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This summary is provided by the STA:
Coalition join criticism of Janša over Biden tweets
LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša has drawn criticism over his tweeting in response to the outcome of the US presidential election from the ranks of his own coalition partners. "The prime minister's tweets are not benefiting Slovenia at the moment," Defence Minister Matej Tonin, the NSi leader, told TV Slovenija on Sunday. National Assembly Speaker Igor Zorčič, a member of the SMC party, called them indecent, saying the coalition would need to have a word on that.
Logar urges joint action to tackle challenges in EU, W Balkans
LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Anže Logar urged joint approach to addressing challenges such as the coronavirus pandemic, migration, climate threats and organised crime as he took part in an online ministerial of the Berlin Process, organised by Bulgaria and North Macedonia as the initiative's co-presiding countries. He said the challenges were common to the EU and the Western Balkans. Tomorrow, Prime Minister Janez Janša will take part in a digital Berlin Process summit.
Coronavirus test positivity rate keeps falling
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia logged 464 new coronavirus cases for Sunday as the share of positive tests inched lower still to 22.49%. Government spokesman Jelko Kacin told today's briefing the most encouraging piece of news was that the R0 number had fallen to 0.95. The number of patients hospitalised with Covid-19 rose to 1,143, including 190 in intensive care, but the curve of new admissions is falling as discharges are increasing. With 24 more fatalities, Slovenia's death toll from Covid-19 rose to 578.
UKC Ljubljana opens new premises for Covid-19 patients
LJUBLJANA - The UKC Ljubljana hospital opened on Sunday new premises for Covid-19 patients which currently have 56 beds, but the location may be expanded to receive up to 100 patients. The new facility was adapted on a site planned to house a new therapeutic centre in mere ten days, on encouragement by PM Janez Janša, who also visited the premises yesterday. UKC Ljubljana director general Janez Poklukar said intensive care would also be provided on the location if needed.
Decision on independence plebiscite taken 30 years ago
LJUBLJANA - At a secret meeting on 9-10 November 1990, the deputy group of the ruling DEMOS coalition, elected in the first multi-party election seven months earlier, took a decision to hold a referendum on Slovenia's independence. The vote was held six weeks later. Addressing an event marking the anniversary of the meeting in Poljče (NW), President Borut Pahor reiterated the need for politicians to join forces again to fight coronavirus, and PM Janez Janša, who at the time served as defence minister, said those in power must offer cooperation.
EU trade ministers discuss relations with US and China
BRUSSELS, Belgium - Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek attended an informal EU ministerial which saw ministers in charge of trade discuss relations with the US and China. They welcomed the expected change in tone in transatlantic relations following the US election and discussed negotiations with China about a comprehensive investment agreement. Počivalšek said Slovenia wanted to see ambitious results in terms of market access, fair competition conditions, investment protection and conflict resolution.
FinMin opposed to VAT cut, not planning real estate tax
LJUBLJANA - Finance Minister Andrej Šircelj, giving an online talk hosted by the newspaper Finance, assessed that the government measures to mitigate the coronavirus crisis had helped companies and people more than lowering the value added tax (VAT) would. He is not planning to propose a real estate tax in this term and said no rushed changes to taxes would be made in any case. "When it comes to labour taxation, we will lean towards greater competitiveness," Šircelj said, but also urged caution.
SDS MPs file criminal report over suspected intelligence leak
LJUBLJANA - Two coalition members of the parliamentary intelligence oversight commission reported an unknown perpetrator over suspected disclosure of classified information after commission members visited the SOVA intelligence agency, the National Bureau of Investigation and the General Police Department last week. Details of the visit had been leaked to news portal 24ur.com and newspaper Dnevnik, and their reports involved information that not even all members of the commission knew, Democrat (SDS) MPs Anja Bah Žibert and Dejan Kaloh said.
Government with highest average mark since April in Delo poll
LJUBLJANA - The average mark of the work of the Janez Janša government in the latest poll commissioned by Delo is up for the first time since April with the government getting 2.78, up from 2.63 in October, as the share of respondents who assessed the government's work as positive or very positive was up to 27% (from 23.6% in October). The SDS continues to top the party rankings with 19.6%, up from 18.7%. The opposition Social Democrats (SD) follow far behind with 11.7% from 9.3% the month before.
Fall in imports outpaces decline in exports
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's goods exports dropped by 0.3% year-on-year to EUR 2.958 billion in September as imports fell by 12.1% to EUR 2.642 billion. Despite the fall, the September exports figure is the second highest in the past decade, data from the Statistic Office show. Exports for the first nine months of 2020 declined by 3.8% on the same period in 2019 to EUR 24.2 billion, and imports feel by 9.1% to EUR 22.9 billion. The falls were due to a slowdown in trade with the EU.
Entire Gorenjska railway section slated for modernisation
RADOVLJICA - Works began on a section of the Gorenjska railway leading from Ljubljana to the border with Austria. Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec said this was just the beginning and announced upgrades of other sections, new tracks, and a connection to Brnik airport. "The ministry wants to strengthen railway transport in Slovenia both because of sustainable mobility and the awareness of how important this is for the Slovenian economy," he said.
Virtual LIFFe showcasing 22 feature films
LJUBLJANA - The 31st Ljubljana International Film Festival (LIFFe) will be held in the virtual realm, offering 22 feature films and a selection of shorts available as an on-demand service between 11 and 22 November. The opening ceremony on Wednesday will be held online as well. Since most of the online programme will be on general release in cinemas, tickets for the festival screenings will be accessible in numbers similar to those in festival theatres, the festival's director, Simon Popek, said.
Over 300 volunteers respond to Maribor hospital's call for help
MARIBOR - The UKC Maribor hospital, which has called for help in the face of a growing number of Covid-19 patients, said it was amazed by the response as more than 300 volunteers offered to help. The hospital's medical director, Matjaž Vogrin says all of their needs are covered for now. After Vogrin published the plea on Facebook last week, more than 300 volunteers, medical and nursing students, and health staff from other institutions offered to help, which is more than the hospital needs at the moment.
Singer who lent his voice to popular children's hero dies
LJUBLJANA - Martin Lumbar, a composer, singer and instrumentalist, who is best known for lending his voice to Kekec, a popular children's hero, when he was eight years old, has died. Apart from singing the Kekec song in 1963 in the film Srečno, Kekec! (Good Luck, Kekec!), Lumbar took part in numerous film and theatre projects. He collaborated with the legendary Slovenian band Laibach, contributing to its new sound on its Let It Be (1988) album. He released his own album in 2003.
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