News roundup - Thursday, 12 September, until 3pm

Slovenia to take in wounded Gaza children for rehabilitation

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia will take in eight to ten wounded children from Gaza for health and psychosocial rehabilitation as part of a project between the Foreign Ministry and the Catholic charity Caritas Slovenia, the Foreign Ministry said. The government will provide EUR 700,000 for the project. The children will be treated at the URI Soča rehabilitation centre and other healthcare institutions if needed, the Foreign Ministry said.

Meeting on TEŠ emergency bill calls for transparency, just transition

VELENJE - Velenje and Šoštanj held a meeting of the municipal councils on Wednesday to discuss an emergency bill on the financing of the Šoštanj Thermal Power Plant (TEŠ) that was announced last week. The councillors are calling for transparency in the process and for legislation on energy restructuring of the region to be adopted. Velenje and Šoštanj Mayors Peter Dermol and Boris Goličnik do not support the bill.

Parliamentary commission faces proceedings over visit to police

LJUBLJANA - The police have initiated pre-trial proceedings against the parliamentary Commission on Oversight of Intelligence and Security Services (KNOVS) over last year's inquiry at the General Police Administration. The chair of the opposition-controlled commission said the KNOVS had acted lawfully and that the police were being abused for political purposes.

Parliament president rejects criminal complaint allegations

LJUBLJANA - National Assembly President Urška Klakočar Zupančič responded to the criminal complaint filed against her by the opposition for alleged abuse of office related to her refusal to establish a parliamentary inquiry. She dismissed the allegations and said that the opposition's request for the inquiry contained several irregularities, including that the issue in question partially overlapped with an existing parliamentary inquiry.

SDS calls on FinMin to resign

LJUBLJANA - The largest opposition party, the Democrats (SDS), called on Finance Minister Klemen Boštjančič to resign after the Court of Audit found several irregularities in last year's budget closing account. Boštjančič dismissed the SDS's call saying that it is an attempt to divert attention from the economic indicators in Slovenia being quite favourable.

Fmr owner suing Sartorius Bia Separations for EUR 83m

NOVA GORICA/AJDOVŠČINA - The Austria-based Bia Separations, former majority owner of what is now Sartorius Bia Separations, is suing its former subsidiary for nearly EUR 83 million, an amount it believes to have been swindled out of when the Ajdovščina-based company was sold to Sartorius in 2020. The Austrian company's receiver claims this is a proportionate share of the sales value. Meanwhile, a criminal complaint was filed against him and an Austrian entrepreneur, alleging they were involved in an attempt at a takeover of Bia Separations years ago.

Itabus to launch new routes from Ljubljana to Venice and Milan

ROME, Italy - Italian long-distance coach operator Itabus will provide a link between Ljubljana and several major Italian cities, including Venice, Trieste, Verona, and Milan, starting from 16 October. Passengers will be able to travel by bus to Venice or Trieste and then continue their journey by train, reported the Austrian Press Agency (APA).