STA, 3 June 2020 - Defence Minister Matej Tonin set out a plan to invest EUR 780 million in defence over the next six years as he joined President Borut Pahor for the viewing of a military exercise on Wednesday.

Tonin and Pahor as the supreme commander were hosted by the Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) for a presentation within a series of exercises dubbed Leap 2020 in Babno Polje in the south of the country.

The minister commented that the name of the exercise suggested the SAF's challenge was to "leap into a new reality, to be able to confront the crisis caused by the novel coronavirus, and, above all, to be able to act in aggravated conditions".

The exercise is special in that it is not being held in the country's main military exercise grounds, but in local communities, which Tonin said welcomed SAF members well. Such a format of the exercise is meant to bring the army closer to people.

Tonin repeated his pledge to work for amendments to the defence act and defence investment act, with talks under way with opposition deputy factions on the former, which requires a two-thirds majority in parliament to pass.

The gist of amendments to the defence act is to tackle the status of soldiers beyond the age of 45 when under the current law they are required to retire. "The best promoter of the SAF is a satisfied soldier," said Tonin.

He was happy to announce that that the ministries of defence and finance had agreed the final wording of the bill amending the defence investment act that foresees EUR 780 million investment in SAF over the next six years. Tonin will now seek the coalition's support for the bill.

Pahor noted that the needed major investments in the army could not be planned over a single government term, declaring that the planned investment would "allow the SAF to continue as the military pillar of Slovenia's security".

The president underscored that Slovenia being a safe country was one of the major achievements since independence. He said Slovenia had no enemies in the world, but had many friends and was acquiring new ones.

"It's an achievement that is the merit of the security system," the president said, noting the contribution of the police force and other factors aside the army.

The exercise, which also involved overflights by US F16 fighter jets and Slovenian Pilatus aircraft, was also viewed by other senior guests, including US Ambassador Lynda C. Blanchard, the chair of the parliamentary Defence Committee Samo Bevk and Interior Ministry State Secretary Franc Kangler.

The Leap 2020 exercise has been running since 11 May at various locations across the country. A total of 2,500 service members will have been involved in the tactical drills until 19 June.

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:

From tomorrow, Slovenians free to cross into all neighbouring countries

VIENNA, Austria/ROME, Italy - Slovenians will be able to cross the border without restrictions to all neighbouring countries from Thursday as Austria abolishes health checks on its border with Slovenia as the last neighbour to do so. Italy lifted border restrictions for EU citizens today while Croatia and Hungary have lifted restrictions for Slovenian citizens earlier. Croatia and Hungary are also the only countries whose citizens can enter Slovenia completely without restrictions based on bilateral agreements.

Registered jobless total up by 2% in May to 90,415

LJUBLJANA - After a significant uptick in joblessness in March and in April due to the Covid-19 crisis, the trend slowed down in May, as the jobless total was up by only 2% on the monthly level to 90,415. Compared to May 2019, the figure was meanwhile up by 18,403 or 25.6%, the Employment Service said. The number of persons who registered with the Employment Service in May almost halved (-45%) compared to April, standing at 7,928, which was, however, 75.6% more than in May 2019.

Slovenia plans EUR 780 million in defence investment in six years

LOŠKA DOLINA - Defence Minister Matej Tonin set out a plan to invest EUR 780 million in defence over the next six years as he joined President Borut Pahor for the viewing of a military exercise dubbed Leap 2020 in Babno Polje in the south of the country. The exercise is special in that it is not being held in the country's main military exercise grounds, but in local communities, which Tonin said welcomed SAF members well.

Two new coronavirus cases confirmed on Tuesday, no new deaths

LJUBLJANA - Two new cases of coronavirus were confirmed in Slovenia on Tuesday, most likely associated with a family cluster in Maribor that led to the quarantining of a primary school class there. There were no new Covid-19 fatalities, the latest government data show. There are now 1,477 confirmed cases in Slovenia and 109 fatalities. Five patients remain in hospital but none are in intensive care.

