24 May 2022, 16:21 PM

Freedom Movement, SocDems & Left Sign Coalition Agreement

STA, 24 May 2022 - The leaders of the Freedom Movement, Social Democrats and the Left signed the coalition agreement on Tuesday, exactly a month since the general election, with Prime Minister-designate Robert Golob commenting that the "speed that many envy us in forming the coalition proves the decision was simple because the people's will was clear".

Golob said the election outcome made the decision who to form the coalition with simple. "Had people's will not been as clear, we couldn't have agreed so fast on the directions, projects and values that we will pursue together in the future government."

The signing comes just a day before the National Assembly will take a vote to confirm Golob as the prime minister. The three coalition parties have 53 seats in the 90-strong legislature with the Italian minority Felice Žiža announcing yesterday him and his Hungarian counterpart will also back Golob.

Golob's Freedom Movement won 41 seats in the 24 April general election, the highest number ever won by a party since independence. The SocDems won seven seats and the Left five.

Golob said the coalition agreement also provided for the new way in which his government would be organised, but which they cannot implement yet because the opposition Democrats (SDS) have submitted a motion for a referendum on the relevant amendments to the government act.

The increase in the number of ministers to 19 plus one without portfolio, from 14 plus three without portfolio is but seemingly increasing the government's complexity, he said.

The new ministries, responsible for solidarity-based future, climate and energy and higher education, science and innovation were aimed at creating new opportunities, projects and knowledge, which would set the new government apart from its predecessors.

Healthcare ranks prominently in the coalition agreement. There were many questions whether the coalition partners would reach a consensus on how to address key challenges with the Left advocating a clear division between public and private healthcare and the end of top-up insurance that is collected by private insurers, and the Freedom Movement arguing that private practitioners should be involved to reduce wait times.

However, Golob said it was measures in healthcare that they managed to agree on the most swiftly. The key priorities would be to set out an exit strategy for Covid-19 and an emergency bill that would reform healthcare. The bill is to be presented by Danijel Bešič Loredan, the candidate for health minister, at the hearing in parliament.

As other key priorities Golob identified coping with rising energy and food prices. In dealing with energy prices he said it would make sense taking measures aimed at all citizens, and in the case of food the measures would be selectively targeted.

Golob also listed public appearances and political culture as areas where the coalition wanted to introduce changes.

"I haven't said anything about the outgoing government and I won't because we're not here to use anyone as an excuse, but to put into practice what we've promised to the people. This change of political culture, which should be respectful but also determined and directed into the future, is also my personal pledge," he said.

Tanja Fajon, the SocDem leader, said theirs would be a government of change, something that voters had asked for. "Our joint goal is to ensure a strong economy, social security for all, an even regional development and Slovenia's position at Europe's core".

Fajon, who will take over as the foreign minister, referred to the coalition's plan to reposition Slovenia after the outgoing government sought alliances with countries such as Hungary and Poland.

Luka Mesec, the leader of the Left, said today's signing marked the end of a lost decade and a half, an era that saw Slovenia crawling from one crisis into another. "Bottom line is, the coalition agreement that we've signed is the line that separates us from the lost decade and a half and the hard work ahead of us," he said, pledging for the government to work for the future of all, not just a few.

Golob said the coalition would examine their agreement every six months in order to see whether the circumstances had changed so much that adjustments were needed.

He said the coalition partners had already agreed on their common goal before the election, which was where they wanted to take Slovenia by 2030. "We know where we are and where we want to get, the path is known and we'll then respond appropriately according to the circumstances."

Golob will focus on staffing the prime minister's office once he is endorsed as prime minister. He would like for the office to act horizontally, linking together the ministries that deal with the same topics.

24 May 2022, 13:01 PM

First Case of Monkeypox Confirmed in Slovenia, No Cause for Alarm

STA, 24 May 2022 - The first case of monkeypox has been confirmed in Slovenia in a man who arrived from the Canary Islands. The patient, who developed the symptoms after arriving in Slovenia, is doing well, the country's chief epidemiologist Mario Fafangel told the press on Tuesday.

Fafangel said Slovenia thus joined 16 other countries where the virus has been confirmed. International institutions, including the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), have already been notified, he said.

