News roundup - Tuesday, 23 May, until 3pm

Eight Slovenians leave Sudan, ministry says

KHARTOUM, Sudan/LJUBLJANA - Eight members of an extended Slovenian family have safely arrived in Slovenia from Sudan, where an ongoing armed conflict between two military forces has been taking place since mid-April, the Foreign Ministry told the STA. One family is from the conflict-stricken capital of Khartoum, the newspaper Večer said. The other Slovenians are in Port Sudan on the Red Sea in the northeast of the country, from where it is much easier to leave the country, head of the ministry's consular service Andrej Šter said.

IT, construction and pharma companies with highest salaries in 2022

LJUBLJANA - The business newspaper Finance published a list of 100 companies in Slovenia whose employees received the highest average monthly gross salaries last year. Topping the list is the Slovenian Microsoft office, while some other IT, as well as construction and pharmaceutical companies are in the top ten. Following the Slovenian Microsoft with the average monthly gross payout of EUR 10,286, is the IT company SAP with EUR 10,110, which compares to the national average in 2022 of EUR 2,024. Kontrola Zračnega Prometa Slovenije, which provides air traffic control services, ranked the highest among state-owned companies, taking 8th spot (EUR 7,411).

Change at the helm of Moderna Galerija museum

LJUBLJANA - Martina Vovk was appointed acting director of Moderna Galerija, the national museum of modern and contemporary art, after Aleš Vaupotič resigned following a couple of years of schisms and two-way accusations of lack of dialogue at the museum. The art historian and comparative literature expert, who is the museum's curator and adviser, will assume office on 1 June, the Culture Ministry said, adding that Vovk would prioritise the normalisation of work processes and the drafting and implementation of the exhibition programme. "The key is to restore social and expert dialogue that has been undermined in recent years," the ministry said.

Consumer confidence in May up year-on-year

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's consumer confidence remained stable in May compared to April and rose by two percentage points in yearly comparison. The consumer confidence index was eight percentage points below the long-term average, data from the Statistics Office shows. Most sub-indicators improved, with expectations about major purchases rising by two percentage points and expectations about household finances and state of the economy by one percentage point.

Trade unions find violations in 30% of pay slips reviewed

LJUBLJANA - The ZSSS trade union confederation reviewed about 200 pay slips in 14 towns as part of its campaign during which employees were invited to turn to the union with their questions. 90% of the workers sought assistance in analysing their pay slip, and errors and violations were found in 30% of the slips, the union said. Mostly, the violations referred to the commuting costs, payment of length-of-service allowances, payment of the difference to the minimum wage, and paying out of overtime work.

European Youth Olympic Festival good to go

MARIBOR - The government has stepped in, providing an additional EUR 2.8 million, after the organisation of the 2023 European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF), which Slovenia will host in Maribor in late July, faced some financial difficulties. Now the competition is all but ready to start. In the presence of Prime Minister Robert Golob, Minister of the Economy, Tourism and Sport Matjaž Han and Maribor Mayor Saša Arsenovič signed a contract on Tuesday under which the government will co-finance the upgrade of the track-and-field stadium Poljane.

German Telekom's art pieces on display in Ljubljana

LJUBLJANA - An exhibition showcasing works of art from the collection of the German Telekom will open at the Museum of Contemporary Art (+MSUM) in the evening. The art pieces collected since 2010 mostly represent contemporary art from Eastern and Southeastern Europe and deal with social and political changes after the fall of the Iron Curtain. The exhibition, which will be open until 30 July, tries to send the message that in the face of major threats to democracy "we should not resort to dreams", the museum says.

Higher court upholds Janković's aquittal in tax evasion case

LJUBLJANA - The Ljubljana Higher Court has rejected the prosecution's appeal to the Ljubljana District Court's decision to acquit Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Janković and his two sons of tax evasion concerning the sale of shares of the retailer Mercator in 2006. The ruling is now final, Janković told the press on Tuesday. CEO of Mercator until 2007, Janković was charged with tax evasion in the sale of 47,000 Mercator shares to the family company, and his sons, Jure and Damjan, were charged with abetting.

Slovenia's new basketball prodigy Vide leaving Madrid for UCLA

LJUBLJANA - Jan Vide, the new Slovenian basketball mega talent who has been delivering stellar performances for the junior team of Real Madrid, will reportedly be joining superstar Luka Dončić in the US. His first chapter in the land of opportunity will be with UCLA in the NCAA student league. Referring to the American media outlet ESPN as a source, the Spanish paper Marca has reported that the 18-year-old, will leave Spain at the end of the season for UCLA, the university that holds a record 11 NCAA champion titles.