News roundup - Monday, 8 January

All five persons rescued after being stranded in cave for two days

CERKNICA - All five people who have been trapped in the Križna Jama cave in south Slovenia for two days were rescued after water levels receded enough to allow cave rescuers to take them out, Walter Zakrajšek, the head of the Cave Rescue Service, told the STA. The head of the diving team, Damir Podnar, said the situation changed by the hour. The original plan was to rescue the five with a dinghy but this was not possible, so divers pulled them through a sump, a passage in the cave submerged under water, but they were able to breathe on their own. They then walked to the dinghy and were transported from the cave in it.

Cooperation in focus of FM's visit to Paris

PARIS, FRANCE - Bilateral cooperation was in focus as Slovenia's Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon met her French counterpart Catherine Colonna. They signed a cooperation action plan that will allow their countries to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in politics, economy, science and culture, according to a tweet by the Foreign Ministry. The ministers also discussed a number of international issues and Fajon also met Secretary General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Mathias Cormann and Director-General of UNICEF Audrey Azoulay.

Slovenia's registered jobless in December down 9.1% y/y

LJUBLJANA - As is usually the case in December as temporary contracts expire, redundancies are registered and hiring slows, the number of registered unemployed persons rose by 2.5% over November to 48,353. This is however still 9.1% less than in December 2022, the Employment Service said. In 2023, 0.2% fewer unemployed persons were newly registered than in 2022, while the number of those who found employment decreased by 10.3%. The number of jobless people is expected to further decrease in 2024.

Almost 350 buildings damaged in August floods slated for demolition

LJUBLJANA - The government service for post-flood reconstruction has published a list of 348 buildings slated for demolition due to the August floods and landslides. The buildings are located in 23 municipalities, but most of them, 137, are in Braslovče in the north. The list is to be updated as some assessments are still under way. The state will build new homes or finance the purchase of real estate of equal value.

Passenger numbers hit 15 million on Slovenians railways

LJUBLJANA - Passenger numbers on Slovenian trains have been rising since 2021, hitting over 15 million in 2023, which the rail operator Slovenian Railways attributes to the relaxation of Covid restrictions, to a number of new trains and favourable rail travel offers. The company plans to raise the passenger numbers to 25 million by 2028. The number of passengers increased by more than 20% in 2022, exceeding that from pre-Covid 2019, and further rose in 2023, the company said.

Doctors gearing up for strike as govt doesn't respond to invitation to talks

LJUBLJANA - The trade union of doctors and dentists Fides is continuing preparations for tomorrow's strike as the government has failed to respond to its latest invitation to talks Monday. It thus seems that the token strike will go ahead as planned, but the final decision will be known late in the afternoon, Fides leader Damjan Polh said.

Poll sees drop in support for govt calming

LJUBLJANA - The January Mediana poll measured gains for the two leading parties, the opposition Democrats (SDS) and the ruling Freedom Movement, with the latter, like the government, ending a three-month slide in support. Anže Logar, a likely new pivotal centre-right figure, held on to his recently claimed top spot in the politicians' rankings. The SDS added 0.9 percentage points in support compared to November for 21.7%, while the Freedom Movement is now at 14.6% having recorded a 1.2 point improvement. The junior coalition SocDems lost 0.5 points to 7.5% in third place, the opposition New Slovenia edged 0.1 points higher to 4.6% and the junior coalition Left lost 0.3 points to 4.4%.

Salus's purchase of rival Farmadent fails

LJUBLJANA - The shareholders of Ljubljana-based pharmaceutical and medical equipment wholesaler Salus decided on Friday against the purchase of Farmadent, a Maribor-based rival, as a number of suspensive conditions have not been met. Still, it remains interested in Farmadent. While the Competition Protection Agency approved the deal last week, its decision was not yet final by the deadline, Salus said. Another problem was that Farmadent's new memorandum of association has not yet been entered in the business register.

Exhibition to present role of Slovenians in Sarajevo Olympics

LJUBLJANA - The National Museum of Contemporary History will host an exhibition this year celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Sarajevo Olympic Games and the role Slovenians played there. Another major exhibition will mark 100 years since the birth of photojournalist Marjan Ciglič, who caught on camera some key moments in Slovenia's history. Other highlights will include an exhibition bringing stories of Jewish women during WWII and another marking the 40th anniversary of the LGBT movement in Slovenia.