News roundup - Friday, 17 March, until 3pm

Irregularities found in payment of Covid bonuses

LJUBLJANA - The Court of Audit has established significant irregularities as it reviewed the payment of Covid-related bonuses for the government, secretariat-general of the government and four ministries in the period from 1 March 2020 to 30 June 2021. The decision says that the government, which at the time was headed by Janez Janša, had failed to uniformly regulate the payment of bonuses allowance for work in hazardous conditions and for additional burdens during the epidemic.

Petrol group's net loss in 2022 corrected down to EUR 2.7m

LJUBLJANA - Energy group Petrol last year generated a record EUR 9.5 billion in sales revenue, or 91% more than in the year before, while posting a net loss of EUR 2.7 million, significantly less than the EUR 12.1 million reported in a preliminary estimate in January. Petrol said the year-on-year revenue growth was a result of the "high volumes of fuels and petroleum products sold due to the low prices" and the takeover of the Croatian fuel retailer Crodux.

Dani AFC to lay off more than third of staff

SLOVENJ GRADEC - Dani AFC, the Italian-owned supplier of leather for high-end car seats, plans to fire about 75 of its 200 employees. The Slovenj Gradec-based company has seen the staff numbers fluctuate in recent years. According to CEO Jožef Horvat, the automotive industry continues to be affected by the difficult conditions in the energy markets, which intensify as the war in Ukraine continues. Consequently, the trend of declining orders continues at Dani AFC.

Neurosurgeon Bošnjak receives warning before dismissal

LJUBLJANA - Neurosurgeon Marko Bošnjak, who recently resigned as head of neurology at UKC Ljubljana following a report he had charged an extra fee to a patient, has received a warning before termination, the hospital's director general Marko Jug said on Thursday. If further allegations turn out to be true, the hospital will demand his resignation.

Equality ombudsman calls for shelters for disabled, male victims of violence

LJUBLJANA - The equality ombudsman has noted as part of the public consultation on the new national programme on the prevention of domestic violence that shelters and other similar accommodation facilities should also include rooms for persons with disabilities and for men. The 2023-2028 resolution on the national programme for the prevention of domestic violence and violence against women is being drafted by the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities.

New gallery dedicated to up-and-coming artists opening in Maribor

MARIBOR - A new gallery of contemporary art will in Maribor today to put younger generations of artists on centre stage. Slovenian artist Iva Ferlinc will be the first to exhibit at the new venue, called Tkalka. Situated in the city centre, Tkalka or Weaver, as the name of the gallery would be translated into English, is expected to hold up to six exhibitions per year.

Empathy in focus of Slovenian artist performance in Berlin

BERLIN, Germany - Slovenian artist Jaša will present the next instalment of his project The Monuments at Berlin's Kühlhaus today with a site-specific intervention and a performance piece. This will be the seventh out of 17 events in the project that started at the end of 2021. Jaša will explore the relations between different media, emphasizing the element of the performing body and presence in dialogue with space as a material and metaphorical element.