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This summary is provided by the STA: 

President Pahor plans to call general election for 24 April

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor announced plans to call the general election for 24 April, the earliest possible date for a scheduled election. The presidential decree to that effect will be signed in February. Speaker Igor Zorčič welcomed the news but said that given the situation in the country, a snap election would be better. Similarly, the centre-left opposition parties would want the election to be held early, but the ruling coalition parties are happy with the date picked by Pahor.

Legal provision that formed basis for closure of businesses during lockdown struck down

LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court struck down a provision of the infectious diseases act that formed the legal basis for the closure of businesses during lockdowns. It gave the National Assembly two months to amend the act in line with its decision. In the intervening time, a different provision of the act can be invoked. The court held that the challenged provision of article 39 of the act of gave the government too much leeway in deciding on when and how long to keep businesses closed, arguing that such decisions should be adopted on the basis of laws, not implementing regulations.

Parts of Judicial Council act declared unconstitutional

LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court ruled in a procedure initiated at the request of the Supreme Court that parts of the Judicial Council act are unconstitutional. The court held that the regulations on disciplinary procedure, when it is initiated by the Judicial Council, do not meet the standards of objective impartiality because members of the Judicial Council can act as members of the disciplinary court.

Pahor calls for EU unity in address to diplomats

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor addressed a meeting of foreign diplomats accredited to Slovenia, calling for strengthening the EU's unity and stability. Pahor also repeated his appeal for the EU's enlargement to the Western Balkan countries as soon as possible. The reception for the diplomatic corps was hosted by its doyen Jean-Marie Speich, the apostolic nuncio to Slovenia, to mark the 30th anniversary of Slovenia's independence and its second presidency of the EU.

Janša receives European church dignitaries

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša met with representatives of the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the EU and the Conference of European Churches. They discussed the global role of the EU, religious freedom and the ongoing pandemic. They exchanged views on the priorities of the Slovenian EU presidency, recovery from the pandemic, resilience in the light of possible future crises, values and religious freedom in the EU and beyond.

Over 3,770 new coronavirus infections confirmed on Thursday

LJUBLJANA - A total of 3,771 new coronavirus cases were confirmed in Slovenia on Thursday for a positivity rate of almost 38%. This pushed the 14-day incidence per 100,000 residents up by 85 to 1,603. Government data shows the number of patients hospitalised with Covid-19 increased to 761, with 177 of them now being treated in intensive care. Thirteen patients with Covid-19 died. To prepare for an influx of new patients, the Health Ministry and hospital directors agreed to increase the number of Covid beds to 1,200 regular and 300 ICU beds.

Long queues at Covid jab centres

NOVA GORICA/MARIBOR/BREŽICE - Long queues have been forming outside vaccination centres since the government gave the go-ahead to those who have been fully vaccinated using vector-based vaccines to get a booster dose at least two months after their latest jab. Some places have been faced with temporary vaccine shortages. The Ajdovščina Health Centre run out of the Pfizer vaccine, while the Nova Gorica Community Health Centre reported "enormous" demand for vaccination. UKC Maribor, the second largest medical centre in the country, also recorded growing demand for Covid-19 vaccines this week.

Party peer says up to Vizjak to clarify his statements

LJUBLJANA - Danijel Krivec, the head of the deputy group of the ruling Democratic Party (SDS), declined to comment on the statements made by his party colleague Environment Minister Andrej Vizjak, in a leaked 2007 conversation with businessman Bojan Petan. He said everyone should answer for their own statements. He expected Vizjak will "clarify things" appropriately. Meanwhile, the Judicial Council condemned Vizjak's comment on the tape about the government "squeezing a judge's balls" as "utterly inappropriate and abject".

Police officials deny allegations of political interference

LJUBLJANA - Former police commissioners Andrej Jurič in Anton Travner, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) director Petra Grah Lazar and her predecessor Andrej Lamberger denied allegations of political interference in the work and staffing in the force as they were heard by a parliamentary inquiry dealing with the issue. The hearing focused on appointments and reassignments of NBI investigators and of dismissed senior police officials to newly-established task forces located at the Police Academy.

