News roundup - Friday, 29 November

Man killed in apparent Montenegrin mafia hit

LJUBLJANA - A man was found shot dead in a car on the southwestern outskirts of Ljubljana last night. The way in which he died indicates at retaliation among organised criminal groups, the police said. They denied reports that he was a protected witness in the Kavač Clan case in Slovenia, an ongoing high-profile drug trafficking trial. Nevertheless, media reports suggest the man was a member of a Montenegrin mafia clan. Slovenian authorities boosted security measures for judges and prosecutors in the Kavač Clan case.

Katič announces measures to protect judicial officers, courts

LJUBLJANA - Justice Minister Andreja Katič announced that a task force will be formed to address potential shortcomings regarding the protection of judicial officers and judicial buildings, including by determining an area of the court that will be protected so that it could function normally. The minister again called on all political actors and opinion leaders to refrain from inciting hatred and to respect the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law.

Book about Slovenia's natural environments declared book of year

LJUBLJANA - A book about natural habitats in Slovenia received the Grand Prize for Book of the Year at the Slovenian Book Fair. In Svetišča Narave (Nature Sanctuaries) Irena Cerar creates unique connections between nature, cultural heritage, spirituality and a woman's intimate experience, the judging panel said. Cerar was praised for her language and the book was praised for its photographs, shot by acclaimed photographer Borut Peterlin.

Murska Sobota Bishop Štumpf appointed new bishop of Koper

KOPER/VATICAN CITY, Vatican - Pope Francis has appointed Peter Štumpf, the bishop of the Diocese of Murska Sobota, the new bishop of Koper. Štumpf will become the fourth bishop at the helm of the Diocese of Koper after its establishment in 1977, the Slovenian Bishops' Conference announced. The Diocese of Murska Sobota will thus remain without bishop and will be looking for a new one, the conference told the STA.

Annual inflation jumps from 0% to 1.8% in November

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's annual inflation rate climbed from 0% to 1.8% in November, while consumer prices increased 0.7% over October on average. Service prices went up by 2.8% and goods prices by 1.2%, the Statistics Office said, highlighting higher food and non-alcoholic beverages prices as the biggest contributor to annual inflation.

Culture minister talks media, renovation on visit to London

LONDON, UK - Culture Minister Asta Vrečko was in London, visiting the British public broadcaster BBC and the British Film Institute (BFI). She also spoke at a culture-business event in Brixton on the sustainable renovation of urban areas. Vrečko also opened an exhibition by graphic designer Radovan Jenko.

Spirit strengthening cooperation with West London Chambers of Commerce

LONDON, UK - The Spirit agency signed a memorandum of understanding with the West London Chambers of Commerce on Friday to show their shared commitment to a continued strengthening of bilateral economic ties, the British-Slovenian Chamber of Commerce (BSCC) said. The memorandum was signed as part of a Slovenian-British business conference.

Cinkarna Celje's net profit doubles in first nine months

LJUBLJANA - Chemical company Cinkarna Celje's net profit doubled to EUR 14.6 million in the first nine months of the year. Sales revenue was up by 13% to EUR 153.5 million. The company attributes the rise in net profit largely to favourable sales conditions for the main group of products in the second and third quarters of 2024, the management said in a report published on the Ljubljana Stock Exchange's website on Friday.

Unior group in the red in first nine months

ZREČE - The group Unior, a state-owned tool maker and automotive supplier, generated nearly EUR 220 million in net revenue in the first nine months of the year, slightly down compared to the same period last year. It recorded a net loss of EUR 400,000 in that period, while in the same period in 2023 it had EUR 6.3 million in net profit.

Three municipalities approve water supply investment project

KOPER - The Koper, Ilirska Bistrica and Izola municipal councils approved on Thursday the draft documentation for an investment project for the water supply of the Istria and Kras regions, valued at almost EUR 117 million. Another 11 municipalities are set to approve the project by the end of the year.

Križaj-led project to revive Kanin ski resort shelved

BOVEC - A project to revive the Kanin ski resort on the border with Italy with the help of a Serbian businessman linked to the Jahorina resort in Bosnia-Herzegovina appears to be off the table after the Bovec municipality found it unacceptable. Slovenia's highest ski resort, Kanin has been closed since autumn 2023 after failing to obtain an extension of the operating permit for its old cable car. The municipality as the owner does not have the money to build a new one.

Survey unemployment rate up in October

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's survey unemployment rate reached 4.9% in October, up by 0.4 percentage points compared to September and up by 1.4 percentage points year-on-year, shows data published by the Statistics Office. In October some 51,000 people aged 15 to 74 were jobless, 56% of whom were men and 44% were women.

Two alleged Kavač Clan members reach deal with prosecution on murder, attempted murder

LJUBLJANA - Two of the four defendants on trial for the murder of Danijel Božić and an attempted murder of Žarko Tešanović, both of whom are believed to have helped steal drugs from the Kavač Clan crime syndicate in 2019, have reached a deal with the prosecution to confess the crime. The two are expected to enter their guilty pleas on 10 December.

Slovenia submits bid to host one of 2029 EuroBasket groups

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Basketball Federation announced it submitted a bid to FIBA Europe to host one of the preliminary round groups of the 2029 EuroBasket, which will be hosted by four nations. The decision on who will host the European basketball championship five years from now is expected to be made in May or June 2025.

New Janša book rallying call for change

LJUBLJANA - Opposition leader Janez Janša launched a new book called Budnica (Wake-up Call), a collection of his writings and speeches between 2022 and 2024 that analyse current events. He sees the book as a rallying call for change. Speaking at the Slovenian Book Fair, Janša said that people must act when the authorities try to restrict their freedoms. Things in Slovenia have gone too far and "once the wake-up call is loud enough, change will come."

Devilish creatures to stage fire spectacle in Podkoren

RATEČE - Devilish creatures from several countries will converge on the village of Podkoren near the Alpine resort of Kranjska Gora on Friday evening for an annual event dubbed Fire Spectacle. The hugely popular event will see 30 groups of more than 500 Krampuses, known as Parklji in Slovenia. Most come from the tri-border area of Slovenia, Italy and Austria. These horned creatures as a rule accompany Saint Nicholas when he visits well-behaved children on 5 December to reward them with presents.

Celje get another draw, Olimpija 3rd straight win in UEFA Conference League

LJUBLJANA/CELJE - Slovenian football champion Celje drew 3:3 (1:1) at home against Polish team Jagiellonia in the 4th round of the UEFA Conference League on Thursday, while Olimpija of Ljubljana beat Larne from Northern Ireland 1:0 (0:0), also on home turf. Celje now rank 20th in the league, while Olimpija are 7th.