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This summary is provided by the STA:
NLB buys Slovenian Sberbank
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's largest bank, NLB, acquired the Slovenian subsidiary of Russia's Sberbank in a move that the central bank said would preserve financial stability after Russian-owned banks suffered a loss of trust due to sanctions against Russia. The sale means that Sberbank branches will reopen tomorrow after two days of closure and limited transactions for clients. "All Sberbank clients will conduct banking services without disturbances from tomorrow," the central bank said.
Russia can no longer win this war, says Janša
LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Janez Janša discussed Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the West's response to it in a televised interview late on Monday, assessing that President Vladimir Putin "can no longer win this war". "Europe is different today in terms of its views on energy, realistic situation, various utopian ideas that have been flooding us over recent decades. We have woken up to a real world," Janša told TV Slovenija.
Slovenia expresses firm support to Ukraine in UN
NEW YORK, US - Slovenian Ambassador to the UN Boštjan Malovrh expressed Slovenia's staunch support for Ukraine's people and government in their fight against the Russian invasion as he took part in an emergency session of the UN General Assembly on Monday. Slovenia joined the statement made by the EU and Malovrh also urged all UN members to support the resolution condemning Russia's aggression. He said Slovenia stood by Ukraine and its people.
Centre for Ukrainian refugees to open in Logatec
LJUBLJANA - The government decided at last night's correspondence session that a centre for refugees from Ukraine will be set up in the Logatec facilities of the Administration for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief. Persons staying at the Logatec centre will have the right to accommodation, food, clothes, footwear and hygienic products, the Government Communication Office said.
Building housing Slovenian consulate in Kharkiv destroyed
KHARKIV, Ukraine - The Slovenian Foreign Ministry said that the building housing the Slovenian consulate in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv had been destroyed in an attack by the Russian army, condemning the act as well as Russia's aggression on Ukraine as such. "We condemn this outrageous act of the Russian Federation and the aggression against Ukraine," the ministry said, adding that staff at the consulate, headed by Consul General Anatoliy Bondarenko, were not injured in the attack. The attack was also condemned by Prime Minister Janez Janša, Defence Minister Matej Tonin and SocDems president and MEP Tanja Fajon.
Rally held in Ljubljana in support of Ukraine
LJUBLJANA - A large group of people gathered in the centre of Ljubljana for a rally in support of Ukraine organised by over thirty civil society organisations. Speakers called for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and the start of talks for a diplomatic solution, and a joint statement read by the organisers condemned Russia's attack on Ukraine, designating the invasion as an unlawful and outrageous intervention in another country's territory. The protesters also denounced the increasing militarisation.
Golob advocates increasing defence budget
LJUBLJANA - Robert Golob called for changes to Slovenia's energy, defence and foreign policies in view of the current geopolitical situation as he addressed the public to announce the election convention of his Freedom Movement for 19 March, saying he favoured increasing defence budget and removing fence from the border. The Freedom Movement leads the field in several polls. It will present at the convention all its candidates for the 24 April election and its full programme.
Slovenia to provide EUR 1.1 million in humanitarian aid for Ukraine
LJUBLJANA - FM Anže Logar announced that Slovenia will provide EUR 1.1 million in humanitarian aid to residents of Ukraine through the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Caritas Internationalis, and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Janković meanwhile said that a truckload of medical supplies would be sent for Kyiv by the local authorities.
No Russian invasion-related cyberactivity detected in Slovenia
LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Computer Emergency Response Team (SI-CERT) has not detected any cyberactivity directly related to attacks on networks and systems in Ukraine, but it has drawn up a list of advice for safe work on the internet. European cybersecurity response centres have been detecting attacks on networks and systems in Ukraine for weeks such as disabling attacks, malicious code attacks, the spread of fake new and creation of fake websites of Ukrainian state bodies, said SI-CERT.
