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.

A schedule of all the main events involving Slovenia this week can be found here

This summary is provided by the STA:

Authorities seek to reassure public over coronavirus

LJUBLJANA - In the wake of the novel coronavirus spreading in Italy, health authorities in Slovenia said no additional protective measures were needed for healthy population in the country. They denied the rumours of patients testing positive for the virus in Slovenia. After the Secretariat of the National Security Council met to discuss the situation, PM Marjan Šarec said proportionate measures would be taken in coordination with neighbouring countries. He said Slovenia would close its border with Italy should that prove necessary.

Pahor to meet Milanović on Thursday

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor will host his new Croatian counterpart Zoran Milanović on his first trip abroad in Otočec in eastern Slovenia on Thursday. Pahor's office said that the two heads of state would meet over a working lunch at Otočec Castle after which they will address reporters. This will be the first meeting between the pair since Milanović was sworn in as Croatia's president on 18 February. He made mending relations with Slovenia one of his election promises.

Cerar urges reform progress in W Balkans

THESSALONIKI, Greece - Foreign Minister Miro Cerar urged Western Balkan countries to make reform headway as he addressed a high-level conference in Thessaloniki designed to push forward the stalled EU enlargement process to the region. Cerar highlighted "the need for in-depth reforms, in particular in rule of law and the fight against corruption and organised crime". But he added that reforms needed to go in lockstep with the enlargement process to motivate countries in the region to take reforms.

POP TV poll latest to detect SDS surge

LJUBLJANA - Janez Janša's Democrats (SDS) continue to surge in the polls, with a survey commissioned by POP TV the latest to show them overtaking the party of outgoing Prime Minister Marjan Šarec. The SDS added over four points on the month before to 18.2%, whereas the LMŠ lost almost two points to 13.4%. The Left in third held steady at 7.3% while the Social Democrats lost just over a point to 6.1%. Over a fifth of respondents were undecided and almost a tenth did not opt for any of the parties listed or refused to answer.

Assembly for Republic calls on parties to be inclusive

LJUBLJANA - As the talks on the formation of a centre-right coalition government are ongoing, the right-leaning outfit Assembly for the Republic called on the parliamentary parties to be constructive, inclusive and cooperative. In what is a third public letter sent by various groups to the parliamentary parties in recent weeks, the civil society organisation urged MPs to endorse "statesmen capable of displaying greater political culture and commitment to the country."

Protest, book launch mark start of hearing for extraditing Assange

LJUBLJANA - A protest was held in front of the UK Embassy in Ljublja as Britain started hearing a US case requesting extradition of WikiLeaks' founder Julian Assange. Much like in other towns around the world, the protesters called for media freedom and the freedom of speech. Publisher Sanje launched Assange's unauthorised autobiography today, a first-person narrative based on the interviews that writer Andrew O'Hagan had made with Assange.

Opposing bills filed on contentious issue of vaccination

LJUBLJANA - Modern Centre Party (SMC) MPs tabled amendments to the contagious diseases act, aiming to improve the immunisation rate to 95% by limiting access of unvaccinated children to kindergartens. The step coincided with the non-parliamentary party For Healthy Society submitting to parliament a proposal to abolish mandatory vaccination altogether. The party collected 5,000 signatures in support of its proposal and believes it can garner enough support for its passage.

Coronavirus so far not affecting Slovenian economy

LJUBLJANA - The novel coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak has so far had no profound effect on Slovenia's economy, but problems have arisen in certain areas. Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek said that the government was deliberating mitigation measures, such as subsidies to compensate for shorter working time. The minister pointed out though that any measures to protect public health must not interrupt the flow of goods.

Business sentiment improves for third consecutive month

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian firms appear to be upbeat, although still more pessimistic than a year ago. The business sentiment index rose over a percentage point in February, the third consecutive month of growth, on the back of improved sentiment in manufacturing and retail, the Statistics Office said. Business sentiment is almost four percentage points lower than a year ago: all sectors except retail are more pessimistic than in February 2019.

