The first version of this story had a mistake in the date of the event in the main text - it's in September, not December

It’s February, the heart of the low season, and maybe you need some motivation to get out and moving, a goal to set and make sure you end the year in better condition than you started it. For some this goal will simply be to move a little more each day, or to eat less junk food, or do a stretch or two in the shower. But if you like to aim high, and are already starting from a position of enviable strength, then take some time consider the Ironman triathlon – with swimming, cycling and running in the beautiful surroundings of the Slovenian coast, taking in Koper, Izola, Piran and Ankaran, with a trip to Italy included in with the price of entry.

The race first arrived in Slovenia in 2018, adding to the list of extreme sporting events members of the public can try their hands and feet at, along with such Red Bull sponsored occasions as the Planica 400 (usually in September) and Goni Pony, which both see competitors go up steep slopes, by foot and mini-bicycle, respectively.

Ironman, though, is a different breed, with a far more punishing, lengthy and varied task ahead of the entrants, and far fewer possibilities for wearing a costume.

The route for Slovenia's Ironman race

IRONMAN 70.3 Slovenian Istria, to give the race its full and correctly capitalized name, will start with a 1.9 km swim in the sea by Koper, followed by a 90.1 km bike ride through the town itself, followed by Ankaran, and then crossing the border to go along the picturesque Italian coast, including the town of Muggia. The cycling stage then returns to Slovenia and will challenge competitors with various ascents and descents in Istria. The last part of the race is a 21.1 km run, with the finish line by the sea in Koper.

It all sounds easy enough, from the comfort of one’s couch in February. But if you want to enter then you can register here and start planning your training regime, with just six months to go until the big day, Sunday 6 September 2020

What’s more, if you’re a truly competitive beast – and if you weren’t, would you be considering an Ironman? –  then note that the race offers qualifying slots for the 2021 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in St. George, Utah (USA). The official website, with all the details, can be  found here.

STA, 3 February 2020 - The Slovenian Business Club (SBC) presented on Monday a number of measures which it believes could mitigate the youth brain drain and improve the situation for the young in Slovenia. Politicians have welcomed the initiative, warning that any changes for the better would not occur overnight. 

The club's forum, held under the slogan Young are the Future of Enterprising Slovenia, heard that the young were pursuing career paths abroad in the hope of better opportunities. Between 2014 and 2018, almost 11,000 left Slovenia, studies show.

Moreover, housing is in a dire situation, posing another challenge for the young and consequently the future prosperity of country.

The club called for tax as well as business measures, presenting steps which would not only fight the brain drain but also entice young Slovenian immigrants to return to their homeland.

SBC head Marjan Batagelj said that Slovenia did not have an ecosystem which would keep the young or attract them there, pointing out that numerous countries had surpassed Slovenia by providing tax, welfare and housing benefits.

"Slovenia is simply observing while the Balkan pool, on which we like to depend, is getting depleted," said Batagelj.

The proposed measures include tax reliefs, such as untaxed performance bonuses worth up to 200% of the employee's average monthly wage, and ways to reduce taxable income for top experts.

Furthermore, the SBC proposes tax incentives for companies building workforce housing, establishing the right to employability information, introducing business courses in schools and turning Slovenia into a popular destination for foreign experts to fill in the labour shortage.

The forum was attended by senior politicians representing different points on a political spectrum. Addressing the event, President Borut Pahor highlighted the importance of strengthening the institutions of Slovenian statehood in the time of a booming economy.

He added that social dialogue was needed for any structural reforms improving the economic and social situations in the country and making it more attractive for the young.

Education Minister Jernej Pikalo meanwhile said that projects fostering business skills were already present in schools. Moreover, in the past two years, more people with a PhD moved to Slovenia than out of the country, show preliminary data of the Education Ministry.

The Labour Ministry is also working on mitigating the situation, preparing agreements with Turkey and Ukraine which would facilitate attracting foreign workforce.

STA, 3 February 2010 - Car parts maker Hidria announced on Monday that it had developed innovative aluminium steering wheel system casings for next generation hybrid and electric BMW cars, winning a EUR 30 million contract running until 2030.

The casing is a part of a system allowing automatic vertical steering wheel adjustments for individual drivers.

Cars with this system will be available on the European market in three years, Hidria said in a press release, adding that it won the deal in strong international competition.

