Toll privilege cuts discriminate against the blind

The Croatian Association for the Blind has said it will go on hunger strike if changes to a new discriminatory law are not made.Vojin Peric, the president of the Croatian Association of the Blind claims that the Law on Public Roads revokes toll privileges only some people with disabilities and discriminates against the blind since not all of them are affected."Those who lost their eyesight in the war still have the right to toll-free roads," says Peric, clarifying that this means that the law is dividing the blind according to the cause of their blindness.For every trip outside of the

UniCredit predicts worse GDP drop and greater deficit

Croatia is the only country in south-eastern Europe UniCredit economists expect to see an increased drop in GDP, correcting earlier estimates from one per cent to 1.5 per cent.The economists say that in other southern and eastern Europe countries they expect to see economic growth for 2010 from 2.8 per cent to 3.1 per cent.Turkey (with 5.6 per cent), Russia (3.4 per cent) and Slovakia (3.5 per cent) have the highest growth, while some other countries like Croatia (with a drop of 1.5 per cent) and Bulgaria, with a predicted drop of one percent, are recovering more slowly.The reasons for

Rapid deny Jelavic transfer talks

Rapid Vienna bosses have dismissed claims they have already started talks with Blackburn Rovers over a transfer of Nikica Jelavic.British sports press reported recently that the Croatian striker had been targeted by Rovers boss Sam Allardyce. They claimed the former Newcastle United manager considered the 24-year-old as a potential striking partner of fellow Croat Nikola Kalinic who joined the Premiership club last year.But Rapid executive manager Alfred Hörtnagl stressed today (Mon): "We know of the alleged interest through the press. There have been no negotiations whatsoever."Speaking to online sports daily LaOla1, the former FC Tirol midfielder pointed out that Rapid

Maradona´s grand-grandfather comes from Praputnjak, Croatia

Argentinean football team coach Diego Armando Maradona's predecessors come from the western Croatian village of Praputnjak, according to historians quoted in the weekly Vrime."Maradona's grand-grandfather Matej Kariolic, the father of the footballer's grandmother Salvadora, comes from the tiny village of Praputnjak. Our local priest has researched it and found it all in church books", pensioner Stanko Kariolic has told to the weekly Vrime.Stanko Kariolic has also said Maradona a few years ago has visited the nearby place of Novi Vinodolski and when asked about his grand-grandfather "he has made a joke asking whether there was some land left to sell".The

Croatians help with Emmy Award nominated film

A movie produced and executive produced by Croats has been nominated for Emmy Awards.Jack Baric has produced and Brenda Brkusic Milinkovic has executive produced Bloody Thursday and they have been nominated in the category Arts and Culture/History."Congratulations to Producer Jack Baric and Directors Jared Cotton and Chris Burke on a job well done", Brenda Brkusic Milinkovic said when speaking to the Croatian Times.The Bloody Thursday documentary has been dedicated to American West Coast dockworkers.

Source: Croatian Times Online News

British girl drowned in Croatia

A young British girl was found dead in Croatia on Thursday after falling from a ship into the sea.The 20-year-old Felicity Geveza was reportedly a trainee on the Safmarine Kariba ship when she fell into the sea close to the northern Adriatic island of Cres.Police found the body and it was transported for an autopsy in a hospital in nearby port of Rijeka. The search for the body lasted for two hours.Police are still investigating the cause of the accident, but Croatian media speculate that a lack of experience caused the deadly fall for the British girl.The Safmarine Kariba sails

Labour unions have over 700,000 signatures

Five union headquarters managed to collect 720,078 signatures calling for a referendum on labour law reforms, the organizers announced today (Thu).They expect the number to continue to grow as not all signatures have been counted.The deadline for turning in the signatures was midnight yesterday. The required number of signature for calling a referendum was 10 per cent of voters, or 449,506 which the organizers surpassed.After their victory, the union leaders announced that they are no longer interested in government suggestions for labour law amendments, but that they are ready to negotiate about their proposals.According to the unions, the government's amendments

