News

08 Jun 2022, 08:15 AM

MENT Music Festival Opens in Ljubljana, 8 – 10 June

STA, 8 June 2022 - The 8th iteration of the MENT music festival is opening on Wednesday, bringing 80 artists from 25 countries to the capital Ljubljana. Taking place until 10 June at 15 venues, the festival is joining forces this year with Austria's Elevate and Slovenia's Druga Godba festivals.

The highlight of the opening night will be a concert by the American singer-songwriter and producer Yves Tumor. Thursday and Friday will see performances by the Ukrainian hip hop icon Alyona Alyon, UK singer-songwriter Martha Skye Murphy, French avant-pop artist Oklou, and Austrian keyboard player Dorian Concept.

The 2022 line-up ranges from hip-hop and pop to exploratory folk and post-jazz artists and representatives of various electronic music genres. Some of the locals artists participating are Sahareya, PTČ, Kokosy, Zevin, Gašper Letonja, and Ana Kravanja and Samo Kutin.

In collaboration with the Druga Godba festival, an evening concert at the Channel Zero club at the Metelkova culture centre will feature four artists, including Japanese psychedelic rock trio KUUNATIC, while three stages at the K4 club and Zorica bar will see a plethora of performances by various Slovenian, Austrian, Serbian and Belgian musicians in cooperation with the Elevate festival.

Together with the Tresk Festival, MENT is also hosting an international record label fair.

The programme will also feature an international conference on the lessons of the Covid-19 pandemic and the consequences of lockdown on the music industry, featuring the long-time director of Druga Godba Bogdan Benigar and the founders of the Elevate festival Roland Oreški and Bernhard Steirer.

"Slovenia has been lagging behind when it comes to the music festival scene for a long time, but things have changed in the last two years, mainly because Spotify has entered the market and made music much more accessible. This is reflected in the young generation's skills in using new digital tools", the festival's PR manager Jaša Bužinel told the STA.

"Streaming platforms entering the Slovenian music market have had a very positive effect on the visibility of local musicians, especially among the young generation," he added.

Details of the full schedule can be found on the colourful website

08 Jun 2022, 04:24 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Wednesday, 8 June 2022

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:

PM Golob to visit Brussels next week

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Robert Golob will travel to Brussels next week to meet European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel, his office told the STA. This will be his first visit to EU institutions following his government taking office last Wednesday. A week later, on 23 and 24 June, Golob is expected to attend a regular EU summit in Brussels, the first for the new Slovenian prime minister.

Fajon stresses support to Ukraine's EU accession efforts

LJUBLJANA - Deputy Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament Olena Kondratiuk thanked Slovenia for its support to Ukraine as she addressed the press with Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon. Fajon said Slovenia would also support Ukraine in its EU accession efforts and announced the Slovenian ambassador would return to Kyiv next Tuesday. Kondratiuk was also received by President Borut Pahor and parliamentary Speaker Urška Klakočar Zupančič, who said that Slovenia was united in its support for Ukraine and condemnation of Russian aggression in the country. Kondratiuk once again thanking Slovenia for all the assistance and support.

Top court stays provisions on extended producer responsibility

LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court has suspended the implementation of parts of the new environment protection act dealing with extended producer responsibility (EPR) pending its final decision on an application by a waste management company and associates worried about the damage it would do to their business. In a unanimous decision, the court stayed parts of articles 37, 38, 40, 41 and 275 but not all of the challenged provisions, explaining it had to stay those that were vital to the enforcement of the changed joint EPR implementation system.

NIJZ head's powers curtailed under government decision

LJUBLJANA - Against the backdrop of speculations that the head of the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ), Milan Krek, will soon be dismissed or will step down, the government changed the rules governing the institution so that Krek will no longer perform the duties of NIJZ medical director. Under the decision the duties of the medical director will be performed by the acting medical director until the appointment of the full-fledged medical director, and no longer by the director general.

IAEA mission: Slovenia has good radwaste management system

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia has a comprehensive and well-functioning radioactive waste and spent fuel management system, but there is still room for improvement, a team of international experts under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has found during their mission to Slovenia between 22 and 30 May. Release from the Agency for Radioactive Waste, which hosted the Artemis international review mission, says that the mission highlighted Slovenia as an example of good practice in its commitment to proactively pursue various options for reducing all types of radioactive waste.

