The New Yorker: Jošt Franko's Disappearing Slovenia

Photo: Jošt Franko

(The New Yorker) In 2010, Jost Franko began photographing herders in Slovenia’s Velika Planina, a traditional community in the foothills of the Kamnik-Savinja Alps. At seventeen, Franko was not old enough to legally drive, so he rode with a friend from his home in Ljubljana to the settlement, which has existed for more than five hundred years and is considered one of the most well preserved herding communities in Europe. Each June, herdsmen lead their cattle on a seven-hour journey to the highland pastures from the valleys of the Kamnik region. They travel overnight, to keep the animals from overheating, and graze the livestock in Velika Planina until the early fall.

Read more:

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/photobooth/2014/04/jost-franko-disappearing-slovenia.html#slide_ss_0=4

The New York Times: Slovenia Government Shaky After Premier Loses Key Vote

Photo: siol.net

(The New York Times) LJUBLJANA, Slovenia — Slovenia’s government is facing a likely collapse after Prime Minister Alenka Bratusek, whose government made reforms to avoid the need for an international bailout, lost her post as her party’s leader on Saturday.

Read more:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/27/world/europe/slovenia-government-shaky-after-premier-loses-key-vote.html?_r=0

The Telegraph: Slovenia: a modern Ruritania at the crossroads of southern Europe

Lake Bohinj. Photo: The Telegraph

(The Telegraph Travel) Eschewing the daredevil pursuits on offer in the Julian Alps, Neil Tweedie finds himself beset by remembrance of the First World War’s savage Isonzo campaign.

Slovenia lies astride fault lines both geological and cultural. Here, in this compact country bounded by mountain, river and sea, the Eurasian and Adriatic tectonic plates grind against each other, a constant source of tension expressing itself in vaulting ranges and the occasional earthquake. Languages collide also. This is the junction of Slav, Latin and Teuton, the ethnic crossroads of southern central Europe.

Read more: 
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/slovenia/10787463/Slovenia-a-modern-Ruritania-at-the-crossroads-of-southern-Europe.html

The Slovenia Times: Commissioner Potočnik: Slovenia in Ethical Crisis

Photo: European Commission

(The Slovenia Times) Janez Potočnik, Slovenia's EU commissioner, feels that ten years into EU membership, Slovenia's key challenge lies in restoring a sense of what is right.

While it is still seen as credible, the country has witnessed an erosion of values, Potočnik, who was Slovenia's chief negotiator in EU accession talks, has told the STA.

Read more:

http://www.sloveniatimes.com/commissioner-potocnik-slovenia-in-ethical-crisis-after-10-years-in-eu

Slovenia.si: Laibach: The band that survived itself

Photo: Maya Nightingale

(Slovenia.si; by Polona Prešeren) Laibach returned to the international stage in grand style this spring. After releasing a new studio album in March, the band performed for the first time in China and Hong Kong and is now on tour across Europe. In the fall, expect them at venues across the USA.

Read more: 
http://www.slovenia.si/culture/arts/music/laibach/

Photo of the Day

Ptuj, Slovenia

Photo: slo-link.si

RTVSLO: Easter eggs you need to see

Photo: RTVSLO

(RTVSLO) When Mira Zajc opened the door of her home, her creativity could immediately be noticed: on a windowsill, there were Easter eggs; on a wall, there were neatly made, shining mirrors; on the table, there was a bunch of artificial flowers, and next to them, there were small beautifully decorated boxes.

Read more and see the gallery:
http://www.rtvslo.si/news-in-english/easter-eggs-you-need-to-see/334932

Dalje.com: Slovenian foreign minister feels tricked by Croatia

Photo: mzz.gov.si

(Dalje.com) Slovenian Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec believes that Croatia has tricked his country in the case of Yugoslav-era Croatian foreign currency savings deposits with the now defunct Slovenian bank Ljubljanska Banka, stressing that Slovenia would never have signed a memorandum on cooperation had it known that Croatia would later interpret a stay in court proceedings as meaning that it implies a time limit.

Read more:
http://dalje.com/en-croatia/slovenian-foreign-minister-feels-tricked-by-croatia/506486

International Gymnast Magazine: Ljubljana World Challenge Cup Begins in Slovenia

(International Gymnast Magazine) Slovenian gymnasts led three events in qualification as the 2014 Ljubljana World Challenge Cup began Friday in the Slovenian capital.

The competition, part of the FIG World Cup series, brought 54 female and 88 male gymnasts from more than 25 nations.

