Morning news for Slovenia: Wednesday, July 27, 2022
The minister says that there is no gas for households in winter
BRUSSELS, Belgium – Minister of Infrastructure Bojan Kumer said at the meeting of the EU ministers responsible for energy, at which they agreed on the rationalization of gas consumption, that there will be no rationalization of the supply of natural gas to households in Slovenia this winter. For gas disruptions to occur, many things would have to go wrong, including supply disruptions, a really bad winter and supply disruptions from liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals, Kumer said, adding that “if only If Russia stopped supplying gas, there would be no more serious challenges for supply in Slovenia.”
Addressing staff shortages and restoring autonomy will be the priorities of the new police commissioner
LJUBLJANA – One of the challenges that Acting Police Commissioner Boštjan Lindav intends to deal with will be the personnel shortage in the police, both among police officers and criminals and for office work. In an interview with STA, he also promised to restore the autonomy of the uniformed and criminal police and the National Bureau of Investigation. “Modern police are not just guardians of the ruler, that’s the medieval idea of it,” Lindav says, adding that the police need safeguards on how far they can follow the wishes of those in power at any given time.
On Sunday, there will be a less high-profile commemorative event at the Russian Chapel
LJUBLJANA – Due to the war in Ukraine, there will be a less high-profile memorial event on Sunday at the Russian Chapel under Vršič in memory of the Russian prisoners who died during the construction of the pass during the First World War. Presumably only members and friends of the Slovenia-Russia Association. While traditionally every summer a high-profile ceremony was held next to the chapel in which state and church dignitaries of both countries took part, this year it will only be a shorter event without any other accompanying program, the association announced.
Almost 3,000 cases of Covid were confirmed on Monday
LJUBLJANA – 2,939 new cases of coronavirus infection were recorded in Slovenia on Monday, which is the highest number in almost four months. The figure was up 6% on a weekly basis. One covid patient died, according to the latest official data. Yesterday’s number of cases is the highest since April 4. There are currently 86 patients hospitalized with covid as a primary condition, which is eight less than the daily comparison, including eight in intensive care, the same as the day before. Janez Žibert from the Ljubljana Faculty of Health Sciences estimated that the summer epidemic wave in Slovenia has subsided, as the 7-day average has been hovering around 1,600 for a week.
The state approved funds for more than 1,000 non-profit apartments
LJUBLJANA – The government has approved the co-financing of public rental apartments from the recovery and resilience plan for a total of 34 projects, within the framework of which a total of 1,036 housing units will be built. The total amount of grants is 60 million euros. The largest number of apartments will be built with EU funds intended for recovery after covid in Podravje (404). Priority was given to investments that provide the most energy-efficient solutions, and from the point of view of balanced regional development, priority was also given to projects in neglected border areas, the Ministry of Environment and Space announced.
The prices of basic foodstuffs are expected to be under scrutiny from September
LJUBLJANA – Monitoring and comparing the retail prices of 15 basic foods at various retailers, one of the government’s measures to solve the life crisis, aimed at preventing excessive prices, is expected to start in September, according to a public tender. for a price monitoring provider. The contractor is expected to establish a dedicated website to publish the current prices of this basket of basic foods every fortnight for a period of seven months, from September 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023. Three times during this period, the prices will be in Austria, and Italy will also be monitored in Croatia.
The Pirate Party supported Pirc Musarjeva for president
LJUBLJANA – The Pirate Party will support lawyer Nataša Pirc Musar in the presidential elections on October 23, according to the decision of this non-parliamentary party at the Saturday congress. When the decision was announced, the party announced that the former information commissioner fought for the fundamental values of the Pirate Party and for the information literacy of individuals with her work. Pirc Musarjeva welcomed the support and said that she shares similar beliefs and values with Pirat and supports their starting points on “human rights, privacy and data protection, free and neutral internet and transparency of the state”.