This deal and contracts for the manufacturing of key components of electric motors totalling to more than EUR 300 million and signed late last year will allow Hidria to develop and strengthen its position in global markets, the company said.

The press release added the company intended to invest more than EUR 50 million in innovation in the coming years and more than EUR 100 million in high-tech production capabilities.

After some years of plans that remained unrealised, Ex-Yu Aviation reports that the Ukrainian carrier Windrose Airlines is to start flights between Kiev and Ljubljana this summer. The service starts on 30 April and will operate twice weekly, on Tuesday and Sunday, with the schedule set to end in October, unless demand is greater than expected in the low season. The flights are scheduled to leave Kiev at 11:10 and arrive in Ljubljana 12:10, while they’ll take off from Slovenia at 12:50 and touchdown in Ukraine at 16:10.

STA, 31 January - A two-month-old baby has died in a Roma village which lacks basic infrastructure such as electricity and water near Ribnica, southern Slovenia, triggering finger-pointing between institutions and severe criticism by Amnesty International (AI) Slovenia.

The baby died of pneumonia a month ago in Goriča Vas, where the family with three children had lived in great poverty in a shack, sleeping on blankets on the floor.

Two days after the baby's death, the other children were placed in a crisis centre, with social workers citing the poor living conditions, lack of water and poor care for the children, the newspaper Dnevnik reported yesterday.

Ordered to improve the living conditions, the parents moved to a relative's house in a nearby village, but have not yet been reunited with the children.

There are several illegal Roma villages with inhumane living conditions in the Dolenjska region, two villages with 150 inhabitants in the Ribnica municipality alone.

The local Kočevje social work centre is in the process of taking seven children from their families, according to Dnevnik.

Amnesty International Slovenia has called for decent living conditions, saying inaction by local and national authorities leaves many Roma families without water and electricity.

It says on its website that several Roma people have complained to the European Court of Human Rights for having their universal right to water violated.

The NGO also says that Roma infant death rate is four times higher than in the rest of the country's population.

Its director Nataša Posel blames the situation on inaction by those who have power to change it, pointing a finger at several ministers in the outgoing government, mayors of municipalities with Roma villages, Office for Nationalities boss Stane Baluh and two directors of local social work centres.

AI Slovenia has thus urged the state to immediately provide housing units for families from illegal Roma villages as well as access to water, electricity and toilet facilities.

The state should also overhaul inefficient mechanisms to include Roma children in education and provide assistance to the entire community at all levels.

Ribnica, on the other hand, denies being inactive, but says funds for Roma housing and other basic infrastructure should be managed at national rather than local level.

Its official Tina Peček told the STA on Friday the Office for Nationalities had been notified of the situation in Goriča Vas last year, and several mayors had jointly urged the government to take action.

Although the Human Rights Ombudsman asked the municipality to provide the basic infrastructure in the village back in 2015, Peček said there was no legal basis for it.

The ombudsman then turned to the Office for Nationalities, saying the government should provide for human rights of the Roma when they are violated at local level.

The office, however, said today it had made great efforts to encourage Ribnica to be proactive.

It noted the good cooperation with one of its representatives, but regretted that despite encouraging prospects last year, no major progress had been made.

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:

Instead of cooperating, Slovenia and Croatia are flexing their muscles, Kučan says

ZAGREB, Croatia - Former Slovenian President Milan Kučan told the Croatian newspaper Večernji List that Slovenia and Croatia had many common interests but rather than cooperating they were flexing their muscles. He finds it inexplicable that two countries "which are in the same boat" have no ideas for joint projects that they could offer in the world of contradictions and to the insecure European Union. "There are many common interests there, but instead we are flexing our muscles," he said.

Carinthian Slovenian installed as bishop of Gurk-Klagenfurt

KLAGENFURT, Austria - Jože Marketz, a member of the Slovenian minority in Austria, was installed as the new bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gurk-Klagenfurt in Klagenfurt. His appointment by Pope Francis at the beginning of last December is seen as very important for the Slovenian community in Austria. A number of church dignitaries took part in the ceremony and over a thousand people attended. A part of the ceremony was held in Slovenian, and Markets gave his replies to the questions about his readiness to assume the post in both German and Slovenian.

