News roundup - Thursday, 29 August, until 3pm

Fajon to call for sanctions against Israel at EU ministerial

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon said in her doorstep statement that she would condemn Israel's new offensive in the West Bank and call for stepping up sanctions against Israel at the ongoing informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels. She also intends to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The situation in the Middle East is "deeply concerning", especially in light of the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, she said as she arrived for the meeting.

Slovenia calls for just peace in Ukraine, solution for Syria crisis

NEW YORK, US - Slovenian Ambassador to the UN Security Council Samuel Žbogar called for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine at a session convened by Slovenia and the United States on Wednesday. He said Russia's continued attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure "are in clear violation of international humanitarian law and must be stopped immediately". In a separate session yesterday, Deputy Ambassador Ondina Blokar Drobič urged efforts to find a political solution to the crisis in Syria.

SDS wants parliamentary session over pace of flood reconstruction

LJUBLJANA - The Democrats (SDS) called for an emergency session of parliament to discuss what the largest opposition party says is a lack progress in post-flood reconstruction and a worrying state of affairs on the ground despite over a year having passed since one of the worst natural disasters in Slovenian history. They pointed out that a single family has been provided with a new house in this period, but even this was not the result of state efforts but a contribution from donors.

Cinkarna Celje H1 net profit up by 5%

CELJE - The chemical company Cinkarna Celje posted EUR 7.4 million in net profit in the first half of the year, up 5.2% year-on-year, shows an unaudited report. The company recorded a 4.1% increase in sales revenue, which totalled EUR 100.3 million. This increase was driven by higher sales of its key product, titanium dioxide pigment. The results are above plans for the January-June period, and based on current figures, the company's projections for 2024 are also now more ambitious.

Revenue from services and goods up 1.9% in H1

LJUBLJANA - The volume of sales in service activities and retail in Slovenia was 1.9% higher in the first half of the year compared to the same period last year. The largest increase was in information and communication activities. In the first six months, the volume of sales in service activities increased by 1.9%, and in retail by 1.7%, show data released by the Statistics Office.

Ljubljana's air quality poor, Maribor's a bit better

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's capital Ljubljana has placed 310th among 372 cities in Europe where the European Environment Agency (EEA) measured average levels of fine particles PM 2.5 in the air in 2022 and 2023. Ljubljana has thus ended up in the group of cities with poor air quality, while Slovenia's second largest city Maribor did a bit better, placing 253rd.