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This summary is provided by the STA:
68 new coronavirus cases confirmed as upward trend persists
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia confirmed 68 new cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, in what marks the third consecutive day of significant week-on-week increases. The 14-day incidence per 100,000 population rose by one to 20. The bulk of the recent surge comes from an outbreak that started at a school trip to Spain. Of the 334 secondary school students from the southern Dolenjska region who holidayed on the Spanish coast, 58 have tested positive since returning and all 334 are in quarantine.
Pharma group Krka posts record January-June sales, profit
NOVO MESTO - Pharmaceutical group Krka posted a net profit of EUR 177.4 million for the first half of the year, up 11% on the back of sales that reached EUR 808.6 million, a 1% increase over the same period last year, CEO Jože Colarič said at the company's annual general meeting in Novo Mesto. Operating profit dropped by 8% to EUR 200.1 million according to early figures and gross operating profit decreased by 7% to EUR 254.7 million.
Both advocates and opponents of new water law invoke protection of water
LJUBLJANA - Advocates and opponents of the changes to the waters act, to be put to a referendum vote on Sunday, stressed the need to protect water as they faced off on public broadcaster TV Slovenija on Wednesday evening. However, the advocates said the new law would better protect water, maintaining that compared to the existing legislation, construction would be limited, while water protection would be enhanced, including for drinking water. The opponents said it would endanger it because it enabled construction on the coast and along rivers and lake banks, posing a threat to waters.
Significantly more bears culled in six months than entire 2020
LJUBLJANA - Slovenian authorities dealt with more incidents of damage caused by bears and fewer by wolves in January-June compared to the same six-month period last year, while the total damage is lower. A total of 128 bears were culled in this period, a significant rise from a total of 99 culled in the entire 2020. In the first six months of 2021, authorities dealt with 120 cases of damage caused by brown bears and 80 cases of damage caused by wolves. Data the STA obtained from the Slovenian Forest Service shows the total damage is estimated at just under EUR 90,000.
Businesses feel latest stimulus package falls short
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's largest business chambers said the latest stimulus package for tourism did not meet expectations. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) said several measures that businesses had proposed and that would have gone farthest were not included in the package. The Chamber of Trade Crafts and Small Business (OZS) said the package did not address their concerns and would not help the entire economy.
EUR 689 million so far paid for furlough, short-time work
LJUBLJANA - From the start of the epidemic in April last year until 1 July this year, the Employment Service paid out a total of EUR 688.7 million for furlough subsidies, absence due to quarantine and reduced working hours. The funds were paid out under the eight laws determining emergency measures to contain the COVID-19 epidemic. The highest number of applications (57.9%) was for subsidized furlough.
Art Stays brings contemporary art to Ptuj
PTUJ - The 19th Art Stays international festival of contemporary art kicked off in Ptuj. This year's festival, entitled Structura, will present projects and works by new talents and established artists through 18 September. The central exhibition will be on show at the Ptuj City Gallery and present Structura through monochromatic works of Duša Jesih and Julie Mangold. It will also include various Slovenian artists, Israeli artist Gal Weinstein, young Azerbaijani artist Faig Ahmed and Mohammad Al-Hemd from Kuwait.
Exhibition on illustrator Hinko Smrekar opens at National Gallery
LJUBLJANA - An exhibition on versatile Slovenian artist Hinko Smrekar opened at the National Gallery in Ljubljana. Smrekar (1883-1942) was one of the pioneers of Slovenian graphic art and left his mark on the artistic, social and political life in Slovenia in the first half of the 20th century. He is best known for his illustrations on playing cards, illustrations of Ivan Cankar's books and Fran Levstik's Martin Krpan, the first original Slovenian picture book.
