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:

Police commissioner to lodge criminal complaint against MP Mahnič

LJUBLJANA - Police Commissioner Tatjana Bobnar is to file a defamation complaint against Democrats (SDS) MP Žan Mahnič, the vice-chair of the parliamentary Commission for the Oversight of Intelligence and Security Services (KNOVS) after he had accused her of lying about alleged spying on politicians by the police. The police said on Thursday that Bobnar would lodge a complaint against Mahnič over "misleading and malicious statements and an attack on her honour, good name and integrity". Mahnič said the fact that a preliminary investigation had been launched into the spying allegations - Bobnar spoke on Thursday of an investigation against possible spying by individuals outside the police force - was proof that she had been lying to KNOVS members as they had made an inquiry on Tuesday, and should thus resign.

Šarec says EU Commission's budget proposal is provocation

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Coming out of an EU summit dedicated to the bloc's next seven-year budget, which ended without an agreement, Prime Minister Marjan Šarec told reporters that the European Commission had presented a technical proposal for the 2021-2027 budget which the cohesion countries rejected. The plenary session, which was postponed several times during the day, was very short and the proposal was not even discussed, "because we saw it as a provocation after everything we have witnessed in the last 24 hours", Šarec said.

Cerar discusses W Balkans with Swedish counterpart

STOCKHOLM, Sweden - Foreign Minister Miro Cerar started a two-day visit to Sweden by meeting Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde and Speaker Andreas Norlen, with the officials stressing the importance of an EU future for Western Balkan countries, and discussed sustainable development as well as the EU's challenges. Cerar said that both countries advocate in their foreign policy respect for the rule of law, and promote human rights and multilateralism. He also presented to Linde Slovenia's preparations for the EU's presidency in the second half of 2021. "Slovenia will encourage sustainable development, the rule of law and strive to strengthen the EU's global role as well as its role in providing for the security and well-being of European citizens," he said.

Slovenian banks' 2019 earnings at all-time high

LJUBLJANA - 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.

Cruise passengers due home on chartered flight tomorrow

LJUBLJANA - The government said that two Slovenian passengers from the quarantined cruise ship Diamond Princess will be flown home on a chartered flight tomorrow, along with a Croatian citizen, after being airlifted from Japan to Germany. A plane carrying Europeans from the cruise ship docked in the Japanese port of Yokohama for a two-week quarantine is expected to touch down at Berlin Tegel. Of the total of six Slovenian passengers on the ship two have tested positive for the novel coronavirus and have been hospitalised in Japan. A further two have returned home and have been placed under a two-week quarantine after renewed tests for the virus turned out negative.

Candidates for EU court judges feel up to the task

LJUBLJANA - The three candidates for two Slovenian judges at the EU's General Court in Luxembourg who have been put forward by President Borut Pahor presented themselves at the Presidential Palace. Klemen Podobnik, Jure Vidmar and Nina Savin Bossière are confident they would pass the interview of the Brussels committee tasked with vetting candidates. While Podobnik is the candidate for one of the two seats reserved for Slovenia, Vidmar and Savin Bossière have been shortlisted for the second seat following a selection process that also involved the Judicial Council. To be appointed they need absolute majority in parliament, while they also have to make it past Committee 255, the vetting body in Brussels that rejected Slovenian candidate Marko Pavliha in September last year.

Bill to declare Slovenian Sports Day lodged in parliament

LJUBLJANA - A group of MPs headed by Gregor Židan of the Modern Centre Party (SMC) has filed in parliamentary procedure changes to the act on public holidays and work-off days so as to declare 1 October Slovenian Sports Day, the SMC announced. This comes at the initiative of the Slovenian Olympic Committee from last year, with the goal of raising awareness about the importance of physical activity. The holiday would mark the day in 1863 of the formation of the sports club Južni Sokol (Southern Falcon), which also fought against German assimilation at the time. The SMC also said that athletes and sports teams have a strong unifying effect on the nation.

Experts say Slovenian language alive and well

LJUBLJANA - Commenting on the state of Slovenian amid strong global currents that are headed by English, Nataša Gliha Komac of the Fran Ramovš Institute of Slovenian Language told the STA Slovenian remained an active and vibrant language. Still, many challenges remain, she added on the occasion of 21 February, International Mother Language Day. Meanwhile, the president of the Slovenian Writers' Association (DSP) Dušan Merc said that Slovenian has been developed in the last 100-plus years into a tool enabling Slovenia to operate as an independent nation state.

