News roundup - Saturday, 6 July

Pahor continues to bid for Belgrade-Pristina post

LJUBLJANA - Borut Pahor, Slovenia's former president, remains ready to take up as the EU's next representative for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue even after the EU's outgoing foreign policy chief Josep Borrell left it up to his successor to make the nomination, extending the mandate of the incumbent Miroslav Lajčak until the end of January 2025. Pahor told the N1 news portal he was not the man to back down, but admitted it would have been easier for him if the selection process had been completed in May as initially planned.

SDS accuses Court of Audit of double standards over party audits

LJUBLJANA - The opposition Democrats (SDS) accused the Court of Audit of applying double standards in reviewing finances of parties for 2022. The party says they received a qualified opinion even though they took remedial measures while the audit was still under way and even though auditors found similar shortcomings in most other parties but still issued them positive opinions, and overlooked "much worse" shortcomings found in the case of the ruling coalition Freedom Movement and the Social Democrats (SD).

Najevnik Linden Tree get-together hears about power of solidarity

ČRNA NA KOROŠKEM - Several hundred people gathered for the annual get-together at the Najevnik Linden Tree in the north of the country to discuss the power of solidarity demonstrated through action. "Words can inspire, but real change happens when we act, when we work together," Vladimir Prebilič, MEP-elect who so far served as Kočevje mayor, told the 33rd gathering near Črna na Koroškem. He listed climate change, migration and economic inequalities as global challenges calling for joint solutions and cooperation.

Slovenia fail to qualify for the Olympic basketball tournament

PIRAEUS, Greece - Slovenia will not appear in the basketball tournament at the Paris Olympic Games, having been routed by the home favourites Greece 68:96 in the semi-finals of the FIBA qualifiers in Piraeus. To qualify, they would have to win the qualifying tournament. NBA superstar Luka Dončić was Slovenia's top scorer with 21 points with Josh Nebo, the new naturalised player, contributing another 17 points. "We came with the desire to qualify for the Olympics. We failed. We were not in optimum shape, but there are no excuses. The Greeks were better," Slovenia head coach Aleksander Sekulić commented.

Miran Pavlin to join Nottingham Forest as technical director

LJUBLJANA - Miran Pavlin, currently director of national teams at the Slovenian Football Association (NZS), will become technical director of Nottingham Forest. Pavlin, who played in the UEFA Euro 2000 and the 2002 FIFA World Cup for Slovenia, revealed the news for the newspaper Delo. He will take up the new job on 15 July, becoming the first Slovenian to serve on the management of an English Premier League club.

Petra Koršič wins Stritar Prize for literary critics

ROGAŠKA SLATINA - Petra Koršič won this year's Stritar Prize for literary critics. The jury described her as one of the few critics in Slovenia who focus on poetry alone. The award ceremony in Rogaška Slatina on Friday evening was part of the Pranger Festival of literary criticism, translation and poetry.

Mammoth-shaped corn maze opens in Kranj

KRANJ - Adventurous spirits can test their mettle in solving a corn maze that opened on the outskirts of Kranj, north-west of Ljubljana. The five-hectare mammoth-shaped maze is an homage to these extinct animals that used to roam the area in an ice age known as the Pleistocene epoch. The maze will be open until early September when the corn will be harvested and used for animal feed.