He stressed the monkeypox virus is not new and that unlike in the case of Covid its spreading could be stopped and had been stopped in several African countries in the past.

The risks for the broader society associated with the infection have been estimated as low by the WHO and the ECDC, he said.

According to Fafangel, contact tracing has been under way but no quarantine is envisaged for contacts, as a person can spread the disease only after they develop symptoms.

Tatjana Avšič Zupanc of the Institute of Microbiology and Immunology said their lab dealing with exotic viruses had been informed of suspected monkeypox infection in Slovenia yesterday afternoon.

She said the lab had prepared protocols for the monkeypox virus as it started spreading in other countries earlier this month.

The diagnosis was confirmed with three PCR tests, she said, adding that the sample was now being sequenced to determine its nucleotide sequence.

Out of the two variants of the virus - the west African and central African - the former, which has been spreading recently, is milder. The man in Slovenia is infected with this variant, Avšič Zupanc confirmed.

UKC Ljubljana Department of Infectious Diseases, Tatjana Lejko Zupanc said no major complications were expected with infection with this version. However, the disease might pose a greater risk to persons with compromised immune system, pregnant women and small children.

The infected man is not hospitalised, Lejko Zupanc said.

Infected persons are recommended to stay at home and avoid close contact with risky groups as well as with their pets for three weeks or until their scabs fall off, she said. If the person is going out they should wear a facemask.

Heath workers wear similar protective equipment as with Covid when dealing with infected patients, she noted.

Currently, two vaccines are available to prevent the disease; one is the smallpox vaccine, which is also effective against monkeypox, and the other which is registered for monkeypox as well as smallpox.

Lejko Zupanc said that at this point it would perhaps make sense to vaccinate lab workers. Talks on the supply of a vaccine, if it were needed, are under way.

One medication is registered for treating monkeypox - tecovirimat, which is not available in Europe at the moment, but talks are under way for small quantities if they were needed, she said. An alternative medication, cidofovir, is already available.

Mojca Gobec, head of the sector for prevention of disease and injuries at the Health Ministry, said the ministry was monitoring the situation and would adopt measures if necessary.

Experts have already proposed that monkeypox be included on the list of occupational diseases, which will enable its monitoring and better communication with international organisations, she said.

24 May 2022, 10:52 AM

Process Starts to Rename Piran’s Lucija “Sveta Lucija”

STA, 24 May 2022 - A procedure has been launched for the coastal town Lucija (Lucy) in the Piran municipality to be given back its original name Sveta Lucija (Saint Lucy), which was changed in the 1950s as part of postwar efforts to remove religious elements from toponyms.

Piran municipal councillors tasked at Monday's session Mayor Đenio Zadković to start activities to rename the town after several initiatives had been filed, including by municipal councillors of the Italian community, Democrats' (SDS) councillor Vojko Jevševar and the council of the Lucija local community.

The Piran mayor had also commissioned a survey, which pollster Mediana conducted among 135 locals. It turned out that they are in favour of the name change and are very familiar with the history of the town's name and initiatives for the name change.

However, things did not go smoothly at yesterday's session, as Gabrijel Franca from the Movement for the Piran Municipality proposed the issue be removed from the agenda and discussed after the financial consequences of the move are assessed.

Italian community councillor Manuela Rojec explained that, as the procedure was launched, all the documents, including the assessment Franca demanded, would be presented.

Another councillor representing the Italian community, Andrea Bartole, said this was no whim and that the cost of the name change would be minimal.

"This is not a name change but restoring of the historical name," he said, noting that the name Sveta Lucija had been documented as early as in the 13th century and that the town had been renamed Lucija after the Second World War by the regime.

Restoring the original name of the town would be a sign of reconciliation with history, he said.

Davorin Petaros from the Movement for the Piran Municipality said Bartole was forging history, while calls for a referendum on the issue could also be heard.

Eventually it was decided that a consultative referendum will be held along with the upcoming local election in the Lucija area, while activities for the name change which the councillors agreed on will meanwhile be under way.

24 May 2022, 10:39 AM

Pussy Riot Coming to Ljubljana’s Lesbian Festival, Thursday

STA, 24 May 2022 - Russian activist group Pussy Riot will perform at the Lesbian Quarter festival in Ljubljana on Thursday, in what the organiser ŠKUC Association dubbed as one of the highlights. The festival will focus on lesbian future, which in a heteronormative and patriarchal society must be understood as "a radically impossible utopia".

