Friday, 30th October, 2009
Miroslav Tudjman meets with Axel Poniatowski
Croatian presidential candidate Miroslav Tudjman met with Axel Poniatowski, the chairman of the French National Assembly's Foreign Affairs Committee, yesterday (Thurs) in Paris.
They discussed Croatia's presidential election in 2010, Croatia's relationship with the European Union and the political situation in southeastern Europe.

"Cancar," a true legend of the Croatian community, roasted a bull on a spit, while the stage was alive with musical and folkloric groups performing throughout the afternoon, including Hrvatska Zora, Antun Mihanovic and Mladi Hrvati (Young Croats), with breaks between performances being filled by local DJs Jana, Rabz, Robii, Stevie Mink, Delco and Prat.
The German duo Bavarian Ehos played traditional Bavarian songs to make the event a  European beer festival.
Renato from Australia and his band Revolver performed pieces from their new album "Nevera" that were very well received by the crowd, with many comparing the sound to that of Croatia's Dalmatino.
Renato 's release of "Nevera" will be held on 13 November at "SpenserLive"  (419 Spencer Street), with every punter getting a free CD with a ticket.
CroArte entertained fans with classic Croatian hits.
The highlight of the evening was Major Minor's performance, together with the filming of their video clip for their new song "Pjesma stara," which premiered at Croktoberfest.
The organizers believe next year's Croktoberfest will be even bigger, with the possibility of attracting mainstream Australians to it.
Organiser Domagoj Dedic said: "At the first Croktoberfest, we had 1,200 people rock up, while the number doubled at the second. Last year, we had 4,000, while this year we had 5,000 - and next year we aim to make it even bigger with a larger and better program to celebrate the fifth anniversary of this huge festival. It shows the potential of Croatian youth. As they say, the world goes on for the young, and it shows there is hope for Melbourne Croatia."
Melbourne Croatia Social Club president Daniel Keas was satisfied with festival attendance.
He said: "We put in a lot of time and money to make sure it was a successful event. We're ecstatic that we've succeeded in awakening our huge community, which has been 'sleeping' over the last few years. Financially, we achieved what we wanted to - and with the profits we will be investing in new things that will hopefully attract youth back to the club. There's no crisis at Melbourne Croatia, and we'd like to thank our sponsors as well as our volunteers, DJs, musicians and folkloric dancers." (www.croatiantimes.com)

are available at Eventim shops or on web site http://www.eventim.hr/portal/hr/.  (www.croatiantimes.com)

Tuesday, 27th October, 2009
Croat wins prestigious Microsoft award
Croat Marin Frankovic, 33, has been named a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP).
A system engineer and trainer for Microsoft Official Courses at Algebra, Frankovic, from Makarska, is one of only three people to have been awarded the MVP title in the field.
Croat Robert Petrunic, also an Alegebra trainer, won the MVP award in the category Enterprise Security last year. (www.croatiantimes.com)

Reporters Without Borders compiles the index every year on the basis of questionnaires that are completed by hundreds of journalists and media experts around the world.
This year's index reflects press freedom violations that took place between 1 September 2008 and 31 August 2009.
All Croatia's neighbouring countries such as Hungary, Slovenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Italy, Serbia and Montenegro are higher ranked in the press freedom index.

she said Croatian law already provided for interrupting games in cases of abuse and violence but added that she was planning to have the law changed to provide for stopping them in such cases.Kosor said: " It seems to me that, until games are stopped, hooligans will not understand what we are telling them."
The latest incident happened during a game between the young Croatian and Serb national teams in Varazdin on Tuesday when a group of Croats shouted insults at the visitors.
In the last five years, 6,429 persons have been arrested for football hooliganism in Croatia. (www.croatiantimes.com)

In the last ten games, Croatia won six times, lost twice and had two draws. It has 20 points and is ranked third in Group 6, one point behind Ukraine.
Many observers have explained that Croatia had too many injuries and bad luck, but, in the end, the result is the same.
The Croatian media have started to speculate about the future of national team coach Slaven Bilic. His players have said he has their support, but Bilic has not said whether he is staying or leaving.
Bilic said: "My contract with the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) ends with qualification play for World Cup 2010. I have to talk with the players, my associates and HNS officials, and I also want to hear fans' opinions. After that, we will see what happens."  (www.croatiantimes.com)