Ljubljana Festival to honour Beethoven this summer

LJUBLJANA - The 68th Ljubljana Festival will be dedicated to composer Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) to mark the 250th anniversary of his birth, as a number of his works will be performed as the annual festival takes the streets this summer with open-air concerts. Performances of Beethoven's works will feature The Ninth Symphony performed by the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, Piano Concerto No. 3 with the legendary Dubravka Tomšič Srebotnjak accompanied by the Philharmonics. The Gstaad Festival Orchestra will perform Beethoven's only opera, Fidelio, under the baton of Jaap van Zweden, featuring tenor Jonas Kaufmann and soprano Anja Kampe, among other performances.

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

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

This summary is provided by the STA:

Two Slovenians from Diamond Princess cruise ship test positive for COVID-19

LJUBLJANA - Two passengers aboard the cruise ship Diamond Princess are the first Slovenians to test positive for the novel coronavirus COVID-19, officials from the National Institute of Public Health announced in Ljubljana. The other four Slovenian cruise ship passengers have tested negative. Two of them have already arrived in Slovenia and have been placed in a 14-day quarantine, while two are still waiting to return.

Information Commissioner launches inspection over spying allegations

LJUBLJANA - Information Commissioner Mojca Prelesnik confirmed that her office had launched inspection proceedings to examine whether police officers really dug around the records of certain politicians with the aim of pressuring or discrediting them. The police in turn said they were investigating individuals outside the police force. The commissioner thus responded to allegations that surfaced in recent days and culminated in Tuesday's visit to the National Bureau of Investigation by three members of the parliamentary Commission for the Oversight of Intelligence and Security Services.

Šarec expects tough EU budget talks

BRUSSELS - Prime Minister Marjan Šarec repeated in Brussels that Slovenia could not accept the latest proposal for the EU's 2021-2027 budget because the cut in cohesion funds was still too drastic. He expects negotiations to be tough and does not think agreement is attainable at this summit. Arriving for the EU summit dedicated to the issue, Šarec said that under the compromise proposal drawn up by European Council President Charles Michel Slovenia would lose 24% of cohesion funds.

Slovenian officials express condolences to Germany over Hanau attacks

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian President Borut Pahor sent a letter of condolences to his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier over Wednesday's terrorist attacks in Hanau, which has left eleven people dead, including the suspected perpetrator and his mother. Pahor expressed his condolences and compassion to the families and relatives of the victims on behalf of Slovenia. Foreign Minister Miro Cerar also expressed Slovenia's solidarity with Germany in a tweet today. He extended his "sincere condolences" to his German counterpart Heiko Maas and the relatives of the victims.

SMC council says coalition talks should continue, one MP against

LJUBLJANA - The council of the Modern Centre Party (SMC) agreed on late on Wednesday that SMC head Zdravko Počivalšek should continue with talks on the formation of a new coalition following the resignation of PM Marjan Šarec. The only one of 26 council members to vote against was Jani Möderndorfer, one of the SMC's 10 MPs. Möderndorfer said this had no bearing on his position in the party for the time being.

Public broadcaster warns of escalating attacks on its staff

LJUBLJANA - RTV Slovenija, the public broadcaster, warned of escalating attacks on its journalists, editors and other staff in recent days in the form of threatening and offensive phone calls, e-mails, letters and social network posts, condemning them in the strongest terms. The his comes after the Journalists' Association (DNS) and the Culture Ministry condemned attacks on journalists reporting about alleged funding from Hungary of media with ties to the Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS).

Corruption watchdog to look into alleged political staffing at cultural institutions

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Culture Committee called on the corruption watchdog last night to look into appointments of heads of culture institutions made by the Culture Ministry due to suspicions of politically-motivated staffing. Culture Minister Zoran Poznič denies the allegations. The committee session was called by the Left, which claims that Poznič, a member of the Social Democrats (SD), has been appointing people linked to the party to top positions in some of the major cultural public institutions.

Higher court confirms acquittal of Slovenian bilingual sign activist

KLAGENFURT, Austria - The acquittal of a member of the Slovenian minority in Austria, who had been charged of vandalism for affixing a sticker with the Slovenian name to the place sign of his home village in Carinthia, has been confirmed by a higher court. Welcoming the decision, the Slovenian community called for an adequate solution to the bilingual signs issue. Franc Kukovica was first acquitted of the charges in March 2019 by the Eisenkappel District Court, and the acquittal has now been confirmed by the Klagenfurt Regional Court.

NLB reports 5% lower profit for 2019

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's largest bank, NLB saw its group net profit decrease by 5% to EUR 193.6 million last year. Its unaudited report, also shows that the core bank's profit rose by 6.5% to EUR 176.1 million. The group's total net operating income rose by 4% to EUR 513.6 million as net interest revenue rose by 2% to EUR 318.5 million, while net non-interest revenue increased by 8% to EUR 195.1 million. The group formed minimal provisions, after releasing EUR 23.3 million in 2018.

