Pope visits Slovenian missionary in Madagascar
ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar - Pope Francis visited Akamasoa, a village founded by the Slovenian missionary Pedro Opeka in Madagascar, making it one of the main stops on his south African tour. The Pope was received by Opeka and several other Church dignitaries along with several thousand people in a sports hall that doubles as a place of worship in Akamasoa.
Thousands gather for 150th anniversary of firefighting in Slovenia
METLIKA - Several thousand firefighters and other visitors gathered to celebrate the 150th anniversary of firefighting in Slovenia, marking the day in 1869 when the first volunteer fire brigade was founded in Metlika. Delivering the keynote, Prime Minister Marjan Šarec, himself a volunteer firefighter in his home town of Kamnik, stressed that the umbrella Firefighters' Union was the biggest humanitarian organisation in the country.
Ceremony, mass mark little known post-war labour camp
PODLESJE - A mass and commemoration were held on the site of a short-lived forced-labour camp at which post-war Communist authorities interned women. The camp was erected at Podlesje (then known as Ferdreng), a village in Kočevje area. It was in operation from July 1949 and October the same year and held 800 women and girls, either suspected of having been associated with the anti-Communist Home Guards or deemed politically dangerous.
Vinarium goes from pie in the sky to pillar of tourism
LENDAVA - When it was built four years ago, the Vinarium observation tower was seen by many as a pipe dream. Now, it is a major draw for the region. A 53.5-metre tower with views of four countries, it was meant to attract 30,000-40,000 visitors annually. Since it launched, however, it has attracted around 375,000 people, with a single-day record of 2121 visitors set on 1 May.
Foreign companies create 27% of Slovenia's value added
LJUBLJANA - Foreign companies accounted for 5.6% of all companies in Slovenia in 2017 but created over 27% of value added, roughly on a par with 2016. These companies employed almost 26% of all workers, and allocated 39% of their expenses in Slovenia for R&D, the latest Statistics Office data shows.
Ljubljanske Mlekarne ups net profit by a third
LJUBLJANA - Ljubljanske Mlekarne, Slovenia's largest dairy, increased sales revenue by 0.6% last year to EUR 168.6 million, while net profit was up by 33.3% to EUR 6.7 million, according to the annual report filed with the AJPES agency for public records. While net profit was up by a third, operating profit increased by 15.9% to EUR 7.9 million.
Increased use of wood good for Ledinek Engineering bottom line
HOČE - Ledinek Engineering, a maker of machinery and production lines for the wood processing industry, saw sales increase by 28% in 2018 to EUR 43 million. Net profit was up 175% to EUR 1.47 million, shows the company's annual report. The company, which exports 96% of its production, attributes the spike to the increased use of wood as a building material around the world and the resulting investments.
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