Slovenia News 7 September 2010
Editorial
The 25th Vilenica International Literary Festival, organized by the Slovene Writers' Association and the Vilenica Cultural Society was held from 1 to 5 September. The festival brought together literary readings across Slovenia and abroad and featured poet Tomaz Salamun as the Slovenian "author in focus". The Festival hosted around 30 authors from more than 20 countries. This year's Vilenica Award went to Bosnian author Dzevad Karahasan, who in his acceptance speech said that “storytelling sometimes tells us why we can't understand life but we can bear it, sometimes even enjoy it”.
The city of Ljubljana launched a new house of literature at the home of the father of the Slovenian written word, Primoz Trubar. The 16th century home of the Protestant priest was turned into cross-over between a library and a museum as part of the city's stint as the World Book Capital. The house in the very heart of Ljubljana's Old Town was built in 1524 for Ljubljana wholesale merchant Wolfgang Bosch. Trubar (1508-1586) used it as his residence when serving as the Protestant superintendant in Ljubljana. Being worth EUR 350,000, the Trubar House of Literature is the biggest investment of the World Book Capital city project.
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| Domestic Policy |
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| Government Amends Public Sector Pay Law After Standoff |
| Ljubljana - The government adopted on Tuesday amendments to the public sector pay act allowing for the collective bargaining agreement and its changes to be put in place also if they are not signed by a majority of representative public sector trade unions.
It proposes that the agreement and its ch... More » |
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| Foreign Affairs |
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| PM: Problem Between Kosovo and Serbia Can Be Solved Through Dialogue |
| Dobrovo - PM Borut Pahor met Serbian President Boris Tadic in Slovenia's Goriska Brda on Friday, offering him help in the solving of open issues between Serbia and Kosovo. "If the president feels that Slovenia can be of any kind of help here, we will be glad to do it," Pahor said, while stressing th... More » |
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| Economy & Finance |
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| PM Borut Pahor Optimistic Regarding GDP Growth Figures |
| Ljubljana - PM Borut Pahor accompanied the news on 2.2% GDP growth for Slovenia in the second quarter by saying that this was a sign that the country's economy was starting to grow again slowly but surely. While this growth will not be extremely high, it will enable Slovenia to return to the path of... More » |
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| Environment |
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| Government Introduces Fees for Waste Disposal |
| Ljubljana - The government endorsed on Thursday a decree introducing fees for environment pollution by waste disposal sites. Fees on pollution will be more logical and fairer from now on, Environment Minister Roko Zarnic told a press conference. The decree will enter into force on 1 November. Under ... More » |
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| Culture & Media |
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| 10th International Puppet Festival Opens |
| Ljubljana - The 10th international puppetry festival Lutke 2010 will bring a selection of 21 puppet shows to Ljubljana between 7 and 12 September. The productions are, according to the festival's director Jelena Sitar Cvetko, "the best that can be brought to Slovenia at the moment". A three-member c... More » |
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| Ljubljana to Host 22nd Biennial of Industrial Design (BIO) |
| Ljubljana - The Slovenian Museum of Architecture and Design will host the 22nd Biennial of Industrial Design (BIO) between 7 October and 7 November, showcasing a selection of 132 design solutions from 24 countries. An international selection panel chose the solutions among 503 entries from 34 countr... More » |
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| Ljubljana Launches Trubar Literature House |
| Ljubljana - The city of Ljubljana launched a new house of literature at the home of the father of the Slovenian written word, Primoz Trubar. The 16th century home of the Protestant priest was turned into cross-over between a library and a museum as part of the city's stint as the World Book Capital.... More » |
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| Sport |
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| Zavec Outlasts Jackiewicz to Defend IBF Title |
| Ljubljana - Dejan Zavec of Slovenia defeated challenger Rafal Jackiewicz of Poland in a points decision to defend his IBF welterweight title in front of a packed Stozice Arena in Ljubljana on Saturday. The 34-year-old Zavec was given the nod by two of the three judges for the 30th win of his career ... More » |
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| Events |
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| Schedule of events in the week from 6 to 12 September |
MONDAY, 6 September
- NOVA GORICA - A panel debate on the strategy for development of gaming in Slovenia, to be addressed by PM Borut Pahor and Finance Minister Franc Krizanic.
