Daily headlines - Friday, 2 July

DELO

EU presidency
"Merman sweeps away diplomatic elite": The introduction to Slovenia's six-month stint at the helm of the Council of the EU was marked by tensions between the government and European Commission. (front page, pages 2, 3)

Festival
"Magnificent start to cultural summer": The Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, based in Saint Petersburg and conducted by the world-renowned Valery Gergiev, opened Ljubljana Festival. (front page, page 17)

Basketball
"Slovenians put on new show": The Slovenian men's basketball team outperformed Poland in its second match at the Olympic qualifying tournament in Lithuania. (front page, page 19)

Opposition
"Sandi Češko in politics": Businessman Sandi Češko, the second wealthiest Slovenian, has joined the ranks of the opposition Social Democrats (SD). (front page, page 4)

DNEVNIK

Dnevnik
"70 years of mutual loyalty": The paper has prepared a special front page to mark its 70th anniversary featuring two photos showing a truck that used to deliver Dnevnik copies to its subscribers and the daily's editorial team in 1971. (front page)

Festival
"Ceremonious start with Russian musicians": The Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra lifted the curtain on Ljubljana Festival. Darko Brlek, the festival's director, is pleased with this year's ticket sales. (front page, page)

Recovery plan
"Green light for EUR 2.5 billion for recovery": Slovenia is the 13th member state to have received a positive mark for its recovery and resilience plan. What stands out among its projects are investments in flood prevention and railway infrastructure. (front page, pages 6, 7, commentary 16)

Healthcare
"Most of backlog in healthcare to be reduced this year": Health Minister Janez Poklukar expects to see most of Covid-related backlog in healthcare reduced in the second half of the year. Waiting lines have been getting longer. (front page, page 8)

European prosecutors
"The government is hiding contentions resolution from prosecutors": Since the government has not forwarded its decision to annul the procedure to appoint European delegated prosecutors to the two candidates, the Administrative Court has rejected their appeal. (front page, page 4)

VEČER

EU presidency
"We're presiding": The European Commission presented a positive assessment of Slovenia's recovery and resilience plan, but also warned about the situation regarding media freedom and the rule of law in Slovenia. (front page, pages 2, 3)

Post
"Priority mail more costlier but faster": Slovenia's postal operator has introduced a distinction between priority mail and non-priority mail in the case of letters. (front page, page 6)

Festival
"Folkart brings squares to life": The 33rd international Folkart festival kicked off in Maribor yesterday featuring a number of folk dance groups, including from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Bulgaria. (front page, page 10)