Gilbert and George will hold their exhibition at the new Museum of Contemporary Art that will open on 11 December in Zagreb.
During their press conference, they said their exhibition, as always, would be "art for all." meaning they would present art understandable to everyone.
Asked what they had prepared for their Zagreb audience, they said: "We always observe everything from visitors' perspectives, and we want to seduce them the minute they see our work."
The British artists added the Zagreb exhibition would feature their usual themes: death, hope, life, fear, money, sex and religion. (www.croatiantimes.com)

Lionel Andrés Messi, an Argentine footballer who currently plays for La Liga giants Barcelona and the Argentine national team, is in first place.
As team captain, Srna received a special award for courage from Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko in 2009. Srna's club Shakhtar Donetsk was the first Ukrainian club to win the UEFA Cup by defeating Werder Bremen by a score of 2-1 in Istanbul last May.  (www.croatiantimes.com)

But Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor said she could consider abolishing it earlier because she had been surprised by the large number of Croats who had filed suit against the crisis tax at the Constitutional Court.
In an interview on NovaTV, Kosor said the more than 30,000 suits against the crisis tax had troubled her. But she blamed the media in part because they had encouraged people to file suit.
Kosor said: "Maybe we can abolish it earlier. But I repeat, maybe."
She also said the government had no plan B if the Constitutional Court ruled the crisis tax was unconstitutional.
Kosor insisted that introduction of the crisis tax and higher value-added tax (VAT) had been necessary. (www.croatiantimes.com)

top Europeanand World ophthalmologists and presenting the latest achievements in the diagnosis and treatment of ocular diseases and problems.
Live Surgery, transmission of an operation on the anterior eye segment directly from Dubrovnik General Hospital, is being held today from 9am to 1pm.
The surgeons are top regional experts in cataract and refractive surgery. A wet lab, or operations on artificial eyes, will also be held during the Academy.
The aim is to offer attendees specialized symposia and workshops in which they can actively participate in discussions and hear news about the fields they are most interested in.
The Academy provides an excellent opportunity for attendees to make new contacts and engage in exchanges of knowledge, experiences and surgical skills with colleagues from all over the world. (www.croatiantimes.com)

Parliament Vice President Vladimir Seks said there was no other European country that had obtained its freedom and Independence in such a hard way as Croatia.
Seks said: "The Croatian people had to fight for their freedom, and, 18 years later, I can say Croatia accomplished more than anyone had expected us to. Our current problems and the financial crisis are nothing compared to what we passed through in 1991. So, I am asking all Croats to help us overcome the crisis with the same enthusiasm."
Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor and numerous representatives of cultural, scientific, religious and other institutions in Croatia also attended the ceremonial session. (www.croatiantimes.com)

They discovered the stone sarcophagus and two covers last autumn.The sarcophagus is the first indication of a Roman presence on the island. But considering the specific details on the covers, it is assumed they could also date back to late antiquity (fourth to sixth centuries AD).
The daily Slobodna Dalmacija has reported the team has started a second phase of research. They are planning to prepare a location for the museum under the sea that will be available to all who can swim.
The area is easily accessible since the water there is only three metres deep and there is no need for diving equipment.
Zadar archaeologists are planning to clean the sarcophagus and to mark its location in order to make it available to all swimmers who want to see it. (www.croatiantimes.com)

We did so to protect our players, supporters and property. Our first friendly game will be against the Trnje club, considering that it is celebrating its 85th anniversary. "
A total of 148 Croatian fans of Dinamo Zagreb were detained by Romanian authorities in Timisoara before, during and after the Europa League match with FC Timisoara last week.
They were detained and fined for disturbing the peace by fighting with Timisoara fans.
Some Dinamo fans also attacked club Executive Vice President Zdravko Mamic in Timisoara. (www.croatiantimes.com)