- LJUBLJANA - The unions will present their positions on what the government says is its last proposal of pe... More »
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| First Slovenian Victims of Fascism Were Executed 80 Years Ago |
| Trieste - Monday marks 80 years to the day when four members of anti-fascist group TIGR were executed outside the village of Basovizza/ Bazovica near Trieste, an event that has come to be celebrated in Slovenia as a landmark in the struggle for national liberation. Ferdo Bidovec, Zvonimir Milos... More » |
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| 25th Vilenica International Literary Festival Begins |
| Vilenica - The 25th Vilenica International Literary Festival, organized by the Slovene Writers' Association and the Vilenica Cultural Society was held from 1 to 5 September. The festival brought together literary readings across Slovenia and abroad and feature poet Tomaz Salamun as the Slovenian "au... More » |
Slovenia News 14 September 2010
Editorial
The government adopted on Thursday the pension reform bill proposing the full retirement age to be raised to 65 years for both men and women and at least 15 years of service as condition for a full age-based pension, Labour, Family and Social Affairs Minister Ivan Svetlik told the press. According to the minister, men will be able to retire at 60 and women at 58 if they started working young. To meet this condition men will have to have 43 years of service, while women will have to have 41 years.
Slovenian, Serbian and Croatian national railway operators established on Thursday a joint company named Cargo 10. The founding protocol was signed in Belgrade by the bosses of the rail operators' cargo departments.
Prime Minister Borut Pahor has hailed the sacrifice of the first Slovenian victims of Fascism at a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of the executions of four anti-Fascists in Italy's Basovizza. "We are here because we are not indifferent...that these people had to lose their lives so that current generations of Slovenes, Italians and Croats can live a free life," Pahor said at the ceremony for the Basovizza Heroes on Sunday.
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| Domestic Policy |
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| President Appoints Head of Anti-Graft Commission |
| Ljubljana - President Danilo Tuerk appointed on Tuesday former Interior Ministry State Secretary Goran Klemencic the new head of the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption to succeed Drago Kos, whose term expires at the end of September. Joze Koncan and daily Dnevnik journalist Rok Praprotnik w... More » |
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| Foreign Affairs |
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| Arbitration Memorandum Group Holds Meeting, Stays Tightlipped |
| Ljubljana - The informal group of experts helping the government prepare Slovenia's case for the arbitral tribunal that will determine the border with Croatia held its second meeting on Monday, preparing the ground for future work and getting acquainted with relevant activities underway at the Forei... More » |
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| PM Says Crisis No Excuse to Cut Minority Rights |
| Trieste - Prime Minister Borut Pahor pointed out at the sidelines of a ceremony near Trieste on Sunday that although the economic crisis may cause problems in financing minorities both in Italy and Slovenia, this cannot be an excuse for reducing minority rights. As Pahor told the news portal of the ... More » |
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| Slovenia Pushes for Talks on Serbia's EU Accession |
| Brussels - Slovenian Foreign Minister Samuel Zbogar proposed to his EU counterparts in Brussels on Saturday that Serbia's request for EU membership be discussed already on Monday and then forwarded to the European Commission.
There is a general consensus that the EU should make a step forward aft... More » |
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| Tuerk Meets Turkish President, Discusses Relations, Middle East |
| Istanbul - President Danilo Tuerk met his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul in Istanbul on Wednesday, discussing with him bilateral relations as well as the situation in the Middle East. Foreign Minister Samuel Zbogar also participated in the talks, Tuerk's office said in a press release.
Tuerk an... More » |
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| Economy & Finance |
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| Slovenian Banks Not Expecting Problems in Meeting Basel III |
| Ljubljana - Banka Slovenije, Slovenia's central bank, does not expect Slovenian commercial banks to have problems in meeting the new bank capital adequacy rules adopted in Basel on Sunday. In a reaction to the Basel III rules agreed by central bank governors and bank regulators from 27 countries, Ba... More » |
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| Business |
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| Gorenje Group Company Launches Waste Material Fuel Plant |
| Maribor - Gorenje Surovina, a waste recycling company that is part of the group around household appliance maker Gorenje, launched on Thursday a new line for producing solid fuel from waste materials. The first private investment of this kind in Slovenia is estimated at EUR 2.7m.
Head of the Mari... More » |
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| PM Confident about Economy as He Opens Biggest Trade Fair |
| Celje - Prime Minister Borut Pahor assessed that the Slovenian economy had overcome the worst of the crisis as he addressed the opening of the 43rd International Trade Fair (MOS) in Celje on Wednesday. The Slovenian economy has stepped on the path of recovery, but the government "has not taken off i... More » |
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| Education | Science & Technology |
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| New 10-Year Plan Aiming to Diversify Higher Education |
| Ljubljana - The Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology has put forward a higher education programme for 2011-2020 whose main goals are to diversify, internationalise, improve the quality and accessibility of education. Presenting the document to the press on Wednesday, Minister Gr... More » |
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| Social Affairs |
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| Government Adopts Pension Reform Bill |
| Ljubljana - The government adopted on Thursday the pension reform bill proposing the full retirement age to be raised to 65 years for both men and women and at least 15 years of service as condition for a full age-based pension, Labour, Family and Social Affairs Minister Ivan Svetlik told the press.... More » |
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| Culture & Media |
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| Nagib Dance Festival Underway in Maribor |
| Maribor - The performance "Passing through Maribor, 5 of 50" opened the 6th international festival of contemporary dance Nagib on Monday. The festival, running until 18 September, will present shows with strong concepts and explicit personal aesthetics, the organisers said. Every year, the Nagib fes... More » |
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| Taxiphone Wins Viewer's Choice Award at Kino Otok Festival |
| Izola - The 2010 drama film "Taxiphone" by Algerian director Mohammed Soudani is the winner of the viewer's choice award at the "Kino Otok - Isola Cinema" film festival, which concluded on Sunday in the coastal town of Izola.
