News roundup - Saturday, 25 March

The Guardian: Talks under way to exchange spies detained in Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - The Guardian cited an unnamed source in reporting on Friday that backdoor negotiations were taking place between Moscow and western countries to exchange the two suspected Russian spies detained in Slovenia for a person or people currently in jail in Russia. Sources in Ljubljana told the British newspaper that the couple were elite Russian spies known as 'illegals' and worked for Russia's SVR foreign intelligence service. They said Moscow had accepted the couple were intelligence officers.

Pirc Musar wraps up visit to New York

NEW YORK, US - President Nataša Pirc Musar wrapped her visit to New York for the UN Water Conference by addressing a reception for women ambassadors to the UN where she emphasised women's leading role in social change. She held several bilateral meetings with her counterparts and other senior officials, which were dominated by calls for regular intergovernmental dialogue on water. Meanwhile, Minister of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning Uroš Brežan organised a side event to promote the Transboundary Water Cooperation Coalition.

Presidential candidates spent up to EUR 190,000 on campaign

LJUBLJANA - Candidates running in the 2022 presidential election spent from EUR 8,000 to EUR 190,000 on financing their election campaigns. The four candidates who won at least 10% of the vote will get refunded for part of their expenses. The winner, Nataša Pirc Musar, spent EUR 124,600 on her campaign and will get back EUR 58,000. The highest amount of funds, just over EUR 190,000, was spent on Milan Brglez's campaign, most coming from the two ruling coalition parties that nominated him.

Volunteers plant 6,000 trees

RENČE - Some 600 volunteers planted roughly 6,000 saplings of trees and 24 kilos of seeds in five locations around the country as part of the annual reforestation campaign. Prime Minister Robert Golob joined the volunteers in Kras in the west, hopeful forests in the region will recover from the devastation caused by the worst wildfire on record last year. The Rejuvenate Forests campaign was held for the fourth year in locations where forests were affected by natural disasters or bark beetle.

Carthago opening new plant Ormož

ORMOŽ - The German-owned motorhome maker Carthago is about to open a second production location in Slovenia. The facility in Ormož is to open on 15 April and will initially put out about 40 campervans a week. The company said at first 170 workers will be employed in Odranci starting from May. Initially about 100 of almost 800 staff employed at the Odranci location will be transferred there along with 70 new employees. When production is at full capacity in 2024, some 300 jobs are planned there.

Bobri festival of children's culture starts

LJUBLJANA- The 15th annual Bobri festival promoting theatre and art among children and the young got under way. Running until 15 April, it will feature 140 free-of-charge events at 50 venues, many of which outdoors, and explore the solidarity and equity-oriented topic of The Others and Me. The festival will provide a variety of theatre, film, dance, storytelling and music events, workshops, guided museum and gallery tours. A new feature this year is group events featuring radio dramas.

Ski-jumping team second in Lahti

LAHTI, Finland - Slovenia placed second in the men's team Ski Jumping World Cup event in Lahti, Finland, on Saturday. Austria won the event and Poland were third. The feat by Lovro Kos, Domen Prevc, Timi Zajc and Anže Lanišek augurs well ahead of the Ski Jumping World Cup finals in Slovenia's Planica next weekend. The giant hill there will feature the third of three team events this season. Slovenia won last year.