News roundup - Wednesday, 4 September, until 3pm

Žbogar expects Middle East debates to dominate Security Council presidency

NEW YORK, US - Ambassador Samuel Žbogar expressed his expectation at the opening press conference of Slovenia's one-month presidency of the UN Security Council this September that the Middle East would most likely dominate the agenda. He also pointed to the issue of lack of trust among the Council. Žbogar told the press on Tuesday that six meetings would be dedicated to the Middle East, from the West Bank, Yemen, Syria and other issues, and an extraordinary meeting on Gaza is certainly on the cards.

Slovenia's exports and imports much higher in July after two moderate months

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia exported goods worth EUR 5.46 billion in July, up 24.8% from July last year, with imports increasing by 34.5% to EUR 5.1 billion, largely on account of higher trade with non-EU members, chiefly Switzerland, involving operations with processing. The export-import ratio was 106.2% with Slovenia's surplus at EUR 0.3 billion, the Statistics Office said.

Court of Audit confirms findings on controversial court building purchase

LJUBLJANA - The Court of Audit has issued the final report on the controversial acquisition of a dilapidated building in Ljubljana meant to house a number of courts, in which it confirms the findings made public in June, including that the purchase had not been planned and that the Justice Ministry purchased the building virtually without preparation. Commenting on the findings of the final report, Justice Minister Katič said that the system of management of such large investments should be changed and that she expected explanations from employees at the ministry.

Auditors find laptop purchase inefficient, uneconomical

LJUBLJANA - The Digital Transformation Ministry did not act in line with the principle of efficiency and economy in the purchase of 13,000 laptops for students, the Court of Audit says in a report released today as part of a broader audit report of the national budget for 2023. The findings are broadly the same as in the draft report that was leaked in July and serves as the basis for an ouster motion against Digital Transformation Minister Emilija Stojmenova Duh.

Jobless total in August down by 6.2% year-on-year to 44,468

LJUBLJANA - A total of 44,468 persons were registered as unemployed at the national Employment Service at the end of August, which is 0.2% more than in July and 6.2% less year-on-year. Despite the slight growth on a monthly basis, the jobless total remains close to the record lows. After a monthly increase in July, which was the result of the expiration of many fixed-term contracts, the number of registered unemployed increased for the second month in a row in August, the Employment Service noted.

Agriculture chamber urges action on wolf attacks

LJUBLJANA - The country's Chamber of Agriculture and Forestry (KGZS) has urged the Ministry of Natural Resources to take decisive action on wolf population management. Frequent wolf attacks are causing significant damage to farmers, with the spread of wolves in the Alps being particularly problematic. According to the KGZS, wolves have already spread across half of Slovenia. "If immediate measures are not taken, they will spread throughout the entire country," the KGZS warned.

Tivoli Arena hosting basketball EuroLeague powerhouses

LJUBLJANA - Tivoli Arena in Ljubljana will host on Friday and Saturday a friendly basketball tournament that will feature seven-time and current EuroLeague champions Panathinaikos from Athens, two-time EuroLeague winners Anadolu Efes from Turkey, the ambitious German club Bayern Munich and Cedevita Olimpija from the Slovenian capital. Headlining the tournament are the 40-time Greek champions Panathinaikos, where former Slovenian basketball player Sani Bečirović has served as the sporting director since June 2023.