Former C-bank head says laundering allegations focused only on NKBM

LJUBLJANA - Former central bank Governor Boštjan Jazbec appeared in parliament today to speak about alleged money laundering in the NKBM bank, noting that only documents from the NKBM bank had been made public, while the so-called "Italian typology" had been detected at other banks as well. Appearing in front of the parliamentary inquiry which also looks into alleged illegal funding of the Democrats (SDS), Banka Slovenije governor said that the central bank, based on findings from bank oversight, had issued several decisions related to established irregularities in the prevention of money laundering.

Consumer confidence drops 9pp y/y

LJUBLJANA - Consumer confidence dropped 9 percentage points (pp) year-on-year in February. After two months of consecutive growth, the index decreased by 2pp compared to January, the Statistics Office said on Thursday. The index was also 7pp lower than last year's average but was still 3pp above the ten-year average.

Group of MPs pushes for new hydro power plants on the Sava

LJUBLJANA - A group of 51 MPs led by Igor Zorčič of the Modern Centre Party (SMC) filed into parliamentary procedure legislative changes that would enable easier and faster completion of the planned power stations on the lower Sava river. They argue that the construction law is ambiguous and that it in effect prevents the construction of complex energy and infrastructural facilities, including the power stations on the lower Sava.

Waste packaging keeps piling up

LJUBLJANA - As waste collecting utility companies across Slovenia are buckling under more than 16,000 tonnes of packaging waste, their representatives urged the government to take action. However, Simon Zajc, the outgoing environment minister, rejected the call for a new emergency bill as premature. The problem of municipal packaging waste had been persisting since 2006. The emergency law passed in late 2018 to remove piles of waste has not solved the problem and there is more than 16,400 tonnes of packaging waste plied up in the utility companies' depots.

Slovenia to cooperate with Cuba in culture, education and science

LJUBLJANA - The government adopted at today's correspondence session an initiative to conclude an agreement on cooperation in culture, education, science, sport and youth policies with Cuba. It is meant to facilitate cooperation and exchange of know-how between relevant institutions and organisations.

Carnival festivities begin

PTUJ/CERKNICA/CERKNO/LJUBLJANA - Shrovetide festivities got under way all around Slovenia and will culminate with carnivals in the coming days before concluding next Tuesday with the death of Pust, as the Shrovetide period is called in Slovenian. While the 60th Kurentovanje carnival in Ptuj already got under way last Saturday, Pust really starts today, also known as Fat Thursday or Small Pust.

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

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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.

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

This summary is provided by the STA:

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

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:

Tusk pleads with Slovenian EPP members to form coalition

LJUBLJANA - Donald Tusk, the head of the European People's Party (EPP), pleaded with the Slovenian members of the EPP not to waste the chance to take "leadership in both the parliament and the government", after meeting New Slovenia (NSi) head Matej Tonin in Brussels. NSi is in talks to form a government headed by the fellow EPP member Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) and also involving the Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) and the Modern Centre Party (SMC) after PM Marjan Šarec stepped down.

Intelligence services commission investigating suspicion of abuse of NBI

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Commission for Intelligence and Security Services Oversight (KNOVS) performed an unannounced inspection at the National Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday, investigating suspicion that that outgoing Prime Minister Marjan Šarec and his state secretary Damir Črnčec had abused intelligence and security services to "influence, threaten and extort MPs and leaderships of parties of the potential future coalition," said KNOS vice president Žan Mahnič, a member of the Democratic Party (SDS), which is trying to form the coalition. The police released a strong-worded response, denying the media reports that raised these suspicions.

Slovenians quarantined on cruise ship due home by weekend

LJUBLJANA - The three Slovenian couples quarantined on the cruise ship Diamond Princess in the Japanese port of Yokohama are expected to return home by the end of the week. The Foreign Ministry, which is organising their return home in cooperation with other European countries, said all six of them were feeling fine. Two of them have tested negative for the novel coronavirus, Covid-19, while the results for the other four passengers are not yet available. They will be tested again upon their return home. Discussing the outbreak today, the government said no infection had been detected in Slovenia this far.

Slovenia well equipped for COVID-19 diagnosis, less for outbreak, experts say

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia is well prepared for early diagnosis in the case of an outbreak of the novel coronavirus COVID-19, but its hospitals could not handle a great number of patients, experts told the parliamentary Health Committee. Slovenia's hospitals have been neglected for too long and are ill-equipped for a big epidemic, the body heard. "In Slovenia, we must work on hospital infrastructure. Improvisation cannot be our default work mode," Aleš Rozman, the head of Golnik hospital, said.

