News Archive - March 2012

Clashes as Spanish unions protest further austerity

30. 03. 2012
Clashes as Spanish unions protest further austerity
Spain counted the cost of nationwide protests against the government’s planned austerity measures on Thursday. Demonstrators clashed with police in Barcelona and the capital Madrid during a general strike.

Missing Girl Found Alive and Well

30. 03. 2012
Missing Girl Found Alive and Well
The five-year-old girl who went missing over a year ago amidst a bitter custody dispute has been found "alive and well".

Spain on strike – unions call a national stoppage against labour reform

29. 03. 2012
Spain on strike – unions call a national stoppage against labour reform
Thursday is general strike day in Spain and night shift workers were the first to down tools.

Slovenian Dietary Habits

29. 03. 2012
Slovenian Dietary Habits
An average Slovenian consumed 121 kilos of cereals, 94 kilos of meat, 70 kilos of potato and 90 kilos of vegetables as well as drinking nearly 38 litres of wine in 2010, fresh statistics show.

Syria authorities target children, says UN rights chief

28. 03. 2012
Syria authorities target children, says UN rights chief
Syrian authorities are deliberately and systematically targeting children, the United Nations' human rights chief, Navi Pillay, has told the BBC.

Adria Supervisors Resign

28. 03. 2012
Adria Supervisors Resign
Four of the six supervisors of flag carrier Adria Airways, including chief supervisor Vinko Može, have resigned after failing to dismiss company chairman Klemen Boštjančič at a marathon session.

Strauss-Kahn charged for alleged role in French vice ring.

27. 03. 2012
Strauss-Kahn charged for alleged role in French vice ring.
A French court, on Monday, placed the former head of the International Monetary Fund Dominique Strauss-Kahn under formal investigation into his alleged role in a vice ring.

And the Guest Stars for 2011 are...

27. 03. 2012
And the Guest Stars for 2011 are...
he Spanish ambassador, a German executive, a Madagascar-born artist and a Canadian ice-hockey player were voted the most notable expatriates in their respective categories as The Slovenia Times newspaper and Radio Slovenia International gave out the annual Guest Star awards in Maribor.

Brother of Toulouse killer is charged over deaths

26. 03. 2012
Brother of Toulouse killer is charged over deaths
The brother of the Toulouse gunman has been charged with complicity in seven murders and involvement with terrorism.

Discipline Leads to Welfare

26. 03. 2012
Discipline Leads to Welfare
Prime Minister told public broadcaster that if the state is disciplined in consolidating public finances, the state budget could be balanced by 2015, otherwise Slovenia can bid farewell to being a welfare state.

Critics slam handling of Toulouse shoot-out

23. 03. 2012
Critics slam handling of Toulouse shoot-out
After one of the longest police operations in France, some are criticising the assault that ended with the death of self-confessed killer Mohamed Merah.

Watchdog Critical for the Asset Reporting System

23. 03. 2012
Watchdog Critical for the Asset Reporting System
Goran Klemenčič, the head of the Corruption Prevention Commission, told that the Slovenian system of oversight of assets of public office holders was inefficient. The corruption watchdog is therefore preparing legislative changes.

A Fifity of Primorje for Sale

22. 03. 2012
A Fifity of Primorje for Sale
Factor banka announced an auction of just under 20% of troubled builder Primorje, in what appears to be the start of the disowning of managers who had carried out a leveraged buyout ten years ago.

Iran vows to hit back at any US-Israeli attack

21. 03. 2012
Iran vows to hit back at any US-Israeli attack
In a speech to mark Nowrouz, the Persian New Year, Iran’s Supreme Leader has warned that his country will hit back at any attack from Israel or the US.

The Epilogue of 2005 Bank Robbery

21. 03. 2012
The Epilogue of 2005 Bank Robbery
The police said that one of the two suspects arrested last week in relation to the 2005 robbery of SKB bank was suspected of carrying out the act, while the other was a security guard serving as an accomplice. The damage of the burglary of the bank's vault in Ljubljana has been estimated at EUR 32m.

Politics is put on hold after Toulouse shootings

20. 03. 2012
Politics is put on hold after Toulouse shootings
The Toulouse shootings have brought the French presidential race to a halt.Both Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande have suspended their campaigns.The incumbent head of state and his wife Carla Bruni joined the Socialist contender in attending a memorial service for those who died.

Discussing issues in positive atmosphere

20. 03. 2012
Discussing issues in positive atmosphere
Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec and his Croatian counterpart Vesna Pusić agreed at a meeting in Zagreb that the Slovenian and Croatian governments should meet to discuss all open issues. Pusić expressed hope that the meeting will take place before the summer.

Heavy fighting breaks out in Syrian capital

19. 03. 2012
Heavy fighting breaks out in Syrian capital
Fighting in a main district of Damascus has been reported between Free Syria Army rebels and forces loyal to President Bashar al Assad.

Unemployment Rate Hits 12-Year High

19. 03. 2012
Unemployment Rate Hits 12-Year High
Slovenia's unemployment rate rose 0.4 percentage points to 12.5% in January, a twelve-year high, as scores of workers whose fixed-term works contracts expired at the end of the year rushed to register as jobless and construction continued to shed jobs, the Statistics Office said.

President Türk Declares Re-election Bid

16. 03. 2012
President Türk Declares Re-election Bid
President Danilo Türk declared his intention to stand for a second term in the autumn presidential election as an independent candidate.

Assad emails reveal private world of Syria’s leader

15. 03. 2012
assas emails private world of syrias leader
Emails reportedly taken from the personal accounts of Syria’s president and his wife allegedly reveal his regime sought advice from Iran on suppressing opposition protests.