Chinese wholesales shopping center comes to Zagreb

Chinese firm Kunlun d.o.o. has signed a multimillion dollar agreement with Austrian landlord Segro d.o.o. for a lease of a16,700 square-metre building in Zitnjak (Zagreb) where it plans to open a shopping centre.The company plans to invest one million Euros in remodelling the space that once housed Bauhaus, with an annual rental fee of 15 million kunas or 2.1 million Euros.The director of Kunlun, Lu Jianjing confirmed the agreement with Segro d.o.o, reached after several months of negotiations.The duration of the lease is 15 years and the building will host wholesalers of clothing, shoes, leather goods, furniture as well as

Jelavic departure nears as Rovers send scouts

Blackburn Rovers are closing in on signing Rapid Vienna star Nikica Jelavic.British press reported earlier this week that the English Premiership giants were interested in producing the striker's services.Now Rovers boss Sam Allardyce said: "The (current Football) World Cup (in South Africa) means a price hike on the international transfer market. We are checking out players in the whole world."Austrian sports dailies claim Allardyce planned to send scouts to observe the 24-year-old's skills in Rapid's next three friendly fixtures against Japanese club Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Austrian third-league team FC  Waidhofen an der Ybbs and Slovak club FK Dukla Banská Bystrica.Portuguese champions

Rovers eye Rapid´s Jelavic

Blackburn Rovers have set their sights on Rapid Vienna star Nikica Jelavic, according to British press reports.Newspapers report today (Mon) that the club managed by former Newcastle United boss Sam Allardyce was ready to challenge Benfica in signing the Croat striker. The Portuguese sent scouts to several Rapid matches in the final weeks of last season to cast an eye at Jelavic.Jelavic came to their attention after scoring four goals in six appearances for his club during last season's Europa League group stage. The national team ace also netted 18 times in the Austrian Bundesliga Rapid finished in third.Jelavic could

Pannonian bicycle marathon starts 26 June

The second Pannonian bicycle marathon will take place at the end of the month, across eight counties in central and eastern Croatia.It will be a recreational rather than a competitive event bringing together clubs from Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and possibly Italy.The cyclists will stop at each county's headquarters and light candles for the soldiers who died during the Homeland War (1991-1995). Each county will also organise presentations of its cultural and tourist offerings.The marathon begins on Saturday 26 of June with the finish line is in Ilok (easternmost town in Croatia) on Thursday, July 1.

Source: Croatian Times Online News

Pannonian bicycle marathon starts 26 June

The second Pannonian bicycle marathon will take place at the end of the month, across eight counties in central and eastern Croatia.It will be a recreational rather than a competitive event bringing together clubs from Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and possibly Italy.The cyclists will stop at each county's headquarters and light candles for the soldiers who died during the Homeland War (1991-1995). Each county will also organise presentations of its cultural and tourist offerings.The marathon begins on Saturday 26 of June with the finish line is in Ilok (easternmost town in Croatia) on Thursday, July 1.

Source: Croatian Times Online News

Pannonian bicycle marathon starts 26 June

The second Pannonian bicycle marathon will take place at the end of the month, across eight counties in central and eastern Croatia.It will be a recreational rather than a competitive event bringing together clubs from Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and possibly Italy.The cyclists will stop at each county's headquarters and light candles for the soldiers who died during the Homeland War (1991-1995). Each county will also organise presentations of its cultural and tourist offerings.The marathon begins on Saturday 26 of June with the finish line is in Ilok (easternmost town in Croatia) on Thursday, July 1.