The Russian punk band came to global fame following their February 2012 gig at Moscow's main cathedral drawing the public's attention to the Orthodox Church's support for President Vladimir Putin. All three members of the band were later sentenced to prison over the gig.

The 8th Lesbian Quarter is opening on Tuesday with an evening of post-2008 short films at the Slovenian Cinematheque.

The films bring accounts of activists about their efforts, while also representing a guerilla response to lesbophobia, lesbian invisibility, and violence and discrimination in Slovenia.

Several workshops, including about storytelling and digital activism, will be organised alongside a panel discussion to mark 35 years of the Slovenian lesbian movement.

The Lesbian Quarter will close with Saturday's party accompanying a new edition of the Lezbozin bulletin and with Sunday's Astro-brunch.

Tickets for Pussy Riot can be bought here

24 May 2022, 07:26 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Tuesday, 24 May 2022

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:

Pahor nominates Robert Golob for prime minister-elect

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor announced he would nominate Robert Golob, the head of the election-winning Freedom Movement party, for prime minister-elect after holding consultations with deputy groups. He said he had established during the consultations that Golob undoubtedly enjoyed the necessary support to be elected in parliament. The new coalition, which supports Golob unanimously, has 53 deputies. The vote on the candidate for prime minister is expected to be held on Wednesday.

Slovenia advised to reduce dependency on fossil fuels

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Commission recommended Slovenia and all the other EU countries to diversify their imports of fossil fuels and reduce their dependency by increasing the use of renewable sources of energy and by strengthening power distribution networks. In its European Semester Spring review, the Commission told the countries they could strengthen the use of renewables by simplifying licencing procedures, urging them to boost public investment in green and digital transition and energy security.

Slovenian corporate sector highly profitable in 2021

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian corporate sector recorded a strong rebound in 2021, with overall revenue increasing by 24% to EUR 120.3 billion and net profit totalling EUR 5.7 billion, almost double the figure over the year before, shows an annual report by AJPES, the agency for public legal records. The overall net profit, the cumulative difference between companies' net losses and net profits, reached 4.7%, its highest level since these records began in 2008 measured as a share of overall revenue.

RTV Slovenija staff on strike: We're fighting for public media

LJUBLJANA - RTV Slovenija staff went on an hour-long strike to reiterate their demands for journalistic and editorial autonomy and an end to politicisation of the public broadcaster, while highlighting its role in a democracy. They also demand decent working conditions, a clear staffing policy, democratic social dialogue, and withdrawal of all harmful Programme Council decisions. Protesting over the lack of social dialogue, they expect their strike demands to be addressed by 30 May.

RTV Programme Council does not back candidate for TV Slovenija director

LJUBLJANA - The Programme Council of public broadcaster RTV Slovenija did not back the proposal to appoint Natalija Gorščak director of TV Slovenija, the broadcaster's TV arm. Director general Andrej Grah Whatmough nominated her after having dismissed her from the job in August last year. Gorščak was the only candidate to apply for the job in line with the terms of the call by the 13 May deadline. She needed at least 15 votes in the 29-member Programme Council to be appointed, but only seven members backed her.

Report: NBI wrote criminal complaint against Počivalšek

LJUBLJANA - According to unofficial information by webportal 24ur.com, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) wrote a criminal complaint months ago against Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek over suspected abuse of office in the purchase of Covid protective equipment. But the complaint has so far not been sent to the Specialised State Prosecutor's Office. Reportedly, an employee at Počivalšek's office and a supplier of medical ventilators are suspected of acting as accomplices.

Wages up in private sector in March, down in public sector

LJUBLJANA - Slovenians earned an average EUR 1,306.68 in take-home pay for March, up 1.2% compared with the net earnings a year ago. Net salaries in the public sector in fact fell by 6.2% as those in the private sector rose by as much on average, shows fresh data from the Statistics Office. The reason for lower pay in the public sector is that Covid-19 hazard bonuses had been phased out. Compared with the month before, net pay was up 5.3% in nominal terms and up 6.5% in real terms.