The film will be on general release Slovenia as of on Tuesday, premieri... More » |
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| Dutch Show Awarded Best Play at Puppet Festival |
| Ljubljana - "The Writer" by Ulrike Quade Company has won the best show award, the Little Prince, at the 2010 Lutke international puppet theatre festival in Ljubljana.
The award ceremony on Sunday lowered the curtain on the six-day event, which saw 12 foreign and five Slovenian productions staged. T... More » |
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| Exhibition of Slovenian Drawing Opens in Zagreb |
| Zagreb - Culture Minister Majda Sirca opened in the Croatian Museum of Contemporary Art in Zagreb on Tuesday "Drawing in Slovenia II 1940-2009", an exhibition featuring pieces by around 100 Slovenian artists. The exhibition, on until 21 September, is a smaller scale repeat of a display hosted by the... More » |
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| Transport |
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| Conference Wooing Support for Logistics Holding |
| Brdo pri Kranju - Former Deutsche Bahn boss Hartmut Mehdorn, who acts as adviser for the Slovenian government, presented on Monday his proposal for a logistics holding that would tie up Slovenia's three biggest state-owned logistics companies: port operator Luka Koper, rail operator Slovenske zelezn... More » |
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| Slovenia, Serbia, Croatia Set Up Joint Rail Company Cargo 10 |
| Belgrade - Slovenian, Serbian and Croatian national railway operators established on Thursday a joint company named Cargo 10. The founding protocol was signed in Belgrade by the bosses of the rail operators' cargo departments.
Robert Vuga, who signed the protocol on behalf of Slovenia's Slovensk... More » |
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| Sport |
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| Basketball: Slovenia Ends Championships in Eighth Place |
| Istanbul - Slovenia's national basketball team is leaving the World Basketball Championships in Istanbul with the eighth place after Saturday's defeat to Russia 78:83 (23:21, 37:30, 59:52). This Slovenia's best finish at the championships.
The team is returning home with five victories (against T... More » |
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| Slalom Worlds: Slovenian Women Take Team Bronze, Meglic Takes Bronze in Kayak Singles |
| Tacen - Slovenia finished third in the women's kayak team event at the World Slalom Championships in Tacen on Saturday. The Czech Republic was first, followed by Germany. The team of Nina Mozetic, Ursa Kragelj and Eva Tercelj put smiles on the faces of the home crowd after poor runs in the morning b... More » |
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| Events |
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| Schedule of Events for the Week of 14-19 September |
TUESDAY, 14 September
- ROGASKA SLATINA - Glassworks Steklarna Rogaska will inaugurate a new furnace, with PM Borut Pahor expected to attend the ceremony.
- MARIBOR - The University of Maribor will mark its 35th anniversary.
- BRUSSELS, Belgium - Interior Ministry State Sec... More »
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| PM Hails Contribution of Basovizza Heroes to Freedom |
| Trieste - Prime Minister Borut Pahor has hailed the sacrifice of the first Slovenian victims of Fascism at a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of the executions of four anti-Fascists in Italy's Basovizza. "We are here because we are not indifferent...that these people had to lose their lives so ... More » |
Slovenia News 21 September 2010
Editorial
Situation in most of Slovenia is slowly returning back to normal after flooding caused by heavy rain swept across the country last weekend. Some of the flooded areas in the country are still under water. While the first estimates of the damage caused by the massive floods that hit Slovenia are already coming in and are substantially exceeding earmarked government funds, the Civil Protection and Disaster Relief Administration announced that final figures can be expected in two months. The administration launched on Monday the formation of special commissions that will asses the damage in at least 123 municipalities.
Foreign Minister Samuel Zbogar expressed on Wednesday deep disappointment with the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton failing to appoint any of "the two excellent Slovenian candidates" in the first round of appointments to the EU's emerging foreign service. President Danilo Tuerk spoke of a "lack of sensitivity to realistic needs of countries such as Slovenia" in the EU's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton's decision on appointments to the European External Action Service.
Slovenian Foreign Minister Samuel Zbogar and his Italian counterpart Franco Frattini urged the EU to complete the visa liberalisation process for Albania and Bosnia-Herzegovina by the end of the autumn in a letter on Monday.
