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Daily coronavirus cases spike week-on-week

LJUBLJANA - The number of new daily coronavirus cases in Slovenia on Saturday was four times higher than a week ago, at 3,349, data from the National Institute for Public Health (NIJZ) show. The test positivity rate exceeded 45%. According to data provided by the government, 537 Covid-19 patients are currently in hospital, one fewer than the day before, including 161 in intensive care, five more than yesterday. Five patients have died.

Kučan warns of signs of Fascism revival

DRAŽGOŠE - A ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the WWII Battle of Dražgoše was held today, with former President Milan Kučan as the keynote speaker. He stressed the importance of resistance and warned of increasingly many signs of revival of Fascism. Despite the epidemiological situation, a large number of people gathered. Representatives of several political parties also attended along with parliamentary Speaker Igor Zorčič and President Borut Pahor, who laid a wreath to the nine Partisans and 41 locals who were killed in the Dražgoše battle. Yesterday, Pahor also laid a wreath at a memorial on the Pohorje Plateau dedicated to a Partisan unit slain by Nazi forces in 1943, the site of a major annual ceremony that was cancelled this year due to coronavirus.

Golden Fox Cup: Slovakia'S Vlhova wins slalom, Bucik fifth

KRANJSKA GORA - Petra Vlhova from Slovakia won the women's Alpine Ski World Cup slalom event in Kranjska Gora. Swiss Wendy Holdener, who was in the lead after the first run, was second, 0.23 seconds behind the winner. Anna Swenn Larsson from Sweden was third (+1.06 seconds). Slovenia's Ana Bucik was fifth, in what is her best result in slalom so far

Poll shows SDS followed by Robert Golob List

LJUBLJANA - A public opinion poll conducted by pollster Parsifal for commercial broadcaster Planet TV shows that the ruling Democrats (SDS) enjoy the support of 31.9% of decided voters, up 1.7 percentage point from last month. The Robert Golob List comes second on 12.6% support. Despite losing more than 7 percentage points, the SD ranks third on 12%. The opposition Left comes in fourth, with its support dropping from 9.2% to 9.1%. The coalition New Slovenia (NSi) follows with 8.8%, a significant rise from 4.8% last month.

Kočevje-based Intersocks posted record results last year despite epidemic

KOČEVJE - The Kočevje-based manufacturer of sport socks and footwear distributor Intersocks posted its best results in 2021 despite the epidemic. CEO Marjan Kočila is optimistic about the future despite uncertainty in business. The revenue of the company, employing 170 people in Kočevje, topped EUR 50 million last year, and profit is estimated at EUR 4 million, which exceeds the record year of 2019, when revenue exceeded EUR 45 million and profit reached EUR 2.4 million.

Covid caused work from home to increase more than 100-fold

LJUBLJANA - Covid-19 has had a major impact on work processes, as 217,428 people were registered to work from home in Slovenia last year, which is a hundred times more than in the pre-Covid year of 2019. With the new Omicron variant, this trend is expected to continue, while major legislative changes are not yet in sight.

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Daily Covid case count up to 4,469

LJUBLJANA - A total of 4,469 people tested positive for coronavirus in Slovenia on Friday, the highest daily figure in the latest wave of the epidemic. The latest cases, a 169% increase on the week before, pushed the 14-day incidence per 100,000 people to 1,508, up 160 from the day before and the 7-day average of new daily cases rose by 401 to 3,068. Six more Covid-19 patients died, while the total number of those hospitalised fell to 538, with 156 in intensive care, official data shows.

Protest figurehead sued over policing costs

LJUBLJANA - The newspaper Dnevnik and news portal N1 reported that Jaša Jenull, one of the figureheads of Friday's bicycle protests, faces a lawsuit in which the Interior Ministry alleges his responsibility for the costs of policing a 2020 anti-government rally amounting to EUR 2,255. Jenull described the lawsuit as a violation of the constitutionally guaranteed right to peaceful protest, denying he organised the protests, which he said were spontaneous.