Poclain Hydraulics posts record sales growth

ŽIRI - Poclain Hydraulics, the Žiri-based maker of hydraulic valves, saw revenue grow 24% to EUR 41 million last year to return to the sales level achieved in 2018 on the back of a rebound in global demand and expansion to the US market. The company, which is the third largest production site in the France-based group by number of employees, achieved the result with 7% fewer employees than in 2018, which CEO Aleš Bizjak said confirmed the success of their measures to permanently increase productivity.

Paradajz produced record 5,200 tonnes of tomatoes last year

TURNIŠČE - The greenhouse tomato grower Paradajz from Renkovci in north-eastern Slovenia last year produced a record 5,200 tonnes of tomatoes, up from the average annual figure of 4,500 tonnes. Compared to 2020, sales were up by 30% to EUR 12.4 million, while net profit remained level at EUR 1.6 million. The company, best known for its tomato brand Lušt, said the increased production was facilitated by a new greenhouse in Mala Polana, near Renkovci, which produced its first tomatoes in January 2021.

Immunologist finds debate about Swedish model pointless

LJUBLJANA - The new government has indicated it will follow the Swedish model in managing a potential new Covid-19 wave in the autumn. However, Alojz Ihan, a respected immunologist, says it makes little sense talking of the Swedish model because the country is now in a different phase of the epidemic. He says the Swedish model can mean several things, including a high vaccination rate, which appears to be out of reach, it can mean the population trusting and following epidemiological measures and can also mean a catastrophe in care homes.

Historian Vodopivec honoured by Austria

LJUBLJANA - Historian Peter Vodopivec received Austria's Grand Decoration for Services for his contribution to the strengthening of the Slovenian-Austrian relations and cooperation between Slovenian and Austrian historians. In 2010, he received the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, First Class. Austrian Ambassador to Slovenia Elisabeth Ellison Kramer said it was not frequent that a single person received two Austrian state decorations.

Minister honours member of Slovenian minority in Argentina

LJUBLJANA - Minister for Slovenians Abroad Helena Jaklitsch presented Argentinian Slovenian Alenka Prijatelj with a certificate of appreciation from the Government Office for Slovenians Abroad. Prijatelj received the honour for her long-standing efforts in fostering education and culture among her compatriots in Argentina. The minister also honoured ten Slovenian minority members or emigrants who have returned to their homeland in the last 30 years with commemorative medals marking the 30th anniversary of Slovenia's independence.

Architects of New Gallery and Casemates in Austria win Plečnik Prize

LJUBLJANA - The architects that have designed the New Gallery and Casemates in Austria's Wiener Neustadt have been honoured with the Plečnik Prize, Slovenia's top award for outstanding achievements in architecture over the past five years. Matija Bevk, Vasa J. Perović and Johannes Paar got the award at an awards ceremony in Ljubljana. The New Gallery and Casemates, completed in 2019, was lauded by the jury as one of the best architectural projects by Slovenian architects in the area of renovation and revitalisation.

Slovenian film wins main Tik Tok prize in Cannes

CANNES, France - Love In Plane Sight, a short film by Slovenian arts student Matej Rimanić, has won one of the two main prizes of the Tik Tok competition organised at the Cannes Film Festival for the first time this year. The short comedy by Rimanić, a third year student at the University of Nova Gorica School of Arts, tells the story of a future couple who talk across balconies. The Tik Tok section involved contributions from 44 countries and was viewed by 4.5 billion people worldwide.

Cukrarna wins Life Challenge architecture award

VALENCIA, Spain - Cukrarna, a new gallery in Ljubljana transformed from a dilapidated 19th century sugar factory, has won the Baumit company's Life Challenge international architectural competition. The project was selected as the best architectural solution and facade for 2022, winning the Historic Renovation segment, one of the six categories in which awards were presented in Valencia last week. Ljubljana will host the next awards ceremony in 2024.

Lighting Guerilla festival gets under way

LJUBLJANA - The 16th Lighting Guerilla Festival will open in Ljubljana's Vžigalica Gallery tonight with a group exhibition of new production by Slovenian artists. The theme of this year's iteration of the contemporary visual and new-media art is Shadows and Reflections. Running until 18 June, the festival will also feature international guests and outdoor light installations in selected locations around the capital.