Alleged elderly hospitalisation lists raise dust

LJUBLJANA - A media report has revealed that health authorities introduced a form during the Covid-19 epidemic to decide which care home residents would qualify for hospital treatment if they contracted the disease. This has prompted the opposition to demand an explanation from the government, but Health Minister Tomaž Gantar said he had no problem with the form. Care homes filled in a form deciding whether a certain resident with a severe disease would be referred to hospital if they caught Covid-19, public broadcaster TV Slovenija reported on Tuesday.

Parliamentary body backs higher penalties for migrant smugglers

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Justice Committee endorsed changes to the penal code, raising the penalties for migrant smugglers and those involved in illegal migration. The penalty for migrant smugglers would thus increase from five years to three to ten years in prison. Under the proposed changes, those who get paid for such services or commit them as part of a criminal organisation will face three to fifteen years in prison. Currently, they could get one to eight years.

Janša responds to rejection of cross-partisan pact

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša responded to the turning down of his government's offer of a cross-partisan partnership by most opposition parties. "We offered a hand of cooperation. When the SDS was in the opposition it never received such a generous offer from those on power," he wrote. All opposition parties bar the National Party (SNS) had turned down the proposal for a partnership agreement whose goal would be to involve the opposition in the drafting of legislation prior to its adoption by the government in exchange for support when the time comes to vote.

Review sought of Statistics Office boss's dismissal

LJUBLJANA - The Statistics Council asked the Constitutional Court to review the recent dismissal of Bojan Nastav as the general director of the national Statistics Office. The expert council was not sure which law applies to the director's dismissal - the one on public sector employees, which allows the government to dismiss a top public sector employee a year after the employee started their job, or the national statistics act. The government dismissed Nastav, who was appointed for a full term by the previous government last August, on 21 May, appointing Tomaž Smrekar as acting director for up to six months.

Court agrees Ascent needs environmental impact assessment for fracking

LJUBLJANA - The Administrative Court has upheld the decision of the Slovenian Environment Agency (ARSO) that an environmental impact assessment is needed before any permits can be issued for hydraulic fracturing planned by British company Ascent Resources at the Petišovci gas field in the north-east of Slovenia. The company said it was in the process of beginning preparations for submission of an environmental impact assessment and noted the decision was "important evidence to support the claim the company intends to bring against Slovenia under the Energy Charter Treaty".

Top court nominees present bids, scales tilting in Teršek's favour

LJUBLJANA - Barbara Zobec and Andraž Teršek, the two candidates for a vacancy on the Constitutional Court, presented their bids, both highlighting the protection of human rights as their main priority. Although Zobec has the support of the ruling Democrats (SDS), Teršek seems to have the better odds of getting appointed. Statements made by parliamentary parties so far indicate that Teršek could get the 46 votes, meaning absolute majority, needed for appointment, while Zobec is unacceptable for most parties.

Committee asks govt to pay attention to events industry, culture workers

LJUBLJANA - Discussing the continuing woes of the meetings industry and culture workers due to coronavirus, the parliamentary economy and culture committees adopted on Tuesday proposals to start lifting restrictions in the sector when possible, monitor the situation in the most affected areas to draw up aid measures, and establish dialogue with stakeholders. The session came in the aftermath of protests by culture workers who claim the government is ignoring their plight and saw a dozen more binding proposals by opposition voted down.

Opposition urge public health chief to resign over lack of mask guidance

LJUBLJANA - The four centre-left opposition parties urged Milan Krek to resign as director of the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) after he failed to provide an answer at a government press briefing as to whether face masks are mandatory at shopping malls. The parties also urged action from Health Minister Tomaž Gantar. Both rejected the criticism.

US and Slovenia mark post-WWII ski race anniversary

LOG POD MANGARTOM - The 75th anniversary of a post-WWII ski race organised by US soldiers on the slopes of Mt Mangart in Slovenia on 3 June 1945 was celebrated with an event attended by US Ambassador to Slovenia Lynda Blanchard and Defence Minister Matej Tonin. The race was organised by the 10th Mountain Division of the United States Army, a mountain warfare unit which was stationed in Slovenia after WWII because of its unresolved western border.

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

STA, 3 June 2020 - Slovenians will be able to cross the border without restrictions to all neighbouring countries from Thursday as Austria abolishes health checks on its border with Slovenia as the last neighbour to do so.

Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg announced on Wednesday that the country was abolishing border and health checks on all its borders, except with Italy, on Thursday.

Quoted by the Austrian press agency APA, Schallenberg said the regime on the borders with Germany, Lichtenstein, Switzerland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Czechia and Hungary from tomorrow would be the same as before the coronavirus pandemic.

This means that on entering the country from those countries passengers will no longer have to quarantine or be required to present proof of not being infected with the novel virus.

Slovenia's Foreign Ministry welcomed the decision. "It's good and happy news and the success of Slovenia's diplomatic efforts", ministry spokesman Aleksander Geržina said.

Austria had reimposed border checks on the border with Slovenia, an internal EU border, during the migration crisis in 2015, a move that Slovenia has been protesting against as being unwarranted.

"Slovenia's epidemiologic picture is one of the best and this fact deserved recognition," said Geržina, who said diplomats had been working for about a month for Austria to sea the real picture.

Austria lifting health checks is important so that Slovenian citizens can start travelling freely while respecting all rules related to the Covid-19 pandemic and so that people can finally start planning their holidays as they are used to, said Geržina.

Austria was the last of Slovenia's neighbours to end health restrictions that were imposed following the coronavirus outbreak as Italy lifted border restrictions for EU citizens today.

Croatia and Hungary have lifted restrictions for Slovenian citizens earlier. These are also the only countries whose citizens can enter Slovenia completely without restrictions.

This is because Slovenia has already entered into bilateral agreements with the two countries that make such restriction-free travel possible.

Geržina expects Slovenia will soon add Austria to the list of countries from where entry is possible without restrictions. The government places countries on the list based on the recommendation from the National Institute of Public Health.

Citizens of other EU countries are allowed to enter without a mandatory 14-day quarantine if they have permanent or temporary residence in Slovenia, own property or vessel here, have booked accommodation, or fall under any of the 17 exceptions to the rule.

STA, 3 June 2020 - The Administrative Court has upheld the decision of the Slovenian Environment Agency (ARSO) that an environmental impact assessment is needed before any permits can be issued for hydraulic fracturing planned by British company Ascent Resources at the Petišovci gas field in the north-east of Slovenia.

The London-based oil and gas exploration company, which is operating in Slovenia with its partner Geoenergo, announced the ruling on Tuesday.

It added that it is "in the process of beginning preparations for submission of an environmental impact assessment, alongside the stimulation and field development planning which was initiated recently".

ARSO said in March last year that the plans for hydraulic fracturing required an environmental impact assessment and this was confirmed in June last year by the Environment Ministry. Geoenergo therefore turned to the Administrative Court, which has upheld the decision.

"The court decision, along with earlier action by the state, will constitute important evidence to support the claim the company intends to bring against Slovenia under the Energy Charter Treaty," Ascent Resources added on Tuesday in a reference to plans to demand EUR 50 million in damages from Slovenia for delays in the development of the gas field.

Geoenergo, which is co-owned by the Slovenian state-controlled energy companies Petrol and Nafta Lendava and has been striving for the project together with Ascent Resources since May 2017, expressed on Wednesday regret over the court's decision.

It assessed that "an environmental impact assessment is not necessary for the planned intervention, one that has already been executed in past on several occasions in line with Slovenian legislation".

Geoenergo, which spoke of a key project "for the development of north-east Slovenia that would provide greater energy independence for Slovenia", added that the ruling would have negative consequences for "what are already unreasonably protracted administrative procedure that prevent the preservation of the existing production of gas".

Meanwhile, Ascent Resources announced for its investors last week that it would hold on to plans for the re-stimulation of its producing wells in Petišovci. It expects to obtain the necessary permits by the end of the year.

Ascent Resources moreover wrote that it has "observed the recent changes introduced by the new Slovenian government and increasingly confident position on the likelihood of the project receiving the permits required for further stimulation".

All our stories on Ascent Resources and Slovenia

STA, 2 June 2020 - Economy Ministry State Secretary Simon Zajc has announced that the government will adopt rules for the use of the long-awaited tourism vouchers this week, and that the system is expected to be up and running not later than at the start of summer school break in any case.

