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This summary is provided by the STA:
New daily record in Slovenia as case count tops 12,000
LJUBLJANA - The number of new coronavirus cases spiked even further in Slovenia on Tuesday, with as many as 12,286 coronavirus infections recorded. 63.2% of PCR tests came back positive. The 7-day average of daily cases increased by 694 to 7,575 and the 14-day incidence per 100,000 population is up by 390 to 3,982. Hospitalisations were down by ten to 566 Covid-19 patients today, 151 of whom require intensive care, which is four fewer than yesterday. Eight people with Covid-19 died.
China labels Janša's statements on Taiwan as dangerous
BEIJING, China - The Chinese Foreign Ministry described PM Janez Janša's statements about Taiwan as "dangerous", and expressed strong opposition, after Janša said that Slovenia and Taiwan were discussing setting up mutual representation offices. "Taiwan is an inseparable part of China's territory. The government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legitimate government representing the whole of China, and the one-China principle is the universally recognised norm of international relations," ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said. Janša's statements were also criticised by two opposition parties, the SD and LMŠ, while the Slovenian-Chinese Business Council said that economic relations should remain "non-politicised".
Logar: EU integration of Western Balkans opportunity for Slovenian businesses
LJUBLJANA - The EU integration of Western Balkan countries is important for the bloc's strategic position in the world. It is also an opportunity for Slovenian businesses, Foreign Minister Anže Logar told an event on the Balkans, noting that Slovenian companies had a chance to take part in the implementation projects for which the European Commission set aside EUR 9 billion. The US plan to bring some large investors to the Western Balkans is also an excellent opportunity, he said.
New exceptions to quarantine, PCR testing rules kick in
LJUBLJANA - New quarantine rules kicked in for schools and staff at health care and social care institutions, who are now exempt from quarantine if they had a high-risk contact, although they will have to get tested every day for seven consecutive days with a rapid antigen test and use a FFP2 face mask at work. The rules for PCR testing also changed as labs are being overwhelmed with huge numbers of tests. From now on, persons who have no Covid-19 symptoms do a rapid test or self-test, and only if it is positive are they referred to a PCR test.
Committee backs penal code changes designed to shorten proceedings
LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Justice Committed endorsed in a 7:6 vote a bill sponsored by the National Party (SNS) that seeks to shorten or limit "unreasonably long pre-trial and criminal proceedings in white-collar crime cases" and could result in ongoing cases becoming statute-barred. The amendments were confirmed by coalition MPs despite criticism from the parliament's legal service, upper chamber of parliament and even the Justice Ministry.
Parliamentary committee votes down full fracking ban
LJUBLJANA - The Infrastructure Committee voted down in a 10:9 vote an opposition-sponsored bill to fully ban hydraulic fracturing. This was the fifth attempt at banning fracking in Slovenia to prevent British company Ascent Resources to extract hydrocarbons in the north-eastern Prekmurje region. Nataša Sukič of the Left said after the repeated rejection of the motion that the initiators would not give up as there was enough overall support for the motion.
MP Tomić quits the Left
LJUBLJANA - MP Violeta Tomić resigned from the opposition Left party. The party's executive committee said it decided not to field Tomić in the Ljubljana-Center district, the Left's heartland, whereupon she declined an offer to run in another district. It also quoted a "partial loss of trust". Tomić said the Left was "far from the party we built at the beginning," noting that intergenerational differences regarding the party's conduct and thinking had gone "beyond the limit of my tolerance".
Initiative presents 138 demands to political parties
LJUBLJANA - The Voice of the People, an initiative of over 1,800 individuals and 100 civil society organisations, presented a list of 138 demands that they wish political parties take a position on in the run-up to election day. They see this as a contribution to political discourse and voter turnout. Tea Jarc from the Mladi Plus trade union said it was not expected that all parties would sign up to all the demands, but they hope to endorse at least some and then work to implement them.
National Council rejects higher language standard for bilingual schools
LJUBLJANA - The National Council vetoed amendments to the act on special rights for minorities in education which would set a higher Italian language standard for staff working in Slovenian-Italian bilingual kindergartens and schools. The near-unanimous vote came after councillors said it was wrong for administrative staff to be subjected to the same strict requirements regarding Italian language skills as teachers.
FinMin state secretary appointed bad bank executive director
LJUBLJANA - The non-executive directors of the Bank Assets Management Company (BAMC) appointed Finance Ministry State Secretary Kristina Šteblaj an executive director of the bad bank. She will join Matej Pirc and Andrej Lazar on 1 February, and will serve as a BAMC executive director until the end of the year, BAMC said in a press release.
Judges' association urges action after repeated assault on judge
LJUBLJANA . The Slovenian Association of Judges noted that a judge at the Ljutomer Local Court had once again the victim of an assault, as a known perpetrator vandalised his car, which was parked in front of the courthouse. The organisation said it was shocked and outraged by the news and called on the authorities to take action, noting that it was the second attack on judge Gorazd Tivadar in a relatively short period of time that is related to his job. Justice Minister Marjan Dikaučič and the Supreme Court joined the call.
Firefighters displeased with govt firefighting bill
LJUBLJANA - The Trade Union of Professional Firefighters criticised the government-proposed changes to the fire service act, as it said it was not involved in the drafting of the changes. Some of the proposals that had already been coordinated with the relevant ministry have been dropped from the latest version, it added. The government rejected the claim saying the bill had been harmonised over five years of talks.
Handball coach out after Euro Champs fail
LJUBLJANA - Ljubomir Vranješ wasdismissed as the head coach of the national handball team after Slovenia failed to make it past the preliminary round at the European Handball Championship. The National Handball Association said it was just as unsatisfied with the Swedish coach's performance as Slovenian spectators were.