Petition urges Šarec to take more decisive climate action

LJUBLJANA - A petition addressed to PM Marjan Šarec and backed by 12,700 individuals and 255 organisations called for the government to take more resolute measures to fight climate change in response to the latest warnings from experts. The call for timely decarbonisation of the energy, transport and agriculture sectors comes as the caretaker government is to adopt the national energy and climate plan, which sets out the course of action until 2030.

Culture Ministry condemns attacks on journalists

LJUBLJANA - The Culture Ministry joined the condemnation of different forms of attacks on journalists reporting about alleged funding from circles around Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban of media with ties to the Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS). Echoing last week's reaction by the Journalists' Association (DNS), the ministry said the recent outburst of public stigmatisation and even street assaults on journalists was a worrying indication of an escalation of pressure.

Illegal migration almost doubled in January

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian police recorded 595 cases of illegal crossing of the border in January, or 84.8% more than in the same month last year. As many as 30% of these involved Moroccans, followed by Afghans and Egyptians. The number of asylum applications rose by 48.6% compared to 235. Only 12 persons were granted asylum, while procedures were suspended in 180 cases, mostly because the applicants left the county. Slovenian authorities returned to 362 migrants to Croatia.

Slovenia fully meets aid commitment for Iraq

LJUBLJANA - The Foreign Ministry said that Slovenia had recently donated EUR 40,000 to the International Committee of the Red Cross for immediate humanitarian aid to Iraq, thus fully meeting the commitment it gave as part of the international conference for reconstruction of Iraq, held in Kuwait in February 2018. At the conference, Slovenia promised EUR 100,000 in aid for the 2018-2020 period. It had already transferred two EUR 30,000 instalments earlier.

SDS questions Petrol deal with Russian company under US sanctions

LJUBLJANA - The Democrats (SDS) called for an emergency session of the parliamentary Public Finance Oversight Commission to examine a cooperation memorandum signed last September by the state-controlled energy company Petrol with a Russian company subject to US sanctions. The memorandum with T Plus was signed as part of a visit to Moscow by outgoing Prime Minister Marjan Šarec and envisages cooperation with the T Plus Group and Schneider Electric Russia in the field of energy efficiency.

Pensioners to benefit from 3.2% rise

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian pensioners can look forward to 3.2% higher pensions at the end of the month as part of a regular annual adjustment with wages and consumer prices. Pensions will be adjusted as of January at the annual cost of EUR 172 million to The Pension and Disability Insurance Institute (ZPIZ), director-general Marijan Papež said as the rise was endorsed by the ZPIZ council. Provided that the economic growth exceeds 2.5%, pensions will rise again at the end of the year.

Cancelled bidder for Koper-Divača bridge tender gets another chance

LJUBLJANA - The bidder that won the public tender for the first of several bridges on the planned new railway between the port of Koper and Divača but was later dismissed over flawed documentation has been successful with its appeal. 2TDK, the state company managing the construction, announced it would ask Markomark Nival to change its subcontractor. This was after the National Review Commission said 2TDK had been right to doubt one of the references listed by the bidder but should not have annulled the tender.

Journalist organisations protest against layoffs at Delo

LJUBLJANA - The Trade Union of Journalists and Journalists' Association (DNS) issued a protest against the ongoing layoffs at Delo, the largest newspaper publisher in the country. The two organisations say the management is abusing social dialogue and demolishing the newspaper and Slovenian journalism by shedding a quarter of its workforce within three years. Delo confirmed laying off seven journalists and photographers today as part of a reorganisation, but denied any violations.

Cinkarna Celje's main product classified as suspected carcinogen

CELJE - Cinkarna Celje, one of the biggest chemical companies in the country and one of the few makers of titanium dioxide, a substance used in pigments, is facing a challenge after its main product was declared as suspected of causing cancer by the European Commission. Cinkarna Celje said it had been introducing measures to reduce potential risks since 2006. The company regretted that the classification wording was unclear and allowed various interpretations.

Petrol acquiring power retailer for western Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - The energy company Petrol confirmed that it had been chosen as the best bidder to acquire E3, the subsidiary of the power distributor Elektro Primorska which is one of the largest electricity sellers in the country. The newspaper Finance reported that Petrol would pay EUR 15 million for E3 and that the agreement was to be signed by the end of February. The acquisition would raise Petrol's share in the electricity retail market to 20% and the share in power supply to households to almost 25%.

Postal company plans further expansion in SE Europe

MARIBOR - Having finalised the acquisition of the logistics company Intereuropa, the national postal operator Pošta Slovenije plans to further expand in the markets of the Southeast Europe and make EUR 195 million in investment over the next six years. The company expects to generate EUR 457 million in revenue this year. Its strategic development plan by 2025 has recently been endorsed by Slovenian Sovereign Holding. Pošta Slovenije and Intereuropa employ a combined 8,000 people.