GAS endorses merger with SMC, decentralisation main goal

GROSUPLJE - The non-parliamentary Economically Active Party (GAS), led by National Council President Alojz Kovšca, endorsed a merger with the junior coalition Modern Centre Party (SMC), which okayed the merger in September. Kovšca said the main fields of interest were decentralisation, lean state and debureaucratisation. The GAS proposes that the merged party be named Free Choice, as a "symbolic message to voters that you don't necessarily have to be on the left or the right, that you have the possibility of choice."

Debate agrees Slovenia will need nuclear energy

LJUBLJANA - A debate on Slovenia's energy future hosted by President Borut Pahor showed the general view among experts was that the country would need to resort to all carbon-free sources of energy, including nuclear, to meet its energy needs. The participants also favour holding a referendum on nuclear energy. Robert Golob, CEO of electricity trader GEN-I, proposed for such a referendum to be called during the first year of a new government after the election.

Online retailer Mimovrste acquired by Allegro of Poland

LJUBLJANA - Mimovrste, Slovenia's largest online retailer, has been acquired by Polish shopping platform Allegro. The latter bought Mall Group, which owns Mimovrste and WE/DO, from PPF, EC Investments and Rockaway Capitaly. Mimovrste said the planned merger of Allegro, Mall Group and WE|DO would strengthen its status of a leading online market place and a platform for buyers and retailers in Central and Eastern Europe.

NLB proposes additional dividend of EUR 3.37 per share

LJUBLJANA - NLB, Slovenia's largest listed bank, proposed an additional dividend of EUR 3.37 gross per share to be paid in December after the expiry in September of the central bank's restrictions on the payout of bank profits. Shareholders will vote on the proposal at a general meeting scheduled for 16 December. The ex-dividend date would be 22 December. The payout would total EUR 67.4 million.

Utility companies welcome new environmental protection bill

LJUBLJANA - The environmental protection bill endorsed by the government yesterday will enable the urgently needed regulation on waste management and address the important matter of extended producer responsibility, the public utilities section of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) said. The bill is seen as the first step towards ending the dysfunctional producer responsibility system in Slovenia, which has resulted in piles of uncollected waste that should have been tackled by waste management companies.

Janković pleads not guilty in tax evasion case

LJUBLJANA - Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Janković entered a not guilty plea at an arraignment hearing at the Ljubljana District Court in a case of tax evasion concerning the sale of retailer Mercator shares in 2006. His two sons also pleaded not guilty but they did not attend the hearing. Janković is charged with tax evasion in the sale of Mercator shares to the company Electa Inženiring, owned by his sons. The trial is scheduled to start on 7 December.

Bažato Gallery launched in Ljubljana

LJUBLJANA - A new gallery called the Bažato Gallery was launched in Ljubljana on Thursday evening with an exhibition by the artist Ivo Prančič. The gallery's programme will consist of a series of solo, group and thematic exhibitions by artists of different generations, and productions of different artistic approaches. Curator Nina Jeza said the gallery would seek "to become a hub for contemporary artistic practices and to present diverse, informative and inspiring art".

STA, 5 November 2021 - Long queues have been forming outside vaccination centres since the government gave the go-ahead to those who have been fully vaccinated using vector-based vaccines [such as  Janssen / Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca, Sputnik V or Convidecia] to get a booster dose at least two months after their latest jab. Some places have been faced with temporary vaccine shortages.

The Ajdovščina Health Centre in the south-west of the country told the STA on Friday that it had run out of the Pfizer vaccine. The centre's director Egon Stopar said that this week the booster dose had been administered to more people than in entire October.

Due to vaccine storage issues, the centre keeps its supplies at a certain level, so it was able to vaccinate only those people today who had an appointment. Those without a prior appointment will be able to get a jab on Monday, Stopar added.

Petra Kokoravec, the director of the Nova Gorica Community Health Centre in western Slovenia, told the STA that the vaccination demand was "enormous". Amidst the increased interest in getting a shot, the centre has so far not experienced any vaccine shortages.