Sweden's Hector wins Kranjska Gora giant slalom

KRANJSKA GORA - Sara Hector of Sweden won the women's Alpine Ski World Cup giant slalom in Kranjska Gora ahead of France's Tessa Worley in second (+0.96s) and Italian Marta Bassino in third (+1.32). The best Slovenian was Tina Robnik in 8th (+2.06). The 58th Golden Fox Cup, which has been moved from its original Pohorje venue due to a lack of snow for the third year running, will wrap up tomorrow with a slalom. For the second year the meet is being held without spectators due to Covid-19 protocols.

December in Ljubljana one of dreariest on record

LJUBLJANA - 2021 made for a quite dry, sunny and warm year in Slovenia but the month of December in Ljubljana was one of the dullest on record with only 18 hours of sunshine. Last year was the 17th warmest in 60 years with temperatures roughly 0.7 degrees above the average for 1981-2010. It was also the 12th driest and the 7th sunniest with about 11% more sunshine than in an average year, Gregor Vertačnik, a climatologist at the Environment Agency, told the STA.

Austrian firm acquires almost a third of Melamin

KOČEVJE - Panta Rhei Beratungs- und Beteiligungs, an Austrian firm in majority Slovenian ownership, has recently acquired just over 30% of Melamin to become the biggest single owner of the Kočevje-based chemical company. A filing with the Ljubljana Stock Exchange shows Panta Rhei recently bought a 30.62% stake in Melamin from the Bank Assets Management Company, which gives it 33.29% of voting rights. Speaking for the firm, Martin Wodak said they did not plan to increase the stake bid for a takeover.

Over 60 cruise ships expected at Koper this year

KOPER - Some 65 cruise ships are expected to bring 80,000 passengers to the Koper port this year. The season is to open on 27 March with the arrival of the Viking Sky. Compared to pre-Covid 2019, a major decline has been recorded as ships cannot fill all the beds due to coronavirus restrictions. Given the current bookings, 10% fewer cruise ships and 30% fewer passengers are to arrive at the port compared to 2019, the operator Luka Koper told the STA.

Crocheters making coat of arms in Guinness record bid

SLOVENJ GRADEC - A group of crochet enthusiasts launched an attempt to get their craft immortalised in the Guinness World Records bible of achievements and curiosities. They are trying to set a record of making 1,000 crochet items, including crocheted coats of arms of Slovenia's 212 municipalities, the image of the traditional potica cake and portraits of poets, to honour the 30th anniversary of the country's independence.

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Over 4,000 coronavirus cases second time this week

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia logged 4,069 coronavirus cases for Thursday, the third straight day that the tally more than doubled from the same day a week ago and the second time this week that the daily count topped 4,000. The government reported nine more Covid deaths with hospitalisations dropping to 547 ICU cases to 155. According to Matjaž Leskovar from the Jožef Stefan Institute, the epidemic is progressing increasingly fast and could peak in the last week of January. Hospitalisation are meanwhile expected to culminate in the first week of February, when numbers from the peak of the fourth wave of the epidemic could be reached.

Govt cuts quarantine, validity of tests, restricts public transport

LJUBLJANA - The government endorsed at a correspondence session several changes to the decree on temporary measures aimed at preventing the spreading of Covid to cut the duration of quarantine and validly of tests, and cut the number of passengers in public transport in line with the guidelines from the National Institute of Public Health. The changes will enter into force on Monday, the Government Communication Office (UKOM) said.

Businesses urge for respect of public health measures

BRDO PRI KRANJU - Business representatives agreed that public health guidelines must be respected to make sure the corporate sector can operate normally, as they met government representatives for talks that came amidst what looks set to be the worst wave of Covid so far. "This is the only way to avoid a spontaneous lockdown due to the sheer number of infections and quarantining," Health Minister Janez Poklukar said after last night's talks. Business reps contended, urging for vaccination.