Hisense is building a new factory in Serbia
VELENJE – The Chinese-owned Hisense Europe group, which consists of the Velenje manufacturer of household appliances and televisions Gorenje, has started building a new factory in the Serbian town of Valjevo for the production of Hisense, Gorenje and Asko refrigerators. The EUR 40 million plant is expected to open in February 2023 and create 1,000 jobs. The new Valjevo 3 factory is expected to produce 750,000 Side-by-Side refrigerators annually, and the total annual production of all three Gorenje factories in Valjevo is expected to reach 1.7 million euros by 2025.
Settlement concluded regarding the sale of Meta Ingenium by SDH
LJUBLJANA – The Slovenian state holding (SDH) and the investment company Meta Ventures concluded an out-of-court settlement in the dispute regarding the sale by SSH in 2020 of the 49% state share of the company Meta Ingenium, which at the time had a 10.8% owner, the biotechnology company Bia Separations. SDH will receive an additional 2.09 million euros for its share, and depending on the results of Bia Separations, it will also receive the variable part of the proceeds over the next three years. Due to the irregularities found during the sale, in addition to the supervisor Igor Kržan, who was the temporary president of SSH at the time of the sale, two members of the management of SSH resigned.
Cycling ace Pogačar will miss the Vuelta in Spain
LJUBLJANA – Slovenian cyclist Tadej Pogačar, two-time winner of the Tour de France, will not participate in the Vuelta a Espana in 2022, as he plans to focus on the upcoming world championship and one-day races. Pogačar was initially expected to compete in the Spanish Grand Tour, but his team UAE Emirates confirmed on Tuesday that he had withdrawn from the race. The 23-year-old finished second in this year’s Tour de France, which ended on Sunday, and conceded defeat to Dane Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma).
Lufthansa flights from Ljubljana canceled due to the strike
LJUBLJANA – The German airline Lufthansa will cancel more than 1,000 flights to and from Munich and Frankfurt, including all flights to and from Ljubljana, on Wednesday due to a ground staff strike. The company Fraport Slovenia, which manages the Ljubljana airport, announced that Lufthansa also canceled Wednesday’s scheduled flights to Frankfurt and Munich from Ljubljana. The cancellations will affect departures to Frankfurt in the morning, arrivals from and departures from Munich in the afternoon, afternoon arrivals from and departures to Frankfurt and evening arrivals from Frankfurt.
Slovenia condemns the executions of democratic activists in Myanmar
LJUBLJANA – The Slovenian authorities strongly condemned the execution of four democratic activists in Myanmar, and the Foreign Ministry tweeted that the actions of the Myanmar military junta mean an escalation of repression and contempt for human rights. Myanmar authorities did not say when or how the four, including Phyo Zeyar Thaw, a former lawmaker from the National League for Democracy party, were executed. Myanmar’s state news agency said they were executed for “instructing, conspiring and carrying out conspiracies for brutal and inhumane acts of terrorism” such as murder.
The case of sexual abuse by a priest is statute-barred
KOPER – Former priest Anton Kmet, after the Vatican church court acquitted him of sexual abuse of a minor, will not stand trial, as the case is time-barred, Primorske novice reports. In September 2021, the prosecutor’s office in Koper filed a complaint against Kmeto for alleged sexual abuse, but now the judicial panel of the Koper District Court has determined that the case is time-barred.
More than ten injured in a mining accident in Velenje
VELENJE – On Monday, 14 miners collapsed in a coal mine in Velenje, but they escaped from the pit on their own. All are slightly injured and are recovering at home, President of the Board of Premogovnik Velenje Janez Rošer told reporters. According to Rosher, the miners mostly suffered injuries such as blows, some had sprained ankles, and there were also cases of inhaling dust. They got medical help at the health center.
Maribor was eliminated from the Champions League qualification
CHISIN, Moldova – Slovenian football champions Maribor crashed out of UEFA Champions League qualification in the second leg of the second qualifying round after losing to Moldovan champions FC Sheriff, who lost 0-1 in the second leg of the second qualifying round. The only goal of the match was scored by Momo Yansane in the dying moments of the match. Maribor was relegated to the UEFA European League, where they will face Finnish HJK Helsinki in the third qualifying round. The first match will take place on August 4 in Maribor.