Start-up support fund invests EUR 4m in five companies

LJUBLJANA - A new fund established by the start-up support community Silicon Gardens has raised EUR 4 million from successful Slovenian companies in three months to invest in five digital start-ups. The Silicon Gardens II fund is targeting to raise EUR 5 million to help start-ups enter foreign markets. The investors include the Slovenian subsidiary of the Swiss sports data analyst Sportradar, video game developer Outfit7, software company Cosylab and e-commerce companies Studio Moderna and Mimovrste.

Paradajz investing EUR 6m in new tomato greenhouse

TURNIŠČE - A subsidiary of Paradajz, the produce maker based in Turnišče in north-eastern Slovenia and best known for its tomato brand Lušt, will construct a 2.4 hectare greenhouse to grow tomato in the autumn and winter in an investment worth EUR 6 million. The investment, which is expected to create between 20 and 25 jobs, has won a EUR 1.7 million state subsidy.

Ancient rhino remains unearthed at rail constriction site

ČRNI KAL - Preparations of the site for the construction of the Koper-Divača rail track have unearthed 120,000-year-old rhinoceros bone fossils. The excavations will continue for the next three weeks, with the rail project put on hold during this period, said 2TDK, the company managing the project, on Monday. The excavation site is a filled Karst cavity, with three major bones and a number of small, fragmented pieces dug up so far.

Festival of Mountaineering Film kicks off

LJUBLJANA - The 14th Festival of Mountaineering Film opened with the screening of The Sweet Requiem, a film about a Tibetan refugee who escaped to India with her father as a child. Running until 1 March in six towns across the country, the festival will see 37 films in the competitive section. The entries from 20 countries will compete in four categories: mountaineering, climbing, mountain nature and culture, and mountains sports and adventure. The awards will be given out on Saturday.

Visiting Ljubljana? Check out what's on this week, while all our stories on Slovenia, from newest to oldest, are here

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

The Miha Artnak, the prolific Ljubljana graffiti artists, designer and prankster, has once again struck a nerve with his latest project. After last year's street action, in which he crossed the road illegally as a statement of artistic freedom, he recently started a new project in which he artfully places trash in public spaces in an attempt to make people more mindful about their pollution, launching it last month in Abu Dhabi.

As an article in The Guadrain writes:

“I want you to pollute the same way as you do every day. Just make it more visible,” he told me via Skype while drinking from a plastic water bottle through a straw. “It’s important to be mindful about your pollution, to be present in the moment,” he added, “that way you show how much you care.”

The action, which has seen others around the world join in by making artful messes of their own, is called “Pollutism” and is of a piece with Artnak’s earlier high profile projects, such as his paintings made from pigeon droppings and attempt, somewhat successful, to rebrand BTC City as Bitcoin City.

Miha Artnak gets some attention from the authorities during an earlier street intervention

In addition to his attention grabbing stunts, Miha is also a member of the ZEK crew, co-founder of the creative centre Poligon, and a managing director of the design studio Ljudje, which has produced work for, among others, the Museum of Architecture & Design, Klub K4, Flaviar Inc, and Gramatik, and most recently did the visual identity for the 26th Biennial of Design in Ljubljana, BIO 26. You can keep up with Miha’s work here, and with that of the ljudje / people design studio here.

STA, 24 February 2020 - The SBI TOP index fell 3.76% to 942.73 points on Monday as the Ljubljana Stock Exchange took its cue from global stock markets as they plummeted amid concerns over spreading coronavirus outbreaks. The issues of port operator Luka Koper, energy company Petrol and pharma Krka were worst hit.

Of the EUR 3.9 million in overall trading volumes, a good million euro was in Krka shares, which lost 4.43% to EUR 73.40.

Luka Koper, which is already feeling the consequences of the novel coronavirus, saw its shares plunge 5.83% to EUR 22.60 and Petrol lost 4.88% to EUR 370.