Slovenia joins EU countries urging changes to Covid vaccine contracts

BRUSSELS, Belgium/LJUBLJANA - Ten EU member states, including Slovenia, have called on the European Commission to amend contracts for the supply of Covid vaccines to reduce the number of doses ordered. They warn about the issue of vaccine surpluses and the need for a better management of public funds. Ten EU countries from Eastern Europe have urged Commission to carry out a review of the terms of contracts for the supply of vaccines against the coronavirus, highlighting oversupply of vaccine doses, the threat of shots starting to expire and the protection of public funds in a letter that has been obtained by the STA.

SDS says government already trampled on constitution

LJUBLJANA - Opposition SDS MP Branko Grims has accused the Robert Golob government of trampling on the constitution as soon as it came to power; he cited its demand to compile lists of staff that were hired during the previous two governments and the interior minister's withdrawal of consent for the suits regarding anti-government rallies. In a statement to the press, Grims said that these were "illegal and unconstitutional moves" and spoke of a plan to "carry out political purges among employees".

Writer Boris Pahor laid to rest in Trieste

TRIESTE, Italy - Several hundred people gathered at St Ana's Cemetery to lay to rest Boris Pahor, one of the greatest Slovenian writers. Pahor was paid respects by several Slovenian politicians and other public figures, who highlighted the high moral and ethical standards of the writer and witness to all three totalitarianisms. Many of his compatriots from Slovenia and Italy came to pay their respects to the writer already in the morning when they signed a book of condolences at his coffin.

Latvian poet Amanda Aizpuriete wins Vilenica Prize

LJUBLJANA - Latvian poet Amanda Aizpuriete is the winner of this year's International Vilenica Prize for Central European literature, which will be presented during the 37th Vilenica International Literary Festival in September. Born in the Latvian sea town of Jurmala in 1956, Aizpuriete has published several collections of poems and her works have been widely translated.

Ibrahim Mahama artistic director of 35th Ljubljana Biennale of Graphic Arts

LJUBLJANA - Ghanaian visual artist Ibrahim Mahama has been appointed artistic director of the 35th Ljubljana Biennale of Graphic Arts, to take place between 15th September and 14 January, 2023, the event's organiser, International Centre of Graphic Arts (MGLC) has announced. According to the MGLC, Mahama has accepted the invitation as a challenging opportunity to revisit some of the lost moments or ties that used to exist between Ghana and the former Yugoslavia.

Survey: Situation in cultural and creative sector worse than a year ago

LJUBLJANA - A survey on Slovenia's cultural and creative sector has shown that despite the end of the coronavirus epidemic, the situation is worse than a year ago - more than half of all workers do not have enough work to make ends meet and half of all workers are considering leaving while almost 10% have already left the sector. The survey was carried out by the Poligon Creative Centre and the Centre for Creativity, among 1,005 workers between 17 March and 11 April.

Slovenian business diaspora gets digital hub

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian business diaspora now has a digital hub, sloglobal.net, at its disposal. The platform will serve as a one-stop shop for all the information needed for successful business and networking for Slovenians on a global scale, the Slovenian Global Business Network said. "People in the business world don't even have time for that, so they can often miss out on a potential new business connection, contact, news or event," the network added.

SAZU urges UN to establish court for war crimes against children

LJUBLJANA - The Commission for Human Rights at the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SAZU) submitted a proposal to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for the United Nations to establish an international court dealing with war crimes against children. The commission says that the UN should adopt a resolution dealing with war crimes committed against children between 2000 and 2022 while also pushing for the UN to obtain maps of cities and countries where war crimes on a massive scale have taken place. It proposed that the UN General Assembly set up a court dealing with such cases.

Bust of assassination victim Ivan Kramberger unveiled

GORNJA RADGONA - A bust dedicated to late humanitarian, politician and inventor Ivan Kramberger (1936-1992) was unveiled in the north-eastern town of Gornja Radgona on Tuesday on what is the 30th anniversary of his assassination. An independence-era presidential candidate, he was killed during his pre-election speech. Journalist Igor Kršinar recently wrote a book about Kramberger, saying it was not about unproven conspiracy theories, but about his political platform and who his voters were.