UKC Maribor, the second largest medical centre in the country, has also recorded a growing demand for Covid-19 vaccines this week.

In light of this, the hospital's vaccination site will again be open over the weekends as well, from 8am to 4pm. Only the Pfizer vaccine is available and those interested are not required to book a vaccination slot, said UKC Maribor, adding that there was enough vaccines.

The increased demand has also been seen by the Brežice Health Centre in the east, which told the STA that people were mainly interested in booster doses.

There has been a slight increase in those wanting to get the first dose as well, said the centre's director Dražen Levojević, adding that there were no vaccine shortages.

All Covid vaccination sites across Slovenia keep updated vaccination schedules on their websites.

STA, 5 November 2021 - President Borut Pahor has announced he plans to call the general election for 24 April, the earliest possible date for a scheduled election. The presidential decree to that effect will be signed in February, the president's office said on Friday.

The announcement comes after Pahor's consultations with deputy groups over several forthcoming appointments in which the president is the formal proponent of the candidates, including for the Constitutional Court and Court of Audit.

The law states that scheduled elections are called by the president 135-75 days before four years have passed since the first sitting of the current parliament. The vote must be held between 60 and 90 days after the election is called.

The last general election, a snap vote, was held on 3 June 2018.

There have been mounting calls in recent weeks for a snap election from opposition and commentators due to the government's handling of the epidemic and its perceived undermining of the rule of law.

The opposition has long insisted the government must go, but with the parliament hung, it does not have the majority to force a snap election.

STA, 5 November 2021 - Mimovrste, Slovenia's largest online retailer, has been acquired by Polish shopping platform Allegro. The latter bought Mall Group, which owns Mimovrste and WE/DO, from PPF, EC Investments and Rockaway Capital on Thursday. The deal is worth EUR 881 million, with an adjustment of EUR 44 million for debt and other items.

Mimovrste said in a press release that the planned merger of Allegro, Mall Group and WE|DO would strengthen its status of a leading online market place and a platform for buyers and retailers in Central and Eastern Europe.

In Poland, Slovenia and other countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the merged group of 135,000 retailers will operate under the principle "publish once - sell everywhere", which means it will have access to a EUR 250 billion retail market with 70 million people.

Mimovrste is confident that the deal will also improve the shopping experience for its 18-million member base in the region.

The Mimovrste team currently consists of 7,200 staff members sharing a "joint culture", which focusses on consumers and innovation, and the merger opens new career options for the team in an international working environment, the company said.

The transaction, which still needs to be approved by regulators, is to be concluded in the second half of 2020.

Allegro is the most popular Polish online e-commerce platform and the biggest retailer of non-food products in Poland. It has been listed among the ten best e-commerce platforms in the world and it ranks among the 100 most visited sites in the world.

STA, 4 November 2021 - Environment Minister Andrej Vizjak stepped up his defence of a 2007 conversation with the businessman Bojan Petan after new recordings were published by POP TV. He told the press on Thursday that his goal was to protect the interests of the state in a takeover of the spa company Terme Čatež and he had a clear conscience.

The original recording, released in mid-October, implied that Vizjak was encouraging Petan to dodge taxes. Vizjak had described it as a "collage" and said today the latest leaked recording proved that was indeed the case as the original leak contained only fragments of the real conversation and those were put in a misleading context.

In the recording released yesterday, Vizjak, then the economy minister, is heard proposing to Petan a "gentleman's agreement" on how to move forward with the privatisation of Terme Čatež, offering a variety of solutions, for example a tie-up with nearby spa Terme Olimia, which was in the process of privatisation at the time.

He also told Petan that the way he was going about the privatisation of Terme Čatež was bound to end up in court, adding that the government would counter his moves with "all cannons" and that they might "squeeze a judge's nuts" to achieve their aims.

Vizjak acknowledged this latest recording was authentic - POP TV had it checked by forensics to prove its authenticity - but said it should be seen in the context of the management of state-owned assets at the time, when the state was still directly the owner of multiple companies, and efforts to protect state interests.

He said he wanted to "prevent actions damaging to the state" and protect state property. "That is my sin," he said, adding that he always had honest intentions.

