Slovenia

A new underground facility and operations room were inaugurated at the military section of Ljubljana airport on 12 July to make the facility comparable to those in other NATO countries.

Under Slovenia's defence law, the country's airspace is monitored and protected by the military. The centre monitors and controls the airspace 24/7.

One of Slovenia's top tourist destinations, the Upper Sava Valley has been looking for ways to curb ever busier traffic. Some of its most popular landmarks face veritable gridlocks during summer, most notably the Vršič mountain pass and the Vrata Valley, where new traffic regimes will be put in place.

Gates to reduce traffic into Vrata

The foreign ministers of Slovenia, Croatia and Italy signed a declaration in the Italian city of Ancona on 10 July committing to enhancing cooperation in the management and protection of the North Adriatic, including with a view to preventing migrant boat tragedies.

If you are looking to cool off in Slovenia on a hot summer day, look further than Lake Bled or Bohinj. There are around 280 lakes in the country, the top 101 of which are featured in a book called The Slovenia Lakes.

Avant Car runs Slovenia's biggest electric car sharing system, Avant2Go, with a fleet of 500 fully electric vehicles. Further expansion is planned, says director Matej Čer.

Additional locations and vehicles will be added in Slovenia to ensure broad coverage and meet the needs of users, Čer told the Slovenian Press Agency.

Americans of Slovenian descent are holding their biggest annual cultural festival this weekend near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, featuring live polka music, presentations of Slovenian cultural heritage, and a sausage competition.

It is not easy to describe what a veselica is. A rural party unique to Slovenia, it is heavy on traditional polka and its more modern renditions, with ample amounts of booze and fatty food. It is unbridled fun - but also big business for performers and a vital source of money for the organisers.

Slovenia's parliament has adopted a new national spatial planning strategy that paves the way not just for the planned expansion of the country's only nuclear power station but also for the construction of small modular reactors.

The Council of Europe penal statistics for 2022 show that incarceration rates increased in Europe following the lifting of coronavirus measures, in particular in Slovenia, which saw a 23% hike. However, with 66 inmates per 100,000 people, Slovenia remains among the countries with the lowest share of prisoners.

From Gorenje and Elan to Akrapovič and Dončić, Slovenian brands have long had a strong reputation. Many beloved old brands have fallen into oblivion due to market changes, but new ones are created all the time - and their importance extends beyond business.