News roundup - Monday, 11 November, until 3pm

Slovenian partners joining EU project on critical infrastructure resilience

LJUBLJANA - Six Slovenian partners will take part in Endurance, a three-year EU project designed to strengthen the resilience of critical infrastructure as part of the European Commission Horizon programme. The project aims to improve cooperation in critical infrastructure with the EU at all levels, especially in data sharing and risk assessment. With a budget of EUR 6.48 million, the project comprises 22 partners from six EU countries. Slovenia's are Telekom Slovenije, ELES, the Institute for Corporative Security Studies, Agency for Telecommunication Networks and Services (AKOS), the Government Information Security Office, and risk management firm Silver Bullet Risk.

Industrial output in September down 0.4% at annual level

LJUBLJANA - Industrial output in Slovenia in September was up 1.7% compared to August, while it was 0.4% lower year-on-year. In the first three quarters of the year, it dropped by 1.8% compared to the same period in 2023, the Statistics Office said.

Three charged over deadly train accident last December

KOPER - Three Slovenian Railways employees have been charged in relation to the accident in which two maintenance workers were killed by an oncoming train in December 2023 near Rakitnik in the area of Postojna, SW. The employees, whose identity was not revealed, are suspected of endangering special types of public traffic, which carries a prison sentence of up to eight years, the police said. The accident took place in a narrow cutting as a passenger train on the Koper-Sežana line ploughed through a group of workers as the driver apparently could not see them in time to stop the train. Two workers were killed on the spot, one was gravely injured.

Man suspected of killing woman at Ljubljana airport apprehended in Austria

KLAGENFURT, Austria - A 39-year-old suspect of the murder of a 33-year-old woman, whose body was found in one of the car parks at Ljubljana Airport area on Friday morning, was apprehended in Austria on Saturday by the Austrian police in collaboration with the Slovenian police. Extradition to Slovenia could take several weeks. The pair was initially reported to be Iranian, but the latest media reports suggest the victim had Turkish and Austrian passorts. The victim is said to be the suspect's ex-wife, with whom he has three children. Both lived in Klagenfurt.

Body of baby boy found among waste

LJUBLJANA - Police said on Sunday evening that a body of a baby boy had been found in the Šiška borough. An investigation into the circumstances of his death is under way, the Ljubljana Police Department said. Web portal 24ur.com reported that the boy had been dead for a while and that the body was found wrapped in a towel among waste that was to be collected on Monday.

Education among Roma improving, but still much to do

LJUBLJANA - Poor education comes up frequently in discussions about the Roma community in Slovenia. There is little hard data, but that which is available shows a wide gap between the majority population and the community, and also massive gaps within the community. "The myth that the Roma are ill-educated is false," Jože Horvat Muc, head of the Roma Association, told the STA. But the reality is much different in the southeast of the country, where many Roma do not finish primary schools, he added.

Week of Slovenian Food to stress benefits of eating local

LJUBLJANA - All those seeking opportunities to discover or rediscover typical Slovenian dishes are in for a treat this week, as events will take place around the country to underline the benefits of eating locally grown produce. A new addition to such campaigns, the Week of Slovenian Food will culminate on Friday with a traditional Slovenian breakfast, a tradition introduced in 2011 in a bid to instil the habits of eating local food and eating breakfast in children.