News roundup - Monday, 10 April

Bilateral relations in focus of foreign minister's trip to Ethiopia

ADDIS ABABA - Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon met her Ethiopian counterpart Demeke Mekonnen Hasse and Minister of Trade and Regional Integration Gebremeskel Chala, as well as Health Minister Lia Tadesse, as she started her three-day visit to Addis Ababa. In a tweet, she expressed satisfaction that Slovenia would soon be opening an embassy in a country of 120-million people. This is the first visit by a Slovenian foreign minister in Ethiopia and a large step in strengthening bilateral ties between the two countries, the Foreign Ministry said.

Finnair relaunches Ljubljana-Helsinki route after three years

LJUBLJANA - The Finnish air carrier Finnair started flying between Helsinki and Ljubljana, reestablishing a regular route between the two capitals after a three-year hiatus. It will be flying to Helsinki on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Passengers will be able to transfer at Helsinki Vantaa airport to a number of Asia-bound flights.

TAM-Europe seeing rise in orders

MARIBOR - After being forced to significantly reduce production during the pandemic due to reduced demand for airport buses, the Maribor-based bus and commercial vehicle manufacturer TAM-Europe is returning to global markets this year. Recently, it supplied ten airport buses to Saudi Arabia. This is not the only major deal this year as the company also delivered ten buses to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris. According to sales manager Matej Smrekar, France is a new market for them and given the good cooperation he is confident that they will start to conquer it.

Mountain Rescue Service issues warning about demanding conditions in mountains

LJUBLJANA - The Mountain Rescue Service called a press conference Sunday afternoon to issue a serious warning about the conditions in the mountains, following a gruelling seven-hour rescue mission. While there are still winter conditions at high altitudes, the approach of spring makes the snow blanket very unstable and sometimes it is better not to head out. Three people were seriously injured and two lightly after being swept down a ravine by an avalanche in the Julian Alps in very poor weather that hindered the rescue efforts.

Tractor ownership popular in Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia ranks among European countries with the highest number of tractors relative to its population. Almost 120,000 tractors were registered in the country at the end of last year with up to 15,000 more estimated to be unregistered. Last year 1,365 new tractors were registered in Slovenia, 23 fewer than the year before but 249 more than in 2020. New Holland has been the most popular brand for some years now, but it also saw the most substantial drop in sales last year. Solis ranks second and John Deere third among the top selling brands.

Bovec hit by devastating earthquake 25 years ago

BOVEC - The area of Bovec in northeastern Slovenia was hit by a devastating earthquake 25 years ago. The renovation after what was the strongest earthquake that hit Slovenia in the 20th century was completed only in 2009 but not all of the damaged buildings have been renovated. Bovec Mayor Valter Mlekuž said ahead of the Easter Monday anniversary that many buildings that were damaged in the earthquake on 12 April 1998 in the Bovec municipality were dangerous and had to be demolished.