Tonin flies from Italy to Slovenia aboard US aircraft, part of opposition unhappy

LJUBLJANA - Defence Minister Matej Tonin was invited to the Aviano air base in Italy in November, and flew aboard an F16 fighter aircraft from there to Poček, Slovenia's main military training area, to briefly take part in a military exercise, the 24ur.com news portal reported. Two opposition parties are rather critical of his move. Tonin was hosted by General Jason Bailey, the commander of the US air base in Aviano in northern Italy, who also piloted the multi-role fighter aircraft.

Slovenia sticks by its support of nuclear in EU taxonomy

LJUBLJANA - Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec doubled down on Slovenia's support for making nuclear energy a part of the EU's taxonomy of sustainable energy sources, telling the press that nuclear was crucial to Slovenia's and EU efforts to carry out the green transition. "As a nuclear country, Slovenia supports the inclusion of nuclear energy and natural gas in the EU taxonomy," he said during a presentation of the achievements of Slovenia's EU presidency.

Doctors oppose proposed waste incineration regulation

LJUBLJANA - Doctors trusted with monitoring, warning and raising awareness of the health risks of a contaminated environment are against a government proposal for a regulation on waste incineration. The regulation should set emission limit values as low as possible, they told reporters, warning that waste incineration should be a last resort. The draft regulation put forward by the Environment Ministry envisages concessions for four incinerator operators for a period of the next 30 years.

Union proposes recourse for warnings before termination

LJUBLJANA - The Trade Union of Slovenian Police (SPS) tabled a bill backed by over 7,000 voter signatures to give employees better protection when they receive a warning before termination, a system they say would protect workers against abuse of this disciplinary sanction. In the autumn the union noted cases of such warnings being issued to a police officer who took a photo with anti-government protester and officers who removed members of a neo-Nazi group from anti-government protests.

Agriculture minister happy with Slovenian EU presidency

LJUBLJANA - Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Jože Podgoršek has assessed that Slovenia achieved most of the set goals in agriculture during its six-month stint as the EU presiding country. He singled out as one of the biggest achievements the Council's formal adoption of the new common agricultural policy (CAP) for 2023-2027.

Pahor talks course of Conference on the Future of Europe

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor met the head and members of the parliamentary delegation dedicated to the plenary sessions of the Conference on the Future of Europe. The participants exchanged assessments of the conference so far and their expectations for its conclusions, the president's office said.

Slovenian EU presidency's environmental efforts judged as poor

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The Slovenian presidency of the Council of the EU in 2021 was a disappointment as regards promoting the EU's green transition, according to the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), which said that Slovenia was less advanced in this area compared to fellow presidency trio countries Germany and Portugal. Before each EU presidency, the EEB, a European network of around 160 environmental citizens' organisations based in more than 35 countries, draws up a list of ten green challenges for the member state holding the presidency.

90th Friday protest against RTV Slovenija's subjugation

LJUBLJANA - Friday protesters against government policies gathered for the 90th time in Ljubljana's Republic Square tonight, this time around to highlight the political subjugation of public broadcaster RTV Slovenija and other Slovenian media. Jaša Jenull, one of their main figures, urged citizens to turn out at the April general election en masse.

New cycling paths to link Nova Gorica and Gorizia

NOVA GORICA/GORIZIA, Italy - The construction of new cycling paths started in Gorizia, with the aim of linking the cross-border area around the cities of Nova Gorica in Slovenia and Gorizia in Italy and the adjacent Soča River valley, as part of the Cross-border park of Isonzo-Soča project. "This project is an important signal about the kind of city we want to be. We want to live in a conurbation where clean and green mobility is at the forefront," Nova Gorica Mayor Miklavič told rthe ceremony on the occasion.

