News roundup - Tuesday, 16 April, until 3pm

Fajon wraps up Japan visit discussing green hydrogen

TOKYO, Japan - Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon completed her two-day official visit to Japan by meeting State Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Kazuchika Iwata and representatives Keidanren, Japan's largest business organisation, and the CEOs of the Hitachi corporation and the SMBC bank. Opportunities to boost economic and scientific cooperation with a focus on green hydrogen topped the agenda.

Slovenians advised against travelling to Israel

LJUBLJANA - The Foreign Ministry advises Slovenian citizens against travel to Israel because of the security situation in the region. The highest level of caution now applies for the country and Slovenian citizens there are recommended to be cautious and follow the instructions of local authorities.

Number of employed in February highest so far

LJUBLJANA - The number of persons in employment in Slovenia reached the highest level on record in February, rising by 0.3% in monthly comparison and by 1.4% year-on-year to 941,644, the Statistics Office said. The biggest rise in monthly comparison was recorded in construction, where mostly foreign citizens were employed.

Inquiry chair dismisses NSi's request to quiz PM within month

LJUBLJANA - The New Slovenia's (NSi) request for Prime Minister Robert Golob to appear before a parliamentary inquiry into suspected political meddling in police work within 30 days is "irrelevant", because it is not supported by the required number of MPs, inquiry chair Aleš Rezar told the STA. Golob's appearance could take place before mid-July, he added.

Slovenian company launches AI legal service tool

LJUBLJANA - The legal services company Tax-Fin-Lex presented its artificial intelligence tool TFL AI, which answers legal questions and allows users to analyse and summarise court decisions. The tool works exclusively with the data of the company's portal, said Tax-Fin-Lex director Zlata Tavčar, noting that this includes more than a million documents on legislation, case law and academic articles. This way the tool also ensures security and credibility, she added.

Slovenians help uncover biggest black hole in Milky Way

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian astrophysicists Andreja Gomboc and Tomaž Zwitter have been part of a team that discovered the most massive stellar black hole yet found in the Milky Way. Unlike similar discoveries in distant galaxies, this one allows more in-depth research into the origin of such massive black holes.