Maribor claim 16th national football championship title

MURSKA SOBOTA - Maribor defeated the defending champions Mura 3:1 in Murska Sobota on Sunday to claim their 16th national championship title. They turned things around in the last round, leapfrogging Koper, who played a goalless draw with Bravo in Ljubljana. Maribor finished the 36-round premier league competition with 70 points, three more than Koper, who had been hoping for their second national championship title.

Cedevita Olimpija fail to make it to ABA League final

BELGRADE, Serbia - Slovenian basketball club Cedevita Olimpija lost against Serbia's Crvena Zvezda 78:88 in Belgrade in what was the decisive third game of the semi-final of the regional first-tier ABA League. The Ljubljana-based club thus missed out on the three-match final where Crvena Zvezda will now play its city rival Partizan. Cedevita Olimpija's top scorers were Yogi Ferrell with 25 points and Zoran Dragić with 21 points.

Supreme Court annuls sentence in cannabis-laced cookie incident

MARIBOR - The Supreme Court has annulled the 15-month suspended sentence handed out to a confectioner from Hoče for baking THC-laced cookies to a health inspector back in August 2017 and offering them to unsuspecting customers, who got sick. The court found the trial failed to prove the defendant had known the cookies contained THC. It thus ordered a retrial. The man allegedly baked the cookies for a retired health inspector, who told the first trial the defendant agreed to bake cookies with THC for him.

Covid situation stable during the weekend

LJUBLJANA - Two more Covid patients died in the last three days and currently 43 patients are in hospital with Covid as their main condition, including four in intensive care, the Health Ministry said. On Friday, 289 infections were confirmed, on Saturday another 156, and 86 on Sunday. The National Institute of Public Health estimates there are still 6,530 active cases in the country.

23 May 2022, 17:35 PM

Golob Moves Closer to Formal Nomination for Slovenia’s PM-Elect

STA, 23 May 2022 - President Borut Pahor announced he would nominate Robert Golob, the head of the election-winning Freedom Movement party, for prime minister-elect after holding consultations with the deputy groups on Monday. He said he had established during the consultations that Golob undoubtedly enjoyed the necessary support to be elected.

Pahor congratulated him and wished him good luck in "forming, appointing and leading the government". He expressed hope for "excellent cooperation".

The president noted Golob would be the fifth prime minister and his government the sixth with which he had cooperated in almost ten years in office, and stressed he had the same standards for all. He added he had always let each prime minister set the amount and intensity of their cooperation.

Predsednik Republike Slovenije Borut Pahor je v skladu s 111. členom Ustave RS začel posvetovanja z vodji poslanskih skupin in predstavnikoma narodnih skupnosti državnega zbora o izboru kandidata za predsednika Vlade Republike Slovenije. pic.twitter.com/CoVvacQ0Ug
— Borut Pahor (@BorutPahor) May 23, 2022

Golob thanked Pahor for his constructive attitude and for understanding their motive for forming the government as soon as possible. The main reason is that the summer could thus be used for preparations for the autumn, which will bring energy price hikes and potentially a new wave of Covid, Golob said.

He pointed out that the Freedom Movement truly wanted to change the political culture and remove hate speech from politics. Respectful dialogue is the main change he announced for this year. "If this means we have to give up a politician, we will," he asserted.

He moreover called for broad cooperation, including with parties in the opposition, and said he would like to have a two-thirds majority, which will be needed to change the election legislation, by autumn.

"I believe that if we build a truly broad programme coalition, we can address the most fundamental issues of the future," said the prime minister-designate.

Cooperation with the opposition will be programme-based, independent from the ruling coalition, which must start its work as soon as possible, he said.

Among the issues which Golob wants to tackle with support of the opposition he mentioned the pension reform and simplifying the government appointment procedure.

Golob said he would talk cooperation with those opposition parties that would prove with their deeds that they are constructive.

Pahor has not commented on the opposition filing over 30 legislative proposals and referendum motions to at least temporarily prevent the announced expansion of the cabinet. He believes that if the proposals were in line with the law, this was a matter of political culture.

The Freedom Movement is expected to present its new deputy head on Wednesday, Golob said, adding that the party's deputy group will remain divided into eight smaller groups of four MPs.