Hungarian President Pal Schmitt, who was visiting Slovenia on Wednesday, told the press after meeting his Slovenian counterpart Danilo Tuerk in Ljubljana that the problems of Slovenian minority in Hungary were not unsolvable, adding that Budapest would do its best to find appropriate solutions for the minority's issues.
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| Domestic Policy |
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| Ministers Told to Have Post-Flood Plans Ready by Thursday |
| Ljubljana - Prime Minister Borut Pahor ordered several government departments on Monday to draw up by Thursday reports and measures they propose in the aftermath of massive floods that hit Slovenia last weekend.
Since the government session on Thursday will be dedicated to clean-up efforts, the P... More » |
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| Foreign Affairs |
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| Gantar Discusses Minority Issues in Italy |
| Rome - National Assembly Speaker Pavel Gantar met in Rome on Tuesday President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies Gianfranco Fini and Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, discussing with the officials parliamentary cooperation and the funding of the Slovenian minority in Italy.
Gantar told t... More » |
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| International Organisations |
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| Health Minister Elected Member of EU WHO Committee |
| Moscow - Slovenian Health Minister Dorjan Marusic was elected on Wednesday to the European Environment and Health Ministerial Board, a body operating under the United Nations (UN), the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the European Commission. The vote took place during the 60th session the WHO Re... More » |
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| CoE Head Invites Tuerk to Contribute to Eminent Persons Group |
| Ljubljana - President Danilo Tuerk has begun his working visit to New York, where he is taking part in the 65th session of the UN General Assembly. He has met CoE Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland who invited him to contribute to Group of Eminent Persons planned by the CoE, and also participated i... More » |
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| EU Topics |
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| FM Regrets Slovenia Snubbed in EU Foreign Service Appointments |
| Ljubljana/Brussels - Foreign Minister Samuel Zbogar expressed on Wednesday deep disappointment with the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton failing to appoint any of "the two excellent Slovenian candidates" in the first round of appointments to the EU's ... More » |
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| President: Trust in EU Institutions Shaken |
| Ljubljana - President Danilo Tuerk issued a strong broadside against the EU's bureaucracy on Thursday after Slovenia remained empty-handed in the first round of appointments to the bloc's emerging foreign service.
The president spoke of a "lack of sensitivity to realistic needs of countries such ... More » |
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| Govt Ratifies Serbian Stabilisation and Accession Agreement |
| Ljubljana - The government adopted on Thursday a bill ratifying Serbia's Stabilisation and Accession Agreement (SAA) with the EU, following the decision of the EU to unfreeze the agreement in December 2009.
According to the government, a speedy ratification of the agreement would be a message of ... More » |
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| Slovenia, Italy Urge EU to Speed Up Visa Liberalisation for W Balkans |
| Brussels/Ljubljana - Slovenian Foreign Minister Samuel Zbogar and his Italian counterpart Franco Frattini urged the EU to complete the visa liberalisation process for Albania and Bosnia-Herzegovina by the end of the autumn in a letter on Monday, the Slovenian Foreign Ministry said.
The initiative... More » |
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| Economy & Finance |
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| Forum Discussing Management Challenges in SE Europe |
| Bled - Almost 300 representatives of companies and government and non-government organisations from 17 countries gathered in Bled on Thursday for a two-day forum of SE Europe entitled Bled-Kopaonik, which will look for answers for the future of the economy and management challenges in the region.
... More » |
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| PM Believes Slovenia Can Meet Goals of EU Econ Team |
| Brussels - Prime Minister Borut Pahor has voiced confidence that Slovenia will be able to meet the "lofty" goals of the EU's special taskforce for economic governance. But he added that this would entail "disciplined measures in public finances".
Speaking following an extraordinary EU summit in B... More » |
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| Govt Think-Tank Projects 0.9% Economic Growth for 2010 |
| Ljubljana - The Institute of Macroeconomic Analysis and Development (IMAD) has projected a 0.9% economic growth for Slovenia for 2010. While the impulses for growth come mainly from abroad, the domestic environment remains weak, primarily because of the situation in construction and labour market tr... More » |
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| Slovenia Edges Higher on Economic Freedom Ranking |
| Toronto - Slovenia gained three spots on the Fraser Institute's economic freedom index to rank 61st among 141 countries with an overall rating 6.94 points out of 10. The survey by the Canadian think tank puts Hong Kong in first place.
