News roundup - Wednesday, 6 November, until 3 pm

Slovenian officials congratulate Trump

LJUBLJANA - President Nataša Pirc Musar, Prime Minister Robert Golob and National Assembly President Urška Klakočar Zupančič, as well as Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon extended their congratulations to Republican Donald Trump for his victory in the US presidential election. Pirc Musar, Golob and Fajon highlighted cooperation, while Klakočar Zupančič expressed hope that Trump's decisions will contribute to a peaceful resolution of the crises in the Middle East, Ukraine and other parts of the world.

Politicians extend congratulations to Trump

LJUBLJANA - Heads of parliamentary parties congratulated the newly elected US President Donald Trump. The first to congratulate Trump was Democrats (SDS) head Janez Janša, who said that Slovenia was "next to make our streets safe, our economy strong and our people proud." New Slovenia (NSi) head Matej Tonin said the American people were "fed up with the radical left and their activism". While coalition Social Democrats (SD) congratulated Trump, the coalition Left did not, saying the result demonstrated a misguided approach by the Democrats.

Two Congressmen of Slovenian descent re-elected

MINNEAPOLIS/PHOENIX, US - As the Americans headed to the polls to not only to elect a new president but also members of Congress, Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat of Slovenian descent, has been re-elected for her fourth term as senator from Minnesota and far-right Republican Paul Gosar from Arizona has been re-elected to the House of Representatives.

State to fund research into rare children's disease

LJUBLJANA - A case of a five-year-old boy Urban Miroševič, who has a congenital CTNNB1 gene mutation and whose mother initiated research to develop a therapy for treating the disorder and a high-profile fund-raising campaign to finance the project, has prompted the state to draft legislative changes that will allow the funding for the final stages of research of treatment for rare children's diseases.

Number of jobless up in October

LJUBLJANA - The number of people registered as unemployed with the country's Employment Service increased by 3.7% to 45,463 at the end of October compared to September but decreased by 3.7% over October last year. The monthly increase was expected, as more first-time jobseekers usually register as jobless in October after completing their studies. As many as 7,217 newly registered as unemployed, a rise of 35.7% over September and 4.4% more than in October 2023.

No interest for 80% stake in steel mill Štore Steel

LJUBLJANA - A consortium of owners holding a combined 80% stake in Štore Steel is trying to sell their stakes in what is one of the largest steel mills in the country, but apparently there is no interest as the latest attempt to sell has failed. The stake is comprised of shares owned by the four largest owners: the Zreče-based tool maker Unior, which holds 29%, Železar Štore, which owns more than 20%, and Kovintrade and Dinos, which own around 15% each. Reportedly the SIJ steel group submitted the highest of seven bids, offering EUR 70 million, but withdrew the bid shortly before the deadline for binding offers.

Ljubljana central market overhaul finally on track

LJUBLJANA - Nearly two decades after Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Janković promised to renovate the city's central market before being elected for the first time in 2006, the municipality has finally acquired all the necessary approvals needed for a construction permit for the project was scaled down. Janković said on Tuesday he expected the permit to be issued by the end of the year, but did not reveal the estimated cost.

Man gets seven years in prison for killing his partner in the street

LJUBLJANA - A 46-year-old man was sentenced on Tuesday to seven years in prison for killing his partner, the newspaper Dnevnik reported. Slobodan Bogdanović stabbed the 44-year-old woman several times in July in the street in Ljubljana's Vič borough, causing her wounds so severe that she died on the spot. Bogdanović regretted the act, asking judge Neva Bizjak for a shorter sentence than the seven years the prosecutor proposed when he confessed to the crime.

Half of 28 drug ring defendants plead guilty, get prison

LJUBLJANA - Half of the total of 28 defendants arrested by the police last year over drug trafficking charges have entered plea agreements with the prosecution and have been given sentences of up to five years and seven months in prison. Only one suspect who admitted guilt has been given a suspended sentence, Večer reported about a case that dates back to January 2023, when the police arrested several suspected drug dealers in the Ljubljana and Gorenjska areas.