ACTA Remains Frozen

15. 03. 2012
ACTA Remains Frozen
The parliamentary foreign policy and EU affairs committees on Wednesday refused to back an opposition-sponsored move that would lead to an outright rejection of the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) in Slovenia, but all procedures regarding the agreement remain suspended.

Hoops and diplomacy for British prime minister's visit

14. 03. 2012
Hoops and diplomacy for British prime minister's visit
Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama gave a nod to America's heartland Tuesday, saying in an interview conducted during halftime of an NCAA basketball game in Ohio he wanted to show his British counterpart, David Cameron, a part of America rarely seen by foreign visitors.

The Unpopular Church

14. 03. 2012
The Unpopular Church
Ljubljana Archbishop Anton Stres has told an interview that he was "unpleasantly surprised" over the amount of hate speech directed at the Church. While it is normal that some people have a negative opinion of the Church, their number is exceptionally high in Slovenia, he says

Spain gets the euro group treatment after Greece

13. 03. 2012
Spain gets the euro group treatment after Greece
There was relief all round after Greece’s second bailout was finally rubber stamped in Brussels but immediately euro zone ministers turned their attention to Spain.

NKBM Faces Restructuring and Layoffs

13. 03. 2012
NKBM Faces Restructuring and Layoffs
Aleš Hauc, the new chief executive of NKBM bank, said that the bank and the group would have to be slimmed down and consolidated, including with layoffs and the mergers of subsidiaries. But he does not deem it necessary to recapitalise the bank at this point.

Anger grows over US soldier’s shooting spree

12. 03. 2012
Anger grows over US soldier’s shooting spree
There is growing anger among villagers near a US military base in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province after an American soldier went on a shooting spree killing at least 16 civilians including nine children.

Pomurje among top 10 regions by FDI Strategy

12. 03. 2012
Pomurje among top 10 regions by FDI Strategy
Representatives from over 40 cities and 23 regions assembled for the prestigious fDi European Cities and Regions of the Future awards ceremony in Cannes.

Debt swap success for Greece in bailout bid

09. 03. 2012
Debt swap success for Greece in bailout bid
The Greek government has said it has secured enough backing from private creditors to avoid a chaotic default on its deft.

Flaws in Municipal Real Estate Deals

09. 03. 2012
Flaws in Municipal Real Estate Deals
An audit into land sale and swap procedures in the municipalities of Ljubljana, Murska Sobota and Nova Gorica between 2007 and 2010 revealed irregularities which were detected in most municipalities in recent years, the president of the Court of Audit, Igor Šoltes told.

Baba Amr ‘devastated’ says UN’s humanitarian chief

08. 03. 2012
Baba Amr ‘devastated’ says UN’s humanitarian chief
UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos has visited Baba Amr in Homs describing it as devastated by the recent shelling and almost devoid of people

Fak World Champion in 20km

08. 03. 2012
Fak World Champion in 20km
Jakov Fak of Slovenia won gold in the men's 20km event at the World Biathlon Championships, finishing ahead of Simon Fourcade of France and Jaroslav Sokoup of the Czech Republic.

Syria: Red Cross convoy denied access to Baba Amro

07. 03. 2012
Syria: Red Cross convoy denied access to Baba Amro
The International Committee of the Red Cross has told euronews that its aid convoy is still being denied access to the shattered Baba Amro district of Homs in Syria.

A House for EUR 124

07. 03. 2012
Anton Panjan
Slovenia has been abuzz over media reports that a family's house was auctioned off in November 2010 over an unpaid bill for EUR 124.38. The Vaskrsić family, which claims they had no idea that their house was being put up for auction, has to move out by 16 March.

Hundreds arrested in Russian anti-Putin protests

06. 03. 2012
Hundreds arrested in Russian anti-Putin protests
Russian police have arrested hundreds of people including prominent opposition leader Alexei Navalny amid protests against Vladimir Putin’s election as president.

A Balanced Budget Within This Govt Term

06. 03. 2012
A Balanced Budget Within This Govt Term
Leaders of parliamentary parties agreed to include the golden fiscal rule into the Slovenian Constitution. "There is a goal to reach a balanced budget as soon as possible, definitely within this [government's] term," Prime Minister Janez Janša told the press after the meeting.

Tears and promises as Putin claims victory

05. 03. 2012
Tears and promises as Putin claims victory
Vladimir Putin has thanked his supporters for returning him to the Kremlin as president. The 59-year-old claimed victory as exit polls and official prelimary figures gave him a commanding lead.

Government to Financially Disburden Economy

05. 03. 2012
Government to Financially Disburden Economy
The supplementary budget, one of the government's priorities, will include certain measures to financially disburden the economy, Economic Development and Technology Minister Radovan Žerjav said as he met representatives of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) and other Slovenian business officials .

EU focus on growth as Van Rompuy is re-elected

02. 03. 2012
EU focus on growth as Van Rompuy is re-elected
Although debt is still very much on the agenda for EU leaders meeting at the latest summit in Brussels, they are turning their attention to growth as a possible way out of the crisis.

Jankovič Enters Race for Ljubljana Mayor

02. 03. 2012
Jankovič Enters Race for Ljubljana Mayor
Positive Slovenia president Zoran Janković announced Wednesday he would enter the race for Ljubljana mayor, a post he had to vacate in December after he was elected to parliament. He said being mayor would allow him to do the most for his party and for Slovenia.

Costa Allegra docks on main Seychelles island

01. 03. 2012
Costa Allegra docks on main Seychelles island
After a towing operation by French boats, the stricken Costa Allegra cruise ship has arrived at Mahé in the Seychelles.

Back into Recession

01. 03. 2012
Back into Recession
Slovenia officially slid back into recession as its economy contracted by 2.8% in real terms in the final quarter of last year, shrinking at a rate of 0.2% in the whole of 2011, according to the Statistics Office.