Joe Valencic inducted to Cleveland International Hall of Fame

Cleveland, US - Joe Valencic, a well known promoter of Slovenian and polka events in the US, has become the sixth American of Slovenian descent to be inducted to the Cleveland International Hall of Fame. Valencic, a founder and past president of the Polka Hall of Fame in Cleveland who is known in Slovenia as the voice of the Slovenians in America, is joining the ranks of Senator George Voinovich, journalist Dick Russ, jurists Vladimir Rus and Avgust Pust and Bishop Edvard Pevec.

Women authors in spotlight as festival of new circus opens

LJUBLJANA - A number of outdoor and indoor venues across Ljubljana will come alive with circus and theatre shows, concerts, attractions, workshops and discussions as the annual Klovnbuf festival gets under way today. This year the spotlight will be on women artists and their small-format shows. Running until 20 June, the 15th iteration of the international festival promises to bring "a lively and interesting mix of various expressive languages of new circus that are rarely on show in Slovenia".

07 Jun 2022, 16:08 PM

Sloglobal Digital Hub Opens for Slovenian Business Diaspora

STA, 7 June 2022 - The Slovenian business diaspora now has a digital hub, sloglobal.net, at its disposal. The platform will serve as a one-stop shop for all the information needed for successful business and networking for Slovenians on a global scale, the Slovenian Global Business Network said on Tuesday.

"The search for business contacts and connections has already gone digital, but the time of searching for business news on one portal, finding business contacts on another and again looking for business cooperation opportunities on a third is over," the press release says.

"People in the business world don't even have time for that, so they can often miss out on a potential new business connection, contact, news or event," the network added.

The SLO Global platform, organised by the Slovenian Global Business Network with the support of the Office for Slovenians Abroad, the Foreign Ministry and the Slovenian Embassy in Brasilia, is focused exclusively on facilitating business ties between Slovenians who live and do business abroad and would like to connect with other Slovenian businesspeople and companies around the world or in Slovenia.

This new digital tool enables people to search and/or offer products, services and business opportunities around the world, and includes a directory of Slovenian economic institutions, representative offices, associations, chambers and business clubs around the world.

In addition, it provides up-to-date business news, information on business events in Slovenia and around the world, as well as successful business stories.

The platform is largely open to the public, but to access business opportunities or to search for and offer products or services, a (legal) person has to log in to the system or become a member. Membership will be free in the starting months. https://sloglobal.net/

07 Jun 2022, 10:35 AM

Dnevnik: No Reason for Austrian Border Checks

STA, 7 June 2022 - The newspaper Dnevnik writes on Tuesday that statistics on illegal migration do not justify Austria's continued passport controls on the border with Slovenia, noting that it is in violation of the freedom of movement, one of the EU's core values.

The paper notes how 15 years ago when Slovenia joined the Schengen area Austria's economy minister of the time, Martin Bartenstein, hailed the end of border controls and freedom of movement at Šentilj crossing.

Given that Austria reintroduced border checks in the autumn of 2015, "our joy and freedom lasted but half the time that we have been part of the Schengen club, which promised us free travel across Europe without having to wait or show our ID at border crossings."

The paper says that a 36-year-old EU citizen took the promise seriously and refused to show his ID document at Šentilj in 2019. He was fined but filed legal action with the relevant court in Austria's Styria. On the court's request to give its opinion, the EU court in April this year ruled that Austria has since 2017 failed to prove it faced a new direct threat from open borders as required by the Schengen Code.

"In the end, judges in Styria will decide about the claim of the 36-year-old plaintiff [...] but anyone who will have a look at the statistics from the Federal Criminal Investigation Office or the Austrian Statistical Office over recent few years has a right to wonder why the hell the Austrians control the border with Slovenia, apart from the one with Hungary."

