News roundup - Monday, 15 July, until 3pm

Report: Municipalities investigated over post-flood reconstruction costs

MEŽICA/PREVALJE - Celje police have opened two preliminary investigations into alleged irregularities in reconstruction in the wake of August 2023 floods in northern Slovenia, according to the news site Necenzurirano. While the Celje Police Department has not named any municipalities under investigation, the portal unofficially names Mežica and Prevalje.

Repair shops protest against insurance company pricing

LJUBLJANA - Some auto repair shops have decided to stop accepting customers insured by Generali, claiming the insurance company has not been covering the full cost of repairs and has not been paying their full hourly rates. Over a hundred shops have decided to join the action, the Association of Auto Repair Shops told the newspaper Delo.

Damage of Portorož fire estimated at around EUR 3m

PORTOROŽ - Damage caused by a major fire that destroyed a building with several shops and bars on the main city beach in Portorož on Sunday is estimated by its owner at at least EUR 3 million. It took some 100 firefighters hours to put out the fire, which started at a storage facility of popular Alaya lounge bar and quickly spread to the rest of the building.

Kavač Clan members indicted for murder and attempted murder, Večer reports

LJUBLJANA - An indictment has been filed against eight persons, including alleged members of the Kavač Clan drug cartel, for the 2019 murder of Danijel Božić and the attempted murder and kidnapping of Žarko Tešanović after EUR 1.5 million worth of cocaine went missing from a Kavač Clan storage facility in Gorenjska, the newspaper Večer said.

Six months into doctors' strike agreement seems illusive

LJUBLJANA - Six months have passed since the Fides trade union of doctors and dentists launched a nationwide strike, demanding higher pay for older doctors after the salaries of their younger colleagues were increased last year. Negotiations between the union and the government are ongoing but they have decided not to talk about them publicly.

Net migration positive as immigration from Bosnia continues

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia recorded positive migration flows last year, mostly as a result of continued strong migration from Bosnia and Herzegovina, fresh Statistics Office data show. A total of 4,031 Slovenian citizens and 29,908 foreign citizens moved to Slovenia last year, whereas 5,627 Slovenians and 16,784 foreigners left. The number of immigrants decreased by 5% compared to the year before, and the number of emigrants increased by 7%.

Two years after wildfire, restoration still under way

MIREN-KOSTANJEVICA - Two years after a major forest fire hit the Kras region, south-west, efforts to rehabilitate the forests are still under way. Firefighters have meanwhile received new gear and Slovenia now has its own firefighting aircraft. The disastrous fire, which broke out in July 2022, destroyed 3,700 hectares of land in Kras in 17 days, including 2,900 hectares of forests.