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This summary is provided by the STA:
Some 1,200 Ukrainians granted temporary protection so far
LJUBLJANA - A total of 18,415 Ukrainian refugees have been officially recorded in Slovenia so far, although 4,718 are registered presently as most only pass through the country. At present, 1,225 have temporary protection status. The data was presented to reporters by the head of the Office for the Support and Integration of Migrants Katarina Štrukelj, who said that some of the roughly 5,000 registered refugees were already returning home.
Carinthia's Governor apologises to Slovenian minority
KLAGENFURT, Austria - Marking the 80th anniversary of the first wave of persecution of Carinthian Slovenians, Peter Kaiser, the governor of the Austrian region of Carinthia, apologised to the Carinthian Slovenians for the horrors they had to endure. "I apologise from the bottom of my heart to all persecuted Carinthian Slovenians who had to endure horrors. I also apologise to their families and the national community - to my Slovenian-speaking countrymen," he wrote in a statement published on Thursday.
Kranj-Jesenice rail upgrade inaugurated
RADOVLJICA - An upgrade of the rail track between Kranj and Jesenice, a key section that connects Slovenia's rail system to Austria, was officially inaugurated as the first project part-financed from the EU's Recovery and Resilience Facility. The EUR 166 million project, which started a year and a half ago and will be completed in May, once all sound barriers have been installed, involved upgrades of track and other infrastructure and will allow higher train speeds. EUR 109.5 million came from the Recovery and Resilience Facility and EUR 37 million from the Climate Fund.
Divača-Koper rail project seen on track
DIVAČA - Construction work on the Divača-Koper rail track, a new link between the port of Koper and the Divača hub, is running smoothly and despite minor problems on individual sections and with worker permits, completion is expected within the deadline. Some 3,300 metres of the 37 kilometres of tunnels have already been bored, reporters were told as Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec visited the construction site. He said a fully functioning second track would be opened in 2026.
Plans for new hospital, long-term care home confirmed
LJUBLJANA - The government has confirmed plans to build a new general hospital in the north-western Gorenjska region, a project estimated at EUR 305 million, and a long-term care home worth almost EUR 27 million that is to be built in Ptuj in the east of the country. Both projects have been placed on the list of development programmes for 2022-2025, a designation which means priority treatment in financing and permitting. Four locations are under consideration for the Gorenjska hospital.
Covid figures down further
LJUBLJANA - The Covid situation in the country continues to improve, with all figures down or level. A total of 1,338 new infections were detected on Thursday, down 522 compared to a week ago, and 119 patients were in hospital for Covid this morning, including 17 in intensive care. Three more patients have died. The 7-day average of new cases has dropped to 1,463 and the 14-day notification rate per 100,000 of the population to 1,146.
Vučić to visit Slovenia on Monday
LJUBLJANA - At the invitation of President Borut Pahor, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić will be on a working visit to Slovenia on Monday. The two presidents will meet for a dinner at Zemono Mansion in Vipava, south-west, to discuss topical issues in the region and Europe. The visit comes after Pahor congratulated Vučić at the beginning of the month on being re-elected the president of Serbia, the president's office said as it announced the visit.
Former Telekom CEO pleads not guilty in Ipko takeover trial
LJUBLJANA - Bojan Dremelj, the former CEO of Telekom Slovenije, pleaded not guilty at a pre-trial hearing in a case in which three defendants had been charged with abuse of office over Telekom's 2007 takeover of the Kosovo internet service provider Ipko. Ekrem Lluka, a Kosovo businessman suspected of having received millions in commission for withdrawing from a spectrum auction in favour of Telekom, likewise pleaded not guilty. A third defendant failed to appear in court.
Janša meets OZS and SBC employer organisations
LJUBLJANA - PM Janez Janša and some of the ministers from his Democrats (SDS) met with the leadership of the OZS chamber of small business, pledging further help and support to the small business sector. Janša highlighted a change in mentality as the key challenge in the coming period. "We need to change the education system, we need theory and practice to meet faster." He also visited the Slovenian Business Club (SBC).
SIJ shareholders to get almost EUR 22 dividend
LJUBLJANA - The shareholders of SIJ steel group decided that EUR 21 million of last year's distributable profit will be allocated for dividends. Shareholders will thus receive a dividend of EUR 21.71 gross per share, according to a posting on the website of the Ljubljana Stock Exchange. SIJ's 2021 distributable profit is EUR 108.8 million, with EUR 87.8 remaining undistributed.
Real estate fund Equinox with EUR 360,000 profit last year
LJUBLJANA - Equinox, a real estate fund created at the beginning of last May with the split of the real estate branch from the rest of the Group Union Hoteli, generated EUR 4.5 million in sales revenue and just under EUR 360,000 in net profit by the end of 2021, shows the audited annual report. The bulk of the revenue, just under EUR 4 million, was generated by rents from Equinox's portfolio that includes four hotels in Ljubljana - Grand Hotel Union, uHotel, Hotel Lev and The Fuzzy Log.