The 76 inscriptions were chosen by the 24 member states of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Heritage, which is holding its fourth session in Abu Dhabi under the chairmanship of Awadh Ali Saleh Al Musabi from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from 28 September to 2 October.
Croatia is the European country and the fourth in the world with the most Intangible Cultural Heritages. China is first.
The seven Croatian inscriptions are: the annual carnival bell ringers' pageant from the Kastav area in northwest Croatia, the festivity of Dubrovnik patron Saint Blaise, lacemaking in Croatia, the spring procession of Ljelje/Kraljice (queens) from Gorjani in the Slavonia region of northeast Croatia, traditional manufacturing of children's wooden toys in Hrvatsko Zagorje, two-part singing and playing according to the Istrian scale. Intangible heritage, which is also known as living heritage, includes traditions such as dance, storytelling, poetry, games, craftsmanship and rituals that have been passed down for generations and provide communities with a sense of identity. The UAE capital has received around 400 official delegations from the 114 countries that signed the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Heritage in 2003./(www.croatiantimes.com)

They are demanding to know why the Croatian government has done nothing to help them.
The Croatian media have announced the government will give 23.5 million kunas or 3.22 million Euros to Croats in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Croatian institutions in Vojvodina said it did not bother them that Croats in Bosnia- Herzegovina had gotten the money. What did, they added, was that, when they asked for financial help, the government told them there was no money because of the financial crisis.
Croatian National Council head Branko Horvat said: "That kind of negligence hurts us a lot. But it seems we have no other solution than to accept that or to fight for better status."
Croatian political analyst Tomislav Zigman is also confused by that situation. He said Croats in Vojvodina got a total of around 55,000 Euros last year, the same amount that will be received by Croats in the city of Mostar in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Zigman said: "That is for sure a bad massage for Croats in Vojvodina. But it happened because Croats in Vojvodina do not have enough influence on important people in Croatia."
The head of the Democratic Alliance of Croats in Vojvodina Petar Kuntic considers that shameful. But Kuntic admitted that Croats in Vojvodina were not involved enough in politics in Croatia.
Kuntic explained: "The number of Croats in Vojvodina who vote in Croatian parliamentary elections is very low. Only 700 vote, a small number compared to the number of them living in Vojvodina, around 56,546. So the question is, can we expect financial help if we do not support the political process in Croatia?" (www.croatiantimes.com)

Researchers contacted the directors and managers of approximately 40 Croatian companies in 13 different industries.
The aim of the study was to find out how much and where the global economic crisis had affected the companies and which opportunities and risks management foresaw.
The study found the construction industry had been strongly affected by the crisis but the pharmaceutical & health-care sectors had been almost unaffected.
The study's key findings show that the crisis has not hit rock bottom yet, and most Croatian companies are suffering from a credit crunch. Around 96 per cent of the companies reported additional difficulties when applying for new credit.
The crisis in Croatia has caused an investment crunch, lower sales and worse consumer payment behaviour. (www.croatiantimes.com)

The expansion project, to be financed by the World Bank, includes construction of a dock for cargo ships 300 metres long.
All seven of the firms on the short list must make binding offers, and the winner will be chosen at the end of the year, according to the newspaper.
Strabag announced earlier this month it had won a 70-million-Euro contract for the building of a sewage-treatment plant in Brest, Belarus as well as a 53-million-Euro contract for construction of a dam at Wady Aday, Oman, and a 61-million-Euro contract for renovation of 110 kilometres of highway in Tanzania.
Strabag said the work in Oman, begun this past summer, would be finished in 28 months and the work in Tanzania would conclude in 2012.
The company also announced in July its subsidiary Strabag Oman had won 75-million-Euro airport contracts in Oman. The contracts include construction of the first phase of the new Sohar airport for 69 million Euros and work worth 6.7 million Euros at Adam Airport.
Strabag beat analysts' expectations at the end of August when it reported profit of 106 million Euros - a 30 per cent year on year jump - in the second quarter of 2009. (www.croatiantimes.com)

