News roundup - Wednesday, 5 June, until 3pm

Turnout at 1.2% on first day of early EU and referendum voting

LJUBLJANA - The first of the three days of early voting ahead of the EU election and three referendums on Sunday saw 1.2% of voters turn out on Tuesday for the EU vote and the consultative referendum on assisted dying, the two votes for which the National Electoral Commission (DVK) will be supplying turnout figures before Sunday evening. Compared to the previous EU election, in 2019, the turnout figure is higher, as only 0.47% turned out on the first day of early voting five years ago.

Speaker says move to challenge Palestine recognition would not succeed

LJUBLJANA - National Assembly President Urška Klakočar Zupančič assessed late on Tuesday that possible challenging of the parliament's recognition of Palestine by the opposition would not be successful. She is not sure whether the opposition will try to use legal means to challenge the decision at all. She told a TV Slovenija current affairs show that she was "certainly the first president of the National Assembly to break the years-long practice of abuse of consultative referendums, which were used only to delay legislative procedures".

Jurist says both coalition and opposition violated rules

LJUBLJANA - Jurist Rajko Pirnat assessed for the STA that both the coalition and the opposition acted in a disputable manner during Tuesday's procedure in the National Assembly to recognise Palestine. The former clearly violated the rules of procedure, while the latter's motions for a consultative referendum on the matter were unacceptable, he said.

Paper maker Paloma inaugurates new EUR 138m facilities

SLADKI VRH - The paper tissue maker Paloma launched new facilities worth EUR 138 million to conclude a seven-year investment cycle under the ownership of the Slovak group SHP. The owners also announced that the company will launch a production line for tissue boxes next year, worth EUR 11 million. The government provided an EUR 8 million incentive for the investment with government officials lauding SHP as an excellent, strategic owner.

Slovenia's jobless total falls to a new low

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's joblessness has fallen to a new record low since independence with fresh data from the Employment Service putting the figure at 44,088 at the end of May, down 6.6% year-on-year and 2.5% fewer than the previous month. A total of 3,861 people newly out of a job registered with the Employment Service in May, 8.4% fewer than in April and 2.9% fewer than a year ago. Demand for new workers appears to be somewhat cooling.

Most extensive study on climate change in Slovenia published

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian scientists published a study on climate change in Slovenia in the last 11,700 years in what is the most comprehensive overview of climate change in this part of the world so far. They hope that the project will help understand how ecosystems and societies can adapt to climate change. They noted the exceptional variety of climate in Slovenia despite the country's small size.

Days of Solidarity with Palestinians get under way in Maribor

LJUBLJANA - The city of Maribor is hosting a series of events between 5 and 13 June to express solidarity with the Palestinians and draw attention to their suffering. The Days of Solidarity with Palestine are organised by culture and youth NGOs and individuals, starting with readings of Palestinian literature at the GT22 culture centre. Although aware that such festivals will not stop the war, they want to present "the rich history and culture of Palestinians" to the Slovenian public, hoping this would promote solidarity.

Unique East Asian collection on show in Ljubljana

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Ethnographic Museum launched last week an exhibition of objects from East Asia, brought to Slovenia by marine officer Ivan Skušek and his Japanese wife Tsuneko Kondo Kawase in 1920. The exhibition Asia in the Heart of Ljubljana: The Life of the Skušek Collection tells the story of how the collection was created and what the situation at Beijing's art market was at the time. It will run until 31 August.