News roundup - Friday, 5 January

Justice minister not stepping down, says judges' pay will be addressed

LJUBLJANA - Urged by judges to step down over the government's failure to implement a Constitutional Court decision on their pay, Justice Minister Dominika Švarc Pipan said the decision would be implemented, albeit with a delay. She would like judges to engage in dialogue. Her potential resignation would not bring the matter any closer to a solution, she added. The prime minister's office told the STA it saw no reason for Švarc Pipan to resign.

Golob and Peterle attending Delors's funeral

PARIS, France - Slovenia's first prime minister, Lojze Peterle, and the incumbent prime minister, Robert Golob, attended the funeral of former European Commission President Jacques Delors in Paris. After Delors's death on 27 December, Golob said that his visionary work was an inspiration to many who believe in the importance of a strong EU. Delors, considered the architect of modern Europe, died last week at the age of 98.

Golob discusses role of the ICC with Judge Hohler

LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Robert Golob met on Thursday with the newly elected Slovenian Judge of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Beti Hohler. They discussed the role of the ICC and the challenges the court faces in its work, the prime minister's office said in a press release. Hohler, the first Slovenian ever to serve as judge on the ICC, thanked the prime minister for Slovenia's support for her candidacy, the press release added.

PM Golob becomes owner of company in divorce procedure

LJUBLJANA - PM Robert Golob has become the owner of a company registered for the production of solar power as part of the division of assets with his former wife, according to a filing with the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption first reported by Delo. Called Star Solar, the company was previously owned by his ex-wife. The anti-graft watchdog told Delo that in this case Star Solar would not be allowed to do business with the government but is free to transact with other public sector entities.

Agriculture chambers reserved in assessments of minister nominee

LJUBLJANA - The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) expects the likely new agriculture minister, Mateja Čalušić, to create a stable business environment for the sector, while Chamber of Agriculture and Forestry (KGZS) head Roman Žveglič did not want to give any assessments, adding that the choice was the responsibility of the prime minister. This comes a day after Prime Minister Robert Golob nominated Čalušić, an MP for his party, the Freedom Movement, for agriculture minister.

Man gets 23 years for sexual abuse of three daughters

KOPER - A 52-year-old man from the Slovenian Istria region has been found guilty of sexually abusing his three daughters and sentenced to 23 years and a half in prison, media reported. The judgement is not yet final, as both the defence and prosecution have announced appeals. The man was sentenced to prison on Thursday by a five-member panel of the Koper District Court for abusing the daughters who were aged six, eight and eleven when his assaults began.

Dragić to bid farewell with star-studded game

LJUBLJANA - Goran Dragić, who has recently announced his retirement from active basketball, plans to bid fans farewell with a special all-star game in Stožice Arena in Ljubljana on 24 August featuring some of basketball's biggest current and former stars. The line-up includes NBA stars Luka Dončić, Nikola Jokić, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jimmy Butler, former stars Steve Nash, Luis Scola and Kevin McHale, and the entire Slovenian team that won the European champion title in 2017.

Forgotten town, time in spotlight of museum exhibitions

LJUBLJANA - Museums across Slovenia have announced a variety of exhibitions for 2024, among them a new permanent exhibition at the Ethnographic Museum dedicated to how humans experience time, and a National Museum display about a thriving Medieval town destroyed by the Turks in the 15th century and since forgotten. Opening on 17 January, the exhibition dedicated to Gutenwerd will show what had happened to the town after it was destroyed by the Turks in 1437 and how it was uncovered again after 500 years by archaeologists.

Pohorje Battalion premieres 81 years after final battle with Nazis

LJUBLJANA - The Ljubljana City Theatre (MGL) is staging on Monday a production on the final days of the Pohorje Battalion, a Partisan unit that fought against the Nazis in the area around Maribor in WWII. All of its 70 members died in a fierce battle with some 2,000 German soldiers on 8 January 1943, which then gained mythical proportions. The production is the brainchild of theatre director Jernej Lorenci, who wrote the text together with Croatian dramaturge and writer Dino Pešut and the actors.