News roundup - Wednesday, 29 May, until 3pm

Reports: House searches under way at Telekom Slovenije, Nova24TV

LJUBLJANA - Investigators are searching the premises of the telco Telekom Slovenije and Nova24TV, a media platform with links to the opposition Democrats (SDS), media reported. According to unofficial information, the deals Telekom made with Nova24TV under the previous SDS-led government are being investigated, Necenzurirano reported.

Branko Šturbej wins top honour for theatre actors

MARIBOR - Branko Šturbej won this year's Borštnik Ring, the top accolade for theatre actors in Slovenia, the organisers of the Maribor Theatre Festival announced. Šturbej, who is a member of the country's leading theatre, SNG Drama Ljubljana, will receive the award on 16 June. The actor said he considered the award a great honour and recognition of his work so far.

Freedom urges MEP candidates to sign pledge against hate speech

LJUBLJANA - As the campaign for the EU election is in full swing, the ruling party the Freedom Movement drew attention to hate speech, offering all MEP candidates, political parties and senior officials to sign a pledge to tolerance and political culture. "Hate speech destroys people and ruins lives. Such attacks are designed to humiliate a certain person or a certain group of people, and they are particularly callous when targetting women," the party said.

Hojs denies having anything to do with C0 sewerage

LJUBLJANA - Aleš Hojs, a senior member of the opposition Democrats (SDS), denied having had anything to do with Ljubljana's potentially environmentally dangerous C0 sewerage project as he appeared before a parliamentary inquiry commission. He thus rejected a statement Mayor Zoran Janković made a few years ago saying that while Hojs worked for the city's utility Vo-Ka in 1992-2006, he determined the route of the project running across a drinking water area.

Ombudsman welcomes corporate sustainability due diligence directive

LJUBLJANA - Human Rights Ombudsman Peter Svetina welcomed the Council of the EU's adoption of a directive under which large companies will have to carry out due diligence of their business practices to see if they affect human rights and the environment. He has urged the Slovenian decision-makers to start incorporating it into national law.

Committee rejects SDS's proposals on education of immigrants

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Committee on Education, Science and Youth rejected on Tuesday proposals by the opposition Democrats (SDS) on the integration of children of immigrants into the Slovenian educational system, noting that all the proposals are already part of the national education programme until 2033.

Slovenia's budget transparency deteriorated last year

LJUBLJANA - Last year Slovenia ranked 27th among 125 countries in terms of transparency of the budget process, which takes into account transparency, public participation and oversight. The Open Budget Survey by the NGO International Budget Partnership shows that Slovenia's scores have deteriorated in all three categories compared to 2021.

Dominik Štibernik wins OHO award for rising visual artists

LJUBLJANA - This year's OHO Group Award for up-and-coming Slovenian visual artists went to Dominik Štibernik, whose works have appeared in solo and group exhibitions in Slovenia and abroad. The judging panel lauded his ability to reinvent pieces of art through the power of context and defy the expectations of spectators. He was honoured for his piece Delo Je Treba Poiskati (Work Has to Be Looked for). He told the STA that in this work as well as his other projects he is depicting the artistic process to spotlight and honour it.