He would like ministerial candidates to be quizzed by parliamentary committees this week. Responding to criticism that the opposition will not have time to prepare for the hearings, he said the candidates had been known for a while.

Commenting on cooperation with the two minority MPs, who are hoping to sign an agreement with the government, Golob said that in the past they had been put in an "unenviable position" of tipping the scales. An agreement on cooperation might be concluded in the autumn, he said, adding though that this was not a government priority.

After the president held consultations with the Social Democrats (SD) and Left, the prospective coalition partners to the Freedom Movement, the heads of the parties' deputy groups said they would endorse Golob as the prime minister-designate.

SD's Jani Prednik said that the voters had clearly said in the 24 April election that they wanted change, including at the top of the government.

Left's Matej T. Vatovec meanwhile noted that the party leadership had been given the mandate to enter a government led by Golob, adding that the Left MPs would endorse him as the National Assembly holds the vote, expectedly on Wednesday.

Also expressing support for Golob were the representatives of the Italian and Hungarian minorities in parliament, Felice Žiža and Ferenc Horvath, respectively.

Žiža said that the MPs had already discussed with Golob the manner of cooperation with the new government and possible individual projects, adding that detail would be sorted out at a meeting next week.

On the other hand, the head of the Democrats (SDS) deputy group Jelka Godec, while noting that the Freedom Movement has support of 53 deputies, said that the SDS would not endorse Golob. The same decision was made by New Slovenia (NSi).

23 May 2022, 14:02 PM

Slovenian Short Film “Love In Plane Sight” Wins Main Tik Tok Prize in Cannes (Full Video)

STA, 23 May 2022 - Love In Plane Sight, a short film by Slovenian arts student Matej Rimanić, has won one of the two main prizes of the Tik Tok competition organised at the Cannes Film Festival for the first time this year.

The short comedy by Rimanić, a third year student at the University of Nova Gorica School of Arts, tells the story of a future couple who talk across balconies.

@rimanic Love In Plane Sight #TikTokShortFilm #fyp #fypシ #foryoupage ♬ Love In Plane Sight Short Film - rimanic

"Filmmaking is a team sport, so this win is not just for me, it's for everybody involved in the project," Rimanić said about the award for the film, which also involved Nik Kranjec as director of photography, Eva Mlakar as the actress alongside Rimanić, sound designer Alen Fekonja and consultant Luka Jurinčič.

"Personally, I hope this award will open the door to the wider world of filmmaking to me, as I want to work professionally in this field on a global level," the Slovenian Film Centre moreover quoted Rimanić as saying on Monday.

The Tik Tok section featured videos between 30 seconds and three minutes in length. It involved contributions from 44 countries and was viewed by 4.5 billion people worldwide.

23 May 2022, 11:53 AM

Supreme Court Annuls Sentence in Cannabis Cookie Incident

STA, 23 May - The Supreme Court has annulled the 15-month suspended sentence handed out to a confectioner from Hoče for baking THC-laced cookies for a health inspector back in August 2017 and offering them to customers. The court said that it had not been proven in the trial that Nik Štekar had known that the cookies contained THC, the newspaper Večer reports.

Štekar was sentenced to the suspended prison sentence with a probation period of two years by the Maribor District Court in March 2020 as he served the cookies to four of his regular but unsuspecting customers.

He allegedly baked the cookies for Zlatko Babič, a retired health inspector and fellow resident of Hoče near Maribor, while he was not informed of the nature of the butter Babič provided as part of a cookie baking request.

Štekar reportedly baked roughly a kilo of cookies with the THC-laced butter, keeping a share of the product for himself and offering it at one point to four guests without a warning.

Two of the guests - one said he had had ten pieces - ended up in hospital to be diagnosed with THC poisoning.

The verdict was upheld by the Maribor Higher Court, with the newspaper Delo reporting at the time that the judges said that an explanation different than that he had known about the content of the cookies could not be accepted.

They noted that Štekar had told the guests, who later had to seek medical attention, that there was nothing hazardous in the cookies, which was an unusual thing to say when food is served in an establishment where food was supposed to be harmless.

Štekar's defence turned to the Supreme Court, which has recently ruled that it had not been proven in the trial that Štekar had known that the cookies contained THC, Večer reported on Monday.