Israir Airlines to connect Ljubljana and Tel Aviv

BRNIK - The Slovenian Tourist Board (STO) announced that Israeli airline Israir Airlines would start flying between Tel Aviv and the Slovenian capital in April. The STO said that the link was a result of presentations to business and individuals in Israel at the IMTM tourism conference in Tel Aviv. The scheduled link will be launched with three flights in April, and continued with two flights a week between 23 May and 13 October.

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

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

This summary is provided by the STA:

Salaries in Slovenia higher in 2019

LJUBLJANA - Average monthly take-home pay in Slovenia increased last year by 3.7% in nominal terms and by 2.1% in real terms to EUR 1,133.50, fresh data from the Statistics Office showed. Average gross monthly pay for 2019 amounted to EUR 1,753.84, up 4.3% in nominal terms and up 2.7% in real terms compared to average monthly earnings in 2018. Gross earnings in the private sector rose by 3.9% and those in the public sector by 5.4%, rising as much as 6.5% in the general government sector. The growth in the public sector was largely due to a new pay deal negotiated in late 2018.

FM: Slovenia still unsatisfied with EU budget proposal

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenian Foreign Minister Miro Cerar assessed that the EU 7-year spending plan recently proposed by European Council President Charles Michel is still inadequate for Slovenia. There are slight improvements in cohesion policy in comparison with the previous proposals, but this is not enough, he said. The foreign minister assessed the compromise proposal for the 2021-2027 EU budget to the press on the sidelines of a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council.

SAB snubs Janša

LJUBLJANA - The secretary general of the Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) Jernej Pavlič rejected speculation that SAB was considering joining a potential centre-right government. "Talks on entering a Janez Janša government never took place and we'll never engage in them," he said, adding SAB's deputy group stood united in this respect. Pavlič added that SAB, a centre-left party with 5 MPs which was part of the recently disbanded coalition, would not abandon its priorities, which include pensioners, public education and public healthcare.

SDS overtakes Šarec's party in latest Vox Populi poll

LJUBLJANA/MARIBOR - In the latest Vox Populi poll, the Democrats (SDS) have gained almost three percentage points to 19.6% to overtake the party of the outgoing Prime Minister Marjan Šarec, which slipped back to 17.1%. More than half of the respondents would like to see a new election called as soon as possible. The SDS gained 2.6 percentage points compared to the January poll conducted by Ninamedia for the newspapers Dnevnik and Večer, while the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) dropped 2.3 points after losing 0.8 points last month.

Intesa San Paolo net profit more than doubles

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Intesa Sanpaolo bank generated EUR 23.8 million in net profit last year, up 121.7% compared to 2018, the bank said. Operating revenue meanwhile increased by 1.9% to EUR 75.7 million, while the bank's assets went up by 3.6% to EUR 2.69 billion. The bank, owned by the Italian Intesa San Paolo group, generated EUR 29 million in profit before tax, which was 120.4% more than in 2018. In nominal terms, the bank's assets grew by EUR 92.8 million, while its market share in terms of assets reached 6.5%, placing it sixth among banks in Slovenia at the end of 2019.

Slovenians aboard quarantined cruise ship in good health

LJUBLJANA/YOKOHAMA, Japan - The six Slovenians who have been quarantined due to the novel coronavirus COVID-19 aboard cruise ship Diamond Princess are in good health, the Foreign Ministry said. Unless they get sick, the three couples might be able to leave the ship on Wednesday, when the two-week quarantine will end. The ministry said it had also been talking to some other EU member states, whose citizens are also on the cruise ship, about the possibilities of getting them back to Europe as soon as possible.

Dončić scores 8 points in 2020 NBA All Star Game

CHICAGO, US - Slovenia's basketball star Luka Dončić of the the Dallas Mavericks played in the 2020 NBA All Star game in Chicago Sunday night, scoring 8 points and contributing four passes for the winning Team LeBron, headed by the legendary LeBron James of the LA Lakers. Team LeBron won the game 157 to 155 against Team Giannis, led by Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks. The 20-year-old said the all star game weekend in Chicago had been a great experience. Among others, he met former US President Barack Obama and legendary basketball player Michael Jordan.

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

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

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Cerar discusses W Balkans and Three Seas Initiative in Munich

MUNICH, Germany - Foreign Minister Miro Cerar attended panels on the Western Balkans and the Three Seas Initiative and held a number of bilateral meetings at the 2020 Munich Security Conference, the Foreign Ministry said. Cerar met his counterparts from Iran, Egypt, Georgia and Croatia as well as Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić, while he also participated in the meeting of PM Marjan Šarec with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti.