Speaking on an afternoon show at the public broadcaster RTV Slovenija, Zajc said that how quickly the system was set up depended on the Financial Administration (FURS).

Aimed at helping the Slovenian tourism sector recover from the coronavirus epidemic, the vouchers are part of the latest legislative package.

Minors are set to get EUR 50 vouchers and adults EUR 200 vouchers in electronic form, which may be used to pay for accommodation and breakfast in hotels, self-catering units, camps, agritourism farms and other similar facilities.

It is FURS which will reimburse the provider's the costs, while vouchers will have to be spent in their entire sum at once, and not later than on 31 December.

The state secretary said that details regarding the vouchers would be determined in a government decree, which is expected to be adopted as early as this week.

"Then it is up to FURS to set up the system. We would like to see and we encourage FURS to do this as soon as possible, but in no case will this happen later than at the start of school holidays," Zajc added.

The last day of school for primary school children is 24 June.

The measure will cost the state EUR 345 million, and visitors who cash in their vouchers are expected to spend an additional EUR 172 million for services they will not be able to cover with them.

STA, 2 June 2020 - The Ljubljana Festival will go ahead as planned despite the coronavirus crisis, taking place in Ljubljana between 2 July and 30 August. Cancellations by acclaimed ensembles have been replaced by sought-after performers, such as opera star Anna Netrebko and the Milan La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra.

"The Ljubljana Festival team has prepared a programme that is in no way corona-like regarding its quality," Darko Brlek, the festival's director and artistic director, said as he addressed today's press conference.

Up until two weeks ago, Brlek was not even sure whether the 68th Ljubljana Festival would be held this year. The corona crisis has mostly affected bigger multinational ensembles, he told the STA.

The Bolshoi Theatre and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra have thus cancelled their attendance, but the festival has instead managed to attract artists that have been on its wish-list for years, including Netrebko, the Austrian-Russian soprano, who will perform on 18 August, and German tenor Jonas Kaufman, taking the stage on 26 August.

The festival will mark the 250th anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven's birth with a number of events, including the opening one, and wrap up with a performance by the La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra.

It will also feature a number of Slovenian artists and various accompanying events.

The festival will officially end in late August, however a couple of events will be held after that - a play by Lebanese-Canadian playwright Wajdi Mouawad titled All Birds and directed by Croatian theatre director Ivica Buljan and a concert marking the 75th anniversary of the RTV Slovenija Big Band orchestra.

The festival's main venue will be Congress Square, a place where preventive measures can be implemented more easily. Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Janković said that the city could also provide extra seats in the nearby Zvezda Park or even close off Slovenska Road if events attract bigger numbers than expected.

You can learn more at the Ljubljana Festival website

STA, 2 June 2020 - The Catholic Church issued new guidelines on Monday after the epidemic officially ended in Slovenia. Priests will no longer stream masses online and healthy believers may attend holy mass without face masks if the appropriate distance of 1.5 metres can be kept between them.

The distancing rule does not apply to members of the same household, while children do not have to wear masks but have to observe the same social distancing rules as in schools, the Slovenian Bishops' Conference decided.

Holy water must not be used, instead hand disinfectants must be available to believers at church entries. Churches must be thoroughly aired after every mass. Those open also outside mass hours must be regularly cleaned and aired.

Confession is only possible if appropriate protective guards are fitted in the confessional, the believer must wear a mask and disinfect their hands. Confessions via telephone or the web remain prohibited.

Funerals are allowed under the same state-issued assembly restrictions. Currently public gatherings of about 200 people in the open are allowed in Slovenia.

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:

First case of coronavirus confirmed among pupils schools reopened

MARIBOR/LJUBLJANA - A pupil at the Ludvik Pliberšek Primary School in Maribor tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in what is the first positive case among children after they started returning to school on 18 May. The 17 classmates of the infected third-grader, who was asymptomatic, and their teacher were sent into a two-week quarantine, while the remaining pupils at the school will continue going to class. Mario Fafangel of the National Institute of Public Health said this was probably a case of an infection contracted within the family. Slovenia registered two new infections on Monday, bringing the total to 1,475. The death toll remained unchanged at 109.