With only one click on one of the works of art to be found on the Artoffer site, www.artoffer.com, visitors can order their own personal credit or debit cards.
At the entry site of Franjevic's own internet presentation, one can follow a link that leads to his three painting motifs that can be ordered as a credit card in Switzerland.
Roland Weiniger, member of the board of ArtistGuild, a union of enterprises in the cultural economy, said: "Vlado Franjevic' s co-operation with Artoffer and co-operation between Artoffer and Cornércard reflect the positive relationship between art and business."
Artoffer is said to have 4,000 fine artists as members who are presenting 50,000 artworks in internet Artoffer galleries. Franjevic has been a member since 2001. (www.croatiantimes.com)

Big game fishing aims at catching large fish, mostly blue-fin tuna, swordfish and sharks. The fish are caught mostly by drifting in the water and waiting for a fish to bite.
Punta Rata head Marinko Pavlic told the Croatian Times last year two tonnes of fish had been caught, but the legal limit this year will be 1,300 kilos. (www.croatiantimes.com)

A few weeks ago, Germanwings had said one of the main reasons for its good business in 2009 was the Croatian market. The airline had 235,000 passengers in Croatia from January to July this year, nine per cent more than in the same period last year when it had 215,000.
The company's seat-occupancy ratio increased to 82 per cent, two percentage points more than in the first seven months of 2008. (www.croatiantimes.com)

The daily Business.hr reported today (Thurs) that Otok Deputy Mayor Zvonimir Puco had said 80 couples had already registered.
The town has set aside 20 hectares of land for the project. Town government officials expect 150 to 200 family houses to be built on it.
Puco said couples would get construction permits at the beginning of 2011. He said the project's goal was to get young families to remain in the town.
Puco claimed that Otok was the first town in the country to have such a project. (www.croatiantimes.com)

The organiser, National Centre Prgin, wants the show to become the most-important and biggest autumnal event for the nautical industry in Croatia and the surrounding region. The show features 170 exhibitors, 180 boats and such gear as engines and boat equipment, sports clothing and shoes, diving and fishing accessories and small nautical items.
The fair was opened by Sea Ministry State Secretary Branko Bacic, who praised the organizer for keeping the show at a high level despite the economic crisis. Bacic noted Croatia had two per cent more yachtsmen this year than last year.
He said: "It is not just a coincidence that the Adriatic Boat Show has more exhibitors and boats because Nautical Center Prgin has been working on promotion of Croatian boatbuilding for many years. I have to add that around 100 Croatian companies produce 1,000 boats a year."
Show director Ivana Prgin confessed he had feared there would be fewer exhibitors because of the crisis but fortunately that had not happened.
Prgin added: "The Adriatic Boat Show could be one of the rare international nautical shows to have more exhibitors and visitors than in 2008. We expect at least 25,000 visitors, and the sunny weather will help us in that regard."
Tourism Ministry State Secretary Branko Grgic expressed his delight that the Adriatic Boat Show had become a mainstay of the Croatian tourism industry. (www.croatiantimes.com)

Friday, 18th September, 2009
Lacoste shoes are similar to Croatian Borosana
Croatian shoe producer Borovo launched a new model of its well-known shoe brand Borosana on Tuesday.
Lacoste, a company headquartered in Paris that sells high-end clothing, footwear, perfume, leather goods, watches and tennis shirts, presented new-brand shoes similar to Borosana on Saturday at a New York fashion show. The Croatian media are suspicious since Lacoste's shoes look the same as Borosane and are speculating the shoes could be an imitation.

