing to self-isolate. The UK advises against all non-essential travel to Slovenia. It does not, however, advise those UK citizens who are already in Slovenia to cut short their trip.

EFJ concerned over Rupel's nomination for OSCE media rep

LJUBLJANA/BRUSSELS, Belgium - The Foreign Ministry sent to the OSCE the nomination of ex-Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel for the post of OSCE media representative after endorsing it on Thursday. However, Ricardo Gutierrez, European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) general secretary, expressed concern over it. "I am very very concerned about Slovenian politician Dimitrij Rupel's application for the position of OSCE media freedom representative," he wrote on Twitter, pointing to a contentious letter Rupel and former constitutional judge Peter Jambrek addressed to The Guardian after the UK paper published a critical article about Slovenian PM Janez Janša.

Pahor in Paris for Tour de France final stage, to meet Macron

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor will be in France to watch the final stage of the prestigious Tour de France race live on Sunday and to meet his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Monday. He is heading for Paris at the invitation of the Slovenian Cycling Federation as it is almost certain the Tour de France victory will go to Slovenia's Primož Roglič or Tadej Pogačar. The Pahor-Macron working meeting will be a continuation of Pahor's regular dialogue with EU leaders on the future of Europe. The pandemic will also be discussed.

Illegal migrations in first 8 months up year-on-year

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian police processed some 10,220 illegal crossings of Slovenia's borders until the end of August, up 3.3% compared to the same period in 2019. Following a lull in illegal migrations caused by anti-corona restrictions, the number of migrants started rising again. In August alone the police handled more than 2,600 cases of illegal migrations, mostly involving citizens of Pakistan, Morocco and Afghanistan. Meanwhile, in an enhanced border surveillence campaign between 10 September and today, the police processed a total of 397 persons who crossed from Croatia into Slovenia illegally. More than a third of the illegal migrants were from Afghanistan.

Social partners touch on new stimulus package, voice some criticism

LJUBLJANA - Labour Minister Janez Cigler Kralj outlined to the social partners on the Economic and Social Council the emerging fifth coronacrisis stimulus package and the council agreed to discuss it at the level of a taskforce on Monday. Some positions were however already voiced, with employers being particularly critical of the furlough scheme only being extended for certain sectors. Trade unionist Lidija Jerkič meanwhile told the STA that the proposal was heading in the right direction.

Concession contract for Sava hydro power stations to be signed next month

KRŠKO - A concession contract for the construction of a series of hydropower plants on the central Sava river is expected to be signed with the state-owned power utility HSE on 2 October, Environment Minister Andrej Vizjak announced. The first to be built in the next 15 years are the Suhadol, Trbovlje and Renke power stations on the downstream section of the central Sava. The construction of the first plant on the central Sava is expected to start in 2024, and the remaining two should follow two or three years later.

Vizjak says realising climate strategy must be a joint project

LJUBLJANA - Environment Minister Andrej Vizjak believes that for Slovenia's climate strategy until 2050 to be implemented, a series of action plans coordinated between various sectors will be needed. Each individual would need to change their behaviour, as "this is our common project", he added as he presented the document. He said it was very important that Slovenia was setting zero net emissions or climate neutrality as an objective for the mid-century. "This is not a burden, but an opportunity and responsibility. Responsibility towards the future generations, and opportunity for all stakeholders." The document will be in public consultation until 30 September.

Protesters target Minister Hojs, environmental concerns

LJUBLJANA - The 22nd consecutive Friday protests against government policies took aim at Interior Minister Aleš Hojs and highlighted several environmental issues that protesters said were indicative of current government policy. Protesters first gathered in Prešeren Square before heading to the square in front of Parliament House to witness the ouster motion against Hojs and "witness his downfall". They indicated they would stay put until the MPs take a vote on the interpellation motion, which could however take pace in the small hours of Saturday morning.

Cimos ending production in Maribor

LJUBLJANA - Car parts maker Cimos is stopping production at its plant in Maribor, public broadcaster Radio Slovenija reported, saying the news came as a shock to its 150 employees. Most employees went on their annual leave as of today, while the rest are engaged in the necessary works before the full closure. The plant is closing due to Covid-19 and overall troubles of the car industry. The staff will be offered to terminate the employment contract and receive severance pay or be redeployed to another Cimos plant. Indebted Cimos was sold to Italian fund Palladio Finanziaria in 2017. The group's profit plummet to just over EUR 180,000 in 2019, down from EUR 4.7 million in 2018.

Spar Slovenija to get new director next year

LJUBLJANA - Igor Mervič, the long-serving director general of the retailer Spar Slovenija, will end his tenure at the end of the year. He will be succeeded by David Kovačič, who will take up the top post on 1 January 2021, Spar Slovenija said. Mervič, who has been at the helm of Spar Slovenija for 28 years, will remain at the company as a member of the supervisory board and adviser of the Spar conglomerate.

Exhibition at Technical Museum traces history of Slovenian robots

BISTRA - The exhibition Robot.si: The Origins of Slovenian Industrial Robotics opened at the Technical Museum in Bistra. It is dedicated to two important anniversaries related to robotics, including the 100th anniversary of the first written record of the word robot and 40 years since the first industrial robot was put to work in Slovenia. A special part of the exhibition is also dedicated to the social aspect of robotics and the impact robots have on humans.

Kino Šiška merging online with on-site in new season

LJUBLJANA - Kino Šiška, one of the main music venues in Ljubljana, will fuse online and on-site concerts in the new season due to precautionary measures such as visitor caps. The centre has entered into a partnership with the online platform DICE to deliver livestreams of performances, mostly by Slovenian musicians. As of 1 October, concerts at the Katedrala Hall will be given for up to 150 persons. Livestreams will be payable. Kino Šiška says artists should receive fair pay.

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