Read more:http://www.intlgymnast.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3998:ljubljana-world-challenge-cup-begins&catid=5:competition-reports&Itemid=164

FT: Slovenia offers property buyers the best of Europe – at a bargain

Property in Prekmurje. Photo: slovenia-trips.com

(Financial Times) Alpine skiing, Italian cuisine, pretty Adriatic beaches – and the lowest house prices for years

In central Europe, one small country is tempting overseas buyers back into the property market. Slovenia, like most of Europe, experienced a property boom in the mid-2000s, followed by several years of decline. Between 2008 and 2012, house prices fell by nearly 18 per cent, according to the country’s statistics office.

Read more:
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/ac7b632e-bfdd-11e3-b6e8-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2zPRw7Ra3

The Slovenia Times: Slovenia With Record 2.3M Foreign Tourists Last Year

Piran. Photo: The Slovenia Times

(The Slovenia Times) A total of 2.26 million foreign tourists visited Slovenia in 2013, generating nearly 6 million overnight stays, which are both all-time highs, figures from the Statistics Office show.

The total number of tourists in Slovenia was at 3.4m in 2013, with the number of domestic guests dropping by 1% to 1.13m

Read more:
http://www.sloveniatimes.com/slovenia-received-2-3m-foreign-tourists-last-year

RTVSLO: Nova Gorica University to Construct American-Style Campus

(RTVSLO) 25 million euros would be needed to kick-start the construction.

The University of Nova Gorica has accepted the offer from the Vipava municipality on constructing a campus.

Read more:http://www.rtvslo.si/news-in-english/nova-gorica-university-to-construct-american-style-campus/334898

The Huffington Post Travel: Blessing Easter Baskets on Easter Saturday at Slovenia's Tustanj Castle

(The Huffington Post Travel - The Blog; by Meg Pier) "I tentatively pushed opened the heavy wooden door

Photo: The Huffington Post

of Tuštanj Castle and peeked inside. An open air courtyard lay in front of me, enclosed by a graceful portico of grey stone arches. While I was expected by the owners of Slovenia's only non-nationalized castle, there was no one in sight and the only sound was the steady beat of the heavy rain."

Read more:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/meg-pier/blessing-easter-baskets-a_b_5152145.html

The Slovenia Times: Slovenian Florists to Decorate St Peter's Basilica

(The Slovenia Times) A couple of Slovenian florists have been chosen to decorate St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican for Easter celebrations.

Read more:
http://www.sloveniatimes.com/slovenian-florists-to-decorate-st-peter-s-basilica

Bloomberg: Toxic Loans Risk Slovenian Bond Rally: East Europe Credit

Uroš Čufer, Minster of Finance. Photo: balkaninside.com

(Bloomberg) Slovenia’s bond rally, the biggest among Europe’s former communist nations, risks faltering as a government budget dispute following the cleanup of toxic-bank loans threatens to unseat Prime Minister Alenka Bratusek.

Bratusek, the third premier since 2011, is trying to quell a challenge to her leadership and end a coalition quarrel that threatens to derail her deficit-cutting program after she spent almost 10 percent of economic output last year to clean up the nation’s banks, whose bad loans reached 11 billion euros ($15.2 billion). The government needs to boost revenue and overhaul state companies to sustain the fiscal improvement.

Read more:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-15/toxic-loans-risk-slovenian-bond-rally-east-europe-credit.html

Hurriyet Daily News: Slovenia's first Roma restaurant offers hope, integration

(Hurriyet Daily News) More than impressing food critics, the Romani Kafenava (Roma coffeeshop), which opened last week in the northern city of Maribor, aims to build ties with the local community and offer hope to an impoverished minority.  

Read more:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/slovenias-first-roma-restaurant-offers-hope-integration----.aspx?pageID=238&nID=65117&NewsCatID=351

The Slovenia Times: Plečnik Award Goes to High-End Residential Development

Photo: Situla Facebook

(The Slovenia Times) Architects Matija Bevk, Vasa Perović and Andrej Ukmar are the recipients of this year's Plečnik Award for the Situla, a luxurious residential complex in the centre of Slovenia's capital.

Read more:
http://www.sloveniatimes.com/plecnik-award-goes-to-high-end-residential-development

National Geographic: Recent Anniversary and Death Highlights Continued Struggle of “The Erased”

Photo: radiohit.si

(National Geographic) National Geographic grantee Riley Arthur is documenting the Erased of Slovenia- 25,000+ non-ethnic Slovenian residents were left without legal status after the country split from Yugoslavia in 1991. Over two decades later, the community is still fighting for documentation. These stories are about the Erased and the places they live. 

"February 26th, 2014 marked the 22nd anniversary of the Erasure. Throughout my fieldwork, people close to me have asked me variations of the same questions: Why should we care about the Slovene Erasure? Why is it still relevant? For those Erased, relatives of Erased people or those working with the Erased, it is still an everyday struggle."