Insurance shares were also hit with Sava Re shedding 2.97% to EUR 19.60 and Zavarovalnica Triglav closing 2.79% lower at EUR 34.80.

Related: Invest in Slovenia - Meet the Companies in the Benchmark Investment Index, the SBI TOP

All our stories on coronavirus and Slovenia are here

STA, 21 February 2020 - Slovenian banks generated a combined pre-tax profit of EUR 597.4 million last year, which the central bank says is the highest pre-tax profit on record. The figure is up 12.5% from the year before.

Profit after tax rose by 8% last year to EUR 534.9 million, while the banks increased their total assets by 6.3% to EUR 41.2 billion, the latest report by the central bank shows.

Net interest revenue rose by 1.6% to EUR 682.7 million and non-interest revenue increased by 19.1% to EUR 573.4 million.

The banks' bottom line was positively affected by net release of impairments and provisions. The pre-tax return on equity was 12.3%. Costs rose by 5.6% to EUR 706.8 million.

The growth in lending to the non-banking sector slowed down in December to 5.8% year-on-year, mainly because of a slowdown in corporate loans.

"The volume of loans to companies decreased by EUR 262 million in December, the most since 2016, and is partly attributable to the maturity of major loans agreed mid-last year," Banka Slovenije said.

Year-on-year growth in housing loans stayed at 5.8% in December. "After two distinctively above-average months the net monthly growth in those loans, at EUR 23 million, was lower than the average for 2019, at EUR 29 million."

The growth in consumer loans, at an average rate of 11.7% in 2019, slowed down to 8.9% year-on-year in December following the central bank's restrictions on consumer lending.

"An increase in the volume of consumer loans in October was followed by a decrease in November and December by EUR 15 million and EUR 21 million, respectively," says the report.

In the last quarter of the year, housing loans increased by EUR 105 million and consumer loans rose by EUR 14 million, which compares to EUR 64 million and EUR 69 million, respectively in 2018.

"We assess that the changed trends in retail lending were partly affected by the implementation of the decision on macro-prudential restrictions on retail lending in November," said the central bank.

However, it added that it was premature to draw any conclusions on the effects of the measure, because it was necessary to take into consideration non-typical conduct by banks and borrowers in anticipation of the measure, and after its implementation, delays in loan drawing and the effect of holidays and season.

Banks also continued to reduce exposure to non-performing loans last year; these decreased by EUR 128 million in December to one billion euro, and their proportion in total exposure to 2.2%.

The non-banking sector's deposits in 2019 increased by 7.2%, the annual growth since 2014. In December, household loans increased by 8.7% year-on-year, which compares to 11-month average 7.5%

The growth in corporate deposits have been slowing down since mid-2018; in December it decreased by 0.4% year-on-year.

STA, 23 February 2020 - As the novel coronavirus is spreading fast in neighbouring Italy, Slovenian health minister assured the public on Sunday that there was no reason for alarm. However, a medical official, speaking at the same press conference, said there was little doubt that the virus would appear in Slovenia as well.

Slovenia has not confirmed any case of infection with the novel virus as yet, Health Minister Aleš Šabeder noted at the press conference in Ljubljana.

How safe is Slovenia from coronavirus?

So far the only Slovenian to test positive for the virus that originated in China was a couple who contracted the virus, named Covid-19, on board the Diamond Princess cruise liner docked in Japan's Yokohama for over a fortnight. The couple have been admitted to a hospital in Japan.

Šabeder said that the government would call a session of the National Security Council secretariat for Monday to discuss the situation and take potential additional measures.

The minister does not want the virus to become a political issue. "This is a serious situation, unfolding not only in Europe, but also elsewhere round the globe," he said.

Is traveling to Italy from Slovenia safe?

He said that official data from Italian authorities showed that 124 had so far contracted the virus in Italy. Meanwhile, Italian media have reported the number has risen to over 150 with three fatalities.

Should Italian authorities establish that a Slovenian citizen has been in contact with those infected, Slovenia will be alerted right away, the minister said.