Most popular Slovenian weekly newspaper turns 60

LJUBLJANA - Exactly 60 years have passed since the first issue of Nedeljski Dnevnik, the most popular Slovenian weekly newspaper. "All those decades it has been an indispensable part of families. Its topics have always found their way to the people and readers repaid it with loyalty," Nedeljski Dnevnik journalist Tomaž Bukovec wrote on the occasion. In the 1970s the paper had the highest per capita circulation in the world.

Spate of stabbings and violence in Celje area

CELJE - A series of stabbings has taken place in the Celje area this week with the police reporting of four cases of stabbings plus an attack with scissors in a secondary school since 1 January, in addition to three suspected domestic violence offences. After a 35-year-old man seriously injured a 38-year-old with a knife after an escalation of an accidental argument on 1 January, a similar incident unfolded between two residents of a care home with two more cases of attempted homicide on Thursday.

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Over 3,800 new cases added to Slovenia's Covid count

LJUBLJANA - A total of 3,829 people tested positive for coronavirus in Slovenia on Wednesday, an increase of 124% on the same day a week ago, as hospital data remained broadly stable and five Covid-19 patients died, government data shows. The PCR test positivity rate stood at 38%. Mateja Logar, the government's chief Covid-19 adviser, told Planet TV yesterday 230-250 ICU cases would be the threshold where the Covid-19 advisers would start talking about a potential lockdown. The number of ICU patients was 161 this morning.

Strategic Compass seen as biggest presidency achievement in defence

LJUBLJANA - The first draft of the Strategic Compass, a new concept of EU security and defence, is seen by the government as the biggest achievement of the Slovenian EU presidency in defence policy alongside efforts to bolster cooperation between the EU and NATO. Slovenia had played an important role in the consensus-seeking and had actively contributed to the draft, Uroš Lampret, state secretary at the Defence Ministry, told the press.

Quarantine guidance for health staff changed to cope with shortages

LJUBLJANA - The National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) issued new quarantine guidance to allow the healthcare system cope with staff shortages amid the Omicron-driven spread of infections. Given shortages, the personnel who have been in contact with an infected person are not required to self-isolate if they do not show symptoms. The NIJZ issued a three-tiered set of recommendations for organisation of work at healthcare institutions, depending on the availability of healthcare staff.

Exceptions from quarantine at home expanded, quarantine shortened

LJUBLJANA - The government expanded exceptions from quarantine at home after a high-risk contact with a person infected with Covid-19 to persons who have gotten a booster shot, who got Covid fewer than 45 days ago or who have recovered from Covid and have been fully vaccinated. Quarantine has meanwhile been shortened from ten to seven days. The changes to the relevant decree, which will start to apply on 10 January, were adopted based on a proposal from the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ).

Coalition proposes new pension rise system

LJUBLJANA - The coalition filed an amendment to the proposed legislative changes with which the Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) wishes to raise pensions by 3.5%. In line with the amendment, only pensions granted by the end of 2010 would increase by 3.5%, while those granted in 2011 would go up by 1.7% and all others by 1%. Also raised by 1% would be minimum pensions, guaranteed pension and the minimum disability pension. The additional pension raise proposed by the coalition would be implemented on 1 January.

Power utility GEN posts record profits

LJUBLJANA - The GEN energy group is estimated to have generated a record net profit of EUR 80 million last year, around 25% more than the year before, with turnover up 36% to EUR 3 billion. The group highlighted its reliability despite market difficulties and its vision for decarbonisation, which includes a second nuclear power plant unit. Vision 3+1 is the key to decarbonising Slovenia's energy sector, envisaging nuclear, hydro and solar energy as primary sources (3) and gas as a backup source (+1), the power utility said.

Govt adopts strategy for digital transformation of economy

LJUBLJANA - The government adopted a strategy for digital transformation of the economy for the 2021-2030 period, which is one of the reform measures under the recovery and resilience plan. The basic goal of the strategy is to be among the top five countries in the use of advanced digital technologies according to the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) of the European Commission by the end of the first two years and among the top three countries by the end of the period.