Vizjak also regretted his statement about "squeezing a judge's nuts," which he said was made in an informal context and was inappropriate, adding: "Whoever is without sin should cast the first stone."

Vizjak also sticks by his original claim that "garbage lobbies" are behind these tapes since actions he is taking now as environment minister are threatening to destroy their exploitation of legal loopholes.

"These collages are designed to discredit me because of the projects we are conducting, in particular the bill on the protection of the environment," he said about legislation that the government adopted today.

Vizjak believes that the way Terme Čatež was acquired was a "criminal and stupid act". Petan and some other people involved are being tried in Koper for financial exhaustion of Terme Čatež, he said.

Petan is charged with two offences - abuse of office in managing a company before the takeover of Terme Čatež and abuse of office within the supervisory board of Terme Čatež and at Marina Portorož, Vizjak said.

Petan responded in writing, saying that the "truth always comes out", POP TV reported.

The head of the Directors' Association, Gorazd Podbevšek, rejected Vizjak's claim that the deal making had been in line with the rules and the laws of the time.

"This was not only unethical but also illegal 15 years ago as well. We had the companies act back then, which has to be systematically violated for someone to be making deals like that, and the takeovers act, which bans deals between parties before they make a takeover offer," Podbevšek told POP TV.

Having a minister make deals on behalf of a company and its shareholders also involves major corruption risks, he added.

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: 

Logar and Qatari counterpart pledge stronger cooperation

LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Anže Logar hosted his Qatari counterpart Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, who paid his first official visit to Slovenia. The ministers expressed the desire to strengthen cooperation and increase trade between the countries, and also discussed the situation in the Middle East and Afghanistan. Logar and Al Thani highlighted the potential of cooperation in logistics, energy sector, tourism and information and communication technology, and in particular in the transfer of know-how in high technology from renewable sources. Al Thani also met PM Janez Janša, among others, to discuss opportunities to strengthen economic cooperation and energy price hikes.

After new leaked tape, Vizjak says he defended state interests

LJUBLJANA - Environment Minister Andrej Vizjak stepped up his defence of a 2007 conversation with the businessman Bojan Petan after new recordings were published by POP TV. He told the press his goal was to protect the interests of the state in a takeover of the spa company Terme Čatež and he had a clear conscience. In the latest recording, which Vizjak acknowledged was authentic, the then economy minister is heard proposing to Petan a "gentleman's agreement" on how to move forward with the privatisation of Terme Čatež. He is also heard talking how the government would "squeeze a judge's nuts", which Vizjak regretted making. In response, the centre-left opposition said Vizjak should resign or be replaced, while the junior coalition partners plan to talk the matter through before taking any steps. The police and the prosecution said they were looking into the matter, and the Slovenian Judges' Association condemned Vizjak's statement about pressuring judges. The head of the Directors' Association, Gorazd Podbevšek, rejected Vizjak's claim that the deal making had been in line with the rules and the laws of the time.

Over 4,500 new Covid cases in new daily record

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's coronavirus case count hit 4,511 on Wednesday, up by more than a thousand on the record tally recorded the day before as the epidemic appears to be slipping out of control. Government data shows the number of patients hospitalised with Covid-19 increased to 735, with 169 of them now being treated in intensive care. Nine more patients died. The test positivity rate remains high at over 44% as the estimated number of active cases passed 32,000, according to National Institute of Public Health.

Government to discuss new epidemic measures at Friday meeting

LJUBLJANA - The coordinator for Covid-19 vaccination Jelko Kacin said that the government would hold a special meeting at Brdo pri Kranju on Friday to assess the current situation, discuss the expectations for the next few days and the new measures, which were "to be implemented as soon as possible". Health Minister Janez Poklukar meanwhile warned that healthcare was at capacity. Measures restricting socialising will be a must in the coming days, he said. Robert Carotta, the coordinator for Covid hospital beds at the Health Ministry, confirmed that Slovenia was considering the possibility to start sending Covid-19 patients to hospitals abroad.

