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This summary is provided by the STA:
President, some parties condemn Orban's posting of Greater Hungary map
LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor condemned Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's posting a photo of a Greater Hungary map, with which he wished Hungarian secondary school students good luck in taking history exams. The photo shows a globe with Hungarian lands expanding into Slovenia and several other European countries, the territories which Hungary lost with the demise of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after WWI. The Foreign Ministry said it would not comment on such issues unless they were clearly intended for historical revisionism and the office of the prime minister said Slovenian government offices had historical maps well. Parties including the Left, Social Democrats (SD) and New Slovenia (NSi) called for a determined response by the authorities. (Details)
Only one new coronavirus infection, no new deaths
LJUBLJANA - The coronavirus epidemic in Slovenia keeps flattening out, with only one new case confirmed on Wednesday out of 1,055 tests conducted, bringing the national case count to 1,449. The death total remains unchanged at 99 as no new deaths have been reported. Data obtained by the newspaper Dnevnik from the National Institute of Public Health, show that almost 80% of the casualties are care home residents and almost 30% of those infected have been care home residents or staff. (Full corona update)
Logar and Le Drian in favour of close ties between Slovenia and France
LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Anže Logar and French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian called in a video conference for a further strengthening of the strategic partnership between the two countries, also in light of their upcoming successive presidencies over the EU Council. Logar backed the implementation of the activities planned in the strategic partnership action plan for 2019-2022, singling out the car industry as crucial for both economies.
Four more border checkpoints open for commuters
LJUBLJANA - The government decided to open several new border checkpoints with Italy and the railroad crossing in Šentilj, on the border with Austria. People commuting across the border, whose with fields on the other side and those with immediate family members on the other side of the border will be able to cross to and from Italy at border crossings Predel, Erjavčeva Street in Nova Gorica and Neblo. The railway checkpoint in Šentilj, north of Maribor, was opened as well.
Western region warns about Covid-19 impact, minority affected too
NOVA GORICA/TRIESTE, Italy - Nova Gorica Mayor Klemen Miklavič warned about the extreme economic as well as social ramifications of the Covid-19 epidemic for the western Goriška region, caused mostly due to restricted links between Slovenia and Italy. Warnings about the crisis taking a toll on the Slovenian minority in Italy emerged as well with Bojan Brezigar, a former editor-in-chief of the minority newspaper Primorski Dnevnik, saying it was unacceptable that the border with Italy was more hermetically sealed than that with Austria or Croatia during the coronavirus pandemic.
Slovenian minority in Austria warns against WWII revisionism
KLAGENFURT, Austria - A group of Slovenian organisations in the Austrian province of Carinthia warned against attempts at historical revisionism and the denigrating of the Partisan liberation movement in the region. They stressed the Carinthian Partisans contributed to the victory over Nazism and the liberation of Austria, in statement that came after a 4 May press conference at which Carinthia Governor Peter Kaiser and Parliament Speaker Reinhart Rohr spoke of "Carinthia's self-liberation" 75 years ago.
DeSUS head Pivec says times too sensitive for political clashes
LJUBLJANA) - Commenting on allegations of irregularities in the government's procurement of personal protective equipment, the head of the junior coalition Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) Aleksandra Pivec said the current situation was too sensitive to be abused for political clashes. "If mistake were made by any side, this warrants attention. However not by the public and the media but by the relevant authorities, which also need to penalise irregularities and hold those to be recognised as responsible accountable," Pivec said.
New army chief believes soldiers should enjoy better status
LJUBLJANA - The new chief of the general staff of the Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF), Brigadier General Robert Glavaš, believes that soldiers should enjoy better reputation in Slovenian society. He also talked to the STA about the recent negative mark on the army's preparedness for wartime action, noting it had much to do with staff shortages. He does not favour the idea to reintroduce conscription, dismissing the argument military service could put "spoiled youth" into line.
Journalists condemn Supreme Court's quashing of lawsuit against Janša
LJUBLJANA - The Journalists' Association (DNS) condemned the Supreme Court's decision to quash a ruling that ordered Prime Minister Janez Janša to pay damages to a reporter after having called her a washed-up prostitute in a Twitter post in 2016. It said the ruling had a threatening effect on journalists, who are targetted by insults, defamation and threats on social media on a daily basis simply for doing their jobs, describing the the court's reasoning that admitting the journalist's damages claim would interfere with Janša's freedom of political expression "perverse".
Parliament meeting over govt PPE report Monday
LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly will meet for an emergency session on Monday to debate the government report on the stockpile and procurement of personal protective equipment and other medical supplies needed to fight the coronavirus epidemic, which puts its accusing finger at the previous government. The college of deputy group leaders called the session despite the opposition arguing more time was needed to prepare to respond to the accusations levelled against the Marjan Šarec government.
Details of tourism aid package emerging
LJUBLJANA - Details emerged of a package of state aid the Slovenian tourism sector will get to survive what is expected to be a deep slump. Aside from an extension of existing measures that all companies are eligible for, notably state funding of temporary layoffs, small tourism companies will get an extra loan facility and a short-time work scheme will be put in place, Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek announced.
Poll: People in favour of restrictions easing, still cautious
LJUBLJANA - The public's concern about the coronavirus dropped under 60% for the first time since the middle of March. Uneasiness about the threat of the virus culminated at 86% in the week after the epidemic was declared and dropped to 57% this week, the latest survey by Valicon shows. The decline is faster than in the previous weeks, which Valicon says might be attributed to a significant easing of restrictions this week.
Warnings against budget cuts in culture
LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Culture Committee debated on Wednesday the budget for culture in conjunction with measures to contain the coronavirus epidemic. The session was demanded by the Left, which supported demands of more than 40 umbrella associations which represent over 100,000 people working in culture and over a thousand organisations, which sent a letter to the government warning against culture budget cuts during the epidemic.
Bear attacks 56-year-old in Škofljica area
ŠKOFLJICA - A 56-year-old man strolling in the woods near Škofljica, just south of Ljubljana, was attacked by a bear. The is said to have surprised the animal and used his hands and a walking stick to defend himself, the Forests Institute told the STA. Police said the man's injuries are not life-threatening. A bear attack happened in the same area last June. On average, two bear attacks on humans are recorded in Slovenia every year. (Details)
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