News roundup - Thursday, 14 September

Post-flood tests show high pollution levels in Koroška river basins

LJUBLJANA - Extensive testing with samples taken from river basins that suffered the most damage during the August floods has shown the Meža river basin in Koroška in the north to be the most problematic area in terms of pollution, with critical levels of lead, cadmium, and zinc reached or significantly exceeded in both sediment and original soil. The Environment Agency (ARSO) carried out sampling at 21 sites. The results show that, with the exception of the Meža and Drava river basins, the sediment was uncontaminated, but in some areas, such as Sneberje, Litija, Celje and Ljubljana, it appeared that the soil was already contaminated before the floods, but that critical levels were not exceeded.

President warns cheap can be expensive in post-flood reconstruction

ČRENŠOVCI - President Nataša Pirc Musar visited areas hit hardest by the early August floods to get briefed on the state of play in reconstruction efforts. Calling for a quicker renovation of levees, she said that Slovenia was not wealthy enough to be able to afford cheap reconstruction measures. "If we build cheaply and badly, the next floods will sweep it all away again, and so on in an endless loop."

Asylum centre overflowing

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's sole asylum centre, based in Ljubljana but with a branch in Logatec, is overflowing as the number of migrants crossing into the country continues to rise. It is currently at several times capacity and many migrants are accommodated in hallways or in housing containers brought in to alleviate the situation. The main building in the Ljubljana borough of Vič is designed for 350 people but currently over 900 are housed there. Another 350 are in Logatec, which is primarily intended for vulnerable groups such as minors, three times the number that had been designated as acceptable by the local community.

Freedom MPs Zavec and Marzidovšek leaving parliament

LJUBLJANA - Freedom Movement MPs Dejan Zavec and Martin Marzidovšek decided to bid farewell to the parliament's benches. Zavec told the press that he was leaving for health reasons and Marzidovšek said he would pursue a new job in artificial intelligence. Their departure does not affect the balance of power in parliament. The biggest deputy group is now expected to be joined by Jurij Lep, a former MP of the now non-parliamentary Pensioners' Party (DeSUS), and Dejan Süč, head of the agriculture minister's office.

Twice-weekly flights launched between Ljubljana and Luxembourg

BRNIK - Luxembourg's national carrier Luxair launched scheduled flights between the Slovenian capital Ljubljana and Luxembourg. It expects to carry around 12,000 passengers on the route per year. Services will operate twice per week, each Thursday and Sunday, with a 76-seat De Havilland Q400 turboprop aircraft. Return flights start from EUR 119. The new connection is the result of state subsidies offered to carriers after the demise of flag carrier Adria Airways and represents, according to airport operator Fraport Slovenija, an important expansion of the network.

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. Kolektor announced that is will contribute more than EUR 300,000 to the post-flood reconstruction fund.

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.

Trieste Gulf hit by worst bottom marine heatwave on record

PIRAN - Marine scientists from the Slovenian coast have sounded the alarm over what are record-high temperatures measured at the bottom of the Gulf of Trieste. The phenomenon is known as a bottom marine heatwave and can have major repercussions for the ecosystem. Martin Vodopivec of the Piran Marine Biology Station said the record-high temperature is 24.65 degrees Celsius, with the current bottom marine heatwave being by far the worst in the period since 2002, when the station started regularly measuring bottom sea temperature.

Possibility of anti-corruption court discussed as members of Ukraine's visit

LJUBLJANA - National Assembly President Urška Klakočar Zupančič received the judges of Ukraine's High Anti-Corruption Court. The purpose was to exchange experiences and become familiar with the work of the court, which is currently constrained due to Russia's aggression. The potential formation of a similar court in Slovenia was discussed too.

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.

Slovenia lose semifinal at European Volleyball Championship

ROME, Italy - Slovenia lost to Poland in the semifinals of the 2023 Men's European Volleyball Championship. On Saturday they will be face either Italy or France for bronze, after having won silver at the past two European championships. Poland beat Slovenia 1:3, breaking Slovenia's winning streak against team Poland at European championships that started in 2015, when Slovenia won its first silver.

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 opened 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 opened at the Slovenian Ethnographic Museum (SEM) 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.

La Boheme and tango operetta highlights of new season in Ljubljana

LJUBLJANA - The Ljubljana SNG Opera and Ballet held a performance full of excerpts from the classics to let the new season in. Four opera and two ballet premieres will be staged in the 2023-2024 season, including the tango operetta Maria de Buenos Aires and the opera evergreen La Boheme. The opera part of the season will be launched at the end of the month with a double bill - the staging of The Land of Smiles, a 1929 romantic operetta by Franz Lehar, which has never before been performed on the Ljubljana stage, and the premiere of Alojz Ajdič's comic opera Mice in the Opera House from 2019.