Minister dismisses renewed bids for delegated prosecutors

LJUBLJANA - The newspaper Dnevnik reported that Justice Minister Marjan Dikaučič had dismissed renewed applications by Tanja Frank Eler and Matej Oštir in a repeat call for Slovenia's two European delegated prosecutors after the first one in which they were picked was annulled by the government. The minister's argument now is that a new call cannot be carried out as the first appointment procedure is still open until the Administrative Court's ruling becomes final. The court revoked the annulment of the first pick.

Candidate for US ambassador to work on strengthening bilateral ties

WASHINGTON, US - Jamie Linder Harpootlian, the candidate for US ambassador to Slovenia, spoke approvingly of Slovenia as she appeared before the Foreign Relations Committee of the US Senate in advance of a vote on her nomination, pledging to strengthen bilateral ties and work to ensure Slovenia's commitment to stability and security remains steadfast. Quizzed about media freedom, she said Slovenia had a multi-party system with built-in checks and balances, which made it difficult to believe a single party could take control.

Slovenian climate negotiator confirms commitment to positive outcome of COP26 conference

GLASGOW, UK - Representatives of the EU's climate negotiating team, including Slovenia's chief negotiator Tina Kobilšek, reaffirmed their commitment to a successful outcome of COP26 at a press conference in Glasgow. But it will be equally important to step up the ambitions in the years to come, they said. Kobilšek said that the EU and its member states had come to Glasgow with an ambitious mandate, backed by a European commitment to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 55% by 2030. The Slovenian NGO platform Sloga meanwhile called on the Slovenian government, the European Commission and the European Parliament to advocate more ambitious actions and policies at the COP26 climate summit.

EBRD raises outlook for Slovenia's economic growth

LONDON, UK - The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) improved its outlook for the Slovenian economy. It projects the country's GDP will grow by 6% this year, up a full point from its June forecast, while the forecast for 2022 was raised by half a point to 4.5%. The EBRD said that expansionary fiscal policy would continue supporting the economy. For next year the bank says the below EU-average vaccination rate could limit the recovery of consumption and affect business confidence.

PM Janša meets European Muslim and Jewish religious leaders

LJUBLJANA - PM Janez Janša met in Ljubljana the representatives of the European Muslim and Jewish Leadership Council. They discussed the key priorities of the Slovenian EU presidency, the rights of religious minorities and the dignity of people of all faiths in European society, Janša's office said. The meeting was an important contribution to dialogue among various religious communities and Slovenia, which is currently at the helm of the Council of the EU, the press release says, adding Janša highlighted the role of religious freedom and dialogue among the believers of different faiths in promoting increased tolerance, respect and mutual understanding.

Tonin and counterparts from SE Europe agree to boost cooperation

SKOPJE, North Macedonia - Defence Minister Matej Tonin took part in a South Eastern Europe Defence Ministerial (SEDM) meeting, where ministers from fifteen countries talked about progress of the initiative and joint security challenges. They signed a special statement to commit to further strengthening of cooperation. Tonin said the initiative was an important forum for debate on security challenges in the wider SE Europe. He expressed support to the countries from the region in the processes of European and Euro-Atlantic integration, noting this was key for long-term peace and stability in the region.

Andrijanič presents digitalisation plans to Montenegrin counterpart

LJUBLJANA - Minister for Digital Transformation Mark Boris Andrijanič received his Montenegrin counterpart Tamara Srzentić. He presented to her plans and initial solutions produced by Slovenia's Strategic Council for Digitalisation to promote digitalisation in the public administration to make life easier for citizens. The ministers called for continuation of cooperation in seeking best practices and measures for the next digital decade, noting the brain drain regarding IT experts, a press release by Andrijanič's office adds.

FURS acting head to get full term in mid-November

LJUBLJANA - The government appointed Ivan Simič, the acting director of the Financial Administration (FURS), for a full term, effective on 18 November. His term will expire in November 2026 with the possibility of reappointment, the Government Communication Office (UKOM) said. Simič is a tax expert and the head of the Strategic Council for Debureaucratisation, which is tasked with checking the country's laws to cut red tape. He took over as FURS acting head in June.