UPU deputy director: Slovenia's postal service meeting challenges

LJUBLJANA - Marjan Osvald, the Slovenian who has this year taken over as deputy director general of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), underscores the importance of public infrastructure but also the need for national operators to adapt to the rapidly changing market, something that he has told the STA in an interview Pošta Slovenije has already done. The Slovenian postal operator is one of the most advanced in dealing with the decline in letters volume and is seen as a model in the region, he said.

Dnevnik: Courts bill draft envisages abolition of local courts

LJUBLJANA - The Justice Ministry has prepared a working draft of a courts bill which would abolish local courts and establish two district courts in Ljubljana by 2024. The proposal also envisages a specialised criminal court and a different method of appointing the president of the Supreme Court, the newspaper Dnevnik reported. The draft was forwarded to the Supreme Court, the Judicial Council and the Slovenian Judges' Association at the end of last year.

Civil servants to fill up at MOL pumps as a rule

LJUBLJANA - The Public Administration Ministry has picked Hungary's MOL as the priority supplier of fuel for service vehicles used by the government, urban municipalities and other institutions in a deal the news portal Necenzurirano says is valued at over EUR 25 million. As an exception public employees will also be able to fill up at Petrol and OMV. The ministry confirmed that MOL had been picked as the cheaper bidder, but did not disclose the sums.

Slovenia becomes innovative EU environment for circular economy

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia has become the first innovative environment in the EU to work towards a systemic transition to circular economy in line with the Deep Demonstrations methodology, the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning said. Deep Demonstrations is a model of systemic transition to circular, regenerative, carbon-free economy which was developed by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Climate-KIC, Europe's largest public-private innovation partnership focused on climate innovation to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

Slovenia's Expo pavilion to host three business delegations

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian pavilion at the Dubai Expo will host three business delegations in January, coming from the fields of logistics, travel, connectivity and mobility, and sustainable development and timber. The delegations will include a number of representatives of Slovenian companies, local communities and state institutions, and are to hold a number of events, including business conferences and various formal and informal meetings with potential partners.

Slovenian scientist elected president of Sigma Xi

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian scientist and engineer Marija Strojnik has been elected president of the Scientific Research Honor Society, Sigma Xi. She will start her three-year term on 1 July, says on the website of Sigma Xi. A distinguished professor at the Optical Research Center in León, Mexico, Strojnik has been a member of Sigma Xi since 1987. She is best known for developing an autonomous system for optical navigation based on CCD technology, currently used in commercial aircraft and numerous spacecraft.

UEFA boss Aleksander Čeferin becomes Delo's Person of 2021

LJUBLJANA - UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin was declared the newspaper Delo's Person of the Year for 2021 for "suppressing in a swift action the plan of the richest clubs to establish a super-league and thus destroy the European model of sport". He united and inspired Europe and its most visible politicians, while his fight for common people was supported by all institutions in Brussels. His work is also visible outside football, Delo added.

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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: 

Daily coronavirus count hits six-week high

LJUBLJANA - A total of 3,393 new coronavirus cases were confirmed in Slovenia on Monday, the highest daily count since 22 November as the Omicron-driven outbreak accelerates. According to the National Institute of Public Health, the 14-day incidence per 100,000 population is now at 953, up by 85 from the previous day. Meanwhile, hospitalisations were down by 17 to 531 today, or by eleven to 162 in intensive care. Eight Covid-19 patients died.

Medical Ethics Committee urges considering vaccination mandate for high-risk groups

LJUBLJANA - The National Medical Ethics Committee joined a growing chorus of medical associations calling for Slovenia to consider imposing mandatory vaccination on vulnerable and high-risk groups of population, and, given new strains of the virus, possibly introducing a general vaccination mandate. It particularly points to the spread of transmissions among the elderly, which it blames on insufficient vaccination rates and the anti-vaccination sentiment.