More than 1,000 police officers dispatched to southern border

KOČEVJE - Over 1,000 additional police officers were dispatched to Slovenia's border with Croatia to tight border control until Friday. The aim of the four-day campaign, ordered by acting Police Commissioner Anton Travner, is to show migrants and smugglers that an attempt to enter Slovenia does not pay off, Deputy Police Commissioner Jože Senica said. According to police data, there are more than 10,000 migrants in Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina who want to continue their journey to the EU. He said the number of people on the Balkan migration route had increased in the past two weeks after countries started lifting restrictions they had had in place due to the coronavirus pandemic.

SAB latest to reject Janša's proposal for partnership

LJUBLJANA - The Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) rejected the offer for a partnership agreement on key legislation proposed by PM Janez Janša, joining the other left-leaning opposition parties in opposing the proposal which is now apparently only supported by the National Party (SNS). The SAB executive committee decided not to join because there have been too many mistakes and divisions created by the government or the ruling Democrats (SDS) for SAB to formally sign the agreement. Party leader Alenka Bratušek said "the proposal itself is not too bad, but the circumstances around it are", but announced the party was still willing to cooperate, yet on a case-by-case basis.

Diplomat says Trump's response to George Floyd case could haunt him

LJUBLJANA - Božo Cerar, a former Slovenian ambassador to the US, assessed that President Donald Trump should have immediately condemned the death of African American George Floyd, which has sparked mass protests around the US. The failure to do so could come back to haunt him in the presidential election in November, diminishing his chance of re-election. Cerar told the STA commenting on the protests that the US had been dealing with incidents such as the "manslaughter of African American George Floyd for years". He believes the American society should treating all human beings as equal regardless of the colour of their skin. "I think that they are in for a lot of work, education, teaching by example. This cannot be achieved over night, but one needs to start somewhere."

Two members of bad bank's management board dismissed

LJUBLJANA - The government dismissed Tomaž Besek and Mitja Križaj as non-executive directors on the management board of the Bank Assets Management Company (BAMC) and appointed Alenka Urnaut Ropoša and Boris Novak to replace them, serving from 3 June until the end of 2022. The government provided no explanation for the replacements. Novak is director general of the state-owned postal operator Pošta Slovenije, a member of the supervisory board of the lottery operator Športna Loterija and the chief supervisor of the logistics company Intereuropa. Urnaut Ropoša owns the real estate agency Renova Real and is also a certified real estate appraiser, according to the company's website. Under the current version of the BAMC law, the bad bank is set to wrap up its operations at the end of 2022.

Slovenia spent EUR 54m on protective equipment during epidemic

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia purchased EUR 54.4 million worth of protective equipment through the national Agency for Commodity Reserves during the epidemic. Between 14 March and 31 May, the agency signed 64 contracts worth EUR 184 million, which includes contracts that were subsequently annulled or not realised. The combined value of outstanding contracts currently stands at EUR 89 million, but all open orders will probably not be fully realised. Now that the epidemic is officially over, the procurement of protective equipment was transferred back onto health institutions.

Two biggest banks to lay off about 10% of employees

MARIBOR/LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's two biggest banks, NLB and NKBM, continue to cut their workforce as part of their plans to streamline operations in the face of growing digital service use by clients and banking sector consolidation. NKBM and Abanka, which will be merged by the end of the year, currently employ about 2,090 people, while another 160 work at NKBM's leasing arm Summit Leasing. Unofficial sources say that some 250 employees are to be laid off in the coming months. Meanwhile, the newspaper Finance reported NLB planned to lay off over 300 employees out of a total of 2,650 by the end of 2020, while NLB told the STA its medium-term plan as regards the number of employees remained unchanged - 20% or over 500 people are to be let go.

Two bidders vying for Telekom's Planet TV, unofficial report says

LJUBLJANA - The Hungarian channel TV2, whose owner is associated with the Fidesz party, and Croatian entrepreneur Ivan Ćaleta are bidding to purchase Planet TV, the troubled subsidiary of telecoms incumbent Telekom Slovenije which produces the eponymous TV channel, reported web portal Necenzurirano, citing an unofficial source. According to newspaper Delo, Planet TV has cost Telekom Slovenije EUR 80 million in the form of capital injections, advertisements, loans and other services since it was launched in September 2012, and has operated in the red all the time.