Govt endorses environmental protection bill

LJUBLJANA - The government endorsed an environmental protection bill. The systemic bill on environment protection is needed due to problems with waste management and for Slovenia to transpose an EU directive, the cabinet said. The bill deals with all elements of the environment and introduces instrumental approaches to environment protection from planning and assessments of environmental impact to permits, the Government Communication Office (UKOM) said. Responding to the bill, NGOs Greenpeace Slovenija, Umanotera and Focus were critical of some parts of it they find problematic.

Govt supplying millions of masks and other equipment

LJUBLJANA - In the wake of soaring Covid cases, the government decided to supply almost 4.5 million FFP2 face masks, 13,000 latex hand gloves, 1,500 one-litre bottles of hand sanitiser, nearly 5,000 one-litre bottles of surface disinfectants and more than 4 million masks for general use, the Government Communication Office (UKOM) said. The masks and other equipment will be supplied to the municipalities, kindergartens, schools, Civil Protection, the military and police, healthcare and social-care institutions and other critical infrastructure.

Unemployment down annually despite slight monthly rise

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's joblessness saw a slight monthly increase in October, as a total of 66,654 people were registered as unemployed at the end of the month. The total number was up 0.8% compared to September and down 20.3% year-on-year. The Employment Service said the uptick was typical for this time of year as first-time job seekers get registered after completing their studies. Last month, 6,892 people were newly registered as unemployed, of whom 2,578 were looking for their first job.

Gorenjska Banka to acquire Slovenian Sberbank branch

KRANJ - Gorenjska Banka, the Slovenian bank owned by the Serbian AIK Banka, signed a deal to acquire the Slovenian subsidiary of the Russian Sberbank on Wednesday. Pending approval by regulators, the merger will create the third largest banking group in the country. It is part of a larger deal signed between Sberbank Europe and AIK Banka, Gorenjska Banka and AGRI Europe Cyprus Group to acquire Sberbank subsidiaries in Slovenia, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia and Hungary, whose total assets amount to EUR 7.33 billion.

Telekom Slovenije reports 31% higher Jan-Sep profit

LJUBLJANA - Telecoms group Telekom Slovenije reported EUR 486.8 million in net sales revenue for the first three quarters of the year, up by 1% on the same period a year ago. Net profit was up by 31% to EUR 35.9 million, although the company said the figure would have been 36% higher when taking into account one-off events in 2020. The group, which employs 3,381 people, posted higher revenue from international voice services and sales of mobile merchandise.

Indictment filed against 24 Slovenian members of Kavač Clan

LJUBLJANA - Half a year after a police sting that busted the Slovenian cell of the notorious Montenegrin crime syndicate known as the Kavač Clan, the prosecution has filed an indictment against 24 out of 64 suspects. The newspaper Večer reported that the indictment filed by the Specialised State Prosecutor's Office on Friday did not include two repentants, who have greatly contributed to the arrests of the suspects by providing useful information. One of them will appear as the crown witness.

Platform for Change to promote cooperation

LJUBLJANA - Public Administration Minister Boštjan Koritnik launched the eighth round of Partnership for Change, a national platform for cooperation between employees of the private and public sectors initiated by AmCham Slovenija and the Public Administration Ministry. Three projects have been picked to be tackled next year through cooperation. The Partnership for Change remains a project intended for organisations that want to exchange know-how, lead an open dialogue and create a better living and working environment in Slovenia, the ministry said.

Slovenian mountaineers open new climbing route in Nepal

KATHMANDU, Nepal - The Slovenian Mountaineering Association (PZS) reported that a pair of Slovenian mountaineers succeeded in making the first ascent on a new 1700m route on the north-west face of Mount Chobutse (6680 m) in Nepal, which they named Slovenian Direct. Luka Stražar and Nejc Marčič completed their feat between 28 and 30 October. The route is a combination of technical difficulty and high altitude climbing, while the wind and cold made the experience truly Himalayan, said PZS.