The "Economic Freedom of the World" report measures the degree... More » |
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| Action Plan for Internationalisation Expected by November |
| Ljubljana - A special work group tasked with preparing by November an action plan for support to Slovenian companies on foreign markets in 2011 met for the first time on Monday. Economy Minister Darja Radic said Slovenia had no choice but to export its products and that internationalisation of the e... More » |
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| Floods Damage Assessment Begins, First Figures Worrying |
| Ljubljana - While the first estimates of the damage caused by the massive floods that hit Slovenia last weekend are already coming in and are substantially exceeding earmarked government funds, the Civil Protection and Disaster Relief Administration announced that final figures can be expected in tw... More » |
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| Business |
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| Steklarna Rogaska Inaugurates New Furnace |
| Rogaska Slatina - Glassworks Steklarna Rogaska inaugurated a new furnace, a EUR 2.5m investment, on Tuesday with Prime Minister Borut Pahor attending the ceremony.
Pahor said that this investment in a time of crisis was a sign of a turnabout, as only last year Steklarna Rogaska was on the brink ... More » |
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| Agriculture |
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| "Agriculture Ministry Launches Dairy Quality Campaign" |
| Arja Vas - Agriculture, Food and Forestry Minister Dejan Zidan said during his visit to the Celeia dairy near Celje that Slovenia had launched an extensive quality inspection of dairy products on Wednesday.
Zidan pointed out that in a similar quality campaign probing honey samples the ministry fo... More » |
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| Agri Minister Meets Environment Commissioner over Farming Policy |
| Brussels - Agriculture, Forestry and Food Minister Dejan Zidan met in Brussels on Friday European Environment Commissioner Janez Potocnik to discuss the EU's common agriculture policy until 2020. According to Zidan, food production and environmental care meet in many points that will shape the new f... More » |
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| Environment |
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| Slovenia to Participate in 9th Mobility Week |
| Ljubljana/Maribor - More than 30 Slovenian municipalities will join this year's 9th European Mobility Week, running between 16 and 22 September under the title "Travel Smarter, Live Better". The week will end with a car-free-day when city centres will be closed to traffic.
The main aim of this pr... More » |
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| Slovenia Back to Normal after Floods, Alert Remains for SE |
| Ljubljana - Situation in most of Slovenia is slowly returning back to normal after flooding caused by heavy rain swept across the country on Saturday and early on Sunday. High alert however remains for the Sava and Krka rivers in southeastern Slovenia.
The raining stopped around noon but most of ... More » |
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| PM Announces Far-Reaching Flood Protection Measures |
| Lasko - Prime Minister Borut Pahor visited on Sunday the town of Lasko, which was one of the areas worst-hit by this weekend's flooding, and announced far-reaching flood protection measures to tackle the most problematic watercourses in Slovenia.
He assessed that this would make a considerable co... More » |
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| 400 People Evacuated from Ljubljana Suburb Due to Flooding |
| Ljubljana - Emergency teams have begun the evacuation of around 400 people from the suburb of Barje in southern Ljubljana as flood waters there continue to rise due to the confluence of a number of rivers and creeks.
The evacuation began on Monday afternoon as water levels around the Izanska cest... More » |
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| Foreign Ministry Holds "Green Day" |
| Ljubljana - The Foreign Ministry organised a "Green Day 2010" on Monday as part of the European Mobility Week together with the British Embassy. According to Foreign Minister Samuel Zbogar, who came to work on bicycle, this is a chance to rethink what the ministry and what every individual can do fo... More » |
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| Education | Science & Technology |
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| University of Maribor Turns 35 |
| Maribor - The University of Maribor, Slovenia's second-largest tertiary education institution, will mark 35 years of its existence with various events in the coming days. The university unveiled its plans of celebrations on Tuesday, with the main event scheduled for 20 September.
The University o... More » |
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| Minorities |
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| Minority Talks Top Agenda during Hungarian President's Visit |
| Ljubljana - Hungarian President Pal Schmitt, who is visiting Slovenia on Wednesday, told the press after meeting his Slovenian counterpart Danilo Tuerk in Ljubljana that the problems of Slovenian minority in Hungary were not unsolvable, adding that Budapest would do its best to find appropriate solu... More » |
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| Culture & Media |
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| International Production of Ionesco's Drama to Open Ex Ponto Festival |
| Ljubljana - A world premiere of an international production of Eugene Ionesco's absurdist drama about death "Exit the King" will open the 17th Ex Ponto festival in Ljubljana on Wednesday. The show was directed by Silviu Purcarete of Romania.
"We've made a foray into an unknown, like on a wedding ... More » |
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| Best Youth Fiction Prize Goes to "The Emperor and Flower" |
| Ljubljana - Youth literature author Bina Stampe Zmavec won this year's Vecernica prize given out by the Vecer newspaper for best youth fiction of 2009 for her book "Cesar in roza" (The Emperor and Flower).
The jury announced on Wednesday that Stampe Zmavec's book may seem a collection of fairytal... More » |
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| Lent Festival Gets another IFEA Award |
| Saint Louis - The Maribor-based festival Lent has received the Gold Pinnacle Award for its programme booklet and the festival flyer for 2010 at the 55th annual congress of the International Festival and Events Association (IFEA), held between 15 and 17 September in St. Louis, the US.
