News Archive - September 2013

Revenues from electronic communication in Slovenia in 2012 dropped to EUR 1.21bn, which was 1% or EUR 18m lower than the year before, according to the data released by the Statistics Office. Investments in the sector on the other hand grew by 44% or EUR 53m to EUR 173m.

Our loved ones are worth more to us than gold - but do we understand love's true value, asks AL Kennedy.

The European Commission warned Slovenia about the weakness of its banking sector and the need to introduce structural measures in its annual Competitiveness Report released in Brussels on Wednesday. In terms of the competitiveness of its industry, Slovenia has been placed in the middle tier.

A parliamentary commission in Spain looks set to approve a report suggesting the country switches its time zone back in line with that of Britain.

President Borut Pahor is expected to highlight human rights in his address to the UN General Assembly on Thursday as Slovenia bids for membership of the UN Human Rights Council in 2016-2018.

Some of Europe's key animals have made a comeback over the past 50 years, a report suggests.

Russian coastguards have taken 30 Greenpeace activists off their ship in the Arctic and detained them in the port of Murmansk.

Prime Minister Alenka Bratušek congratulated on Monday German Chancellor Angela Merkel on her party, the Christian Democratic Union, winning Sunday's parliamentary election in Germany. Congratulations also came from the opposition Democratic Party (SDS) and New Slovenia (NSi).

Prime Minister Alenka Bratušek and Finance Minister will present to trade unions and employers on Tuesday a set of measures to consolidate public finances. She is also to discuss the measures proposed by the unions and the public sector

The Football Association believes Istanbul is the "front runner" to host the semi-finals and final of Euro 2020.

President Borut Pahor will start a four-day visit to New York on Monday to take part in the general debate of the 68th session of the UN General Assembly.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative party has won Germany's election, but finished just short of an absolute majority, official results show.

Pope Francis has said the Catholic Church is too focused on preaching about abortion, gay people and contraception and needs to become more merciful.

The government confirmed Thursday proposed adjustments to the value of real estate in the database of the Surveying and Mapping Authority (GURS) which will serve as the basis for calculating the proposed real estate tax. Due to the ongoing real estate slump, property values will be reduced by 10-30%.

The opposition Democrats (SDS) are mulling an interpellation motion against Finance Minister Uroš Čufer, the first attempt to oust a minister in the Alenka Bratušek government. He is being targeted due to the dismissal of a senior SDS member from the board of the bad bank.

Slovenia is below the EU average in terms of innovation output, though it ranks squarely in the middle of the rankings, at 14th, according to a new indicator unveiled by the European Commission on Friday.

Slovenia saw the biggest drop in labour costs per hour in the entire EU in the second quarter of 2013, which makes it two quarters in a row. In Slovenia the drop was 5.9% compared to the same period in 2012, while labour costs per hour were up by 0.9% on average both in the eurozone and in the EU

Engineering officials in Italy say they have succeeded in lifting the cruise ship Costa Concordia free of rocks, 20 months after it ran aground.

President Borut Pahor received on Friday Qatari Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Ghaith bin Mubarak Al Kuwari on the eve of the laying of a foundation stone in Ljubljana for the first mosque in Slovenia. Qatar is the biggest donor for the mosque that is expected to cost EUR 21m.

French President Francois Hollande has described the US-Russia deal on Syria's chemical weapons as an "important step" towards the much bigger goal of a political solution to the civil war.

Friday 13th is widely considered an ‘unlucky day’. According to the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, California, an estimated 17 to 21 million people in the United States are actively affected by a fear of Friday 13th, making it the most feared day in history.

Slovenia beat the previously undefeated Italy 84:77 in their first game of the second round of EuroBasket in front of a packed Stožice Arena on Thursday to take an important step towards the quarter-finals of the tournament

The Slovenian national basketball team will play its first second round match at Eurobasket on Thursday evening by taking on an Italian team that went undefeated in the preliminary round.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has made a direct personal appeal to the American people over the Syrian crisis.

President Borut Pahor and his Kosovo counterpart Atifete Jahjaga shared the view on Tuesday that cooperation between the two countries was very good, however there was still much room for improvement, especially in trade. Pahor also praised the negotiation efforts of Kosovo and Serbia.

Jens Stoltenberg has announced his resignation as Norway’s prime minister and conceded defeat in the country’s general election.

Prime Minister Alenka Bratušek downplayed reports suggesting building up of tensions in the coalition over austerity budget for 2014 on Monday.

The Foundation of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) invites you to view the list of 70 watches pre-selected by the 2013 jury presented on its official website www.gphg.org. These timepieces will be continuing the competition to win the prestigious “Aiguille d’Or” or another of the 15 other prizes that will reward the finest creations of the year and the most remarkable actors on the watchmaking stage. When consulting this list on the Internet or on the GPHG mobile app, watch enthusiasts are invited to vote for their favourite watch. They thereby help choose the winner of the Public Prize and automatically take part in the prize draw offering a chance to win a watch.

Housing prices in Slovenia increased 0.8% in the second quarter of the year, the Statistics Office announced on Thursday. New flats and existing houses were dearer, while the prices of new houses and existing flats fell compared to the first quarter.

Slovenia, the host nation of EuroBasket 2013, beat the reigning European champions Spain in Celje on Thursday 78:69 (9:14, 25:33, 52:51), in a match of two group C favourites of the preliminary round.

G20 leaders remain divided over the Syrian conflict as they enter the final day of their Russian summit.

Slovenia slipped six places on the Global Competitiveness Index compiled by the World Economic Forum and is now 62nd among 148 countries, with a score of 4.2 on a 1-7 scale.

World leaders from the G20 group of nations are set to meet in Russia amid sharp differences over military action against Syria's government.

The opening ceremony for EuroBasket 2013 was held in Ljubljana's Congress Square on Tuesday evening, on the eve of the first day of the biggest sporting event in independent Slovenia. The ceremony was addressed by Prime Minister Alenka Bratušek, who praised Slovenian athletes and welcomed basketball fans to Slovenia.

Leaders of the US Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee have agreed on a draft resolution for the use of military force in Syria, setting a 60-day limit on the intervention.

Slovenia's biggest bank, NLB, issued about EUR 680m in loans in the first half of 2013, a quarter of which were new loans. Costs were down 13% year-on-year, the bank said after Friday's meeting of the supervisors. The supervisory board reaffirmed its confidence in the management's efforts to restructure the bank.

Vodafone has said talks regarding the sale of its 45% stake in Verizon Wireless in the US are "advanced" and it has put a value on the stake.