Vlhova takes Golden Fox slalom and overall trophy

KRANJSKA GORA - Slovak Alpine skier Petra Vlhova won the women's World Cup race in Slovenia's Kranjska gora, also bagging the overall Golden Fox trophy following a second place in Saturday's giant slalom. Vlhova secured her 14th career win with an aggressive second run, attacking from fourth after the first. Second place in Kranjska Gora, which stood in this year for Maribor as the traditional Golden Fox venue, went to Wendy Holdener of Switzerland (+0.24) and third to Katharina Truppe from Austria (+0.89). The best Slovenian skier was Meta Hrovat, who finished 11th after a third place in the giant slalom.

Zajc with another podium finish at Kulm ski flying meet

BAD MITTERNDORF, Austria - Following a second place at Saturday's FIS Ski Jumping World Cup event in Austria's Bad Mitterndorf, Slovenia's Timi Zajc (230.1 points) finished third at the same venue on Sunday. Victory went to Austria's Stefan Kraft (232.6) and second place to Ryoyu Kobayashi (231.9) from Japan. Zajc's third podium finish of this winter was embellished with a strong performance by several more Slovenians. Domen Prevc was fifth, Anže Semenič 12th, Žiga Jelar 14th, Peter Prevc 20th and Juri Tepeš 21st.

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

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President regrets Italian leaders ignore historical truths

KOMEN - President Borut Pahor expressed sadness over the "abuse of 10 February, the Foibe Remembrance Day," and regret that high representatives of Italy ignored the historical truth Slovenia and Italy established together, as he addressed a World War II commemoration on Friday. This comes nearly a week after the Italian neo-Fascist movement CasaPound put up banners describing World War II Partisans as assassins, issuing a protest following an attempt in December to deny the suffering of Slovenians at the hands of Fascists.

Janša says next snap election likely close

MURSKA SOBOTA - Addressing a ceremonial session marking the 31st anniversary of the Democratic Party (SDS) its leader Janez Janša said that the next snap election is likely close. Janša has been in coalition-building talks with the Modern Centra Party (SMC), the Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) and New Slovenia (NSi) for over a week and said on Friday that a coalition would be possible in terms of content.

Nova24TV poll shows SDS in lead, LMŠ losing ground

LJUBLJANA - A poll commissioned by broadcaster Nova24TV shows the Democratic Party (SDS) in the lead with 20.1% support (up 1.8 pp over a week ago), with the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) in second place with 12.8% (down 4.4 pp compared to a week ago). The Social Democrats (SD) are in place three with 6.5%, followed by New Slovenia (NSi) with 4.9% and the Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) with 3.9%. The Modern Centre Party (SMC) with a support of 3.2% would not have made it into parliament.

Robinson wins Golden Fox giant slalom, local Hrovat 3rd

KRANJSKA GORA - Slovenian skier Meta Hrovat was third at the Golden Fox FIS World Cup giant slalom, sharing the result with Swiss Wendy Holdener. First place went to Alice Robinson of New Zealand, while Slovak Petra Vlhova was second. Vlhova was 0.34 seconds slower that Robinson, whereas Hrovat's and Holdener's gap was 1.59 seconds. Federice Brignone, the overall giant slalom world cup leader, was eighth.

Zajc second in ski flying competition in Kulm

BAD MITTERNDORF, Austria - Ski jumper Timi Zajc won second place in the FIS Ski Jumping World Cup competition on the Kulm ski flying hill. Piotr Žyla of Poland won first place, while third place went to Austrian Stefan Kraft. This was Zajc's second podium this winter, and fourth of his career, whereas Žyla logged his second victory today, some seven years after his first.

TEŠ power plant likely to close earlier than expected

LJUBLJANA - teš6, Slovenia's newest coal-fired generator, is not likely to reach its life expectancy, the boss of HSE, the national power utility, Stojan Nikolić indicated in an interview for the newspaper Dnevnik. The reason for this is that the nearby Velenje mine is unlikely to be viable after 2045. It would simply not be prudent for the TEŠ power plant, which like the mine is owned by the HSE, to operate after the mine closes because imported coal would be more expensive. Life expectancy of TEŠ6 has been estimated at 2054.

Kurentovanje carnival kicks off in Ptuj

PTUJ - The 60th Kurentovanje carnival got under way, bringing together thousands of traditional masks and costumes. For the first time ever during Kurentovanje, the popular festival will showcase decadent Venetian masks and exotic appearances from Bolivia. Kurentovanje will, of course, feature Kurents as well, scary and clamorous sheep-skin wearing Slovenian costumes. The biggest carnival in the country remains the greatest museum of intangible carnival heritage, according to the organisers. More than 2,200 persons or 44 groups from across the world were to take part in the procession, and four costumes which are protected by UNESCO.