The festival... More » |
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| Montenegrin National Theatre Opens Festival on Coast |
| Koper - The 17th Primorsko Summer Festival kicked off on Friday evening in the coastal city of Koper with the play "Don Juan/Don Giovanni" by the Montenegrin National Theatre from Podgorica. The festival, which closes on 25 September, this year focuses on the competitive spirit and energy of young p... More » |
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| Society |
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| Architect Vojteh Ravnikar Dies |
| Ljubljana - One of the most prominent Slovenian architects of recent times, Vojteh Ravnikar, died at the Golnik hospital on Friday, aged 67.
Born in Ljubljana, Ravnikar spent most of his childhood in Kras, a southwestern region of Slovenia.
Indeed, it is in western Slovenia where most of his m... More » |
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| Sport |
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| Davis Cup: Slovenia Advances to Europe/Africa Zone Group I |
| Vilnius - Slovenia's national men's tennis team qualified to the Europe/Africa Zone Group I of the Davis Cup on Sunday in Vilnius as Blaz Kavcic defeated Laurynas Grigelis in straight sets 4:6, 6:7 (4) and 6:7 in the decider, giving Slovenia a 3:2 win in matches.
Slovenia trailed Lithuania 1:2 in... More » |
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| Tourism |
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| Slovenia, Croatia United by Tourism Project in India |
| Ljubljana/Mumbai - The Slovenian and Croatian tourist organisations are promoting their countries' tourism sector in India's Mumbai with a joint project dubbed "Experience Croatia, Feel Slovenia", the Slovenian Tourist Board (STO) said on Tuesday.
The STO and the Croatian Tourist Association (HTZ... More » |
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| Events |
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| 2010 MOS Trade Fair Ends |
| Celje - The 43rd International Trade Fair (MOS) in Celje, ending its one-week run on Wednesday, presented numerous novelties to some 150.000 visitors, particularly in the area of sustainable development, said executive director of Celjski sejem Breda Obrez Preskar.
"The awards given out to the wi... More » |
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| Adria Airways Flight School Marks 30th Anniversary |
| Brnik - The aviation school of Adria Airways, Slovenia's flag carrier, celebrated its 30th anniversary a ceremony at the Ljubljana Joze Pucnik airport on Wednesday. Transport Minister Patrick Vlacic was on hand for the occasion, describing the school as an important part of European civil aviation, ... More » |
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| Chamber of Commerce Gives Out Best Innovation Awards |
| Ljubljana - The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) conferred on Wednesday golden awards for best innovations in Slovenia in 2009 to as many as 14 companies, with electro-technical products maker Eti bagging three and pharma company Krka two awards.
The list of gold-winners also includes elect... More » |
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| Darja Svajger Wins Slovenian Song Contest |
| Ljubljana - Pop singer Darja Svajger won the jury's best song award at the Slovenska popevka song contest on Sunday with "Otok ljubezni" (Island of Love), while the audience watching the live broadcast chose "Nova pomlad" (A New Spring), a duet sung by Katja Fasink and Rok Ferengja. The two best son... More » |
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| Schedule of events for the week of 20 to 26 September |
MONDAY, 20 September
- NEW YORK, US - President Danilo Tuerk will start his visit to the US focused on the 65th session of the UN General Assembly.
- LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly will start the first regular session following the su... More »
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Slovenia News 28 September 2010
Editorial
Addressing Saturday's general debate of the UN General Assembly meeting, Prime Minister Borut Pahor reaffirmed Slovenia's commitment to the UN and its Charter. He highlighted the country's bid for non-permanent membership on the UN Security Council and called for development which would not be measured only by economic indicators.
Foreign Minister Samuel Zbogar attended the opening of the general debate at the UN General Assembly meeting in New York on Thursday. Zbogar held a number of bilateral meetings before attending the traditional lunch hosted by UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon.
City centres around Slovenia were closed for motorised traffic on Wednesday to mark European Car Free Day and several events took place in the streets providing entertainment and encouraging alternative means of transportation.
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| Foreign Affairs |
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| Zbogar at Opening of UN Assembly Meeting, Holds Bilateral Talks |
| New York - Foreign Minister Samuel Zbogar attended the opening of the general debate at the UN General Assembly meeting in New York on Thursday. Zbogar, who is standing in temporarily for PM Borut Pahor, held a number of bilateral meetings before attending the traditional lunch hosted by UN Secretar... More » |
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| Zbogar with More Bilateral Meetings, Address on Nuclear Tests |
| New York - Foreign Minister Samuel Zbogar continued his series of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York on Thursday while also speaking at a conference dedicated to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). Zbogar welcomed the plans of the US to ratify th... More » |
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| Pahor to Woo Hi-tech Investors in Silicon Valley Next Spring |
| New York - Prime Minister Borut Pahor told reporters on the sidelines of a business conference entitled "Investing in Green" in New York on Friday that he was planning a business trip to Silicon Valley next spring. His mission there will be to persuade hi-tech investors to come to Slovenia.
