News roundup - Wednesday, 13 November, until 3pm

Judges condemn hate campaign against judges and prosecutor

LJUBLJANA - The Judges' Association condemned an hate online campaign targeting several judges and a prosecutor sued by the leader of the opposition Democratic Party (SDS) Janez Janša. Social media posts feature the names of four judges and a prosecutor that Janša sued for damages and lost, as well as their alleged home addresses. Moreover, the image of the former Supreme Court president was photo-shopped to include a gun shot wound.

MPs discuss with foreign minister Gaza children asking for asylum

LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon stressed that asking for asylum is a fundamental human right, as she fended off the opposition's criticism after three children from Gaza and their guardians filed for international protection on Sunday while being treated at the URI Soča rehabilitation hospital in Ljubljana. SDS MP Andrej Poglajen believes the request amounted to abuse of the right to asylum. He also asked the minister whether she could assure that "these people had in no way been involved in the campaigns of the terrorist group Hamas".

Telekom Slovenije profit up 17% to EUR 47m in first nine months y/y

LJUBLJANA - Telekom Slovenije, the majority state-owned telecoms incumbent, generated EUR 536.4 million in operating revenue in the first nine months of the year, which is 2% more than in the same period of 2023. Net revenue was up by 2% to EUR 530.8 million and net profit was up by 17% to EUR 46.6 million. The group said that revenue increased due to growth in the number of users and higher sales of IT goods and services. Revenue from financial services, eHealth, and insurance also increased.

Some 12% of Slovenians struggling to make ends meet

LJUBLJANA - At European level, 28% of people are struggling to make ends meet, compared to 37% globally, while in Slovenia, the figure stands at 12%, according to a survey by WIN, the global market and opinion research association, and Slovenia's pollster Mediana. In Slovenia, two-thirds of the population have already cut their costs (42%) or are considering this option (24%) in the coming period.

Ljubljana turning into city of cinema for 35th edition of LIFFE

LJUBLJANA - The Ljubljana International Film Festival (LIFFE) will get under way in the evening with a screening of Alain Guiraudie's Divine Mercy at the Cankarjev Dom arts centre. Now in its 35th edition, LIFFE will feature 91 full-length films and three sections of short films, presented across well-established festival categories. The festival's hallmark section, Perspectives, which focuses on first or second feature films by emerging directors, includes ten film, six of which by women directors.

NGOs call for more digital inclusion

LJUBLJANA - NGOs presented a shadow report on the implementation of the National Strategic Plan for the Digital Decade on digital skills and digital infrastructure. Simon Delakorda from the Institute for e-Participation said that there was no concrete official data on the impact of these measures, so a comprehensive evaluation would be needed. The report also argues that ethical and human rights considerations should be better integrated into digital literacy measures, and that governance of digital transformation policies needs to be improved.

Forum of Slavic Cultures celebrating 20th anniversary

BELGRADE/UŽICE, Serbia - The Forum of Slavic Cultures (FSK), a Slovenia-based non-profit organisation that unites more than 300 million Slavs in 13 Slavic countries, is celebrating its 20th anniversary with two-day celebrations in Serbia. The celebrations will start with a meeting of the FSK editorial board at the National Library of Serbia, and continue with a meeting of the FSK programme board at the Museum of Yugoslavia. The Živa Award for Slavic museums and cultural and natural monuments and the Hundred Slavic Novels collection will be presented in Užice on Thursday.