Presidential Vote Heads to Second Round

"The first round of the presidential poll in Slovenia has raised more new questions than it answered, with a near three-way tie at the top auguring a politically-charged three weeks in Slovenia ahead of the run-off. Veteran Slovenian politician Lojze Peterle was the victor with 28.54%, well short of the 50% needed for an outright win and below what the polls had forecast for him, as two left-leaning candidates fought it out for second place.

While Peterle looks a sure run-off contender, as even votes from abroad cannot change his lead, it is as yet unclear who will be his rival due to an extremely close finish by former senior UN diplomat Danilo Tuerk and ex-central bank governor Mitja Gaspari. The latest unofficial results give Tuerk 24.52%, ahead of 24.15% for Gaspari for second place. Zmago Jelincic of the National Party, the only candidate who had stood for the presidential office before, got 19.28%."

Source: GCO

Slovenia beats Britain in safe births

"Britain comes only 19th in a worldwide survey of the safest places to become pregnant and give birth. Although Britain makes it into the “lowest risk” category in a new study by Population Action International, it is bettered by some surprising nations, including Cuba, Estonia, Slovakia, Croatia, Slovenia and Singapore.

The league tables, headed by the Netherlands, compares the risks of dying in pregnancy and childbirth by analysing nine indicators. These include the maternal death rate, the infant mortality rate, the proportion of birth attended by skilled health personnel, the prevalence of HIV/Aids, the percentage of women married by the age of 18, adolescent fertility, and coverage of antenatal care."

Source: Times Online