News roundup - Saturday, 16 September

Fmr president regrets Italy has not apologised for Fascist violence

MIREN-KOSTANJEVICA - Slovenia's first president, Milan Kučan, regretted that Italy has not apologised for the Fascist violence perpetrated against Slovenians, as he addressed the main ceremony marking the Primorska reunification day, which Slovenia observed on Friday. Italy and Slovenia have gradually built model neighbourly relations, but there is something causing doubts in the honesty of the friendship: the attitude of Italian politicians toward Fascism, said Kučan. He also called for steps toward peace in Ukraine.

Slovenia concerned about women in Iran year after Amini death

LJUBLJANA - A year after the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman apprehended by the morality police for allegedly failing to wear her hijab in line with government standards, Prime Minister Robert Golob said "the situation of women in Iran remains of serious concern," while Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon said today "we also celebrate incredible determination of women and youth around the world in their peaceful pursuit of freedom, human rights, democracy and life in dignity."

Global football event raises EUR 3.5m for flood victims

LJUBLJANA - Over EUR 3.5 million was raised for flood victims during a charity football game featuring a number of legendary names at the sold-out Ljubljana Stožice stadium Friday night. The match was won 5:4 in overtime by the blue team, featuring Zlatan Ibrahimović, Gianluigi Buffon and Miroslav Klose. "I would like to thank all those who have helped, all who bought a ticker, all who donated, and above all our friends on the pitch," Aleksander Čeferin, the president of Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), who initiated the idea, said before the match.

Slovenia win bronze at the European Volleyball Championship

ROME, Italy - Slovenia defeated France 3:2 in the game for bronze at the Men's European Volleyball Championship in Rome on Saturday, for a fourth podium at the past five European championships. The first three medals for team Slovenia had been silver. Slovenia outplayed the Olympic champions in the first two sets, with Rok Možič being largely responsible for France not being able to take the lead all throughout the first two sets.

Commissioner Lenarčič pledges further support from EU in wake of floods

LJUBNO OB SAVINJI - European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič visited the flood-hit Savinja Valley, pledging the EU's solidarity in the reconstruction. In Rečica ob Savinji, he visited the EU's crisis management units stationed in the town. Slovenia enjoyed great solidarity from other EU members during flood relief efforts, he noted, adding that aid continues to come in through the EU's civil protection system. Ten temporary bridges have been installed, four more are coming: three from Sweden and one from Italy, he said.

Govt to provide additional EUR 56m for road and rail repairs

LJUBLJANA - The government decided in a correspondence session on Friday that the Infrastructure Ministry would get over EUR 56 million in additional funds to repair the damage to road and rail infrastructure caused by storms. Additional EUR 50.4 million will be provided to repair the damage to road and rail infrastructure caused by the early August floods and another EUR 6 million to repair the damage to roads caused by storms that took place earlier this year.

Health Ministry announces analysis to cut physical therapy waiting times

LJUBLJANA - The Health Ministry said it would conduct thorough analyses to determine the shortage of physical therapists in Slovenia's public healthcare network, as it responded to demands by Association of Physiotherapists, which raised the issue of long waiting times last week and called for more therapists to be hired. In its initial response, the ministry said that in contrast to other medical professions, Slovenia had enough physical therapists, saying that 1,860 therapists work in the public network.

Wild fruit species galore in Goričko sample plantation

ŠALOVCI - Budinci, a small village near the border with Hungary in eastern Slovenia, is home to what is likely the biggest sample plantation of fruit trees and shrubs in Europe. Owned by a retired teacher who moved there from Switzerland, the plantation is all the more remarkable because it features only wild species. Stretching across more than 7,000 square metres, the estate numbers 1,400 trees and shrubs, and was launched with the objective to make people enthusiastic about non-cultured species, which are more resistant to disease and their fruits richer in vitamins and minerals compared to cultured varieties.

Quantity of active ingredients in pesticides sold down 9%

LJUBLJANA - The plant protection products sold in Slovenia in 2022 contained around 847 tonnes of active ingredients. This is 9.1% less than in 2021, 14% below a five-year average, and the smallest annual amount of active ingredients in the plant protection products sold in the last ten years. Compared to 2021, the amount of active ingredients sold fell last year in five of the six main groups of plant protection products, the Statistics Office said. It decreased by 6% for fungicides and bactericides, by 14.4% for herbicides, by 20.4% for insecticides and acaricides, by 48.6% in molluscicides, and by 54% in plant growth regulators.

Swimmer Strel raising awareness about micro plastic pollution

PORTOROŽ - Slovenian ultra marathon swimmer Martin Strel and former politician and businessman Gašpar Gašpar Mišič swam a 10-kilomere course between Piran and Savudrija, Croatia, on Saturday in an effort to raise awareness about micro plastic pollution. The event coincided with the campaign International Coastal Cleanup, which in Slovenia, is sponsored by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning and TRI-NITI, an NGO advocating for active lifestyles.