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PM expects committee sessions on foreign financing of parties

LJUBLJANA - Outgoing PM Marjan Šarec has urged "relevant parliamentary committees chairs" to start actively discussing potentially problematic foreign funding of Slovenian parties and their media outlets. "Whoever finances you, probably does not do that because you're adorable but because they want something in return," he wrote on Facebook. Šarec warned against a potential new coalition led by the Democrats (SDS), saying that instead of wondering about various bids and who will get which department, "we should be asking ourselves to whom this (potential) government would be subordinated".

DeSUS wants concrete pledges in coalition talks, focus on healthcare and elderly

LJUBLJANA - The Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) published a list of priorities it wants tied to a timeline and funding secured if it is to enter a new government following the resignation of PM Marjan Šarec. The list, entailing an estimated EUR 2 billion in expenditure in the coming two years, is topped by healthcare and elderly care issues.

Pahor to host second round of party talks on 24 and 25 February

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor said that he would hold a second round of consultations with parliamentary parties on 24 and 25 February to determine whether there is consensus that would lead to the nomination of a prime minister designate. The president's office said that the dates had been chosen so as to give Pahor enough time to think about a potential nomination. Pahor held the first round of talks last week, saying on Thursday that he would call a second round if it seemed like a coalition was possible.

EU too self-absorbed, Šarec says in Munich

MUNICH, Germany - Slovenia's outgoing prime minister, Marjan Šarec, rebuked the EU over excessive self-absorption and inefficiency as he spoke on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. Illustrating, he said the bloc was not even capable of agreeing its expansion to the Western Balkans. "The European Union is having difficulty adapting in this globalised world," said Šarec; it is surrounded by superpowers with different decision-making models such as China, Russia or the US, while the EU is a community of countries which makes decision-making cumbersome.

Youths urge better climate plan in Valentine's Day card

LJUBLJANA - Young climate activists called on the Infrastructure Ministry with a special Valentine's Day present, giant card urging improvements on the draft national energy and climate plan. Prompted by the "imported consumerist day of love", they read out a poem that they had written for Minister Alenka Bratušek, but the minister was not there to receive them, touring a road reconstruction site in the west of the country. The poem, written on a giant Valentine's Day card, asked for the national energy and climate plan not to let them meet with their premature deaths. Although "cute, the plan should bear more fruit".

Adria Airways brands on sale

LJUBLJANA - Five brands of Adria Airways, the bankrupt Slovenian air carrier, will be put up for sale through an invitation for binding bids at the asking price of EUR 100,000, the Kranj District Court has decided. The price, equal to the market price value, was set based on the proposal of the official receiver Janez Pustatičnik and a report on the value of the bankrupt debtor's brand as of October 2019 made in February by an official appraiser.

Construction industry stable in 2019

LJUBLJANA - The value of construction work in Slovenia expanded by 3.3% last year, which is a significant slowdown in growth compared to 2018, when the sector expanded by almost 20%. Construction of buildings expanded by 3.4% and the value of work in civil engineering rose by 3.2% last year, fresh data from the Statistics Office show.

International festival celebrates flamenco

LJUBLJANA - A concert by Rafael Riqueni, the great Spanish flamenco guitarist, will officially open the second biennial international flamenco festival at Cankarjev Dom tonight. The Bi Flamenko festival will feature some of the most compelling and interesting contemporary flamenco artists from Spain and elsewhere as well as classic flamenco artists.

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

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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.

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

This summary is provided by the STA:

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

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:

NSi fully backs SDS-led coalition talks

LJUBLJANA - The executive committee of New Slovenia (NSi) decided to give its head Matej Tonin and his team full support in the Democrats (SDS)-led negotiations on a new government. Tonin now has the mandate to negotiate on the programme and staffing decisions of the potential new government. The NSi is one of the three parties in talks with the SDS, alongside the Modern Centre Party (SMC) and the Pensioners' Party (DeSUS). Although the party would not reveal the topics it plans to defend in the negotiations, unofficial information suggest it might be interested in healthcare and long-term care.

SMC indicates talks with LMŠ derailed

LJUBLJANA - The Modern Centre Party (SMC) deputy group head Igor Zorčič indicated that a snap election-entailing alliance proposed the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) looked increasingly unlikely, while coalition talks with the Democrats (SDS) were going as expected. Whether all of the group's ten MPs would support the SDS coalition will depend on the talks' yield, said Zorčič, indicating also that staffing questions were open not only about ministry distribution but also about the potential prime minister.

Committee puts off decision on declaration regarding Catalonia

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Foreign Policy Committee unanimously postponed a Left-sponsored proposal to declare support to the protection of political and civil liberties in Spain. The MPs agreed that dialogue on tackling the Catalan issue between the governments in Barcelona and Madrid should be given time. Many committee members urged postponement to avoid any interfering in Spain's internal affairs, a reservation also voiced by the government when it rejected the proposal last week.

