News roundup - Friday, 12 May, until 3pm

Slovenia and Guatemala sign memorandum of understanding

CIUDAD DE GUATEMALA, Guatemala - Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon and her Guatemalan counterpart Mario Adolfo Bucar Flores signed a memorandum of understanding between Slovenia and Guatemala at the 9th summit of the Association of Caribbean States. Fajon said the two countries had committed to boosting cooperation in trade, environment, water management, renewable energy, science, research and technology. "We have excellent cooperation with Guatemala as part of the UN and I'm sure that the memorandum paves the way for strengthening bilateral relations."

National Assembly president happy with work done in first year

LJUBLJANA - Saturday will have marked a year since the maiden session of parliament. National Assembly President Urška Klakočar Zupančič believes the legislature has been remarkably efficient during this period, having convened 44 sessions and passed 100 laws, and that the level of communication has improved. She believes MPs have come to realise that respectful communication, even when expressing criticism, helps to improve communication at all levels.

Foreign Ministry advises caution to those travelling in Israel

LJUBLJANA - The Foreign Ministry said Slovenian citizens who are currently in Israel, Jerusalem and the West Bank should be cautious in the face of escalations between the Israelis and Palestinians. They are advised to follow the situation closely, observe the warnings and instructions from local authorities, and avoid dangerous areas, the ministry said. Several rocket attacks have been launched from Gaza on the south and central Israel, including Tel Aviv, in the past few days. The ministry advises that those in danger of such an attack go to a bomb shelter.

Interior Ministry to get less funds under revised budget

LJUBLJANA - The Interior Ministry will get less funds than initially planned under the revised 2023 budget proposed by the government due to Croatia's accession to the Schengen area, the parliamentary Committee on the Interior, Public Administration and Local Self-Government learned. The Public Administration Ministry will also receive less funds. The Interior Ministry will have EUR 552.3 million at its disposal this year, or EUR 22.3 million less than initially budgeted, the ministry's State Secretary Tina Heferle told the committee.

Food delivery couriers stage two-hour work stoppage

LJUBLJANA - The Trade Union of Food Delivery Couriers staged a two-hour work stoppage after delivery companies Wolt and Glovo refused to recognise the union or enter talks on a collective bargaining agreement. More than 100 couriers took part in the action. The union invoked the Constitution and EU regulations in arguing that freelancers had the right to unionise and bargain. It sees companies' response as a clear attack on unionising, and it intends to fight this with all the means at its disposal.

Engineers call for quake-safety legislation

LJUBLJANA - Earthquake engineers called for legislation to better prepare Slovenia for a possible powerful earthquake. Roko Žarnić, former minister of spatial planning and the head of the Earthquake Engineering Association, said Slovenia has a lot of experience from the rebuilding after the devastating quake that hit the Soča Valley in 1998. "Let's turn this around now, let's act before a quake hits. We can be well prepared, we have a wealth of experience," he said. There were also calls to amend legislation to make sure energy renovations are accompanied by structural improvements.

Researchers make breakthrough in treating frontotemporal dementia

LJUBLJANA - A Slovenian-German-Dutch team of scientists has identified a modification of the FUS protein, which plays a role in the early onset frontotemporal dementia. The finding provides an important insight into the causes of the disease and the development of new strategies to treat it, the Jožef Stefan Institute said. The research team not only identified the mechanism, it also developed a special detector, an antibody that detects the modification on a protein responsible for a tenth of frontotemporal dementia. The study was published in the neurology journal Brain.

Cinkarna suffers steep decline in Q1 profit, sales

CELJE - Chemical company Cinkarna Celje, which specialises in titanium dioxide production, reported a net profit of EUR 3.8 million for the first quarter, down 76% year-on-year, as sales declined by 25% to EUR 50 million. The company says inflation has dented demand across all sales segments. "The European pigment market will remain weakened at least until the end of this year, partially due to cheaper Chinese imports and partially due to high inventories," the company said in an earnings release.

Joker Out are in

LIVERPOOL, UK - Slovenian entrants Joker Out made the cut in Thursday's second semi final of the Eurovision alongside Albania, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Lithuania and Poland. This will be the first time since 2019 that Slovenia will be in the final. The quintet are a hugely successful act in Slovenia and had played down their chances before the semi-final arguing that for them the publicity offered by Eurovision is more important that the actual result.

Non-violence and tolerance to be discussed at schools

LJUBLJANA - In light of the recent tragic events in Serbia, Slovenian schools organised a day of the culture of non-violence and tolerance. Most activities were held as part of lessons with class teachers. Tolerance is taught as part of school curricula and Pavel Srečnik, head teacher at Stražišče Kranj Primary School, said it was necessary to monitor the issue continuously and not just once for an hour or two.