News roundup - Tuesday, 12 November

Slovenia condemns efforts to annex West Bank

LJUBLJANA - The Foreign Ministry condemned Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's plan to annex the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Smotrich said on Monday he had already ordered steps for annexation in the wake of Donald Trump's election as US president. The Slovenian ministry sees his moves as a threat to regional stability and the viability of a two-state solution. Such unilateral steps disregard international law and undermine peace efforts, so they must be avoided at all costs, it said on X.

Three Gaza children and their guardians request asylum

LJUBLJANA - Three children from Gaza who came to Slovenia for injury rehabilitation and their guardians have requested international protection, while another girl and her guardian have disappeared, the Foreign Ministry said after the news was first reported by the news portal N1. All persons who have requested international protection have been moved to the Asylum Centre in Logatec. The rest of the ten children in the rehabilitation programme and three guardians remain at the URI Soča rehabilitation centre in Ljubljana.

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.

Pirc Musar and Trump reaffirm excellent Slovenia-US relations

WASHINGTON, US/LJUBLJANA - President Nataša Pirc Musar spoke with US President-elect Donald Trump over the phone to congratulate him on winning the recent US election. The pair reaffirmed excellent bilateral relations between Slovenia and the US, the president's office said. Slovenia remains a firm ally of the US and a trusted partner within NATO, Pirc Musar said during the telephone conversation. The presidents also talked about the war in Ukraine, with Pirc Musar telling Trump she was counting on his wisdom in efforts to find a way for a just resolution of the conflict.

President, PM meet after reports of acrimony

LJUBLJANA - President Nataša Pirc Musar and PM Robert Golob held a working meeting following reports that an invitation for a visit Pirc Musar extended to Chinese President Xi Jinping without having consulted the government had caused upset. Following the meeting, they each stressed the importance of communication and respect. Pirc Musar posted on X that the meeting had been very constructive and that they wanted to see stronger cooperation among the branches of government, while the prime minister's office said in a statement that they broached both foreign policy and domestic topics.

Committee unanimously endorses funds for orphan drugs development

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Education Committee approved, without a vote against, changes to the Scientific Research and Innovation Activity Act, which will provide state funding for the final stages of pre-clinical and clinical development of treatments of rare diseases in children, which are not pursued by the pharmaceutical industry. The changes are being fast-tracked through parliamentary procedure to provide the funding for the development of a treatment for the CTNNB1 syndrome, spearheaded by a Slovenian researcher, a mother whose son suffers from the syndrome.

Online hate campaign targets judges in Janša cases

LJUBLJANA - Following an arson attack that destroyed a judge's home in Brežice in eastern Slovenia, pictures of judges featuring their home addresses have appeared online alongside calls to violence. Justice Minister Andreja Katič said the pictures featured judges involved in cases against Janez Janša, the head of the opposition Democratic Party (SDS). She called on the heads of all political parties to explain to their supporters that enticement to violence is unacceptable. The ministry will "do everything possible" and inform the police about the matter.

MPs looking into alleged use of covert methods on prosecutor

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary commission overseeing security and intelligence services has learnt that a prosecutor at the Specialised State Prosecutor's Office was allegedly subjected to unlawful covert investigation measures by the police centre that was in charge of providing her with police protection, commission chair Janez Žakelj, an MP for the opposition New Slovenia (NSi), told the press.

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).

Slovenian hotel and dormitory in Vienna gets EUR 1.9m injection

LJUBLJANA - Slovenian Sovereign Holding (SSH) carried out a EUR 1.9 million capital injection in Studentenheim Korotan, which manages a Slovenian hotel and student dormitory in Vienna, to enable financial restructuring of the company and ensure better living conditions for students, SSH announced. The state asset custodian said that the capital injection was carried out in accordance with its 2024 annual plan and the new strategy of state asset management, under which Studentenheim Korotan is designated as a strategic investment.

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.

Triglav National Park celebrates 100 years

BLED - The Triglav National Park, the oldest and largest nature conservation park in Slovenia, is observing 100 years since its inception this year. Several events were held to mark the anniversary, among them a celebratory conference at the Bled information centre, which also hosts an exhibition dedicated to naturalist Giovanni Antonio Scopoli. The management of the TNP is considering visitor capacity measures, as the number of visitors has skyrocketed over the past decades to the point of causing dissatisfaction among the visitors and the locals.

Priest Michael Georg Joham honoured by minority

KLAGENFURT, Austria - Austrian priest Michael Georg Joham has been honoured by two Slovenian minority organisations with the Einspieler Award for his work benefiting the Slovenian language and co-existence of national communities in the Austrian province of Carinthia. The National Council of Carinthian Slovenians (NSKS) and the Christian Cultural Association (KKZ) presented their annual award at a ceremony in Klagenfurt on Monday evening.

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.