Health Ministry State Secretary Simona Repar Bornšek noted that part of Slovenia had just finished winter school break and that many would have spent it abroad.

With north of Italy being a popular skiing destination for Slovenians, the official advised all travellers who had returned from north Italian regions to monitor their condition and to contact their GP or duty service in case of a fever, cough or shortness of breath.

Hospitals prepare for coronavirus in Slovenia

All primary and secondary healthcare providers have been notified of the measures they need to take and the hospitals that could admit potential coronavirus patients have been urged to re-examine their contingency plans.

The state secretary said there was no confirmed coronavirus case in Slovenia, but that additional measures would be taken depending on the developments such as expanding testing.

She urged the public to follow information the website of the National Public Health Institute (NIJZ), which is being updated 24 hours a day, and not to fall for provocations.

Tatjana Lejko Zupanc, the head of the UKC Ljubljana Department of Infectious Diseases, said that there was almost no doubt anymore that the novel coronavirus would appear in Slovenia as well.

But she said that health institutions were getting ready for such a possibility. Their department sped up activities to be able to admit the first patient.

"All the paths have been agreed, which tests would be conducted. A few beds are ready, including at the intensive care unit. We'll have extra beds ready during the week," said Lejko Zupanc.

The department could admit 10 to 20 coronavirus patients at one of its units, theoretically even more. It is also capable of providing 10 intensive care beds, which "should suffice for a smaller outbreak".

In case of a massive outbreak, procedures would be quite different, involving the civil protection, among other mechanisms, said Lejko Zupanc.

She said everyone on the staff was willing to be involved in the effort in case of a potential outbreak, and if necessary military health staff could be engaged in case of staff shortages.

She said there were currently no suspected cases in Slovenia according to her information. She also said that Slovenia was well equipped for tests which were being conducted at three labs.

She said there was no need for panic or fear; if people "have been to what are epidemic hotspots at the moment", they should monitor themselves and seek advice from health services.

As prevention against potential infection NIJZ official Maja Sočan advised regular washing of hands, regular surface cleaning and measures generally taken to prevent an infection spread.

Sočan said the four Slovenian passengers from the Diamond Princess, who have already returned to Slovenia, were feeling fine, as were the couple hospitalised in Japan.

There were a total of six Slovenians on the ship, three couples.

NIJZ has not advised against travel.

Matija Cevc from the Slovenian Medical Association noted that posters appeared in parts of the country calling for citizens on behalf of the association to take preventive tests.

He said the association had not issued such a poster, denouncing the campaign as "utterly abject". He supposes it was aimed at making money at a time when people are in distress.

All our stories on coronavirus and Slovenia can be found here

The 14^th Mountain Film Festival is in Slovenia this week, with screenings, talks and more in Cankarjev dom Ljubljana, Metropol Celje, Mestni kino Domžale, Kino Radol’ca and Kino Slovensko Bistrica.

The festival has an excellent English website, with details of all the events, but be aware there’ll be lectures from the likes of David Debeljak, Jera Musič – the first Slovenian woman to hike the 3,500-km long Appalachian Trail, Jim Donini, Milan Romih and Tomaž Jakofčič, and the chance to buy books, hang out and talk about climbing and hiking, with appearances by many giants of the local scene.

Related: Alpine Warriors, A History of Modern Slovenian Alpinism

With regard to films there’s documentaries, long and short, with programmes that offer great variety while giving the rare opportunity to see these films on the big screen, where the power of the landscapes they celebrate is more readily perceived. Take a look at some (not all) of the trailers below, and see more details here.

CHOLITAS_trailer EN from Arena Comunicación Audiovisual on Vimeo.

Drømmeland - Trailer from Square Eyes on Vimeo.

Now that we know Ana Soklič will represent Slovenia at the 2020 Eurovision Song Contest (Eurosong) in the Netherlands – with the final on 16 May – we can take a look at all the other important contents of this year’s Ema.