Cathy Westley, the State Department's Croatian Desk Officer, also met with the NFCA delegation.
It was a very positive eighty-minute meeting with the sixth U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Croatia. NFCA President Steve Rukavina shared with Ambassador Foley a number of details and information about the NFCA such as how the NFCA was founded and some of Federation's accomplishments over the years.  The group discussed at length details regarding the NFCA's serious nine-year campaign to support Croatia's NATO membership, and the NFCA's spearheading of the development of a Congressional Croatian Caucus in the U.S. Congress.  The Ambassador seemed very impressed with the width and depth of issues and initiatives that the NFCA has been engaged in over the last 16 years.  He also stated his willingness to collaborate with the NFCA on matters of mutual interest.
The Ambassador quickly shared that NATO-related military meetings with Croatian military officials will be a heavy focus for him during the first few months in Croatia.  He mentioned that there is a need for much more military cooperation but not a whole lot of new funding -- even though the International Criminal Court issue is now behind Croatia with the waiver signed.  Ambassador Foley cited the need and significance of learning the English language for many Croatian military officers as a key initiative to enhance NATO military meetings over the years ahead.
The NFCA delegation also heard his views about the significance of more business development in Croatia and an increase in valuable American investments in the Republic.  The Ambassador was pleased to hear from the NFCA delegation that many Croatian Americans still hope to invest in Croatia.  In Ambassador Foley's testimony before the U.S. Senate's Committee on Foreign Relations on July 28th, he stated that:  "Croatia still faces important challenges in fully establishing the rule of law and fighting organized crime and corruption against the backdrop of a worsening economy.  However, the economic crisis could yet prove to be an opportunity to address systemic barriers to improved competitiveness and growth such as inefficiencies in the public administration and the legal system.  The key factor is in the understanding of the Croatian leadership and people that the great reform effort needs to be sustained not because of demands from Brussels but because their country's future economic and political health depends on it."
The Slovene-Croat bilateral relationship was also reviewed.  Ambassador Foley reiterated the U.S position that, as a matter of principle, bilateral differences should not obstruct Euro-Atlantic integration.
The NFCA officials shared with the Ambassador their personal beliefs that the Dayton Peace Accord needs to be revised and that there is an immediate need for constitutional changes to ensure equal rights for all nationalities throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina.  The recent Cardinal Vinko Puljic trip from Sarajevo to Washington D.C. was discussed at great length and, most importantly, the issue of property rights in the region was also significantly addressed.
The meeting participants discussed some of the obstacles and specifics that remain regarding the overall bilateral visa issue between the U.S. and the Republic of Croatia.  Lastly, the U.S. Ambassador invited the NFCA President Steve Rukavina to visit him when he travels to Zagreb in October.
Ambassador James Foley has a long U.S. Foreign Service career with recent stints in Afghanistan and as Ambassador to Haiti.  He is formerly from the Buffalo, NY area.

Friday, 28th August, 2009.
Wreckage of Italian ship found in the Adriatic near Dubrovnik
The wreckage of an Italian ship that sank in the Adriatic in 1915 has been found at a depth of 122 metres near Dubrovnik.
The cruiser Giuseppe Garibaldi was found by members of a local diving club. The location of the wreckage had been a secret for 94 years. No other ship wreckage has ever been found at a lower depth.
The Giuseppe Garibaldi was the pride of the Italian navy. It was over 111 metres long and armed with 29 guns. The ship was hit by a torpedo from an Austro-Hungarian U4 submarine.
The daily Jutarnji List has reported the ship was sunk while participating in an Italian attack on the railway between Sarajevo in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Herceg Novi in Montenegro. There are no plans as yet to recover the wreckage (CT).

Friday, 28th August, 2009
Northrop Grumman interested in buying Croatian shipyards
The US firm Northrop Grumman wants to purchase the Kraljevica and 3 May shipyards in Primorsko Goranska county.
Five Croatian shipyards will be privatised at a price of only one kuna or 0.13 Euro apiece (more).

The ten-day cultural event will consist of two exhibitions presenting current Croatian applied and fine arts, featuring over forty contemporary artists working in traditional and non-traditional media, such as ceramics, glass, metal, stone, textile, unique jewelry, product design, paintings, etcThe goal of the exhibition is to introduce exciting art works from Croatia to an American audience,and to promote Croatia as a country with a rich and diverse cultural heritage.
Supported in part by the Consulate General of the Republic of Croatia in New York, along with thesponsorships from the City of Split and the County of Dalmatia, we hope that you will join us insupporting. More info is in Gallery web site http://www.gallerymc.org /HIC/

Tuesday, 23rd June, 2009
Kerum Wins Majority in Split City Council
The city council has been established in Split. HDZ's Tomisla Gojo has been elected to the post of president, while his deputies are Nevenka Becic from the Zeljko Kerum independent slate and SDP's Darko Paric. Following an agreement with HDZ, HSP and independent councillor Ljubica Vrdoljak, Kerum will have the majority in the council, which according to Kerum spells out readiness to compromise and work in peace for the next four years. HRT