News roundup - Friday, 31 May, until 3pm

Golob vs Janša EU election debate confirms deep divide in views

LJUBLJANA - The leaders of the two largest parties, the Freedom Movement's Robert Golob and Janez Janša of the Democrats (SDS), faced off for N1 ahead of EU election to mostly showcase diametrically opposed views. Janša spoke of the importance of the election, including "because the [EU's] present direction needs to be corrected". Golob warned against right-wing populism, which he says undermines Europe by denying its right to exist through constant blockades.

Slovenia's annual inflation rate down in May to 2.5%

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's annual inflation rate fell by another 0.5 percentage points to 2.5% in May, a record low since September 2021, when inflation had been below 3% last. At the monthly level, prices went up by 0.5% on average, the Statistics Office reported. Service prices increased by 4.3% and goods prices by 1.6% in the past 12 months. What contributed the most to annual inflation in May (which had stood at 8.4% a year ago) were 6.8% higher prices in restaurants and hotels, which pushed up the rate by 0.5 p.p.

Government adopts National Culture Programme for 2024-2031

LJUBLJANA - The government adopted on Thursday a resolution on the National Culture Programme for 2024-2031. The new programme sees culture at the core of the society of solidarity and sustainability, the Culture Ministry said, noting that the resolution for 2024-2031 is a development document that defines the public interest in culture and the key strategic priorities in investment.

Romanian media, foreign embassies warn of towing scam issues on Slovenian roads

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian car towing company Avtovleka Žonta, which lost its license for services on Slovenia's motorways last year, appears to continue to provide the services and is reportedly scamming foreign drivers on a large scale in the process, reports Romania's Prima TV. Towing scam issues in Slovenia have reportedly been confirmed by several foreign diplomatic offices.

Debate on cannabis focuses on consequences of possible legalisation

LJUBLJANA - The supporters and opponents of cannabis legalisation clashed at a debate hosted by the public broadcaster RTV Slovenija on Thursday evening ahead of the upcoming consultative referendum on the issue. While one side warned that the legalisation would have negative consequences, the other maintained that it would enable better control of the market.

National e-book platform no longer available to public libraries

LJUBLJANA - After the publisher Beletrina recently launched a subscription-based multimedia library, it announced it will discontinue Biblos, one of Slovenia's largest e-book stores and libraries, for users of public libraries. The e-book platform offered nearly 7,500 titles, mostly Slovenian, which were available for purchase. They could also be borrowed by members of 62 libraries which were part of the Biblos network free of charge, for up to two weeks and with no late fees.

Cankar Prize goes to poet Denis Škofič

VRHNIKA - The Cankar Prize for the best original piece of Slovenian literature published over the past year was conferred in Vrhnika on Thursday evening to Denis Škofič for his collection of poems titled Tuskulum. "I'm very humbled, because I never expected it," Škofič said of the accolade that comes with a EUR 7,000 cheque. Škofič continued his unique poetic journey in his third collection that is not connected to any of the main Slovenian schools of poetry, the jury said.

Festival promoting science opens in Ljubljana

LJUBLJANA - An international festival for the promotion of science, education and scientific thinking got under way in the capital, with the 15th Znanstival featuring more than 100 events until Sunday, including science shows, workshops and lectures. The festival will take over the streets, bridges and squares of Ljubljana for the weekend, while some events will also be held at the House of Experiments, which organises it. Entry to the festival is free of charge.

Dončić takes Mavericks to NBA finals in grand style

MINNEAPOLIS, US - Slovenia's basketball superstar Luka Dončić has made it to his first NBA finals, putting on another historic performance in game 5 of the NBA Western Conference finals with his Dallas Mavericks on Thursday evening. The 25-year-old, who previously helped take Dallas to the Western finals two years ago, stifled the hopes of the Minnesota Timberwolves for a second win in the best-of-seven series early on, scoring 20 of his 36 points in the first quarter.