The show began with its host Klemen Slakonja performing last year’s winning Eurovision song Arcade by Duncan Lawrence. In the middle of the song, a lamp fell down, prompting Slakonja to hit his head on the piano and “damage” his “arcade”, an arch above the eye that tends to absorb the damage when things are not going as planned.

Slakonja’s injury gradually “healed” as the show progressed so that by the end he could perform impersonations of all 25 of Slovenia’s Eurovision entries so far.

Klemen Slakonja also appeared as Ema’s main host in 2011, 2012 and 2016, when he also became known to the international audience by his Putin Putout YouTube hit. Unlike in previous years, many voices could be heard on social media calling for Klemen Slakonja to be sent to the Eurovision contest next year, due to his obvious singing skills, stage presence and general likability.

But Eurovision is a serious contest with serious rules that need to be followed. Although people like to point out how political the event is, which becomes especially apparent during the vote casting, perhaps even more telling are the scandals that appear to be happening on its fringes but are in fact, as I believe, at the essence of its existence.

Last year, for example, Lea Sirk, the previous year’s Eurovision entrant, couldn’t hide her disappointment over the winning duo Zala and Gašper and dropped an F-bomb into a live microphone she was wearing. Eurovision might be Europe’s campest of events, but it is also a family-friendly affair, so no swearing, please.  

This year’s award presenters, Zala and Gašper – launching a new album this week with a performance at Kino Šiška under the name zalagasper –  were therefore reminded, as a joke, not to forget that their microphones were on so they should refrain from any bad language during the announcement of the winner.

They obeyed and Ana Soklič accepted the reward, visibly moved and surprised. Then she was invited to give the first comment. In brief translation, she said:

“In the end I always place it all on – I don’t know what the people will say – but only Jesus Christ is the one who leads us through the paths of our lives and no one should ever worry that there is no light at the end of the tunnel. Despite all the hardships we face in the music industry, we cannot quit, there is no way to return.”

Slovenian social media exploded. Apparently, Ana Soklič thanking Jesus Christ is this year’s Ema scandal.

However, as we always wonder following the conclusion of Ema, can Jesus Christ draw enough attention to Slovenia at the higher, international stage of the competition?

We have to stay optimistic. Or as Slakonja appropriately responded to the words cited above, “We are moving towards the light!”.

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.

A schedule of all the main events involving Slovenia this week can be found here

This summary is provided by the STA:

Caution but not panic urged as coronavirus spreads in Italy

LJUBLJANA - As the novel coronavirus is spreading fast in neighbouring Italy, Health Minister Aleš Šabeder assured the public that there was no reason for alarm in Slovenia. Slovenia has not had any case so far expect for the couple that contracted the virus at the Diamond Princess cruise ship who are hospitalised in Japan. However, Tatjana Lejko Zupanc, the head of the UKC Ljubljana Department of Infectious Diseases, said there was little doubt that the virus would appear in Slovenia as well. The Foreign Ministry advised Slovenian citizens visiting Italy to be cautious on their return home. Those heading there are advised to check the latest situation at their chosen destination. The National Security Council secretariat is meeting Monday to discuss the situation.

SDS and LMŠ make gains in Nova24TV poll

LJUBLJANA - The Democratic Party (SDS) of Janez Janša continues to lead the field in the latest poll commissioned by the private broadcaster Nova24TV, but its margin ahead of the LMŠ party of the outgoing Prime Minister Marjan Šarec narrowed slightly over the past week as both gained ground. The SDS, which is trying to form a right-wing government after Šarec stepped down, polled at 22.4% this time, followed by the LMŠ at 16.2% and the Left at 5.4%. One out of three respondents were undecided.