Read more:
http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2014/04/14/recent-anniversary-and-death-highlights-continued-struggle-of-the-erased/

The Guardian: How consumers can track products at the touch of a smartphone button

Producers and suppliers trace and count every item they distribute. It's time to share that information with everyone.

A European project, RFID from Farm to Fork, implemented several traceability systems in between 2010 to 2012 in the UK, Spain, Italy and Slovenia. Four food sectors took part: meat, cheese, fish and wine.

Read more in the Guardian article or on the project's website.

Youtube video about the Fish pilot Fonda:

International Whaling Commission Scientific Committee Annual Meeting to take place in Bled

Bled. Photo: bled.si

This year's annual meeting of International Whaling Commission Scientific Committee will be taking place in Bled, Slovenia, between May 12th and May 24th.

The International Whaling Commission (IWC) is the global intergovernmental body charged with the conservation of whales and the management of whaling.  It is set up under the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling signed in 1946.  The Commission has a current membership of 88 Governments from countries around the World.

Read more about Japan and its hunt of whales by BloombergBusinessweek. 

Ljubljana's Hostel Among 12 Most Awesome Hostels In The World

Photo: Blaž Samec, Delo

Hostel Celica, famous hostel in Ljubljana, was named as one of the 12 most awesome hostels in the world by the Huffington Post.

Once a military prison, today one-of-a-kind artistic hostel, it is common for Celica in Metelkova autonomous zone in Ljubljana to be mentioned by world media or travel websites. It has also been recommended by Lonely Planet as No. 1 hippest hostel.

You can read the full article here.

Photo of the Day

Kranjska Gora, Slovenia

Photo: slovenian-alps.com

The Slovenia Times: The Challenge Is to Continue with Reform, IMF and Slovenian Officials Agree

IMF HQ in Washington D.C.

(The Slovenia Times) IMF official Philip Gerson has assessed that the situation in Slovenia has significantly improved over the last year, but the country should continue with reforms and privatisation and as speed up the cleanup of its banks.

Read more:
http://www.sloveniatimes.com/the-challenge-is-to-continue-with-reform-imf-and-slovenian-officials-agree

The Slovenia Times: Slovenia Marking Ten Years of EU Membership

Celebrations in Nova Gorica 10 years ago.
Photo: UKOM

(The Slovenia Times) It is almost ten years since Slovenia joined the European Union as part of the 2004 "big bang" enlargement, the largest single expansion of the bloc. Being among the first post-Communist states to enter the EU, Slovenia was a success story at first, but it has been struggling lately with an economic and political crisis.

Read more:
http://www.sloveniatimes.com/slovenia-marking-ten-years-of-eu-membership

SINFO: Poligon creative centre: Promoting the idea of youth employment in creative economies, social entrepreneurship and culture

Photo: 360mag.si

(SINFO) At the premises of the old Ljubljana tobacco factory, a new creative centre called Poligon has opened. It offers opportunities for creative work to members of Slovenia co-working, Slovenia crowd-funding (crowd-sourced fundraising), Rompom and Ljudje.si initiatives. More than half of the Centre’s capacities were leased out in a month, but demand remains very high. 

RTVSLO: A Slovenian designer’s jewelry is worn by the stars

Lara Bohinc.
Photo: larabohinc.com

(RTVSLO) In recent years, a new generation of Slovenian designers has established a reputation for innovative creations. In some cases, that reputation transcends Slovenia’s borders. Lara Bohinc’s designs, primarily her jewelry, have made her a highly valued artist in both Europe and the U.S.

Read more:

http://www.rtvslo.si/news-in-english/a-slovenian-designer-s-jewelry-is-worn-by-the-stars/334546

Greenfudge: Slovenia: The wind blows in the right direction

Dolenja vas wind turbine,
1st of its kind in Slovenia.
Photo: StefanB

(Greenfudge) Talks are on for Slovenia’s fourth wind farm project, an area planted with energy-producing wind turbines. This is a great step towards producing more energy in an environment-friendly way. But before the building starts, local people will have a chance to express their will in a public referendum. Will they say yes to this powerful, renewable, and clean energy resource?

Read more: 
http://www.greenfudge.org/2014/04/14/slovenia-wind-blows-right-direction/

EX-YU Aviation News: Adria Airways anticipates strong growth

Photo: Adria Airways

(EX-YU Aviation News) Adria Airways is hoping 2014 will be a year to remember with important events taking place at the national carrier, in contrast to previous years of downsizing. The airline’s CEO, Mark Anžur, says, “Our aircraft have already embarked on the new summer season, which brings with it several new features, all of them in line with the strategy we have mapped out for our development up to the year 2020”. This year Adria is anticipating strong passenger growth, with encouraging trends recorded so far. “Adria’s main commercial objective is profitable growth. For an airline, growth means carrying more passengers and introducing more flights. Last year saw us surpass the magic number of one million passengers. This year we are aiming even higher - a 12% increase in passenger numbers”, Mr. Anžur says.