Police trade union to file charges against police commissioner

LJUBLJANA - The Police Trade Union of Slovenia (PSS), one of Slovenia's two police trade unions with a membership of roughly 5,000, the bulk of the national police force, plans to file charges against Police Commissioner Anton Olaj over alleged violations of trade union rights and the right to participation in management. The union accuses Olaj of attempts to censor internal documents that the union distributes on the police intranet. Olaj rejects the accusations.

Slovenia's exports last November up 24% year-on-year

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia exported EUR 3.7 billion worth of goods in November 2021, while imports amounted to EUR 4.2 billion, with the former increasing by 24.1% compared to November 2020, and the latter going up by 25.6%, the Statistics Office said. In the first eleven months of 2021, Slovenia exported EUR 36.3 billion worth of goods, 19.3% more year-on-year, and imported EUR 38.1 billion worth of goods, an increase of 30% year-on-year.

Car sales in Slovenia up 3% in 2021

LJUBLJANA - A total of 63,675 new cars and vans were registered in Slovenia last year, a 3.18% rise over 2020, when car sales plummeted by more than 25% as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, show the figures released by the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce (TZS). While the number of new increased by a mere 0.58% to nearly 53,990, the number of new vans registered rose by almost 21% to nearly 9,690.

Slovenian tech company partners with London hospitals

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian software company Better has signed a contract with five London hospital districts that are part of the OneLondon health data-sharing system to use Better's digital health platform. The three-year contract is worth GBP 3.1 million or about EUR 3.7 million and comes with the possibility of a two-year extension. "Our platform will play a key role in continuing the process of digitising healthcare," Better's founder and CEO Tomaž Gornik said.

Club of independent mayors in the making

LJUBLJANA - Mayor of Kočevje Vladimir Prebilič has launched an initiative to form a club of independent mayors in a bid to increase their influence on local government policy, announcing the founding meeting of the new club for next Monday in Šentjur. Prebilič has sent the initiative to all mayors who were elected as independent candidates or ran without direct support from parties at the last local elections in 2018. There are 136 such mayors among the country's 212. The club plans no forays into politics at the national level for now.

Ljubljana temporarily without air connection with Brussels

BRNIK - The Slovenian capital will have no flight connection to Brussels between 10 January and 28 February as Brussels Airlines is suspending flights on this route at the end of Slovenia's six-month EU presidency. Wizz Air will suspend the Ljubljana-Brussels connection between 7 January and 11 March, according to web portal Ex-yuaviation. Brussels Airlines, which returned to Ljubljana airport just before the start of Slovenia's presidency of the Council of the EU, currently flies to Brussels four times a week. Wizz Air offers flights to Charleroi airport once a week.

Cankar's canon published in English for first time

KRANJ - The dramatic canon of Ivan Cankar, considered to be Slovenia's greatest playwright, has been translated into English for the first time to allow the West to discover a literary genius often compared to the likes of Henrik Ibsen. Devised by the Prešeren Theatre of Kranj in collaboration with the Crane Creations Theatre Company from Canada, the project Cankar Goes West aims to present to foreign audiences what is a major part of Slovenia's literary and dramatic canon.

New director takes over at Slovenia's leading theatre

LJUBLJANA - Dramaturgist Vesna Jurca Tadel took over as acting director of SNG Drama Ljubljana, Slovenia's leading theatre company, succeeding Igor Samobor, who stepped down in November after eight years on the job. Jurca Tadel, a dramaturgist, critic and translator who has worked at the Culture Ministry since 1995, has been appointed as acting director by Culture Minister Vasko Simoniti for a period of up to one year. A call for applications to fill the post of director will be published in the meantime.