Accor... More » |
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| Zbogar Meets Jamaican and Albanian FMs in NY |
| New York - Foreign Minister Samuel Zbogar met his Jamaican and Albanian counterparts, Kenneth Baugh and Edmond Haxhinasto, in New York on Friday. He presented them Slovenia's bid for non-permanent membership on the UN Security Council in 2012 and 2013, while talks with Haxhinasto focused on the upco... More » |
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| Pahor Reaffirms Slovenia's Commitment to UN and Its Charter |
| New York - Addressing Saturday's general debate of the UN General Assembly meeting, Prime Minister Borut Pahor reaffirmed Slovenia's commitment to the UN and its Charter. He highlighted the country's bid for non-permanent membership on the UN Security Council and called for development which would n... More » |
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| Zbogar Holds Several Meetings in New York |
| New York - Slovenian Foreign Minister Samuel Zbogar discussed issues on the agenda of the current 65th session of the UN General Assembly as he met the president of the session Joseph Deiss in New York on Saturday. He also met Palestinian and Lebanese foreign ministers.
Zbogar and Deiss called fo... More » |
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| Zbogar Meets Kosovo Counterpart in New York |
| New York - Foreign Minister Samuel Zbogar met in New York on Monday his counterpart from Kosovo Skender Hyseni to discuss the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia. On his last day at the 65th UN General Assembly meeting, Zbogar also took part in a ministerial meeting of the informal Global Governance ... More » |
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| International Organisations |
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| President Tuerk Meets UN Secretary General |
| New York - Slovenian President Danilo Tuerk met UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in New York on Wednesday for talks dominated by the UN Millennium Development Goals and the situation in the Western Balkans.
The pair exchanged views on the implementation of eight international development goals, a... More » |
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| EU Topics |
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| Slovenia Successfully Transposing EU Internal Market Regulations |
| Brussels - A report published by the European Commission on Thursday shows that Slovenia is among the most successful EU members when it comes to transposing EU internal market regulations into national legislation.
Delays in the transposition at EU level increased in the last six months from 0.7... More » |
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| MEP Announces Visa Abolition for Bosnia, Albania for 1 January |
| Sarajevo - Slovenian MEP Jelko Kacin (ALDE/LDS) announced in Sarajevo on Monday that the Schengen visa regime would be eliminated for Bosnia-Herzegovina and Albania on 1 January 2011, according to Bosnian press agency FENA.
Kacin, who is the vice-chair of the European Parliament's delegation for ... More » |
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| Economy & Finance |
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| Slovenian Companies Well Represented Among Adriatic Top 100 |
| Ljubljana - Slovenian companies are well represented on the list of the top 100 companies in the Adriatic region compiled by auditing firm Deloitte. A total of 31 companies from Slovenia made the list, with retailer Mercator the highest-ranked in third place.
Mercator moved into third place with ... More » |
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| Business |
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| Slovenia Promoting Green Investments in New York |
| New York - Slovenian Prime Minister Borut Pahor and Foreign Minister Samuel Zbogar addressed in New York on Friday a business forum entitled "Investing in Green", presenting Slovenia's environmental awareness and stressing the importance of green and economic diplomacy.
Pahor, who will speak at t... More » |
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| Agriculture |
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| Slovenia Believes New EU GMOs Proposal Step in Right Direction |
| Brussels - EU agriculture ministers failed to reach a consensus on Monday on the proposal that EU members independently decide whether they want to allow, restrict or ban GMOs on their entire territories or a part of their territories. Slovenia believes that the proposal is a step in the right direc... More » |
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| Environment |
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| Slovenia Marking Car Free Day |
| Ljubljana - City centres around Slovenia will be closed for motorised traffic on Wednesday to mark European Car Free Day and several events will take place in the streets providing entertainment and encouraging alternative means of transportation.
The Car Free Day marks the end of the European Mo... More » |
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| Tuerk Praises Emergency Relief Effort |
| New York - President Danilo Tuerk, who is attending in New York conferences and panels held in the run-up to the UN General Assembly meeting, praised the flood disaster relief efforts in Slovenia on Wednesday.
Tuerk told the STA he was carefully following developments in Slovenia following the de... More » |
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| Education | Science & Technology |
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| Top 500 Supercomputer Presented in Ljubljana |
| Ljubljana - Software developer Arctur presented in Ljubljana on Tuesday a supercomputer which is one of the most powerful computers in the region and which is soon to be ranked among the 500 fastest computers in the world.
