News roundup - Thursday, 14 September, until 3pm

Kolektor strikes multimillion deal with Rijeka port

RIJEKA, Croatia - Kolektor Construction has been picked to build a container terminal and renovate Warehouse 22 in the port of Rijeka in Croatia. The Slovenian group believes the multimillion deal will significantly contribute to the development and improving of logistics infrastructure in the region. The whole project involves the construction of the container terminal with associated rail tracks, covering 110,000 square metres. Warehouse 22 covers an area of 16,100 square metres and its renovation will include the reconstruction of the basement, ground floor and four floors, including measures to preserve historical and cultural heritage.

NSi requests emergency session over food safety concerns

LJUBLJANA - The junior opposition party New Slovenia (NSi) wants an emergency session of the Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Food due to its concerns about the food safety authority's lacking response and poor communication. MP Vida Čadonič Špelič said as she presented the NSi deputy group's request that "too many times in the past we saw the administration doing a poor job" in a reference to the Administration for Food Safety, Veterinary Sector and Plant Protection. She pointed to a scandal that broke out this summer as it was reported that several tonnes of Serbian peaches and plums containing the pesticide chlorpyrifos were consumed in Slovenia.

Slovenian MEP condemns Tunisia denying entry to MEPs

STRASBOURG, France - MEP Matjaž Nemec (S&D/SD) condemned the decision of Tunisia to deny entry to a delegation of the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET), while S&D demanded a strong response from European Parliament President Roberta Metsola and freezing of the migration deal between the EU and Tunisia. The Tunisian government did not provide an official explanation for the decision, but according to Nemec, who heads the delegation for relations with the Maghreb countries, the problems with the Tunisian authorities began last week, due to statements about democracy and the moves by the country's president made in July.

Bird flu confirmed in two swans in Ljubljana area

LJUBLJANA - The country's veterinary authority confirmed highly contagious avian influenza of the subtype H5N1 in two dead swans in the municipality of Ljubljana, and urged poultry farmers to implement strict biosecurity measures. "The occurrence of the disease at this time of year is no longer a peculiarity, as for two seasons now several EU countries have been reporting major or minor waterbird deaths throughout the year," said the Administration for Food Safety, Veterinary Sector and Plant Protection.

Breams devour most of mussels grown in Slovenian sea

PIRAN - Slovenian mussel farmers saw most of this year's harvest of Mytilida or true mussel devoured by gilt-head sea breams. In addition to the large mussels suitable for sale, the young were also eaten, which means that in the best case scenario, if the mussels are saved from the fish, Slovenian mussels will only be available for sale in two years. Mitja Petrič, one of Slovenian three major mussel farmers, told the public broadcaster RTV Slovenija that sea breams had left a trail of devastation - they devoured not only a large part of this year's produce but also mid-sized mussels and the young that would have been be offered on the market next year.

Small river on the coast polluted with red liquid, likely wine

KOPER - Hundreds of litres of red liquid that looks like wine was noticed flowing from a drain into the Badaševica in the Koper area on the coast on Tuesday and Wednesday, polluting the river, media reported on Wednesday. Environmentalists pointed the finger at a local winemaker, which has denied that the liquid originates from the company. The liquid drained into the Badaševica just a few dozen meters from the wine company Vinakoper, which was the cause of similar incidents in the past during the grape harvest season.

Croatian city sponsors vacation for flood-affected Slovenian children

VARAŽDIN, Croatia - The city of Varaždin in northwestern Croatia has organised a free vacation for 31 children from Ljubno ob Savinji, one of the towns that were struck by the heavy floods in Slovenia last month. The children will arrive on the Croatian island of Rab on Thursday where they will enjoy a week-long break. The vacation was organised on the initiative of Varaždin Mayor Miroslav Marković and a member of the Slovenian national minority in the city, Barbara Antolić Vupora, who is also an MP in the Croatian parliament.

Exhibitions on Slovenian culture opening ahead of Frankfurt Book Fair

FRANKFURT, Germany - Three exhibitions showcasing Slovenian culture and history are opening in Frankfurt in the run-up to the Frankfurt Book Fair, where Slovenia will be the guest of honour. An exhibition on poet France Prešeren is opening on Thursday in the German Romanticism Museum, while the upcoming exhibitions will focus on Alma Karlin (Katholische Akademie Rabanus Maurus) and the history of telecommunications in Slovenia (Museum of Communication).

Photos of everyday life in Spain put on show in Ljubljana

LJUBLJANA - A photo exhibition tracing Spain's non-tangible heritage between 1858 and 1988 will open at the Slovenian Ethnographic Museum (SEM) today as part of a cultural programme of Spain's EU presidency. Entitled Intangible. Heritage and Collective Memory, it provides insight into the Spanish collective memory through work, relationships, gestures, images of everyday life, celebrations and professions. It was prepared by the Spanish Culture Ministry, and executed by SEM in collaboration with the Spanish Embassy.