News roundup - Monday, 5 February, until 3pm

Budget surplus in January doubles y/y

LJUBLJANA - Preliminary data shows that the national budget had a surplus of EUR 333 million in January, more than double the surplus in the same month last year, the Fiscal Council said. Trade unions' demands for higher pay in the public sector are considered the biggest short-term fiscal risk. Standing at EUR 1.2 billion, budget revenue in January was up 10.5% year-on-year, while budget expenditure, totalling EUR 863 million, was down 7.3%.

Slovenia's registered jobless total in January down 6.8% y/y

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's registered jobless total was at 51,610 at the end of January, up 6.7% on the previous month mostly due to expiry of fixed-term contracts, and down 6.8% year-on-year, the Employment Service said. A total of 9,266 jobless were registered anew in January, up 78.6% on December and 12.5% year-on-year.

Govt distributes EUR 6.5m to strengthen NGOs

LJUBLJANA - The Public Administration Ministry has distributed a total of EUR 6.3 million to over a dozen NGOs through a public call designed to strengthen NGOs, their role in local and regional policy-shaping and establish lasting partnerships between NGOs and public institutions, business and media. The funds were awarded for projects taking place between 2023 and the end of 2027. A dozen regional nexuses were selected, one horizontal network and a volunteer network.

Defence Ministry to cooperate with another university

MARIBOR - The Defence Ministry and the Maribor University signed a cooperation agreement, about six months after similar accords were signed with the universities in Ljubljana and Koper. The agreements cover education, training, research and development and aim is to strengthen cooperation that died down somewhat after 2016, when previous such agreements expired. Last year, similar agreements were also signed with the Maribor-based private Alma Mater Europaea university and the public Faculty of Organisation Studies in Novo Mesto.

Woman stabbed on Ljubljana city bus

LJUBLJANA - A woman was stabbed by an acquaintance on a Ljubljana city bus this morning, according to a statement from the Ljubljana Police Department. She was taken to the Ljubljana UKC Hospital while the assailant was arrested. News portal Siol reported that the victim was not in mortal danger and the man was restrained by other passengers. Ljubljana's public transportation company LPP said they were in shock because nothing like this has ever happened on a Ljubljana city bus before.

Wizz Air no longer flying from Ljubljana to London

BRNIK - Wizz Air will no longer connect Ljubljana with London's Luton airport due to problems with Airbus's engines, which grounded dozens of Wizz Air's planes, web portal Exyuaviation reports. The last flight will be made next Tuesday. But the Slovenian capital will continue to be connected to London by British Airways and easyJet. The former will fly to Heathrow up to seven times a week this week, and the latter will offer up to six flights to Gatwick.

Last sculpture by Modernist artist Ivan Zajec discovered

LJUBLJANA - A sculpture by Modernist sculptor Ivan Zajec (1869-1952), presumably his last sculpture created before his death, was discovered in a private collection in January. "The Kiss" will be exhibited in the Gallery Novak in Ljubljana on 8 February, Culture Day. Zajec made a number of public monuments, tomb sculptures, busts and other small-scale pieces. His most notable work is the sculpture of Slovenian Romantic poet France Prešeren on Prešeren Square in Ljubljana.

Slovenia's cave divers well prepared for challenges

NOVA GORICA - In a recent evacuation of a group from the Križna Jama cave rescue divers played a key role. In Slovenia there are 16 trained cave divers, equipped for the most difficult rescue efforts, head of the unit Damir Podnar told the STA. The unit, founded in 1989, is part of the Civil Protection. Before, foreign divers, mainly from Switzerland and France, had to be called to the rescue when accidents happened in Slovenia, while the Slovenian team now helps in rescue efforts in other countries. Most recently it helped in North Macedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Two migrant smugglers run from police, cause accidents

BREŽICE/KRŠKO - The Novo Mesto Police Department apprehended nine drivers who tried to smuggle third-country nationals into the country over the weekend. Two of the drivers did not stop when instructed by police but kept driving and caused accidents that resulted in minor injuries. Both drivers were detained and face criminal charges.