"As far as Hungary is concerned, it is possible to understand, because last year, most illegal migrants were apprehended in Burgenland, which mainly borders Hungary, but the second largest number of illegal migrants was intercepted in Lower Austria, which borders the Czech Republic and Slovakia, where Austria no longer conducts any border checks," writes the paper under the headline Why the Hell Šentilj (Zakaj hudiča Šentilj), adding that the Šentilj crossing has never been listed as problematic for illegal migration.

07 Jun 2022, 10:29 AM

Learning Slovenian Crucial for Integration & Inclusion

STA, 6 June 2022 - A debate on inclusion of foreigners into the local environment, especially education and healthcare, was held on Monday in Slovenska Bistrica, where increasingly many foreigners live due to growing demands on the labour market. Slovenian language skills were highlighted as crucial for integration.

Mayor Ivan Žagar would like systemic solutions to be implemented to facilitate integration. The town's council urged the state to set Slovenian language skills as a condition for employment along with suitable living conditions and inclusion into community work.

Some of the demands have been taken into account in changes to the aliens act, while may issues still remain open, the mayor said.

According to Emil Trontelj, chief of the Slovenska Bistrica administrative unit, foreigners comprise of about 6% of the population. They mostly come from Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia, and work in construction, industry or transport.

He stressed the administrative unit had no influence on how many foreign citizens will come to the municipality.

Grega Malec, head of the sector for work-related migration at the Labour Ministry, said that a foreigner could only get a job if no other appropriate candidate was found in the unemployment register.

Since the unemployment has been dropping in Slovenia, further growth in employment of foreigners could be expected, he said, adding that there were many provisions in the Slovenian legislation envisaging that people without a job in Slovenia should return to their homeland.

According to the head of the Government Office for the Support and Integration of Migrants, Katarina Štrukelj, persons who are entitled to international protection are offered systematic assistance in integration, including Slovenian lessons.

"Foreigners themselves say Slovenian lessons are crucial for living and working in Slovenia. But they say 400 hours is not enough," she said.

Economic migrants are not that interested in learning Slovenian, as they already have a job and usually work all day. Still, their children should be given the opportunity to learn Slovenian, as they must be included in the Slovenian education system as soon as they come here. "Every day a child does not spend with their peers is lost."

Malec added that such workers, especially construction workers from Kosovo, often go to work to another country, which is an additional reason why they are not particularly motivated to learn Slovenian. "We suspect the demand for labour force in Slovenia is being inflated on account of the needs in other countries."

Tatjana Pufič, head teacher of the Slovenska Bistrica primary school, stressed the need for assistance in integration of children. She said the state should allow for additional staff to be hired for this purpose. "We should also work with the children's mothers," she said.

To uphold this, head of the local community health centre Urška Sedmak said it was hard to perform a gynaecological examination in the presence of a child who acts as an interpreter.

07 Jun 2022, 10:19 AM

Death Toll at Melamin Explosion Rises to 7

STA, 6 June 2022 - The death toll of the powerful explosion that ripped through the Melamin chemical plant in Kočevje, south Slovenia, on 12 May has increased to seven after a second of the two severely injured workers died in hospital on Monday, nearly three weeks after Slovenia's deadliest industrial accident.

The latest death was announced by UKC Ljubljana hospital where the worker had been treated for severe burns.

Five of the casualties were killed on the spot and six were injured, two of them severely. One of the severely injured died a week after the accident and the second one today.

Two Bosnian citizens and one Macedonian citizen are believed to have been among those killed in the accident.

The exact cause of the accident has not been determined yet but it was blamed on a human error

07 Jun 2022, 07:28 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Tuesday, 7 June 2022

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:

Austria sees no alternative to border checks for now, says Schallenberg

LJUBLJANA - Visiting Slovenia as the first foreign official after the new government was sworn in, Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said that Austria did not see any alternative to checks on its internal Schengen border with Slovenia, citing the war in Ukraine and an increase in illegal migration. Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon said Slovenia saw no reason to maintain border controls and Prime Minister Robert Golob called for checks to be lifted as soon as possible. The countries otherwise reaffirmed good bilateral cooperation in various fields and stressed the importance of minorities for such relations. Golob and Schallenberg also discussed alternative gas sources.