Slovenia pledges EUR 20,000 for Yemen

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Slovenia pledged EUR 20,000 in an online donor conference for Yemen, launched by the Saudi Arabia and the UN. The conference aims to get pledges for US$2.4 billion to ensure humanitarian aid to the war-torn country in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. Slovenia pledged to provide the funds through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Foreign Ministry said in a press release. Since 2016, it has provided EUR 280,000 for Yemen.

Slovenian, Italian epidemiologists OK with border opening

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian and Italian epidemiologists said after they met in Ljubljana they had no major reservations regarding the opening of borders between the two countries, given that both Slovenia and Italy had a good epidemiological situation. However, the decision is to be made by the Slovenian and Italian governments. Slovenian government coronavirus spokesperson Jelko Kacin meanwhile said the border with Italy would be open when the National Institute of Public Health assessed the epidemiological situation in Italy was good enough to allow free movement, and when a subsequent political decision on this was made. He also said the Italian government was expected to abolish the 14-day quarantine requirement for Italian citizens returning from Slovenia.

PM Janša announces digitalisation push

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša announced a major digitalisation effort that would accompany the cutting of red tape in the public administration, telling Nova24TV on Monday evening that the first major steps should be taken this year. "Modern technologies make it possible to speed up procedures," he said. Digitalisation will also be accelerated in the educational system. According to Janša, the Education Ministry is working on a proposal to provide laptops for students and move workbooks online.

Public transport providers urge relaxing Covid-19 rules

LJUBLJANA - Public road transport providers associated in two major employer organisations called on authorities to take a more pragmatic approach as regards coronavirus precautionary measures in passenger transport now that the epidemic is over, or else over 3,000 jobs in coach transport could be at risk. The public transport providers at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) and Chamber of Small Business (OZS) criticised the strict measures as out of touch with reality, giving as an example a van, in which only two passengers can be transported at a time. Public transport was relaunched on 11 May.

Goodyear Dunlop Sava Tires increases revenue, sales in the region

KRANJ - The Kranj-based Goodyear Dunlop Sava Tires saw its net sales revenue rise by 2.6% to almost EUR 226 million last year. The company attributes the rise to higher sales in the local Adriatic markets (+6.8%), higher prices and a structured sales programme. Net profit rose from EUR 6.55 million in 2018 to EUR 8.02 million last year, but this is mainly due to deferred taxes. Operating profit dropped by 17.8%, from EUR 6.89 million to EUR 5.66 million, largely due to higher tyre production costs caused by higher costs of raw materials.

Small business struggling with drop in orders, layoffs expected

LJUBLJANA - About a third of small businesses in Slovenia believe they will have to cut jobs as a result of the coronavirus crisis, as orders are expected to remain significantly lower in the coming three months, showed a survey by the Chamber of Small Business (OZS). The chamber said 97% of the 1,510 sole traders and small businesses that participated in the survey are experiencing the impact of the crisis and 91% expect the drop in orders to persist in the coming months.

Car sales bounce back in May after April slump

LJUBLJANA - Car sales in Slovenia picked up in May due to substantial discounts after the automotive industry was hit particularly hard by the coronavirus crisis. In the first five months of 2020, sales were down by 37% year-on-year. Between January and May this year, 21,440 new vehicles were registered - 37.2% less than in the same period in 2019, the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce (TZS) said. In May alone, almost 5,090 cars were sold, down 31.7% compared to the same month in 2019.

Footballers to get tested before national league resumes

LJUBLJANA - Players of the clubs participating in the first Slovenian football league will get tested for the new coronavirus on Wednesday, in what is an announcement by the Slovenian Football Association (NZS) coming virtually at an eleventh hour as games are scheduled to resume on Friday. The mandatory testing is part of the latest instructions for the clubs, issued on Monday, and testing will be carried out it two areas in Slovenia tomorrow. Games will be played without spectators and the first Slovenian league is expected to be concluded on 22 June.

