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This summary is provided by the STA:
18 new coronavirus infections, one more fatality
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's daily count of new coronavirus cases hit 18 for Tuesday as the combined death toll from Covid-19 rose by one to 124, according to fresh statistics from the government. The latest cases come from 974 tests, and bring the combined tally to 2,208, of which 202 are active cases. Twenty-two Covid-19 patients were hospitalised, three of them in intensive care. Three of Tuesday's cases were confirmed in Šmarje pri Jelšah, in the north-east, and two each in Ljubljana and Kranj with the rest scattered across the country.
Interior Ministry welcomes Italy's plans for stricter border control
LJUBLJANA - The Interior Ministry welcomed Italy's decision to send an additional contingent of soldiers to the Friuli Venezia Giulia region to help monitor the border with Slovenia due to an increase in illegal migrations. "Every additional measure on any side of the border is welcome, as this can reduce the appeal of a migration route." The ministry said this had been one of the topics discussed by the Slovenian and Italian interior ministers in relation to the surge in migration on the Western Balkan route.
Slovenian troops in Lebanon safe as officials express condolences
BEIRUT, Lebanon/LJUBLJANA - All four members of the Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) serving in the UNIFIL and UNTSO missions in Lebanon are safe and well following a series of massive explosions in Beirut that claimed at least 100 lives. Announcing their being well, Defence Minister Matej Tonin offered his "sincere condolences" to the victims' relatives. Likewise did the the Foreign Ministry, which tweeted: "Slovenia stands in solidarity with the people of Lebanon at this difficult time."
Covid-19 slashes combined H1 profit of banks
LJUBLJANA - The effects of a weakened economy caused by the Covid-19 pandemic have started to reflect with increasing intensity in Slovenia's banking sector, as the most recent data from the central bank show the combined half-year profit of banks was just a third of the figure in the same period last year. Interest and non-interest revenue has been dropping, while the cost of impairments and provisions has increased. In the first six months of the year, Slovenian banks reported a combined profit of EUR 132 million.
Jobless total flat on monthly level in July, but up 24.4% y/y
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's registered jobless total stood at 89,397 at the end of July, which is almost unchanged compared to June but due to unemployment growth in April and May the figure is 24.4% above that from July 2019, show data released by the Employment Service. The number of newly registered unemployed persons was 8,222 in July, up by 8.2% on June and by 32.4% in the year-on-year comparison. Of the 8,202 who were removed from the unemployment registry, 6,487 found new jobs.
Adria Mobil braving new circumstances with optimism
NOVO MESTO - Caravan maker Adria Mobil plans to partly make up for the coronavirus fallout by the end of the year. Speaking to the STA in an interview, director general Sonja Gole said the company was not planning any cutbacks on its 1,100-strong workforce as long as the epidemiological status remained favourable. She was pleased to report a recovery in consumer demand since late May. The company's market share in Europe currently stands at 6.6% or above 8% in terms of holiday caravans, the highest in 20 years, said Gole.
Questions raised in the wake of boy drowning
SOLKAN/LJUBLJANA - The drowning of a ten-year-old at a popular bathing spot in the Soča river last week has raised a series of questions, even more so after the parents accused the social services and the police of making the family tragedy even more unbearable. The accident happened on 28 July, when the boy, holidaying with his grandparents and two siblings, was swimming at a bathing spot in the Soča near Solkan, when he was swept downriver by a sudden surge in the water level. The spot is situated just over a kilometre downstream from a hydro power station, which regulates the flow. There had been drownings at this spot before.
Rapid coronavirus tests only for critically-ill patients
LJUBLJANA - While coronavirus tests usually yield results in a few hours, rapid tests for determining SARS-CoV-2 infections in an hour are used in Slovenia only for urgent testing of patients with life-threatening diseases. Such tests are harder to access and costlier so their widespread use is not on the cards for now, according to the National Laboratory of Health, Environment and Food, where the swabs are analysed.
Retrial ordered in Cimos EU funds fraud
KOPER - The newspaper Primorske Novice reported that the Celje Higher Court had ordered a retrial in the case that sent former managers of car parts maker Cimos to prison for EU funds fraud. Former CEO France Krašovec was sentenced to five years by the Koper District Court in 2018, with long prison sentences for three other management members. A retrial was ordered because the ruling was based in part on the guilty pleas of Cimos subsidiary executives, which the Higher Court said may create doubts about impartiality of the trial.
More tick-borne diseases so far in 2020 than in entire 2019
LJUBLJANA - Ticks in Slovenian forests seem to be particularly active this year. The National Public Health Institute has received almost 4,500 reports of infections with Lyme disease and some 110 reports of infections with tick-borne encephalitis so far, more cases than in the entire 2019. Last year, 3,938 cases of Lyme disease and 112 cases of tick-borne encephalitis were recorded.
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