Fiscal Council sees coalition agreement as vague

LJUBLJANA - The Fiscal Council criticised the coalition agreement as being too vague, warning against a possible increase in expenditure that could outstrip that of revenue. The advisory body believes the document, which contains a set of largely broadly defined measures that go beyond the four-year term, does not provide a sufficient basis for fiscal planning, due to the high degree of vagueness, both in terms of the scope and the timing of the measures. It expects the government to specify the fiscal implications of the measures.

Speaker pledges to boost cooperation with anti-graft body

LJUBLJANA - Speaker Urška Klakočar Zupančič met Robert Šumi, the head of the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption, to receive its annual report. The speaker said she would like the corruption watchdog to enjoy more respect and that its voice should be heard by all officials who need to work on their integrity. She said her office and the anti-graft body would have regular contacts in a bid to boost cooperation to make integrity the standard.

Speaker meets Women's Lobby to discuss gender equality

LJUBLJANA - Parliamentary Speaker Urška Klakočar Zupančič met representatives of the Women's Lobby, pledging to the organisation of constructive cooperation and announcing that a club of women MPs in the current sitting of parliament will be formed this month. The club will be formed on 22 June and will be chaired by the oldest deputy, Mirjam Bon Klanjšček from the Freedom Movement. The club will team up with women's associations to address all issues related to gender equality.

Damages suits against protesters withdrawn

LJUBLJANA - The State Attorney's Office announced it had withdrawn suits against individuals to compensate the Interior Ministry for the costs of policing anti-government protests held in the past two years. This was after the ministry under the new government withdrew its consent for the damages claims last week. Acting on behalf of the ministry, the State Attorney's Office filed the first such lawsuit late last year, but the main hearing in the case has not yet started in court.

Journalist Vodušek acquitted in retrial

SLOVENJ GRADEC - Journalist Vladimir Vodušek was acquitted of attempting to extort a business executive in 2012 in a retrial at the Slovenj Gradec District Court. In the original trial Vodušek was given a year and a half in prison in 2018, but the ruling was overturned by a higher court. It was the alleged victim of extortion, Gorazd Korošec, the then CEO of Unior, who reported Vodušek to the prosecution. Vodušek said this was a typical SLAPP suit against him as journalist. The prosecution announced an appeal.

Sovereign Holding gets back its former chief supervisor

LJUBLJANA - Karmen Dietner returned to the post of chair of the supervisory board of Slovenian Sovereign Holding (SSH) to replace Ivan Simič at his own initiative. Simič stepped down as director general of the Tax Administration just minutes after the new government was sworn in last Wednesday. Today he proposed his replacement as chairman of the SSH supervisory board but he stays on as a board member.

Luka Koper shareholders get EUR 1.14 gross per share dividend

KOPER - Port operator Luka Koper will pay out dividends of EUR 1.14 gross per share as shareholders endorsed a counter-proposal by Slovenian Sovereign Holding. This means that EUR 15.96 million will be paid out for dividends out of the EUR 29.5 million in distributable profit. The remaining EUR 13.6 million will remain undistributed. The counter-proposal for higher pay-out was based on Luka Koper's increase in revenue and transshipment last year and the improvement in the operating result.

Interblock gets new owner

MENGEŠ - Interblock, a leading global manufacturer of electronic table games for casinos, has a new owner - IB OCM Voteco, a company based in the Cayman Islands, shows a report published after today's shareholders' meeting. According to Finance, the off-shore company is controlled by the US fund Oaktree Capital Management. Previously, the largest owner was Dutch company Elektroncek Group (95.25%), owned by Interblock founder Joc Pečečnik. The rest was held by John Connely, who took over as the CEO of the Interblock group in 2015.

Energy company NGEN gets capital injection

ŽIROVNICA - NGEN, a Žirovnica-based energy system solutions company, announced it had received a capital injection of EUR 70 million to finance growth and expansion to new markets. This was as one of the company's founders, crypto millionaire Damian Merlak, converted his loan to equity and Boštjan Bandelj, the owner of Belektron, one of the largest global traders of emission allowances, joined NGEN as a new partner. NGEN now aims to become one of the most important pillars of Europe's energy transformation.