Speaker's LIDE party pulls out of election race
LJUBLJANA - The Liberal Democrats (LIDE), a party formed in January by Speaker Igor Zorčič, decided against contesting the 24 April general election after failing to agree a joint ticket with the Pensioners' Party (DeSUS). Zorčič said he would not stand for a seat in parliament, but would not answer directly when asked whether he would run in the presidential election in the autumn. The DeSUS executive council meanwhile decided today that the party will contest the general election independently.
Home affairs cooperation in focus as Hojs meets UAE minister
DUBAI, UAE - Bilateral cooperation on home affairs topped the agenda as Interior Minister Aleš Hojs held talks with Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the interior minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Hojs highlighted good and friendly relations between the two countries, noting that cooperation in home affairs was constructive and conducted mainly via Interpol, the Interior Ministry said. He described the UAE as an important actor preserving peace and stability in the region and worldwide.
Slovenia, Croatia, Italian region to cooperate on "hydrogen valley"
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia, Croatia and the Italian region of Friuli Venezia Giulia are planning to sign a letter of intent to strengthen cooperation in building a cross-border hydrogen valley in the North Adriatic as part of energy transition to a carbon-neutral society by 2050. The three sides had been harmonising the letter of intent for several months to define their cooperation "as thoroughly as possible", the last time last week in Croatia.
Court appoints interim board of managers at GEN-I
LJUBLJANA - The District Court in Krško has appointed an interim four-member management board of energy trader GEN-I with Igor Koprivnikar, now in charge of sales, as chairman. The company has been led by plenipotentiaries since 17 November, when long-serving Robert Golob failed to win another term in what some described as political staffing.
Monday's Covid case count up on the week before
LJUBLJANA - After weeks of steady decline, Slovenia's coronavirus case count increased by over 10% on the same day a week ago on Monday as 2,525 infections were reported by the National Institute of Public Health. The situation in hospitals keeps improving with government data as of this morning showing 352 patients treated for Covid as their main condition in hospitals, including 89 in intensive care.
Ex-police chief Jurič fined for obstructing parliamentary inquiry
LJUBLJANA - Andrej Jurič, a former acting police commissioner, will have to pay EUR 245 for declining to answer some questions as he appeared before the parliamentary commission investigating political interference in the work of the police and police staffing in November. The fine has been proposed by the commission and confirmed by a court in what the first time that any Slovenian parliamentary inquiry commission had fined its witness, said the commission's chair Rudi Medved from the LMŠ.
State-of-the-art laboratory opens in UKC Ljubljana
LJUBLJANA - UKC Ljubljana, Slovenia's largest medical centre, opened new state-of-the-art laboratory facilities that come with the most cutting edge technology in the country, with Health Minister Janez Poklukar saying this would make patient care more efficient. The new premises will provide 3,700 square metres of additional space for more than 240 laboratory experts. Poklukar said the project brought together four laboratories on the first floor of the UKC Ljubljana diagnostic and therapeutic service.
Hypo bank case headed for retrial as guilty ruling quashed
LJUBLJANA - The Ljubljana Higher Court has quashed a 2020 ruling in which four former top executives of the Slovenian subsidiary of the since defunct Hypo bank were sentenced to prison, and ordered a retrial, the newspaper Delo reports. According to the newspaper, the Higher Court established major violations of the penal procedure in the trial.
Survey unemployment rate at 4.2%
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's survey unemployment rate reached 4.2% in January, down 0.2 of a percentage point from December and 1.3% from a year ago, shows data released by the Statistics Office on Tuesday. Around 43,000 people aged 15 to 74 were estimated to be jobless, of whom 52% women and 48% men, which puts the joblessness rate among women at 4.8% and at 3.7% among men.
Cycling ace Pogačar promoting Slovenia at Expo
DUBAI, UAE - Slovenian cyclist Tadej Pogačar, who rides for UAE Team Emirates, has visited the Slovenian pavilion at Expo Dubai to promote his country's achievements. He is currently the strongest link between the United Arab Emirates and Slovenia, said Rok Capl, acting director of the investment promotion agency Spirit Slovenija.