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Minister says all Covid measures on the table due to Omicron

LJUBLJANA - Due to enhanced spread of the Omicron variant of coronavirus, all Covid measures are on the table and will be discussed this week, Health Minister Janez Poklukar said, adding that the best solutions for the health system and society in general would be sought. If the measures are not socially acceptable, they do not serve their purpose. Asked whether obligatory vaccination may be introduced and the recovered-tested-vaccinated rule changed to recovered-vaccinated, Poklukar said he was waiting for guidelines from experts.

Over 1,000 coronavirus infections detected on Sunday

LJUBLJANA - The epidemiological curve continues to rise in Slovenia, with the number of new infections confirmed on Sunday amounting to 1,008, up by over 40% on the week before. More than 44% of all PCR tests were positive. Data provided by the government show that 548 Covid patients are currently in hospital, 15 more than yesterday, including 173 in intensive care, the same as yesterday. Eleven patients died.

Poklukar identifies agreement on HERA as key EU presidency achievement

LJUBLJANA - Health Minister Janez Poklukar took stock of the achievements of the Slovenian EU presidency in his brief, identifying the political agreement on the new European Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) as one of the biggest achievements. He also listed the search for innovative solutions for more resilient health systems, improving accessibility and availability of medicines, stepping up the combat against cancer and boosting the EU's global role.

Damijan Dolinar takes over at SID Bank

LJUBLJANA - SID Bank, Slovenia's development and export bank, has a new management board as the term of the board headed by Sibil Svilan expired at the end of 2021. Taking over at the fully state-owned bank on 1 January was Damijan Dolinar, with Stanka Šarc Majdič joining him as a board member. A third member is expected to be appointed soon as Gašpar Ogris Martič withdrawn his bid before the beginning of the term.

State budget with record amount of revenue in December 2021

LJUBLJANA - The state budget recorded revenue of EUR 1.1 billion in December last year, the highest since general government revenue started to be recorded, show the preliminary estimates by the Finance Ministry. Expenditure meanwhile amounted to EUR 1.67 billion, with deficit standing at EUR 572 million. State budget revenue in December 2021 was 14.7% higher than in December 2019, and 51.1% higher than in December 2020.

Investments in Slovenian army to top EUR 100m this year

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia will allocate more than EUR 100 million for defence investments this year. In line with the act on investments in the Slovenian Armed Forces in 2021-2026, modernisation and staffing consolidation remain the key projects. Most of the funds will go for armoured vehicles and a transport aircraft, and the reconstruction and adaptation of military infrastructure around the country.

Staff put forward bill to overhaul RTV Slovenija

LJUBLJANA - Four prominent long-serving members of staff at RTV Slovenija have drawn up a bill in which they propose transforming the public broadcaster into a fully independent public broadcasting service overseen by a board of trustees. They believe a consensus has been reached in public on the need to reform media legislation, but say this should not be in the hands of those who hold political power or interest groups and lobbies.

Šimundža leaving Mura for Bulgarian champions Ludogorets

LJUBLJANA - After coaching Mura to the title of national champions, Ante Šimundža has left the football club from Murska Sobota to continue his career in the Bulgarian champions Ludogorets Razgrad. This makes him only a second Slovenian to coach a major European club after Luka Elsner, who manages Belgium's Standard Liège. According to the Ludogorets Razgrad website, Šimundža's assistants in the club will be Slovenian Damjan Ošlaj and Croatian Luka Bašić.

2022 dedicated to greats Plečnik and Tartini

LJUBLJANA - The government decided at the end of December that 2022 will be dedicated to Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik (1872-1957) after declaring it the year of Piran-born Italian composer and violinist Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770) earlier in the month, to mark the two greats' birth anniversaries, the 150th and 330th, respectively.

Army helicopter crews aided more than 600 people in 2021

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian army helicopter crews clocked up 633 interventions in 2021 to airlift 644 injured or sick people, carry incubators and drop roughly 110,00 litres of water on fires, government data shows. The 151st Rotary Wing Squadron of the Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) assisted in 196 mountain rescue operations and seven firefighting campaigns, responded to 410 medical emergencies and carried incubators 20 times for a total of 711 flight hours. Defence Ministry data shows that the total number of SAF helicopter interventions was higher only in 2019 and 2018, at 733 and 654, respectively.