Arctur director Tomi Ilijas said at a press conference at the Slovenian Te... More » |
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| Social Affairs |
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| Roma Info Office Opens in Ljubljana |
| Ljubljana - A Roma information centre opened its doors in Ljubljana on Thursday. The office will serve as an information, social, educational, and cultural meeting point for the Roma community in the capital.
The centre will give the Roma an opportunity to socialise, get informed and learn of the... More » |
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| Culture & Media |
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| Slovenia Marks European Day of Languages |
| Ljubljana - Several events will be held in Slovenia on Monday to mark European Day of Languages, 26 September, designated by the Council of Europe in 2001 to raise public awareness about the languages spoken in Europe and the importance of language learning in promoting tolerance and understanding.
... More » |
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| Exhibition Opens Laibach's 30th Anniversary Project |
| Trbovlje - A three-day event entitled "Red Districts + Black Cross, 1980-2010" marking the 30th anniversary of Slovenian industrial rock band Laibach started on Thursday evening with the opening of an installation in their native town of Trbovlje.
Besides the installation, which was opened in the... More » |
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| Filmmaker Robar Dorin Wins Lifetime Achievement Award |
| Ljubljana - This year's Metod Badjura Lifetime Achievement Award goes to film director Filip Robar Dorin. The award will be conferred at the kick-off of the 13th Festival of Slovenian Film in Piran on 1 October.
Born in 1940 in Bor, Serbia, Robar Dorin studied philosophy and comparative literatur... More » |
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| Ljubljana Hosting Symposium on Women in Small Literatures |
| Ljubljana - A two-day international symposium on woman authors in small nation literatures in the 19th century got under way in Ljubljana on Wednesday as part of city's stint as the World Book Capital.
The symposium organised by the Nova Gorica University and the European Cooperation in Science a... More » |
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| European Culture Days to Offer a Variety of Events |
| Ljubljana - European Heritage Days (EHD) in Slovenia will kick off on Saturday with a variety of events around the country. This year's theme is "Cultural Heritage and Prosperity: Sustainable Use of Heritage Resources", executive director of the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of S... More » |
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| Melbourne State Library Gets Copy of Monumental Collection |
| Melbourne - Minister for Slovenians Abroad Bostjan Zeks presented on Monday the State Library of Victoria in Melbourne with a copy of "Iconotheca Valvasoriana", a collection of prints and drawings by European masters of the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries put together by Slovenian 17th century scholar... More » |
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| Health |
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| Health Minister Visits Bosnia-Herzegovina |
| Sarajevo - Slovenian Health Minister Dorjan Marusic met his Bosnian counterpart Safet Omerovic on Friday to discuss different forms of cooperation between the countries.
A press release from the Health Ministry said that Marusic and Omerovic agreed that the countries should intensify the exchange... More » |
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| Local & Regional Topics |
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| Slovenia's First Crafts Centre Opens in Ribnica |
| Ribnica - Slovenia's first regional crafts centre opened at Ribnica's Marof, a renovated castle stables, on Friday. Local Government Minister Henrik Gjerkes, who attended the opening, said he was happy to see that the tradition of the local population carries on.
The Ribnica municipality got almo... More » |
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| Minister Talks EU Cohesion Funds with German Reps |
| Potsdam/Berlin - Local Government Minister Henrik Gjerkes met in Potsdam on Monday with representatives of German federal state Brandenburg to talk about Brandenburg's experience in regional development and about its experience in drawing from EU cohesion funds.
According to a press release from ... More » |
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| Tourism |
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| Minister Urges Sustainable Tourism on World Tourism Day |
| Lasko - Economy Minister Darja Radic pointed out at a conference marking World Tourism Day on Monday that although tourism interferes with the environment, it should incorporate and not endanger biodiversity. Such sustainable tourism can help preserve the environment and at the same time provid... More » |
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| Events |
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| Slovenian Lace on Display at EU Parliament |
| Brussels - An exhibition of traditional Slovenian lace was held at the European Parliament building in Strasbourg on Tuesday. The works of bobbin lace society Cvetke from Ziri near Idrija were on display thanks to MEPs Lojze Peterle (Nsi/EPP) and Jelko Kacin (LDS/ALDE).
Peterle said at the openin... More » |
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| Sinti Community Remembers Its WWII Victims |
| Begunje na Gorenjskem - The 130-strong Sinti community in Slovenia remembered Sinti victims of Nazi violence during World War II and celebrated a holiday for the community in Begunje na Gorenjskem on Wednesday. They also used the opportunity to highlight the issue of their status in the country.
... More » |
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| Schedule of Events for the week of 27 Sep-3 Oct |
MONDAY, 27 September
- LJUBLJANA - Part of of public sector employees will start a strike to protest against the planned suspension of agreed pay rises. Unions say some 80,000 employees are to join the strike.
- BRUSSELS, Belgium - Minister of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Dejan... More »
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Archive