Ljubljana Festival going ahead with opera star Anna Netrebko

LJUBLJANA - The 68th Ljubljana Festival will go ahead as planned despite the coronavirus crisis, taking place in Ljubljana between 2 July and 30 August. Cancellations by acclaimed ensembles have been replaced by sought-after performers, such as opera star Anna Netrebko and the Milan La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra. "The Ljubljana Festival team has prepared a programme that is in no way corona-like regarding its quality," Darko Brlek, the festival's director and artistic director, said as he addressed Tuesday's press conference.

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

STA, 2 June 2020 - More than 1,000 additional police officers were dispatched to Slovenia's border with Croatia on Tuesday to tight border control until Friday, as the police say an increase in migrants on the Balkan route has been detected.

The aim of the mission, ordered by acting Police Commissioner Anton Travner, is to show migrants and smugglers that an attempt to enter Slovenia does not pay off, Deputy Police Commissioner Jože Senica said on Tuesday.

Police are using all technical measures available, including surveillance drones, thermal cameras, motion-sensor cameras and helicopters.

Police officers are assisted by the military, Senica said in a statement on Tuesday, speaking at one of the points where the control has been beefed up in the area of Kočevje, south.

Apart from regular patrols, mounted police officers, the canine unit, a specialised border control unit and the special weapons team have been sent to the border, said Senica, adding that additional auxiliary police had also been mobilised.

Moreover, a special debrief police team has been set up. Its members, specially trained officers, will try to gain information from migrants about the routes they are taking and smugglers organising the border crossings.

Senica said that migrants are becoming increasingly cautious, travelling through remote areas and at night.

He said that the number of people on the Balkan migration route had increased in the past two weeks after countries started lifting restrictions they had had in place due to the coronavirus pandemic.

At the beginning of the year, Greece moved several thousand migrants from islands to the mainland, while Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina have abolished movement restriction, the deputy commissioner said.

"This has created additional pressure and encouraged migrants to continue their journey towards Slovenia," said Senica.

In the past days, several groups of migrants have been detected trying to enter the country illegally and continue their journey towards Italy.

According to police data, there are more than 10,000 migrants in Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina who want to continue their journey to the EU.

The General Police Department said today that it had detected 3,139 attempts at illegal border crossing in the first five months of the year. Last year, the figure for the same period stood at 4,426. The police attributed the drop to strict border measures accompanying the coronavirus pandemic.

STA, 2 June 2020 - A primary school pupil in Maribor has tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in what is the first positive case among children after they started gradually returning to schools on 18 May, and the first confirmed case in the country's second largest city after 30 April.

The head teacher of the Ludvik Pliberšek School wrote on Tuesday the school had been notified of the infection by the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ).

The 17 classmates of the infected third-grader, who was asymptomatic, and teacher were sent into a two-week quarantine, while the remaining pupils at the school will continue going to class. The classmates' parents are allowed to continue going to work.

This decision was made after the NIJZ conducted an assessment of the situation, establishing all of its preventive measures were being implemented. The NIJZ told the STA the infected child had not had close contact with children from other classes.

Mario Fafangel of the NIJZ later told the press that this was probably a case of an infection contracted within the child's family, with other family members also infected. One case was confirmed on Monday by midnight while an infection was also confirmed today for some of the contacts.

While the detailed figures will be published on Wednesday, the tracing of contacts is continuing. The original source of the infection has not yet been identified.

The development comes after the first three grades returned to school on 18 May. Ninth-graders followed a week later and the remaining primary school children returned on Monday.

It also comes after Maribor declared itself a coronavirus-free zone last Thursday, having been without a new Covid-19 case since 30 April.

Two new coronavirus infections on Monday, no deaths reported

STA, 2 June 2020 - Two people tested positive for coronavirus in Slovenia on Monday, raising the total number of infections recorded so far to 1,475. Five people were still in hospital, the same as the day before, of whom one was in intensive care. No deaths were reported, meaning that the national death toll remained at 109.

On Monday, 659 tests were conducted, putting the total number of tests performed so far at 79,698, or roughly 39,000 tests per million population.

All our stories on coronavirus and Slovenia