Exhibition on Covid times opening at City Museum

LJUBLJANA - The Ljubljana City Museum opened an exhibition featuring photos, videos, objects, journals and personal thoughts documenting the period marked by the Covid-19 epidemic. More than 80 people of all generations contributed to the Coronaexhibition, which will be on display until 16 January 2022. The exhibition was created based on a call made by the museum in March 2020 for people to send their contributions. More than 1,500 exhibits were thus collected.

STA, 4 November 2021 - Centre-left opposition parties have called on Environment Minister Andrej Vizjak to resign after a new recording was published of his conversation with the businessman Bojan Petan dating to 2007, when Vizjak served as the economy minister in the first Janez Janša government.

"Based on the revelations, the Slovenian public today expected Minister Vizjak to resign. If that does not happen, we expect that Prime Minister Janez Janša will do that for him," said Matjaž Nemec, a deputy of the Social Democrats.

Nemec said a snap election was necessary as well, a point also raised by LMŠ president Marjan Šarec, who said that "Slovenia deserves better. Resignation of the government and a snap election is the only solution."

Levica likewise thinks a snap election is the best option, with MP Nataša Sukič arguing that the entire government must step down, and SAB president Alenka Bratušek said a snap election would be an opportunity for the people to say that "they've had it with such conduct".

The parties claim the tapes reveal the modus operandi of the Democrats (SDS), which Bratušek and Šarec described as "white-collar crime".

The officials said New Slovenia (NSi), the junior coalition partner, now faced the choice of acting on its statement when the first tape was released that they would demand Vizjak step aside if the tape turns out to be authentic.

Šarec said the NSi shared responsibility by "silently observing and looking for excuses," whereas Nemec said the NSi had three choices now: either to demand that Vizjak resign, back the forthcoming motion of no confidence, or leave the coalition.

The NSi said today they would discuss the matter within the party and make their position clear before the motion of no confidence is due on the National Assembly's agenda.

The Pensioners' Party (DeSUS), which is formally in the opposition but often supports the coalition in parliamentary votes, said the no-confidence vote would be "a good opportunity to clarify all circumstances," whereas National Party (SNS) president Zmago Jelinčič said he was "not interested" in this scandal.

The head of the group of unaffiliated MPs, Janja Sluga, also said that Vizjak's statements "very clearly show the SDS's modus operandi". She said Vizjak's resignation could not be expected and that only election as soon as possible was a solution.

The reactions come after a new tape featuring Vizjak and Petan was released by POP TV.

The tape appears to confirm that the original allegation against Vizjak - that he advised Petan how to dodge taxes - was indeed misleading like Vizjak claimed, in that statements were taken out of context.

But while Vizjak questioned the authenticity of the first tape, he acknowledged that the latest tape, which features him speaking about how the government would "squeeze a judge's balls" to get its way in the privatisation of spa company Terme Čatež, was authentic.

STA, 4 November 2021 - Environment Minister Andrej Vizjak stepped up his defence of a 2007 conversation with the businessman Bojan Petan after new recordings were published by POP TV. He told the press on Thursday that his goal was to protect the interests of the state in a takeover of the spa company Terme Čatež and he had a clear conscience. 

The original recording, released in mid-October, implied that Vizjak was encouraging Petan to dodge taxes. Vizjak had described it as a "collage" and said today the latest leaked recording proved that was indeed the case as the original leak contained only fragments of the real conversation and those were put in a misleading context.

In the recording released yesterday, Vizjak, then the economy minister, is heard proposing to Petan a "gentleman's agreement" on how to move forward with the privatisation of Terme Čatež, offering a variety of solutions, for example a tie-up with nearby spa Terme Olimia, which was in the process of privatisation at the time.

He also told Petan that the way he was going about the privatisation of Terme Čatež was bound to end up in court, adding that the government would counter his moves with "all cannons" and that they might "squeeze a judge's nuts" to achieve their aims.

Vizjak acknowledged this latest recording was authentic - POP TV had it checked by forensics to prove its authenticity - but said it should be seen in the context of the management of state-owned assets at the time, when the state was still directly the owner of multiple companies, and efforts to protect state interests.

He said he wanted to "prevent actions damaging to the state" and protect state property. "That is my sin," he said, adding that he always had honest intentions.

Vizjak also regretted his statement about "squeezing a judge's nuts," which he said was made in an informal context and was inappropriate, adding: "Whoever is without sin should cast the first stone."

Vizjak also sticks by his original claim that "garbage lobbies" are behind these tapes since actions he is taking now as environment minister are threatening to destroy their exploitation of legal loopholes.

"These collages are designed to discredit me because of the projects we are conducting, in particular the act on the protection of the environment," he said about legislation that the government is expected to adopt shortly.

STA, 4 November 2021 - A pair of Slovenian mountaineers have succeeded in making the first ascent on a new 1700m route on the north-west face of Mount Chobutse (6680 m) in Nepal, which they named Slovenian Direct, the Slovenian Mountaineering Association has reported.

The top Slovenian climbing team of Luka Stražar and Nejc Marčič, along with Marko Prezelj and Matija Volontar, succeeded in making a first ascent on a new route on mount Chobutse (sometimes spelled Chobuje or Tsoboje) in Nepal between 28 and 30 October, reports the ExplorersWeb portal.

The climbers split into two roped teams: Stražar and Marčič successfully went for the west face, while Prezelj and Volontar gave the south face a try, but with less luck - strong winds eventually forced them back.

The route is a combination of technical difficulty and high altitude climbing, while the wind and cold made the experience truly Himalayan, wrote the Slovenian Mountaineering Association (PZS).

"The 1700-metre route is characterised by challenging and exposed climbing in the central part, while the ascent was marked by low temperatures and strong winds with avalanches. The climbers descended down the west side and reached base camp just before departure," the PZS added.

Stražar and Marčič rated the new Slovenian Direct route ED (Extremely hard - the second-highest level of the French scale), M5 (mixed climbing difficulty) and AI5 (Alpine Ice).

Four previous expeditions had climbed Mount Chobutse in the remote Himalayan region of Rolwaling in Nepal, with the first one being a German expedition in 1972, while Slovenian mountaineers now made the first ascent via the north-west face.

Stražar, Marčič and Prezelj are among the most renowned high-altitude alpine-style experts nowadays, writes the ExplorersWeb portal. They hold a total of seven Piolets d'Or among them.

Stražar and Marčič received one in 2012 for climbing the north-east face of K7 West (6615 m) in Pakistan in 2011, while Stražar received another in 2019 together with Aleš Česen and Tom Livingstone for a first ascent on the north face of Latok 1.

The Rolwaling 2021 expedition, also co-financed by the PZS, is expected to return to Slovenia at the end of the week.

See more photos at the PZS website

STA, 4 November 2021 - Half a year after a police sting that busted the Slovenian cell of the notorious Montenegrin crime syndicate known as the Kavač Clan, the prosecution has filed an indictment against 24 out of 64 suspects, the newspaper Večer reported on Thursday.

According to Večer, the indictment filed by the Specialised State Prosecutor's Office does not include two members who cooperated with the authorities , who have contributed greatly to the arrests of the suspects by providing useful information.

An individual under the nickname "Darko N." is to appear as the crown witness, and his identity will remain concealed as he has the status of a protected witness, as has the other repentant individual.

The police have not managed to establish the identity of certain persons involved in the drug trafficking ring, and only their nicknames are known. Some of the suspects are on the run, and some of them are already in prison in other countries.

According to Večer, a third individual, who has reportedly been labelled as an unreliable witness, is among the indicted. The investigating judge has decided not to grant him the status of a protected witness.

The 490-page indictment filed to the Ljubljana District Court by Jože Levašič of the Specialised State Prosecutor's Office presents allegations of drug trafficking.

Trafficking in firearms is not mentioned, as the court has not allowed the investigation to be expanded to this segment, Večer said.

In the indictment, which described in detail the alleged acts committed by the criminal ring, sentences for the suspects are also proposed. A prison sentence of twelve years and a half is proposed for the ringleader Klemen Kadivec.

According to the police and the prosecution, the Slovenian chapter of the Montenegrin crime syndicate operated since 2018, and had strong connections in Spain, Germany, Austria, Serbia, Italy, the Netherlands and Croatia.