Chemical plant blast death toll increases to seven

LJUBLJANA - The death toll of the powerful explosion that ripped through the Melamin chemical plant in Kočevje, south Slovenia, on 12 May has increased to seven after a second of the two severely injured workers died in hospital on Monday, nearly three weeks after Slovenia's deadliest industrial accident. The latest death was announced by UKC Ljubljana hospital where the worker had been treated for severe burns. Two Bosnian citizens and one Macedonian citizen are believed to have been among those killed.

Sunday's coronavirus case count below 100

LJUBLJANA - Only 76 new coronavirus cases were recorded in Slovenia on Sunday, 16 more than a week ago, Health Ministry data, shows. 26 patients are hospitalised due to Covid-19 at regular wards and another four are in intensive care. The 7-day average of new cases is at 238, a daily rise of two, and the 14-day incidence rate per 100,000 population stayed unchanged at 175.

Slovenian work of sound art wins Palma Ars Acustica

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian sound artist Brane Zorman has won the Palma Ars Acustica award for The Spirit of Trees/Touch (Duh Dreves/Dotik), a piece exploring the sound component of the life of trees and the way in which trees communicate among themselves. The bioacoustic piece was made on the basis of a sound installation after Zorman recorded for two years the microsounds of trees and plants hoping to make people rethink their relationship to the environment we take for granted.

Slovenia lose to Serbia in second round of Nations League

BELGRADE, Serbia - The Slovenian men's football team lost to Serbia in Belgrade on Sunday 1:4 in the second round of play in League B of the UEFA Nations League to score two consecutive defeats to start the campaign in the second tier of the competition. Another tough test awaits Slovenia in Oslo on Thursday as they face Norway. Slovenia's only goal was scored by Petar Stojanović in the 30th minute to equalise at 1:1, after which Serbia scored three goals, the last one in the stoppage time.

NBA stars Dragić, Dončić and Čančar to join Slovenia vs Croatia

LJUBLJANA - The team that won the 2017 EuroBasket title will reunite in Stožice Arena on 30 June for a 2023 World Cup qualifier against Croatia as the national side is joined by Slovenian NBA stars Goran Dragić, Luka Dončić and Vlatko Čančar. Dragić, a Brooklyn Nets point guard, will be joining the national team for the first time since they won gold at the 2017 EuroBasket with him as the captain to bid farewell to his teammates. Slovenia will then take on Sweden in Stockholm on 3 July.

Triple murder defendant changes story in retrial

PTUJ - Silvo Drevenšek appeared for retrial for murdering his former spouse and her parents in front of his four-year-old son on Christmas 2020 after his life imprisonment sentence was quashed last month. After pleading guilty to the triple murder in the first trial, the defendant now blamed his long-time alcohol problem for what he had done. He told the court he did not remember the month of December 2020, or events a few weeks after the murders, when he was in detention.

06 Jun 2022, 15:22 PM

Retrial for Triple Murderer Who Blames Alcohol for Death of Partner & Her Parents

STA, 6 June 2022 - A retrial started at the Ptuj District Court on Monday for Silvo Drevenšek, whose December 2021 guilty verdict for triple murder was quashed last month. Drevenšek, who pleaded guilty of murdering his partner and her parents in the first trial, now said that his long-time alcohol problem was to be blamed for what he had done.

The retrial was ordered by the Maribor Higher Court in April because six instead of just five judges ruled on the case.

This is why the retrial now started in front of a new panel led by judge Katja Kolarič, while the indictment remains unchanged.

When the Ptuj court pronounced the ruling in December 2021, Drevenšek became the first person to get life imprisonment after it was reintroduced into the Slovenian criminal code in 2008.

He was found guilty of murdering his former spouse and of then going to her parents' home next door to murder them in front of his four-year-old son on Christmas 2020.

He is charged with three counts of murder, committed with a knife in an insidious way and out of spite, and of abuse of a minor and of cruel treatment.

Drevenšek is accused of committing the murders to prevent the partner, who wanted to divorce him, from splitting their assets and keeping the house.

At the first trail, he initially refused to take the stand but eventually admitted to have committed the murders just before the verdict was delivered.

