News roundup - Sunday, 28 July

Concerns over financing solution in STA draft bill

LJUBLJANA - After the Culture Ministry drafted a reform bill on the Slovenian Press Agency (STA) to overhaul public financing provisions, the remarks submitted during the month-long public consultation period show there are concerns that the bill may not preclude potential political abuse. One issue is the lack of calculations to show the level of funding involved and another that the price list of media services is to be set by the government. The ministry would like the bill to be passed by the end of the year.

Ex-president has understanding for Orban's "peace mission"

PODVELKA - Slovenia's former President Milan Kučan expressed understanding for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's self-styled Ukraine "peace mission" at a WWII-related event on Saturday. He believes Orban may have perceived a lack of debate in the EU on realistic paths to peace. Kučan believes it should be in the EU's strategic interest to understand alternatives. He said a similar initiative should perhaps have come earlier from someone else, possibly Slovenia, and possibly with a mandate from the EU.

Heavy rain causes flooding and disruption in parts of the country

ČRNA NA KOROŠKEM - Heavy rains that swept from northwestern Slovenia to the east and southeast in the afternoon caused disruption in the northern Koroška region and some other parts of the country. Several landslides were triggered and several buildings and roads were flooded in the town of Črna. A local was rescued by firefighters after being buried to his waist by a landslide in Spodnje Javorje.
Some 160 weather-related incidents have been reported in the regional centres of Kranj, Celje, Maribor, Ljubljana, Ptuj, Slovenj Gradec and Trbovlje.

Debate hears path to gender equality in sport still long

PARIS, France - The Paris Olympic Games are the first to see an equal number of male and female athletes competing. This is a major step considering women were not allowed to compete at all in the first modern Games in 1896, but a round table debate at the Slovenia House in Paris heard that the path to gender equality in sport is still long. Views were shared by President Nataša Pirc Musar, Annamarie Phelps, the chair the European Olympic Committee's gender equality commission, Prince Feisal Al Hussein, vice-chair of the IOC Commission for Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, and Gustavo Merino from UNESCO.

Slovenian women's handball team chalks up first Olympic win

PARIS, France - The Slovenian women's handball team scored their first victory in their debut Olympic appearance, defeating South Korea 30:23 (14:12) in their second match of the preliminary round of Group A. Slovenian players and their Montenegrin head coach Dragan Adžić were overwhelmed and proud at their historic first Olympic victory, which came after a 19:27 loss against Denmark. Next, Slovenia will face Germany on Tuesday.

Eva Terčelj 7th in the Olympic K-1 slalom

PARIS, France - Slovenian kayaker Eva Terčelj finished 7th in the women's K-1 slalom at the Paris Olympics. Gold went to Australian Jessica Fox as Pole Klaudia Zwolinska took silver and Briton Kimberley Woods bronze. After the race, the 32-year old Ljubljana kayaker admitted that a error in the upper part of the course cost her a medal. Still hers is the best Olympic ranking for a Slovenian woman kayaker yet, improving on Urša Kragelj's ninth place in Rio de Janeiro 2016.

Challenges of remote work remain unresolved

LJUBLJANA - The number of people working from home decreased substantially after the end of the Covid pandemic, but remote work has gained currency. The number of those officially reported to be working from home in Slovenia so far this year is 20 times what it was in the entire pre-Covid year. There had been plans to amend the Employment Relationships Act to reduce red tape for companies opting for remote work and deal with trade unions' grievances but have since been put on the back burner.

GKN Driveline returns to profit

ZREČE - GKN Driveline, a Zreče-based car industry supplier that is part of the British group of the same name, broke even last year after posting a loss of over EUR 2 million in 2022. The company, which employs 380 people, generated EUR 200,000 in net profit last year as sales rose by 7% on the year before to EUR 115 million. The company plans to continue to generate positive earnings this year. They currently expect to generate around EUR 104 million in sales revenue this year.

Visitor numbers at Lendava spa increasing

LENDAVA - Thermal Resort Lendava, a spa in the town of Lendava in north-eastern Slovenia, recorded a 58% increase in the number of nights spent by guests in the first half of the year on the same period last year. Those by Slovenian guests rose by 92% and those by foreigners by 21%. Slovenian tourism company Sava Hotels & Restorts sold Terme Lendava to Hungarian state-owned fund Comitatus Energia at the end of 2019, and the spa became part of the holding Hotel & More.