News roundup - Friday, 7 April, until 3pm

Foreign Ministry target of cyberattack

LJUBLJANA - The Foreign Ministry was targeted by a cyberattack. Appropriate security protocols have been launched and the scale of the attack is still being assessed. The ministry told the STA they had detected the attack together with partners. The staff continue to work as normal. A spokesperson told the news portal 24ur.com that the foreign ministries of multiple countries had been targetted. The portal describes the attack as "severe" but did not provide additional details.

New network security requirements and restrictions unveiled

LJUBLJANA - A proposal for additional security requirements and restrictions for network equipment has been unveiled in the form of an implementing act to the new law on electronic communications. The proposal sets out guidelines for mobile communications network operators in their dealings with IT and network equipment providers and in risk assessment. It will affect primarily purchases of gear for 5G mobile networks.

More seats for NSi to ensure public finance commission is opposition-led

LJUBLJANA - The Freedom Movement has temporarily renounced two seats on the parliamentary Commission for Oversight of Public Finances and gave them to the New Slovenia (NSi). In line with the rules of procedure, the opposition now has the majority there. The move comes amid the Democrats' (SDS) ongoing refusal to appoint its members to the commission because it was not granted its wish to get the chairmanship.

Survey unemployment lowest in 30 years

LJUBLJANA - The survey unemployment rate in Slovenia dropped by 0.7 percentage points year-on-year to 4% in 2022, the lowest level in at least 30 years. The number of people who worked was the highest in the last decade, and the number of the unemployed the lowest, the Statistics Office said. Some 41,000 people were jobless or 15% fewer than the year before. The shares of men and women among the unemployed were virtually equal.

Woman in Brežice hospital mistakenly pronounced dead

BREŽICE - An 80-year-old woman was mistakenly pronounced dead at the Brežice general hospital two weeks ago. Relatives were informed of her death but then received another call with a doctor explaining his mistake. The doctor assessed the patient has died but later she spoke out, saying she was cold. "The unfortunate incident occurred because the attending physician did not follow the protocol for determining the patient's death," Anica Hribar, director of the Brežice hospital, told Slovenske Novice.

First aid specialist named Onaplus's woman of the year

LJUBLJANA - The women's magazine Onaplus has chosen doctor Eva Pogačar as the winner of the Ona 365 award among ten inspirational women who have been pillars of the community and led by example in the past year. Pogačar is a specialist in anaesthesiology and resuscitation, a mountain rescuer, and the president of the First Aid Centre at the Slovenian Red Cross.