Morning headlines for Slovenia: Tuesday, January 11, 2022
New coronavirus cases more than doubled to 2,515 on Sunday
LJUBLJANA – On Sunday, Slovenia recorded 2,515 new cases of coronavirus infection, which is 150% more than last week and the highest Sunday number since the beginning of the pandemic. About 48% of all PCR tests were positive, the highest rate of positive cases in the current pandemic wave. The 14-day enrollment rate per 100,000 people increased by 85 to 1,719. The number of Covid patients in hospitals increased by 35 to 572, while the number of cases in the intensive care unit decreased by four to 157.
A new incentive for vaccination, as Omicron predominates
LJUBLJANA – Minister of Health Janez Poklukar announced a new vaccination campaign for the end of this week, as the country is preparing for an increase in the wave of infections caused by Omicron and possible disruptions. In order to get as many people vaccinated as possible with the first, second and restorative vaccinations, the vaccination centers will be reopened from 8 am to 8 pm between Thursday and Saturday without prior notice. “Omicron has, so to speak, displaced Delta in a good fortnight,” Poklukar said.
Digital Markets Agreement among the Presidency’s top achievements
LJUBLJANA – Minister of the Economy Zdravko Počivalšek believes that the political agreement on digital markets is the crowning achievement of the Slovenian EU presidency in the areas within its competence. Legislation is a milestone in creating a more open, competitive and fair digital market in the EU, he told a news conference. The proposal has yet to be approved by the European Parliament, and the agreement reached last November is the starting point for talks between EU member states and the European Parliament.
Improving working conditions is considered a major achievement of the EU Presidency
LJUBLJANA – The contribution to the improvement of working conditions in the EU was highlighted, when the Minister of Labor Janez Cigler Kralj presented the achievements of the Slovenian EU Presidency in his portfolio. He noted that a final agreement had been reached on protecting workers from carcinogens and that major steps had been taken in the two wage directives. “The Slovenian presidency has put people at the center of employment, social policy and equal opportunities,” he said.
The investigation calls for the resignation of the interior ministers, both secretaries of state
LJUBLJANA – The parliamentary commission investigating suspicion of political interference in the work of the police adopted an interim report and a resolution proposing to the National Assembly to resign after a meeting between Interior Minister Ales Hojs and his two secretaries Franc Kangler and Bozo Predalic. behind closed doors. In the last six months, the commission has heard 20 witnesses. After today’s session, its president Rudi Medved from the opposition LMŠ told reporters that the interviews and documents obtained by the commission confirmed that things were being done in the Slovenian police at the behest of politics.
Šarec denies that the previous government was slow to respond to the epidemic
LJUBLJANA – Former Prime Minister Marjan Šarec, now an opposition MP, has denied accusations of his government’s slow response to the development of Covid-19 in early 2020, as he appeared before a coalition parliamentary inquiry into Marjan Šarec’s government in the early stages of the coronavirus epidemic. Asked if his government had declared the epidemic too late, he replied that it had acted on the little information about the coronavirus available at the time. The epidemic was declared on March 12, 2020, the day after the new government was sworn in.
Slovenia’s candidate for ECA guarantees political independence to MPs
BRUSSELS, Belgium – Slovenian candidate for the European Court of Auditors (ECA) Jorg Kristijan Petrovic assured MEPs of political independence and impartiality, as his hearing before the European Parliament’s Committee on Budgetary Control focused on why his offer was rejected for Slovenia. October at a parliamentary committee. Petrovic, who has been the first deputy president of the Slovenian Court of Audit since 2013, was nominated by the government in October, although the parliamentary committee for EU affairs voted against the proposal.
Mayors are thinking about their own party, they do not rule out an offer for a general election
ŠENTJUR – 57 out of 212 Slovenian mayors gathered in Šentjur, east of Celje, and founded the Club of Independent Mayors on the initiative of Kočevje Mayor Vladimir Prebilič. The idea is to conclude an alliance that would mark this year’s super-election year in Slovenia, but the club has not yet decided how they will participate in all three elections. Hrastnik Mayor Marko Funkl said that their ambition was to become the largest group of its kind in Slovenia and an important factor in uniting the three existing associations of local communities. They also intend to work to lift the ban on mayors performing the function of deputies.