Pahor and Grabar-Kitarović stress friendly ties despite differences

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor said a farewell meeting with Croatian counterpart Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović that her picking Slovenia for her last visit had not been a coincidence, since Slovenia and Croatia were neighbouring and friendly countries. And not only that, "it is also that the two of us personally strived very hard" for the two countries to be on friendly terms, Pahor said. While he made a point of stressing that the border issue with Croatia was resolved in Slovenia's eyes, Grabar-Kitarović called on the Slovenian authorities to continue talks with the Croatian side to reach bilateral solutions for all open issues.

Britons keen to keep close business links after Brexit

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian companies wondering about the future relationship with their UK partners after Brexit were assured at an event held by the British Slovenian Chamber of Commerce and the British Embassy that Britons wanted to preserve the close business ties. "We would like for us to continue to grow together," UK Ambassador to Slovenia Sophie Honey said, noting the countries' close cooperation in many fields, from construction to banking and advanced technologies, with the volume of business between the two countries increasing by more than 10% over the past three years.

Minister discusses radio broadcasting dispute with Italian ambassador

LJUBLJANA - Public Administration Minister Rudi Medved hosted Italian Ambassador Carlo Campanile on Tuesday for talks on a long-running dispute between the two countries over radio station broadcasts in the border area seen as important for the Slovenian minority in Italy. Medved said technical solutions to resolve the issue existed. The two countries "have found a solution for TV [broadcasting] and there is no reason why it should not be found for radio spectrum," the Public Administration Ministry said. Campanile said he would inform the authorities in Rome of this issue, the ministry said.

Committee nods to environmental protection plan despite criticism

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Environment Committee unanimously endorsed the proposed national environmental protection programme by 2030, despite criticism of the lack of concrete measures therein. The document sets out goals within three areas: protecting, preserving and improving the state of natural resources, a low-carbon society, and dealing with key environmental risks. Among those the document lists brownfield areas, noise, biosecurity, handling of chemicals, light pollution, electromagnetic radiation and adaptation to climate change.

Environmental NGOs critical of draft climate plan

LJUBLJANA - Environmental NGOs believe that the draft National Energy and Climate Plan is not ambitious enough. Carbon neutrality by 2050 is too far off, Slovenia should aim for 2040 and should strive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than only 40% by 2030. In a joint statement four NGOs were critical of the plans leaving out the TEŠ thermal power plant. "The draft allows for decades of coal burning at TEŠ," they said while arguing Slovenia should give up coal by 2030.

Slovenia told to return EUR 5 million in agriculture funds

LJUBLJANA - The European Commission told Slovenia to return nearly EUR 5 million in agriculture funds based on the Commission's report on implementing funding per area for the 2015-2018 period in the framework of the EU common agricultural policy. Slovenia does not agree with this conclusion and will propose a conciliation procedure. The Commission's auditors reviewed some EUR 500 million of disbursed EU funds or almost 99% of total funds in the four-year period which were allocated to some 56,000 farms every year, according to the Agriculture Ministry.

Minister says railways are the future

LJUBLJANA - If in the past the state gave priority to motorways, now it is "high time to say that railway infrastructure is the future", Infrastructure Minister Alenka Bratušek said at a national conference on sustainable mobility hosted by her ministry. She called for a long-term plan of investment funding in railways, noting these would be multi-billion projects. The minister noted that the 20th EU mobility week would be held during Slovenia's EU presidency. She thinks this will be a great opportunity to promote sustainable and clean mobility.

Supreme Court president says past judicial year was successful

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian judiciary did a good job last year and the positive trends from the past continued, Supreme Court president Damijan Florjančič said at the start of a new judicial year. He however regretted that certain key legislative changes that would boost the judiciary were still pending. Slovenian courts received more than 839,000 cases for deliberation last year, resolving 850,000. In fact, Florjančič stressed the number of pending cases was reduced to below the level at the end of 1990. President Borut Pahor welcomed the positive trends but said there was still room for improvement.

New director appointed at Ljubljana opera

LJUBLJANA - Staš Ravter, who was the director of the Slovenian Cinematheque between 2005 and 2010, has been appointed director of the SNG Opera and Ballet theatre in Ljubljana, ending a leadership hiatus that lasted for almost two years. Ravter served in acting capacity since April 2019 after two unsuccessful calls for applications and was formally appointed director by the Culture Ministry effective on 10 February, the opera house said. It described Ravtar's five-year programme as ambitiously oriented, seeking a synergy between the artistic and business segment.

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