News roundup - Tuesday, 14 May, until 3 pm

Telekom Slovenije Q1 net profit up 48% to EUR 12.1m

LJUBLJANA - The Telekom Slovenije group generated EUR 169.1 million in sales revenue in the first quarter, up 4% compared to the same period last year. The higher revenue was primarily due to the growth in the number of users and increased sales of IT goods and services. The group's net profit was EUR 12.1 million, up 48%.

Slovenia expresses support for independent Palestine in UN

NEW YORK, US - With Slovenia's independence effort still fresh in the nation's memory, the country understands Palestinians' efforts to reach the same goal, Slovenia's Ambassador to the UN Boštjan Malovrh said as the General Assembly wound down on Monday the session that endorsed a resolution promoting Palestine's full UN membership last week.

Students end Palestine protest

LJUBLJANA - The student protest in support of Palestinians at the Ljubljana Faculty of Social Sciences ended Monday night after the University of Ljubljana expressed support for immediate ceasefire and said that no umbrella cooperation agreement existed between the university and Israeli institution. The university is to propose a fund for Palestinian students.

Slovenia among 11 EU countries to urge strengthening of cohesion policy

PRAGUE, Czechia - Eleven EU ministers for cohesion, including Slovenia's Aleksander Jevšek, signed a joint statement on the future of cohesion policy after 2027 and the need to strengthen it, as a meeting of the Visegrad Group and seven other EU member states was held in Prague.

Minster urges protecting diversity in face of AI

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Culture Minister Asta Vrečko took part in an EU ministerial meeting discussing artificial intelligence (AI), pointing to its opportunities, but also the need to preserve and ensure continuous development of cultural and linguistic diversity. "Creative work and creators need to be protected. Progress in AI innovation must not exclude effective copyright protection and financial compensation," she said.

Ljubljana city welcomes planned restrictions to short-term rentals

LJUBLJANA - The Ljubljana city welcomed the proposed legislation introducing restrictions for short-time rentals in a bid to address a lack of apartments and high prices. The bill allows municipalities to relax the cap of 30 days a year if short-term rentals are not a problem, but Mayor Zoran Janković sees no reason to do so for now.

Media literacy portal joins EU disinformation awareness campaign

LJUBLJANA - The media and information literacy portal Mipi of the Agency for Communication Networks and Services is participating in a campaign on the importance of critical thinking and recognising fake news ahead of the EU elections, the agency wrote in a press release.

Three films with Slovenian contributions scheduled in Cannes

CANNES, France - Three films backed by the Slovenian Film Centre will be screened in Cannes, where the prestigious annual film festival gets under way today. The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent, a Slovenian co-production, has made it into the short films competition section, while two films with Slovenian directors will be presented at the Marche du Film.