Annulling the rulings of the district and higher courts, the Supreme Court said a retrial should be held before a different judge, so the file has been handed to Mateja Kamenšek Gornik, the newspaper added.

When the new judge asked the defendant last week if he would defend himself, he said that he had already said everything he had to say.

Večer notes that Babič explained in the first trial that he had asked the confectioner if he would bake him cookies with THC, and that Štekar had agreed to this. Babič confirmed this last week when he appeared in court as a witness.

The trial will continue on 21 June, the newspaper adds.

23 May 2022, 10:18 AM

Football: Maribor Beats Mura 3:1 for 16th National Championship Title (Video)

STA, 23 May - Maribor defeated the defending champions Mura 3:1 in Murska Sobota on Sunday to claim their 16th national championship title. They turned the things around in the last round, leapfrogging Koper, who played a goalless draw with Bravo in Ljubljana. The conclusion of the premier league did not go without some controversy, though.

Maribor finished the 36-round premier league competition with 70 points, three more than Koper, who had been looking at what would be their second national championship title ever.

The perennial champions from Slovenia's second city had a turbulent season. They replaced the head coach last September, with Radovan Karanović taking over to try to make some separation from Koper, who were neck-and-neck with Maribor all the time.

Two rounds before the end, Koper were on top of the rankings, but after winning the national cup, they slipped against Radomlje in the penultimate round to open the path for Maribor to win the record 16th Slovenian champions title.

Maribor scored on the chance by defeating the defending champions Mura on the road yesterday. "I always believed that we could be champions because I believed in what we have been doing," head coach Karanović told Šport TV after the win.

He noted that the players had shown the will for success. "I congratulate all the lads and the entire Maribor for returning where it belongs," he said, admitting that he was not happy with the parity of the league as fans were.

"The season was really even until the end, that's fine for the fans, but not especially for us, to be honest with you," said the coach. who is signed until 2024 and whose goal is to take Maribor to one of the European club competitions.

Maribor will now play in the first round of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League, and will get their opponent on 14 June.

Koper will play in the second qualifying round of the third-tier Conference League, while Olimpija, who did not manage to come to the top even after the arrival of Croatian head coach Robert Prosinečki, and Mura playing in the first round.

"Maribor has to take a step forward, as other teams are catching up. I congratulate Koper for everything they have done, but we will really have to take a step forward," Karanović said.

Koper, on the other hand, are disappointed with the outcome, with the club president Ante Guberac raising controversy and calling for an investigation by the Slovenian Football Association (NZS).

There are allegations that Maribor had offered financial incentives to Radomlje players and that they offered a contract to the suspended Mura goalkeeper Marko Zalokar ahead of the last round.

"It is us who are the champions! What Maribor has been doing in recent weeks has tarnished the league, I've lost my respect for Maribor," Guberac told the MMC portal, adding that the club will challenge the final outcome of the championship.

Forward Ognjen Mudrinski (Maribor), who scored 17 goals, has been declared the best player of the season, while Zoran Zeljković of Koper was declared the best head coach.

I'm thankful to my teammates, because I wouldn't have scored all those goals without their assists," said Mudrinski, whose further career in Maribor is under question mark, because he plays on loan from the Polish side Jagiellonia Bialystok.

23 May 2022, 04:23 AM

Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Monday, 23 May 2022

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:

Slovenia celebrates 30 years of UN membership

LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor hosted a ceremony at the Presidential Palace and conferred state decorations on five deserving individuals to mark thirty years since Slovenia became a member of the UN. By joining the organisation, it became a sovereign and equal member of the international community, thus successfully exercising the right to self-determination. Addressing the ceremony, Pahor said it was astonishing how quickly Slovenia had managed to carry out democratisation, declare independence, defend its territory and become internationally recognised.

Slovenian kayakers win three medals at World Cup event in Račice

RAČICE, Czechia - Slovenian kayaker Anja Osterman won a flatwater 200-metre sprint World Cup event in Račice, Czech Republic, after finishing second in the 500-metre event yesterday. Another Slovenian, Špela Ponomarenko Janić, finished third. Slovenia's success was rounded off with kayker Jošt Zakrajšek's bronze at a 5-kilometre event.

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