Ljubljana stock market in the green

LJUBLJANA - Stock brokers closed deals worth EUR 1.09 million on the Ljubljana Stock Exchange, as the SBI TOP index of blue chips gained 0.65% on the first trading day in 2022. While accounting for the bulk of daily volume, pharma company Krka was the only one to record a drop (-1.27%). Tool maker Unior gained the most, almost 4%.

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Stevanović cleared of suspicion of incitement to resistance

KRANJ - The prosecution dismissed on 24 December a criminal complaint police filed against Zoran Stevanović, the leader of the non-parliamentary party Resni.ca (Truth), over suspicion of incitement to resistance for having urged people to go to protests against anti-coronavirus measures, the party said in a release. Stevanović was detained during the 5 October protest in Ljubljana, which turned violent, and then the police searched his home and the party's premises in Kranj. The party holds that the prosecution's decision proves Stevanović's detention and house searches were unlawful, so he intends to press charges.

Almost 830 new Covid cases on Saturday as upward trend continues

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded 829 new cases of Covid on Saturday as the upward trend from last week continues following several weeks of decline. The number of new cases was up 20% on the week before and the positivity rate of PCR tests by 11 points to 42%. The 14-day incidence per 100,000 people was up 3 to 847 in a day, while the number of active cases is estimated at almost 17,960. Six Covid patients died, whil 533 patients are beibng treated in hospital, one fewer than yesterday.

Air passenger transport slowly recovering amid uncertainty

BRNIK - The aviation industry is on the path to recovery after being severely hit by the pandemic. At Ljubljana airport, where a new passenger terminal opened in 2021, the number of flights and passengers is increasing, but there is still much uncertainty, including concerns related to the spread of the omicron variant of coronavirus. The operator of Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport is optimistic though: "Airlines are coming back, regular routes are being established again, and we are still looking to add more frequent flights and some destinations that we already had before," Zmago Skobir, an adviser to the management at Fraport Slovenija, told the STA.

Minimum wage directive progress one of EU presidency successes

LJUBLJANA - The government considers the harmonisation of the Council's position on the minimum wage directive to be among the successes of Slovenia's EU presidency. The Labour Ministry has not commented on the details, but said this directive could lead to an increase in minimum wages in many EU countries and have a positive impact on more than 25 million workers. "This was a remarkable success for Slovenia ... as an agreement between member states was considered unlikely at the start of the presidency," the ministry has said. The progress and efforts were also commended by Slovenia's trade unions and other organisations.

Slovenian motorways to celebrate 50 years

LJUBLJANA - National motorways company DARS will mark 50 years in 2022 since the first motorway section opened to traffic in Slovenia, as well as the former Yugoslavia. It was in December 1972 that first cars drove on the section between Vrhnika and Postojna on what is now the Primorska section of the A1 motorway. DARS's major project this year will be the full introduction of electronic toll stickers after it was launched at the end of 2021. The company meanwhile plans to spend EUR 74 million on new roads and another EUR 75 million on renovation this year.

Ljubno's new ski-jumping tournament to expand to Austria

LJUBNO OB SAVINJI - Slovenia's Ljubno ob Savinji is to be joined by Austria's Villach to organise the New Year's series for women ski jumpers in the 2022/23 season, after the Slovenian venue hosted the newly-formed New Year's series for women modelled on a similar one for men on 31 December and 1 January. On the occasion, a delegation from Villach visited the organisers to tell them "the Austrian Ski Association has endorsed cooperation with Ljubno in organising next New Year's tournament", Rajko Pintar, head of the Ljubno organising committee, told the STA.

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This summary is provided by the STA: 

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: