26 Aug 2021, 11:11 AM

Cycling: Roglič Wins 11th Stage of Vuelta (Video)

STA, 25 August 2021 - Slovenian cyclist Primož Roglič won the 11th, hilly stage of the Vuelta a Espana from Antequera and Valdepenas de Jaen on Wednesday to claim his second stage win in the race. There is however no change in the overall standings for Roglič, as he remains in third place.

The 31-year-old defender of the 2019 and 2020 titles in the race around Spain crossed the finish line three seconds ahead of his main challenger in the race, Enric Mas of Spain. Miguel Angel Lopez of Colombia was third.

Roglič's advantage gained in the 133-km stage was too small for him to change the overall standings ten stages to go, remaining in third place.

Overall, the member of the Dutch Team Jumbo-Visma is a minute and 56 seconds behind the leading Odd Christian Eiking and 58 seconds behind Guillaume Martin of France.

26 Aug 2021, 10:49 AM

First Kittens Born as Part of Gorenjska’s Life Lynx Project

STA, 25 August 2021 - Efforts to rejuvenate the lynx population in the north-western Gorenjska region have proved successful as the first kittens have been born after five lynx were released into the wild there under the Life Lynx project. This comes after a successful rejuvenation of the lynx population in the south of the country.

The female Aida, who arrived in Slovenia in April alongside the male Zois, seems to have adjusted to the new environment as she has given birth to three kittens, the Life Lynx team said.

Two local hikers spotted Aida and her litter near a forest trail in the Jelovica Plateau area in mid-August. Given data collected with the help of Aida's GPS collar, the kittens were born some month ago.

Lynx sightings in the wild, particularly of lynx families, are very rare. Experts advise that if one comes across a lynx family in the wild, they should not disturb the animals as the first months after giving birth are key for the survival of the litter.

The female lynx often move their litters between different dens to reduce the risk of potential predators finding them. The mortality rate of kittens in the wild in their first year is 50%.

Life Lynx will keep monitoring the developments regarding the lynx population in Slovenia, including by camera trap sites. This will help the team find out if other two female lynx in Gorenjska, Julija and Lenka, have also mated and reproduced this season.

The main aim of Life Lynx is to salvage and rejuvenate the Dinaric-Alpine lynx population, which had been severely inbred and on the verge of extinction not long ago.

The project includes eleven institutions or organisations from Slovenia, Croatia, Italy, Slovakia and Romania and is led by the Slovenia Forest Service.

26 Aug 2021, 04:27 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Thursday, 26 August, 2021

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:

Number of new coronavirus cases tops 500

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia logged 508 new coronavirus infections on Tuesday, the highest number since 18 May. The new cases were confirmed in 2,805 PCR tests for a positivity rate of 18.1%. There are now an estimated 4,015 active cases in the country, according to fresh data from the National Institute of Public Health. The 14-day incidence per 100,000 population continued to rise, going from 175 to 187, and the 7-day average of confirmed daily cases was up from 328 to 345.

New Covid traffic light expected next week

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia is likely to get a new Covid traffic light system next week with tiers of restrictions defined based on the number of cases in hospital rather than the number of new positive cases, senior health officials said. Health Minister Janez Poklukar said the focus would by on the occupancy of hospital beds in general and intensive care beds in particular. The final details are being ironed out in talks with health experts, he said.

Day of Slovenian-American Friendship marked

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor hosted a delegation of the United States Senate for the Slovenian-American Friendship Day, an annual celebration of bilateral ties. He stressed that the two countries shared the same values. The ceremony in Ljubljana featured senators Richard Shelby, Mike Crapo, John Cornyn, Deb Fischer, John Kennedy and Roger Marshall, and senior Slovenian officials including Defence Minister Matej Tonin and National Council President Alojz Kovšca.

FM Logar and Maltese colleague Bartolo agree on migration issue

LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Anže Logar and his Maltese counterpart Evarist Bartolo, who is on an official visit to Slovenia, said that reforms in the EU's migration policy were necessary. The pair agreed that migration issues should be tackled primarily in countries of origin, adding the same applied to the situation in Afghanistan.

Hojs talks Afghanistan situation with UNHCR official

LJUBLJANA - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs met via videolink Roland Sebastian Schilling, representative of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for Central Europe. The pair discussed the situation in Afghanistan, including potential migration and security threats, the ministry said. Hojs highlighted the need for comprehensive migration management which aims to eliminate the root causes of migration and forced displacement and fight migrant smuggling and human trafficking.

Schools, kindergartens will be able to fire staff over Covid-19 requirements

LJUBLJANA - Schools and kindergartens have received instructions on how to act if staff does not adhere to the recovered-vaccinated-tested rule. The Education Ministry document obtained by the STA shows that a refusal to get tested for coronavirus will be sufficient ground for a lay-off.

Intel oversight commission debates right-wing extremism

LJUBLJANA - The Commission for Oversight of Intelligence and Security Services launched a debate on right-wing extremism and potential ties between far-right groups and government officials. The session will continue since its chair wants to interview Prime Minister Janez Janša. "This topic is extraordinarily important for Slovenian society. We are witnessing an unprecedented phenomenon," said commission chair Matjaž Nemec, a deputy for the opposition Social Democrats (SD).

Farmers protest against CAP strategic plan

GORNJA RADGONA - Several organisations of farmers staged a protest against solutions contained in the draft national strategic plan for the implementation of the EU's common agricultural policy, which involves a shift from direct payments to farmers towards the financing of rural development policy. Agriculture Minister Jože Podgoršek noted that the government had already pledged an extra EUR 100 million for farm payments, which largely addressed farmers' concerns.

Domestic and foreign tourist figures even out in July

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's tourist accommodation providers recorded some 767,500 arrivals in July and 2.3 million overnight stays, show fresh data by the Statistics Office. The figures for overnight stays by domestic and foreign tourists have evened out as the latter total was up by 55% in July year-on-year. Slovenian tourists accounted for 54% of all July overnight stays and foreign tourists 46%, show data released today.

Business sentiment improves in August

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's business sentiment improved again in August after a period of decline. The indicator is now at 6.4 percentage points, up 0.8 points from July and up 12.4 points year-on-year, the Statistics Office reported. On a monthly level, business sentiment and confidence improved in services (+0.7 points), retail (+0.3 points) and manufacturing (+0.1 points).

Hoteliers believe tourism recovery will take longer than expected

LJUBLJANA - The recovery of tourism from the current crisis will take much longer than expected and may even take a generation, warned Gregor Jamnik, head of the Slovenian Hoteliers' Association. He also pointed to the difficulties in recruiting staff, especially young people, and the uncertainty in the tourism and hospitality industry during a debate We Are All Tourism, hosted by the Digital Innovation Hub (DIH) Slovenia.

Aeroflot cancels Ljubljana-Moscow winter route

LJUBLJANA - Russian airline Aeroflot will apparently not operate flights between Slovenia and the Russian capital in the winter season, the Ex-Yu Aviation web portal has reported. Aeroflot currently flies from Ljubljana Airport to Moscow three times a week. Aeroflot has suspended ticket sales for the Ljubljana-Moscow route during the winter season, i.e. between 31 October and 26 March 2022, reportedly due to the coronavirus situation.

Ventilation window supplier MIK posts higher revenue, profit in 2020

VOJNIK - MIK, a company producing and supplying doors and windows, generated EUR 24.4 million in revenue in 2020, up by more than 40% on 2019, and EUR 1.2 million in net profit, up by some 50% year-on-year. The Vojnik-based company expects a 10% growth this year. MIK also plans to start building an institute to develop ventilation systems as well as a manufacturing facility where these development ideas will be brought to life.

Roglič wins 11th stage of Vuelta, remains third overall

CIUDAD REAL, Spain - Slovenian cyclist Primož Roglič won the 11th, hilly stage of the Vuelta a Espana from Antequera and Valdepenas de Jaen to claim his second stage win in the race. There is however no change in the overall standings for Roglič, as he remains in third place. Overall, the member of the Dutch Team Jumbo-Visma is a minute and 56 seconds behind the leading Odd Christian Eiking and 58 seconds behind Guillaume Martin of France.

25 Aug 2021, 13:19 PM

Slovenian Hoteliers Think Tourism Recovery Will Take Much Longer than Expected

STA, 25 August - The recovery of tourism from the current crisis will take much longer than expected and may even take a generation, warned Gregor Jamnik, head of the Slovenian Hoteliers' Association. He also pointed to the difficulties in recruiting staff, especially young people, and the uncertainty in the tourism and hospitality industry.

"Covid-19 has changed tourism in a global sense - we're not talking just about lower demand, there's the collapse of the airline industry, the closure of hotels, bars and so on," Jamnik said during a debate We Are All Tourism, hosted by the Digital Innovation Hub (DIH) Slovenia on Wednesday.

Initially, it was thought that the recovery would take three to five years, but Jamnik estimates that it could take much longer. It is even likely to be the longest recovery in the history of tourism and hospitality, he said.

He pointed to the uncertainty that the epidemic is causing in the industry: "People who have worked or want to work in our industry can see the insecurity, and this will affect a whole generation."

Jamnik also pointed to the difficulties in finding cleaners, maids and kitchen assistants, saying that these jobs were completely undesirable among Slovenians.

Importing staff could be a solution, but this can create cultural and language problems.

Another problem is that young people seek jobs where they can be promoted quickly and their desire cannot be met. They also refuse to work weekends, holidays and night shifts, he added.

In his view, there is also a lack of human resources training in Slovenia, which is an important way of communicating with employees about what is required and expected of them. He also pointed to the fact that Slovenia does not have a hotel management school.

Jamnik sees the automation of some parts of the industry as a possible solution to the staffing problems, but a larger piece of the pie will also have to go for employees' wages, he believes.

"We can't instantly improve working conditions, but we can increase the number of employees, so they could have a couple more days off work," he said.

25 Aug 2021, 13:10 PM

Schools, Kindergartens Can Fire Staff for Breaking COVID Requirements

STA, 25 August 2021 - Schools and kindergartens have received instructions on how to act if staff does not adhere to the recovered-vaccinated-tested rule. The Education Ministry document obtained by the STA shows that a refusal to get tested for coronavirus will be sufficient ground for a lay-off.

Employees in kindergartens and education institutions must be either vaccinated, have proof of recovery, or tested once a week, a rule known in Slovenia as PCT.

This means that those who are not vaccinated or reconvalescent and refuse to get tested weekly do not meet the obligations from their employment contract, reads the document.

Employers are not obligated to give those who refuse to get tested the possibility of working from home or going on a furlough.

In case an employee refuses testing, a disciplinary procedure can be launch against them and the lay-off procedure started, which means that ultimately the employee can be fired.

A refusal to wear a face mask is also treated as a violation of the employment contract.

Students and pupils who will not wear masks must, however, not be banned from attending classes. But parents will be notified of the requirement and the school will report such cases to the school inspection.

Education institutions received the instructions on Tuesday afternoon after head teachers warned on several occasions they have no legal ground or instruction on how to act if employees refuse to adhere to the PCT rule.

25 Aug 2021, 08:03 AM

Slovenia Introduces Antibody Treatment for COVID Patients

STA, 24 August 2021 - Slovenia has started using monoclonal antibody treatment for some patients with Covid-19, having received a shipment of 1,000 doses of the drug, which has been developed by the US biotech company Regeneron, as part of an EU contract.

The combination of two antibody treatments, casirivimab and imdevimab, is used at the request of attending physicians and at the patient's responsibility since it currently has a temporary permit from the Slovenian Agency for Medicinal Products and Medical Devices, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday.

The drug is given to patients with severe symptoms in the early stages of the disease.

At the beginning of July, Slovenia has expressed interest in procuring a thousand doses of another monoclonal antibody treatment, Sotrovimab, which is manufactured by Glaxo Smith Kline (GSK).

And today, ministry officials held talks with the representatives of Pfizer on the use of the antibody treatment that they are developing.

Monoclonal antibodies are just one type of treatment for Covid-19 patients.

Patients who need oxygen get the antiviral drug redemsivir and corticosteroids, while critically ill patients also get tocilizumab, an immunosuppressive drug.

25 Aug 2021, 04:45 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Wednesday, 25 August 2021

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 discusses cooperation, situation in region with Palestinian FM

RAMALLAH, Palestine - Foreign Minister Anže Logar met his Palestinian counterpart Riyad al-Maliki he visited Ramallah. Bilateral and EU-Palestine cooperation, the situation in Palestine, current developments in the region, and Slovenia's EU presidency topped the agenda. He also met Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeas. The meeting with Prime Minister Shtayyeas focussed on the role of the EU in the Middle East peace process, the Slovenian Foreign Ministry said.

Commission says EU, countries have duty to take care of Afghans at risk

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The EU maintains that the Union and the countries which have taken part in the NATO mission in Afghanistan have a duty to take care of the Afghans at risk following the Taliban seizure of the country, the European Commission's spokesperson Eric Mamer said when asked to comment on PM Janez Janša's recent statement that there would be no humanitarian corridors to the EU for Afghans. He said this duty extended in particular to example journalists, human rights advocates, judges and lawyers, and women and young girls.

Migrations top agenda as Hojs hosts Lower Austria governor

LJUBLJANA - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs held talks on with Johanna Mikl-Leitner, the governor of the Austrian state of Lower Austria. Migrations and the Western Balkans topped the agenda along with the work of the Slovenian EU presidency. Cooperation with the Western Balkans has to be strengthened in the fight against child abuse, migrations and in procedures for the return of migrants to their countries of origin, Hojs said according to the Interior Ministry. He also emphasised the need to help Western Balkan countries join the EU and NATO.

Number of new coronavirus infections up to 477

LJUBLJANA - The number of daily reported new coronavirus infections in Slovenia is currently similar to the numbers recorded in mid-May, with 477 new cases confirmed in 2,489 PCR tests on Monday, according to data provided by the National Institute of Public Health. The 14-day incidence per 100,000 population rose by 12 to 175, and the 7-day average of confirmed daily cases was up by 24 to 328.

Slovenia starts using monoclonal antibody treatment for Covid-19 patients

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia has started using monoclonal antibody treatment for some patients with Covid-19, having received a shipment of 1,000 doses of a drug as part of an EU contract. The combination of two antibody treatments, casirivimab and imdevimab, is used at the request of attending physicians under a temporary permit from the Slovenian Agency for Medicinal Products and Medical Devices, the Health Ministry said.

Illegal migration down by 40% in first seven months y/y

LJUBLJANA - Police dealt with 4,495 illegal crossings of the border in the first seven months of 2021, some 40% fewer than in the same period last year, when there were 7,577. The most frequently processed illegal migrants were from Afghanistan (975), Pakistan (806) and Bangladesh (522).

Construction of Koroška section of expressway begins

SLOVENJ GRADEC - Construction work began near Slovenj Gradec on a vital expressway to link the Koroška region in the north with the national motorway network. This is a second section on the Third Development Axis, the largest road projects under way in Slovenia linking Koroška and Bela Krajina in the south, on which work has started. The section is valued at EUR 37.4 million and should be completed in 30 months.

Bad bank selling footwear maker Alpina

LJUBLJANA/ŽIRI - The Bank Assets Management Company (BAMC) initiated procedures to sell its 100% share in the footwear producer Alpina and all of related liabilities worth EUR 28 million. The bad bank said on the time was right for the sale as it has done all it could to stabilise the Žiri-based company and now was the time for the company to get a private owner.

Conventa Week kicks off in hybrid form

LJUBLJANA - Conventa Week started in Ljubljana today, combining the Conventa Trade Show and the 2021 Conventa Crossover conference. The event will bring together 75 exhibitors from 13 countries and 126 guests from 24 countries and will simultaneously take place live and online until Friday.

Festival of poetry and wine celebrating 25th anniversary

PTUJ - The city of Ptuj is hosting the 25th Days of Poetry and Wine from 24 to 28 August. Czech and Portuguese poets Petr Borkovec and Ana Luisa Amaral will be the guests of honour and the Open Letter to Europe will be written and read by German poet Durs Grünbein.

24 Aug 2021, 15:46 PM

European Commission Warns Janša Member States Have a Duty to Help Afghans at Risk

STA, 24 August 2021 - The EU maintains that the Union and the countries which have taken part in the NATO mission in Afghanistan have a duty to take care of the Afghans at risk following the Taliban seizure of the country, the European Commission's spokesperson Eric Mamer said on Tuesday when asked to comment on PM Janez Janša's recent statement.

Janša tweeted on Sunday that the EU would "not open any 'humanitarian' or migration corridors to Afghanistan" or allow the repeat of 2015. "We will only help individuals who have helped us in the course of the NATO mission and EU member states that protect our external border."

Mamer referred to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's recent statements that "the EU as well as all countries that have participated in the NATO mission in Afghanistan have a duty to take care of the people who are at particular risk because of the new situation in Afghanistan, for example journalists, human rights advocates, judges and lawyers, and in general women and young girls".

When talking about creating channels and resettlement opportunities for Afghans in conflict, "we are talking about these groups", said Mamer as the STA asked him whether Janša's stance corresponded to that of the Commission.

Mamer also highlighted efforts that will be needed to ensure that all Afghans who have been displaced due to the conflict, can safely return home. With a view to enabling this, the Commission emphasises the need to work with countries in the region, he said.

Responding to Janša's tweet, European Parliament President David Sassoli meanwhile said on Sunday that it was "not for to the current presidency of the Council to say what the EU will do". He invited Janša to discuss the issue with the European institutions so that they could decide what the next steps should be.

Janša's stance is said to be supported by only two EU members - Hungary and Austria, the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) reported on Monday.

Most of the other member states and leaders of the EU institutions would like to prevent the 2015 migration wave from repeating, but are at the same time ready to expand the circle of people who need protection, citing moral responsibility and commitments from the resettlement programme.

Slovenia is meanwhile willing to accept the Afghans who have worked with the Slovenian soldiers in Afghanistan as well as another five, according to a recent statement by Foreign Minister Anže Logar.

24 Aug 2021, 11:55 AM

Paralympics Start Today, 7 Slovenians Competing

STA, 24 August 2021 - Seven Slovenian athletes will compete at the Summer Paralympics, which kick off in Tokyo on Tuesday. The team is smaller than usual due to quota restrictions and strict qualifying norms, and is a mixture of novices and experienced athletes who have participated in several Summer Paralympics before.

The team features shooters Franček Gorazd Tiršek and Franc Pinter, track-and-field athlete Henrik Plank, cyclist Anej Doplihar, swimmer Tim Žnidaršič Svenšek, table tennis player Luka Trtnik and archer Dejan Fabčič.

Fabčič, who will be participating in his third Summer Paralympics in as many sports, will carry the Slovenian flag at the opening ceremony, while Pinter will be taking part in his eighth Olympic Games for athletes with disabilities.

Until 5 September, a total of 4,537 athletes from 162 countries will compete in 22 sports. Competition starts on Wednesday.

24 Aug 2021, 11:36 AM

Half of Adults in Slovenia Now Fully Vaccinated, More Than 34,000 Shots Given Last Week

STA, 23 August 2021 - More than 50% of Slovenians aged over 18 have been fully vaccinated and 55% have received the first shot of a coronavirus vaccine, the latest official figures show.

Figures from Cepimose.si, the official vaccination portal, show more than 868,000 fully vaccinated and almost 950,000 having received the first shot as of Monday.

In the overall population, the percentages are 42% and 46%, respectively.

Slovenia lags the best performers in Europe, but the pace of vaccination finally appears to be inching up after declining throughout the summer.

Slightly over 34,000 shots were delivered last week, almost a tenth more than in the week before.

But this is still far from the peak of the vaccination campaign, in early June, when well over 100,000 shots were delivered a week.

Find the latest data on COVID and Slovenia here

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