Gen-I to build first major solar power plant in North Macedonia

SKOPJE, North Macedonia - Energy company Gen-I will build the first major solar power plant in North Macedonia. The plant will be built and managed by Gen-I's subsidiary Sonce DOOEL Skopje. Construction is expected to start in early 2021 and the power plant should start operating in early 2023. It is to produce 25,000 Megawatt hours of electricity a year.

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

As a child growing up in Logatec, I cannot remember a winter in which snow wouldn’t present a major element in the organisation of everyone's lives. Adults hated it, children loved it. It presented numerous possibilities for free outdoor play, another disappearing element of our societies today.

1952 was a record year for snowfall in Slovenia. A 146cm snow cover was measured in Ljubljana, while reports from other parts of Slovenia were hindered due to damaged communication lines.

 

Slovenia is one of the three EU countries that is forbidden by their own constitutions to extradite their own citizens to non-EU countries, which the UK became last Friday, at 23:00 UK time, midnight on the Continent.

Although the European Arrest Warrant continues to apply during the Brexit Implementation Period that lasts until 31 December 2020, the three countries have notified the European Commission that complying with the treaty would be unconstitutional for them. This however only applies to each country's own citizens. UK citizens, or other EU nationals, could still be extradited under the European Arrest Warrant during the transition period.

This means that if a Slovenian national committed a crime in the UK before fleeing back to Slovenia, they would escape criminal prosecution in the UK. Slovenian law, however, allows for Slovenian citizens who have committed a crime abroad to be prosecuted in Slovenia.

STA, 2 February 2020 - Energy company Gen-I will build the first major solar power plant in North Macedonia. The plant will be built and managed by Gen-I's subsidiary Sonce DOOEL Skopje. Construction is expected to start in early 2021.

North Macedonia will build the 35 Megawatt plant in Amzabegovo and Gen-I will set up panels for 17 Megawatts after winning a public tender.

The Slovenian company has also won the right to use the land for the production of solar power for 50 years, while the state of North Macedonia will provide all the necessary permits, Gen-I said in a press release.

GEN-I Sonce DOOEL Skopje is expected to launch construction at the beginning of 2021 and the power plant should start operating in early 2023. It is to produce 25,000 Megawatt hours of electricity a year.

According to Gen-I management member and CEO of GEN-I Sonce DOOEL Skopje, Igor Koprivnikar, the project is expected to open new opportunities in renewable energy sources production, sustainable energy services and create synergies in financial markets as well as long-term partnerships with investors.

The power plant in Amzabegovo is expected to supply clean electricity to North Macedonia as well as other markets in the region.

Related: Energy Group GEN Reports €2.2bn Revenue for 2019

SURS just released the full tourist figures for 2019, and although we already published a summary we thought we’d dig a little deeper into the data, to find some other trends and points of interest, with the top 10 nations for the year shown below (and the full list at the end of the story).

*Other Asian countries includes all Asian nations other than China, Japan and South Korea

When looking at the monthly data for all foreign tourists, the first thing to note is the extreme seasonality of such visits. The lowest figure, 167,689, was for February, while the highest, 879,291, was in August, with June to September all months with more than a half a million arrivals.

Of course, given the habit of summer vacations, and the fact that most visitors are from Europe, this isn’t surprising. But what about places with other traditions? The data for North East Asia – China, S Korea and Japan – shows a different picture, as does that for Other Asian countries (such as India, which isn’t yet pulled out of the data on its own) .

Related: Chinese Tourism Booming in Slovenia, Ex-Yugo Nations

Looking at China alone and there are two peaks, either side of the August one for tourism in general, with a very off-trend spike in October. It’s much the same story elsewhere in Asia, as seen below in a chart for China, South Korea, Japan and “Other Asia”. All have peaks outside the high summer, in late spring and – with the exception of Japan – in autumn, too.

Combining all the numbers in the chart above gives the following for the whole of Asia.

This line can then be overlaid on the one for the whole world, producing the following image.

Finally, I took a look at the percentage of tourist arrivals from all of Asia by month, with it being 9.5% for the whole. There are two months where such tourists account for more than 15% of the total, in May (15.9%) and October (17.4%).

The data thus suggest that one way to reduce the seasonal nature of tourism in Slovenia, and the trade in related goods and services, would be to continue and extend efforts promote the country as a destination in Asia, as tourists from this region tend to avoid the peak summer months and arrive out of season. You can learn more and play around with the SURS data here.

The full list of nations and regions for which data on tourist arrivals in 2019 is available is shown below.