This time around, he opted for a different strategy - he will try to persuade the court that he does not remember the crimes which resulted from his alcohol abuse.

He told the court today that he does not remember the month of December 2020, or events a few weeks after the murders, when he was already in detention.

Drevenšek also changed his initial statements made during the investigation about his former partner's family showing contempt for him and insulting him.

He now said his former partner had always stood by his side and tried to persuade him to get treatment, but no psychiatric hospital would admit new patients during the coronavirus epidemic.

"To this day, I don't know what happened to me and I never will. I had never committed an offence in my life, I would not even step on an ant," the defendant said.

He said he would respect the court's decision to include a forensic expert in the trial, something that was not done in the first trial.

"No one has yet commented on how a person can do such a thing and how long-term intoxication affects it. I don't even remember what happened," Drevenšek said.

Similarly, his defence lawyer Andrej Kac said that it is clear what had happened but it is not clear what had led to the bloody acts.

He proposed that the court appoint several experts to take the stand and to again hear 17 witnesses, which the court agreed to do.

06 Jun 2022, 15:16 PM

Dragić, Dončić & Čančar to join Slovenia vs Croatia in Ljubljana, 30 June

STA, 6 June 2022 - The team that won the 2017 EuroBasket title will reunite in Stožice Arena on 30 June for a 2023 World Cup qualifier against Croatia as the national side is joined by Slovenian NBA stars Goran Dragić, Luka Dončić and Vlatko Čančar.

Under the guide of head coach Aleksander Sekulić, the team will get together on 15 June. The only player missing will be Klemen Prepelič, who is recovering following a surgery to deal with an ulnar fracture, the Slovenian Basketball Association has announced.

Goran Dragić, a Brooklyn Nets point guard, will be joining the national team for the first time since they won gold at the 2017 EuroBasket with him as the captain. It will be a special occasion for Dragić to bid farewell to his teammates.

In the final match of the 6th round of qualifying for the 2023 World Cup, Slovenia will take on Sweden in Stockholm on 3 July.

"We're facing a very challenging June and early July ahead, with two very important matches. All the more so because we lost two in the February cycle. Our plan was to come together with the strongest possible line-up and play these two games the way we want to play them, that is to clinch two wins," said Sekulić.

On his roaster will be Jaka Blažič, Vlatko Čančar, Jakob Lovrenc Čebašek, Žiga Dimec, Luka Dončić, Goran Dragić, Zoran Dragić, Gregor Glas, Gregor Horvat, Jurij Macura, Edo Murić, Aleksej Nikolić, Luka Rupnik, Žan Maks Šiško and Mike Tobey.

After four games in the qualifying group C, Finland have chalked up three wins and one loss, Slovenia and Sweden have two wins and two defeats each and Croatia have one win and three losses. The top three teams in the group will advance to the next round of qualifying, starting in late August.

The World Cup will be hosted by Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines between 25 August and 10 September, 2023.

06 Jun 2022, 14:12 PM

Austria Has No Plans to Drop Border Checks with Slovenia

STA, 6 June 2022 - Visiting Slovenia as the first foreign official after the new government was sworn in, Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said on Monday that Austria did not see any alternative to checks on what is its internal Schengen border with Slovenia. He discussed a number of issues with Slovenian Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon.

In light of the war in Ukraine and a significant increase in illegal migration in recent months, there is no alternative to Austria's continued border checks, Schallenberg said, adding that Austria would strive to come up with a solution through dialogue to make the situation on the border the way it was prior to 2015.

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Dobrodošli v Sloveniji, minister Schallenberg!

To je prvi obisk pri ministrici @tfajon po prevzemu @MZZRS. Slovenijo in Avstrijo povezujejo tesne zgodovinske, kulturne, gospodarske in človeške vezi med narodoma.

?NK v živo ob 12.05: https://t.co/GBezNs0MBE pic.twitter.com/ZIAULrUJ0g
— MFA Slovenia (@MZZRS) June 6, 2022

Meanwhile, Fajon said that Slovenia saw no reason to maintain border controls. She informed Schallenberg of the planned removal of the fence on Slovenia's border with Croatia, assuring him that Slovenia would continue to ensure adequate protection of its external Schengen border.