Tens of thousands ravel with Kurenti in Ptuj

PTUJ/CLEVELAND, US - Tens of thousands of visitors gathered in the streets of Slovenia's oldest town to ravel with the sheepskin clad and bell ringing Kurenti at the country's largest carnival. Held for the 60th year, the Kurentovanje procession in Ptuj featured 800 Kurenti and 50 other groups of costumes and masks, including 17 from 11 foreign countries. Major carnival events were also held Cerkno and Cerknica, while the Slovenian community in Cleveland, in US wrapped up its own 8th annual Kurentovanje festival with a parade on Saturday.

Nika Križnar makes podium in Ljubno Ski Jumping World Cup event

LJUBNO OB SAVINJI - Norwegian Maren Lundby won the women's individual Ski Jumping World Cup event in Ljubno ob Savinji in the north of the country, ahead of Austrian Eva Pinkelnig and Slovenian Nika Križnar. Securing 254.8 points for her 30 career victory, Lundby narrowed her lag behind the overall World Cup leader Chiara Hölzl of Austria to a mere 26 points. Nika Križnar (250 points), secured her first podium this season to advance to 8th in overall standings.

Visiting Ljubljana? Check out what's on this week, while all our stories on Slovenia, from newest to oldest, are here

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

This set of old postcards was shared by Petra Leskošek. The show Ljubljana in the early years of the 20^th century, were published by Orel Dušan, are from the collection of Z. Tančič.

Before the Triple Bridge and Prešeren Monument

Before the Triple Bridge, and when the monument was new

s

What today is Miklošičev Park

Town Hall and the original Robba Fountain

Čopova, before McDonalds, H&M and Mueller

The Old Cafe Europe, by today's main library

Hotel Slon and the Post Office

All our old photos can be found here

STA, 23 February 2020 - Due to the spread of the novel coronavirus in Italy, the Foreign Ministry has advised Slovenian citizens visiting the country to be cautious on their return home. Those heading to Italy are advised to check the latest situation at their chosen destination.

 Authorities in the north of Italy have imposed emergency measures to try to contain worrying outbreaks of the virus. A dozen towns in Lombardy and Veneto have gone into lockdown as the number those infected exceeded 100 and two of those infected died.

Friuli Venezia Giulia, the region bordering Slovenia, has declared a state of emergency due to the proximity of Veneto, where the authorities have shut down the Venice Carnival and other public events as the number of coronavirus cases has risen to 25.

The carnival is popular with Slovenian tourists and several travel agencies offer trips there, but the STA has learnt that one of Slovenian travel agencies last night notified the clients booked for the trip that their trip, planned for early Sunday morning, had been cancelled.

The Foreign Ministry has noted that the coronavirus outbreak and the measures to contain it are changing fast, urging those headed to Italy to check the latest situation with their hosts, travel agencies or hotels.

The ministry's consular service, the Slovenian Embassy in Rome and the Consulate General in Trieste keep in touch with the Italian authorities and are monitoring the developments.

Slovenia has not recorded any case of the novel coronavirus infection from China except for two passengers who have contracted the virus at the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Japan. They have been hospitalised in Japan.

The other four Slovenians who had been aboard the virus infected ship that had been under quarantine for over a fortnight have since returned home. They have tested negative again, but have been placed in isolation at their homes for two weeks as a precautionary measure.

To prevent catching the infection, the National Public Health Institute has advised the population to follow the usual precautionary measures against contagious diseases such as avoiding close contacts with people showing signs of an infectious disease.

"Do not touch eyes, nose or mouth. Stay at home when falling sick. Follow the cough hygiene measures. Regularly wash your hands with soap and water," or when that is not available use a hand sanitiser, the institute says on its website. It says that the use of face masks is not necessary.

Janez Janša, the leader of the Democratic Party (SDS), urged the caretaker government on Saturday to call a session of the National Security Council to discuss the situation in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

In response, outgoing PM Marjan Šarec tweeted that the authorities in charge were prepared for a potential outbreak of the virus and were coordinating activities on a daily basis.

"There are plans for the case of a potential broader spread of the disease," he said, adding that the situation should be taken seriously but without causing panic or politicising it.

All our stories on coronavirus and Slovenia can be found here