NGOs are working to repeal several recent laws
LJUBLJANA – On March 8, the Institute, one of the non-governmental organizations that launched a referendum on amendments to the Water Act last year, presented a proposal to “eliminate harmful government measures” in education, police, environmental protection and transport. The NGO will collect signatures for a bill to repeal eleven laws. Signatures of support will be collected in a six-week campaign, and the goal is to collect at least 60,000 signatures, said the head of the NGO Nika Kovač.
The Slovenian PEN Center expresses its support for Assange
LJUBLJANA – On January 3, the board of the Slovenian PEN Center unanimously elected Julian Assange an honorary member of the center and said today that this step was taken in the hope that his support, in addition to international support, would help Assange in his judicial path. PEN Slovenia praised Assange as “the bravest journalist and publicist in the last two decades, for which he pays an extremely high personal and professional price”.
Voter turnout for the government in a 14-month Labor poll
LJUBLJANA – The assessment of voters for the government has improved to the highest level since November 2020 in the latest Labor poll, which also shows that a third of respondents are undecided or dissatisfied with the given choice of parliamentary parties. Among the parties that won at least one percent of the vote in the previous elections, the ruling Democrats (SDS) continue to be the preferred choice (18.4%), followed by the opposition Social Democrats (10.7%), the Left (7.6%) and Marjan. Šarč’s list (6.1%), Alenka Bratušek’s party (5.2%) and the younger coalition Nova Slovenija (4.7%).
Slovenia is one of the safest countries in terms of murder rates
LJUBLJANA – Last year, 32 murders or attempted murders were recorded in Slovenia, which is one of the lowest in recent years. Statistics and research show that Slovenia remains one of the safest countries in Europe and in the world after murders. In the 1990s, criminal investigators dealt with up to 100 murders and attempted murders per year. After 2000, the number decreased to 60 to 80 cases, while since 2007 there have been about 40 cases per year.
Izola voters reject a sweeping spatial plan
IZOLA – Voters in the Coastal Municipality of Izola rejected a spatial plan that would open large areas of the coastal municipality to development, including first-class agricultural land. In Sunday’s referendum, 72 percent were against and 28 percent in favor. The key points of the plan were the construction of residential and public spaces on the site of two former factories, the expansion of the hospital there and, most controversially, the development of around seven hectares of agricultural land just outside the city limits.
The Slovenian researcher will receive 2.2 million euros in ERC grants
LJUBLJANA – The European Research Council (ERC) has allocated 2.2 million euros for a project in which Anna Dragoš from the Biotechnical Faculty of the University of Ljubljana will research the virus-bacterium interaction. The PHAGECONTROL – Development of Host Manipulation with Bacteriophage will examine how viruses can change the behavior of bacteria, the molecular mechanisms responsible for these changes, and whether viruses change the behavior of bacteria because they participate or because they are manipulators.
Industrial production increased in November
LJUBLJANA – Slovenian industrial production increased by 2.8% in November compared to October, by 10.1% compared to November 2020 and by 8.7% compared to November before the 2019 pandemic. The Bureau of Statistics said.
Running events of the World Cup in Planica have been canceled
LJUBLJANA – The Organizing Committee for the FIS World Cup running competitions, which will take place on January 22 and 23 at the Nordic Center Planica in Slovenia, canceled the competition and cited a sharp increase in coronavirus infections in the country. The venue in northwestern Slovenia is expected to host the classic sprint for men and women on 22 January and the 30 and 15 km skiathlon for women on 23 January.
Pogačar will compete in France and Spain this year, and in 2023 he will watch the Giro
LJUBLJANA – Slovenian cyclist Tadej Pogačar, currently the best in the world, has confirmed that he will defend two consecutive titles at the Tour de France and take part in the Vuelta a Espana, and may take part in the second Grand Tour summer. In a video conference speech, the 23-year-old from his UAE Emirates team filled his competition calendar to “maximum”. His first test this year will be a UAE tour from 20 to 26 February.