Morning news for Slovenia: Wednesday, August 10, 2022
Pahor in Turkey discusses the consequences of the Ukrainian war for the Western Balkans
ANKARA, Turkey – President Borut Pahor began a two-day state visit to Turkey with a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Cavusoglu and an address at the annual meeting of Turkish diplomats. The two interlocutors discussed the war in Ukraine and its consequences for the Western Balkans, with Pahor praising Turkey for its mediating role between Russia and Ukraine, especially in the export of grain. The war in Ukraine was also the central theme of Pahorje’s address to Turkish diplomats, which he gave at the special invitation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whom he is scheduled to meet tomorrow.
The fire under Socerb hill is approaching the nearby villages
KOPER – A fire broke out under the hill of Socerb in a difficult-to-access area on the border with Italy, southeast of Trieste, last night and has not yet been contained, as it spread downwards towards the village due to a strong gale. Osp in Slovenia and Prebenica in Italy. Firefighters on both sides of the border were assisted by helicopters and water bombers until nightfall, but they fear the gale that is expected to blow on Wednesday and Thursday. Evacuation has not been necessary on the Slovenian side of the border until now. The cause of the fire is not yet known.
Another anti-coronavirus accelerator recommended for elderly, chronic patients
LJUBLJANA – The number of infections with covid-19 is not increasing, but the number of people hospitalized with covid is not decreasing either, recommended Bojana Beović, head of the co-council for immunization at the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ). those over 80 and chronically ill receive a second boost immediately. For those over 60 years of age, we also recommend a second booster vaccination. Immunologist Beovićeva, who also heads the medical association, expects that in autumn, in addition to the flu, vaccination for the entire population will probably make sense.
New school year with self-testing for the coronavirus
LJUBLJANA – The new school year will begin with testing for the coronavirus at home for those with symptoms and those who have been in contact with an infected person. If a new variant that creates a high risk of severe illness begins to spread, the National Institute of Public Health’s (NIJZ) coronavirus advisory group would recommend weekly home testing for all students and teachers, according to last week’s decision. The decision was approved today by the sub-group on education. Its member Nives Počkar told STA that the goal is to prevent the closing of schools. The plan for two scenarios is expected to be presented to NIJZ on Wednesday.
Infections with the coronavirus are decreasing
LJUBLJANA – 2,402 new cases of coronavirus infection were recorded in Slovenia on Monday, which is 9 percent less than the same day a week ago, as the number of cases has been falling from week to week for the 12th day in a row. Six patients with covid-19 have died, according to new data from the Ministry of Health. The number of patients requiring hospital care for Covid-19 fell by nine to 104 as of Sunday. Data from the National Institute of Public Health showed the rate of reported cases per 100,000 people in 14 days fell by 28 a day to 993.
A new case of abuse of foreign workers was reported
LJUBLJANA – TV Slovenia reported that 12 Indian workers were forced to work 60 hours a week for less than the minimum wage in a car wash in Ljubljana after their passports were confiscated. The group eventually escaped from the Avtostop car wash, and two turned to an NGO working on the rights of migrant workers for help. The Financial Administration, the Labor Inspectorate and the police carried out separate inspections of the company in July, but the proceedings are still ongoing. Amonte, which operates the car wash, has denied the allegations. Its director Semir Hajdarpašić believes that it is an attempt at extortion.
Parts of the Law on the Prevention of Money Laundering are subject to constitutional review
LJUBLJANA – The information commissioner requested a constitutional review of the part of the law on the prevention of money laundering and financing of terrorism, which is based on two inspection procedures and refers to the processing of personal data. “There are serious and objective reasons to suspect that the legal regulation of the processing of personal data by the Office for the Prevention of Money Laundering is in a certain part unconstitutional,” the newspaper Delo stated in the request for an assessment of nine articles of the law by Information Commissioner Mojca Prelesnik. .
Soon in Slovenia, the largest firefighting laboratory in the region
LOGATEC – The Construction Institute of Slovenia (ZAG) will open a new fire laboratory in Logatec in September, as they say, the only facility of its kind in this part of Europe. An investment worth 11 million euros should enable further progress in research into fire resistance and flammability of materials and structures. The laboratory, which covers an area of 3,500 square meters, will enable testing the fire resistance of domestic and foreign products. The new building will also house the headquarters of the new ZAG department for fire-safe and sustainable built environment research.
Fraport Slovenia still in the red in the second quarter, but on the rise
BRNIK – Fraport Slovenia, the operator of Jože Pučnik International Airport Ljubljana, reported a loss of approximately EUR 300,000 in the second quarter of 2022, which is a significant improvement on the EUR 2.1 million loss in the same period last year. The company more than doubled its revenues year-on-year, from 4.2 million euros to 8.7 million euros. The net loss in the first half of the year amounts to 2.5 million euros against 14.7 million euros in revenue. Compared to the same period last year, revenues increased by 98.6%, and losses decreased by 2 million euros.
Few landlords choose to enter the public tenancy scheme
LJUBLJANA – There is apparently little interest among apartment owners in renting out real estate through the public housing service, which was established this year by the Republic Housing Fund in order to increase the number of apartments available at non-profit rents. Therefore, the fund has sublet only six units so far. As well as the landlords finding the rent too low, the trust would believe that to secure more homes – the current tender target is 200 – a change in legislation would be needed as landlords are having difficulty obtaining the documents needed to enter the scheme .
The people of Ljubljana promised to keep warm in winter
LJUBLJANA – Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Janković promised the residents that they will be warm this winter despite the energy crisis. The coal stock is enough for the district heating of almost half of the homes, there will be enough natural gas, but the question is at what price the gas will be available, he said at the weekly press conference. This month, he plans to meet with Environment Minister Uroš Brežan, with whom they will discuss how to relieve the financial burden of emission coupons for the use of coal and determine energy sources for district heating.
The Minister of Agriculture met with representatives of Carinthia Slovenia
CELOVEC, Austria – Minister of Agriculture Irena Šinko met with representatives of the Slovenian minority in the Austrian Carinthia, with whom they discussed the operation and development of the minority with an emphasis on agriculture, the ministry announced. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food notes that it has been cooperating well with Slovenian agricultural organizations in Carinthia for many years.
The minister is talking to representatives of Slovenian communities in South America
LJUBLJANA – Minister for Slovenians abroad and around the world, Matej Arčon, spoke via video link with representatives of Slovenian communities in Latin America. They presented him with the activities of their communities living in Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia and Bolivia, and the minister highlighted the importance of preserving the Slovenian language, which, in his opinion, should be given special attention, the Government Office for Slovenians Abroad and the World announced . press release.
The MyCarinthia app guides you by the bilingual names of cities in Carinthia
CELOVEC, Austria – A considerable Slovene ethnic community lives in the Austrian Carinthia, which has been reflected in the names of places for centuries. More than 900 such places can now be found by Slovenian or German name in the MyKoroška application. The application, which you can download for free, is an upgraded version of the application that was developed about ten years ago, Martin Kuchling from the Christian Cultural Union from Klagenfurt recently told the Slovenian newsroom of the Austrian public radio and television ORF.
Piran on CNN’s list of the 15 most beautiful small towns in Europe
WASHINGTON, USA – The Slovenian seaside town of Piran was included in the list of the 15 most beautiful small towns in Europe by the American television network CNN, which called it a “mini Venice”. In her article, CNN’s Julia Buckley says that although Slovenia has a “sliver of coastline” sandwiched between Italy and Croatia, it is home to many beautiful towns, including Piran, which boasts “a mighty bell tower, foamy architecture and fishing boats moored to a small port”.