In 2015, at the peak of the refugee crisis, Austria introduced border checks on its internal Schengen borders with Slovenia and Hungary and has been extending this ever since. The latest six-month extension was in mid-May, with Austria citing the war in Ukraine as one of the reasons.

Fajon and Schallenberg reaffirmed the good cooperation between the two countries in various fields and stressed the importance of ethnic minorities.

Fajon said that before the visit she had met representatives of the Slovenian ethnic community in Austria, who, she said, lauded the positive developments on the Austrian side.

"We have agreed to work together, at federal level and along the border, to provide help to our national community," she said as she expressed her support for continuation of the dialogue with the German-speaking community in Slovenia and efforts to strengthen their linguistic and cultural identity.

"Both communities need our help and protection," said Schallenberg.

Asked whether Slovenia would work towards the notification of the Austrian State Treaty under the new government, Fajon replied that in dialogue with Austria the Slovenian side emphasised above all the implementation of Article 7 of the treaty, which guarantees the rights of the Slovenian community in Austria.

"The question of the status of the contracting party is not a subject of the dialogue with Austria, furthermore the situation in the world does not allow it at the moment," she added.

Schallenberg said that Austria considered the treaty to be a limited international treaty, so Slovenia cannot join it. "Nevertheless, Austria is committed to respecting it and takes the commitments seriously," he added.

Another issue on which the two countries do not share the same position is nuclear energy. Schallenberg reiterated Austria's opposition to the nuclear power plant in Krško, but acknowledged that the exchange of information at expert level was going well.

"I know that giving up nuclear power is not on the Slovenian agenda, but I would like to see us take things forward in a way that would benefit both countries," he said.

The ministers also discussed the situation in Ukraine and called for cooperation on projects to rebuild the country after the war and help people there.

Moreover, the pair called for the EU to do everything possible to implement the enlargement commitments made to Western Balkan countries.

"We're both wholeheartedly committed to supporting the Western Balkans countries to get their membership as soon as possible, and we will devote close attention to putting them on the EU agenda," Fajon said.

Schallenberg noted the geopolitical responsibility of the EU towards the region and the promises made to the region 19 years ago. "If we talk about Ukraine and Moldova, we must also talk about the Western Balkans", he said, warning against creating first- and second-tier candidates for EU accession.

Schallenberg is the first foreign senior official to have visited Slovenia after the new government took office last week. He expressed his gratitude for having been able to visit Ljubljana so quickly, and Fajon stressed the symbolic importance of his visit.

He also met President Borut Pahor and was received by Robert Golob, the new prime minister. During their meeting, Golob called for Austria to lift their checks on the border with Slovenia as soon as possible.

Golob and Schallenberg talked relations between the two countries and central European issues, with an emphasis on the energy situation as a result of Russia's aggression against Ukraine, the prime minister's office said.

06 Jun 2022, 04:39 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Monday, 6 June 2022

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This summary is provided by the STA:

Investment in environment protection up 70% in 2020

LJUBLJANA - Investment in environment protection in Slovenia totalled EUR 412 million in 2020, a 69% rise compared with 2019. The majority, or EUR 200 million, went for air and climate protection, up 49%, the Statistics Office (SURS) said ahead of World Environment Day. Current expenditure on environment protection in 2020 increased by 2% to EUR 698 million, of which as much as 56% went for waste management. The country generated 143,570 tonnes of food waste, a rise of 2% from 2019 and 21% more than in 2013. Households generated 52% of the total, food services 30%, food stores 11% and food production 7%.

Boxer Kozin wins WBF light middleweight world champion title

AALEN, Germany - Slovenian boxer Ema Kozin defeated Hungary's Szilvia Szabados in Aalen, Germany on Saturday to become the world champion in the women's light middleweight category in the WBF organisation. This is third weight category in which the 23-year-old from Ljubljana holds the world champion title. Kozin, who also holds the middleweight and super middleweight categories in the organisation, confirmed the role of a favourite to win the match in the seventh round after the referee stoppage. "I felt that I was stronger than Szabados already in the first round," the Slovenian champion told Delo.

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