News roundup - Tuesday, 12 November, until 3pm

Žbogar calls for greater Eastern European representation on UN Security Council

NEW YORK, US - Presenting Slovenia's stance on UN Security Council reforms during Monday's session of the UN General Assembly, Ambassador Samuel Žbogar advocated for an additional non-permanent seat for the Eastern European Group. The request is based on the group's membership having more than doubled since 1964. The UN General Assembly debate centred on fair representation and expanding membership of the organisation's top body for global peace and security.

Stabbing of Iranian woman at Ljubljana airport declared femicide

LJUBLJANA/BRNIK - The Kranj Police Department presented the details of the murder of a 33-year-old Iranian woman committed by her former husband, who is also an Iranian citizen, at a car park serving Ljubljana airport. The act has been declared a femicide. Luka Pisovec, the head of the organised crime unit at the Kranj Police Department, told the press that the murder took place at Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport last Thursday evening.

Study reveals decline in students' IT literacy and skills

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian eighth-grade students rank slightly above the international average in computer and information literacy, but their scores have dropped compared to a decade ago, according to the 2023 International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS). In computer thinking skills, they meanwhile fell below the international average.

Online platform launched to develop Slovenian sign language

LJUBLJANA - The Deaf and Hard of Hearing Clubs Association of Slovenia has launched an online platform to boost the development of Slovenian sign language by inviting everyone to contribute to expanding its dictionary of gestures. Individuals wishing to contribute can choose a word that has not yet been translated into Slovenian sign language at the website prispevajkretnjo.si (contributeagesture).

Self-sufficiency up most for cereals, drops sharply for honey

LJUBLJANA - The rate of food self-sufficiency in Slovenia last year increased the most for cereals, by ten percentage points to 82%, while decreasing the most for honey, by as much as 77 points to 13%, the Statistics Office said. The self-sufficiency rate also increased for potatoes, by two points to 38%, while decreasing for vegetables, by six points to 33%, and for fruit, by 13 points to 16%. In animal products, the rate increased only for eggs, by one point to 95%, while decreasing for meat by three points to 83%.

Waste per capita at record low in 2023

LJUBLJANA - A record low amount of waste per capita, mineral waste excluded, was generated in Slovenia in 2023, as waste per capita dropped by 3% to 1,315 kilos from 2022, the Statistics Office said. The decrease was mainly due to a reduction in the quantities of silt and metal waste. A total of 1,210 kilos of waste per capita were treated, or 1% less than in 2022.

Selected Hungarian and Slovenian artists on display at Liszt Institute

LJUBLJANA - The gallery hall of the Liszt Institute, the Hungarian Cultural Centre in Ljubljana, will host this evening the opening of the exhibition Boundless Journey, which features a selection of artworks by Hungarian and Slovenian artists from the collection of the Art Circle international visual arts festival. The exhibition, presenting a unified aesthetic experience, explores the human journey through curiosity, self-reflection, and a fascination with the unknown.

Musician and philosopher team up to explore death

LJUBLJANA - Acclaimed Slovenian musician Vasko Atanasovski and philosopher Magdalena Germek have teamed up merging music and philosophy to explore death in a project termed ARThANATOS, which will be performed at Cankarjev Dom tonight. Having written the music, Atanasovski also plays the saxophone and the flute in the production, and Germek narrates the texts that she has written.