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:
President, ministers again call for army to be given police powers
ČRNOMELJ - President Borut Pahor and the defence and interior ministers, Matej Tonin and Aleš Hojs, visited the southern border area along the Kolpa river to call for the military to be given limited police powers. They argued that boosted joint border patrols were supported by the army and police, and the locals in the area. In line with the estimates available to the interior minister, activation of article 37.a of the defence act would increase the number of soldiers along the border from the current 140 to around 500.
Slovenia to conduct random testing to determine scope of coronavirus infections
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia will conduct random population testing on a sample of 1,000-1,500 residents to get a reliable estimate of the scope of the coronavirus epidemic. The trial will include antibody tests, said Miroslav Petrovec, the head of the Institute for Microbiology and Immunology at the Ljubljana Faculty of Medicine. The testing, conducted nation-wide and expected to begin next week, will involve technicians visiting people agreeing to the test at home and taking both nasal swabs to determine the presence of the virus SARS-COV-2 as well as conducting a serological test for antibodies. This should give the health authorities a clearer picture of how many people have actually been infected.
Defence minister says Slovenia urgently needs transport plane
BRUSSELS, Belgium - The coronavirus crisis has shown Slovenia urgently needs a transport plane, Defence Minister Matej Tonin pointed out after a videoconference of NATO defence ministers. "It has turn out that we can only rely on ourselves in these difficult times," he said. The multi-purpose 1988 Turbolet L-410, which can transport both passengers and cargo, has done an excellent job in this crisis but a new solution must be found, Tonin pointed out.
Tonin denies wrongdoing in protective gear purchases
ČRNOMELJ - Protective gear purchases have raised quite a lot of dust and could even become subject of a parliamentary inquiry. Defence Minister Matej Tonin told the press today that once it had been clear that all established suppliers had failed to deliver, he had intervened in three cases, contacting businessmen Joc Pečečnik and Janez Škrabec as well as UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin. "In those most critical moments when medical staff was literally crying due to the shortage of protective gear, I called the three people whom I believe have enough contacts abroad to be able to help Slovenia get the equipment.
Concerns aplenty as non-urgent health services resume
LJUBLJANA - After the government gave its go-ahead for some non-urgent health services to resume, Slovenian hospitals have started contacting patients for rescheduling. Medical organisations say one out of two patients will have to be rescheduled. Hospitals say very strict preventive safety measures will need to be followed, including a sufficient distance between patients, separate entries and disinfecting and airing out the surgery after every patient. Medical Association head Rajko Komadina said already long waiting times would now be even longer.
Ministry proposes data exchange between health institute and police
LJUBLJANA - The Interior Ministry proposed that the National Public Health Institute (NIJZ) shares citizens' personal data with the police to help contain the coronavirus epidemic. If the motion is endorsed, the police will be privy to the information about the quarantine duration and other anti-COVID-19 restrictions imposed on the individual. The data exchange is key for enabling police work in line with Article 103 of the anti-corona bill, said the ministry, referring to police powers to search for persons and temporarily restrict their movement.
Five new Covid-19 deaths yesterday, cases up by 28 to 1,248
LJUBLJANA - Five more persons died of Covid-19 on Tuesday to bring the overall death toll to 61. The number of persons infected with the new coronavirus was up by 28 to 1,248. The number of new cases is up compared to Monday as the number of tests more than doubled to 1,168, bringing the total number of tests to 37,114. While the daily numbers of fatalities and infected persons were up, the number of hospitalised patients dropped by seven to 96, and the number of intensive care cases was down by one to 34.
President expresses solidarity with Italy, UK in face of pandemic
LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor posted two separate video messages on Twitter, expressing solidarity with the Italian and British people as they face the coronavirus pandemic. Speaking in Italian and English, Pahor expressed solidarity in the "joint fight against the coronavirus." He expressed, on behalf of Slovenians, admiration for the British and the Italian people, saying they had shown determination, courage and hope during the coronavirus pandemic.
Slovenia sends aid to Bosnia to help fight coronavirus
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia has sent material aid to Bosnia-Herzegovina via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism to help the country fight the coronavirus pandemic, the Slovenian Administration for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief tweeted. The package includes ten tents, 60 field beds, 50 sleeping bags, ten heaters, 1,500 blankets, 100 pieces of cutlery and 20 waste bag stands.
Interior Ministry official hands in resignation after DUI
LJUBLJANA - Interior Ministry State Secretary Franc Breznik has offered his resignation after he was caught speeding and drunk driving on 2 April. The commercial broadcaster POP TV reported that Interior Minister Aleš Hojs had learnt about the incident from its journalist and that he is likely to accept the resignation. The breathalyser test showed 0.44 milligrams of alcohol per litre of exhaled air. POP TV reported Breznik was pulled over by the police in the afternoon on 2 April, as he was returning from a meeting with representatives of produces importer Derby Banane.
Gloves no longer mandatory in closed public places
LJUBLJANA - Protective gloves are no longer mandatory in closed public places such as shops, pharmacies and post offices as of today. Hand sanitizer must be used instead and it has to be provided by the business owners. Face masks are still mandatory. The government had made it mandatory to wear face masks or an equivalent face and nose covering and gloves in closed public places on 30 March. The decree was amended mandating that instead of gloves, hand sanitizer must be used upon entering and exiting a closed public space.
Majority of Slovenian contingent in Mali returns home
LJUBLJANA - A majority of the eight-member contingent of the Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) serving in the European Union Training Mission (EUTM) in Mali returned home after training tasks there were suspended and focus put on containing the spread of coronavirus. While one Slovenian soldier serving in the EUTM Mali mission was brought home on Sunday after becoming infected with coronavirus, another five returned to Slovenia today. Two have stayed in Mali, the Defence Ministry said.
Top court unable to keep up with increasing workload
LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court highlighted in a report for 2019 a continuation of an unsustainable rise in the number of cases and urged legislative changes that would result in less cases ending up in the hands of the top court. The increased fresh workload on the yearly level, which started in 2016 after it had been decreasing several years before that, meant 1,599 new cases in 2019, 4.6% more than in 2018.
Frost wreaking havoc in orchards
LJUBLJANA - The mild winter and severe fluctuations in daily temperatures seen in the past three weeks, including constant dips well below freezing point, have caused major damage in Slovenian orchards. First estimates suggest the yield could be slashed by 80% or more. Temperatures fell below freezing point yet again last night to "probably claim what little had been left after three weeks of struggle against frost", Metka Hudina, a member of the Slovenian Fruit Growing Expert Society and professor at the Ljubljana Biotechnical Faculty, told the STA.
Monthly pay in February up y/y
LJUBLJANA - Average monthly pay in Slovenia rose in February compared to a year ago, but dropped in comparison with January, the Statistics Office said. Average gross pay stood at EUR 1,800, up 5% in nominal terms and 2.9% in real terms over February 2019. Net pay reached EUR 1,170, up 5.6% in nominal and 3.5% in real terms.
If you're learning Slovenian then you can find all our dual texts here