Read more: http://exyuaviation.blogspot.com/2014/04/adria-airways-anticipates-strong-growth.html

ShanghaiDaily: Slovenia increases vegetable growing to meet domestic demand

(ShanghaiDaily) LJUBLJANA, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Slovenian farmers are seemingly changing their cultivating habits as vegetable growing is getting popular in the tiny Balkan country.

Farm land intended for growing vegetables has increased by 31 percent in the past three years, according to a latest data from the Statistics Office.

Read more:
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/article_xinhua.aspx?id=212379

Photo of the Day

Piran, Slovenia

Photo: Golden hour by Riccardo Bertoni

ANSAmed: Children's drawings in Slovenian concentration camps on show

Exhibit at Casa della Memoria bears witness to horrors

(ANSAmed) - ROME, APRIL 10 - Drawings and testimonials of children the ages of 7 and 13 years old, imprisoned in Italian Fascist concentration camps in Slovenia from the summer of 1942 to September 1943.

After being put on show in a number of cities in Italy, Slovenia and Austria, the exhibit "When my father died" has arrived in the Italian capital.

Read more: 

http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/nations/slovenia/2014/04/10/childrens-drawings-in-slovenian-concentration-camps-on-show_690e6da5-433e-428f-b394-85b06828e6a9.html

RTVSLO: Romani Kafenava opened its doors

Foto: rtvslo.si

(RTVSLO) The first Roma restaurant of its kind in Slovenia named Romani Kafenava opened its doors in Maribor.

http://www.rtvslo.si/news-in-english/romani-kafenava-opened-its-doors/334478

RTVSLO: The first Istra marathon has started

Koper. Foto: istrski-maraton.si

(RTVSLO) The Slovenian coastal region Istra is all about running today. The first istra marathon has started today.

Read more:
http://www.rtvslo.si/news-in-english/the-first-istra-marathon-has-started/334493

Offical website of the marathon can be found here.

New Mobile Application Slovenia’s Top 50

A new mobile application, Slovenia’s Top 50, represents a selection of the fifty most interesting Slovenian tourist attractions according to the number of visits to the web portal www.slovenia.info.

http://www.slovenia.info/en/Mobilna-aplikacija-Slovenias-Top-50.htm?mobilna_aplikacija=0&lng=2&redirected=1

RTVSLO: Tito rises again on the mountain

Foto: Franko Pleško in BoBo, rtvslo.si

(RTVSLO) Every weekend the activists of the All-Slovenian Uprising rearrange the writing in stone, i.e. the largest graffito, on the ridge of the Sabotin hill above Goriška Region, 600 metres above the sea level.

http://www.rtvslo.si/news-in-english/tito-rises-again-on-the-mountain/334400

Greenfudge: What does it take to rear organic trout in Slovenia?

(Greenfudge) Slovenia has 93 species of freshwater fish, 33 of which are protected under the law. Trout is the most popular freshwater fish for many Slovenians who view it as a delicacy. However, for a very long time there were no organic trout available for purchase in this country. The story behind the nation’s first organic trout farm demonstrates that the natural way is also sometimes the harder way.

Read more:
http://www.greenfudge.org/2014/04/02/what-does-it-take-to-rear-organic-trout-in-slovenia/

EUobserver: Spies, bombs & secret police: Slovenia's EU election campaign

(EUobserver) Slovenia's main opposition party has managed to turn an otherwise monotonous EU election campaign into a James Bond-like show by championing a referendum on fully opening archives from the country's communist past.

http://euobserver.com/eu-elections/123690

Article was published on April 3rd 2014. On April 10th, Consitutional Court unanimously decided to stay the execution of the decree on calling of the legislative referendum on law amendment on protection of documentary and archival material and archives until it decides on its constitutionality. Because of this decision, referendum cannot be held on 4th May.

Reuters: Slovenia's ruling party to choose new leader on April 25

(Reuters) - Prime Minister Alenka Bratusek's Positive Slovenia party will elect a new leadership on April 25, the party said on Thursday, a move that will determine the future of Bratusek's coalition government.

http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/04/10/slovenia-government-idINL6N0N23YS20140410

Slovenia on Eurovision Song Contest 2014

Slovenia on Eurovision Song Contest 2014: Tinkara Kovač: Round and Round

Official video of Slovenia’s entry has been published.

http://www.eurovision.tv/page/news?id=slovenia_tinkaras_new_version_of_round_and_round