Source: Croatian Times Online News

Union unites Homeland War veterans and anti-fascism fighters

A union that would combine veterans associations from the Homeland War (199-1995) and those of the anti-fascist struggles in the area of Zagreb will be formed on Friday, the groups future president Igor Jagnic has announced.Jagnic said that the goal is to have five strong associations that would successfully represent interests of all veterans, instead of over 200 that currently exist.The idea for such an organization exists since 1993, Jagnic said, but until now there were no suitable conditions to unite those that had defended Croatia regardless of the war in which they served.The Union would first and foremost try

Pannonian bicycle marathon starts 26 June

The second Pannonian bicycle marathon will take place at the end of the month, across eight counties in central and eastern Croatia.It will be a recreational rather than a competitive event bringing together clubs from Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and possibly Italy.The cyclists will stop at each county's headquarters and light candles for the soldiers who died during the Homeland War (1991-1995). Each county will also organise presentations of its cultural and tourist offerings.The marathon begins on Saturday 26 of June with the finish line is in Ilok (easternmost town in Croatia) on Thursday, July 1.

Source: Croatian Times Online News

Pannonian bicycle marathon starts 26 June

The second Pannonian bicycle marathon will take place at the end of the month, across eight counties in central and eastern Croatia.It will be a recreational rather than a competitive event bringing together clubs from Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and possibly Italy.The cyclists will stop at each county's headquarters and light candles for the soldiers who died during the Homeland War (1991-1995). Each county will also organise presentations of its cultural and tourist offerings.The marathon begins on Saturday 26 of June with the finish line is in Ilok (easternmost town in Croatia) on Thursday, July 1.

Source: Croatian Times Online News

Sturm Graz test Ante Tomić

Sturm Graz have invited a Croat midfielder for a trial, it has emerged.Sport dailies report today (Mon) that Ante Tomić has been joining the team of Franco Foda in training over the weekend.Tomić, who was on loan with Greek club Xanthi in the 2007/2008 season, did not perform in any league matches for Croat champions Dinamo Zagreb last season.Sturm Graz is the former club of Ivica Vastic and Andrej Panadic.Danish defender Dennis Cagara from FC Nordsjælland is currently also on trial with the ÖFB Cup winners who finished the season in fourth place.Austrian defender Joachim Standfest joined Sturm from Austria

Operation Offside evidence shows Brazilian player refused bribes

Brazilian player Amauri Vicente de Jesus Junior refused bribes to rig his team NK Medjimurje's matches by playing a bad game, unlike some of his less ethical team members, anti-corruption officers have said.They added that although receiving an offer of several thousand Euros he refused and forced other team mates who had already accepted the bribe to return the money.In an operation dubbed "Offside" USKOK agents arrested 20 Croatian and two Slovenians for giving and receiving bribes, with profits of between 150,000 to 300,000 Euros per football game.Amongst those arrested are well-known public figures, including soccer players, coaches and organizers.They

Operation Offside evidence shows Brazilian player refused bribes

Brazilian player Amauri Vicente de Jesus Junior refused bribes to rig his team NK Medjimurje's matches by playing a bad game, unlike some of his less ethical team members, anti-corruption officers have said.They added that although receiving an offer of several thousand Euros he refused and forced other team mates who had already accepted the bribe to return the money.In an operation dubbed "Offside" USKOK agents arrested 20 Croatian and two Slovenians for giving and receiving bribes, with profits of between 150,000 to 300,000 Euros per football game.Amongst those arrested are well-known public figures, including soccer players, coaches and organizers.They

Parliament continues debate over signatures needed for referendum

The Croatian Parliament has affirmed its constitutional amendments draft with 123 votes in favour.The question of how many signatures are needed for a referendum remains open. The Social Democratic Party (SDP) has proposed that the current number of 10 per cent of the voting population be lowered to five per cent.Zoran Milanovic, the president of SDP said: "We hope that we understood the Croatian Democratic Union correctly that they too believe that the current high threshold of 10 percent is hardly obtainable."Although the Chairman of the Committee on the Constitution Vladimir Seks agreed with the SDP's suggestion, it was decided

Operation 'Offside' arrests 22 for match rigging

Over 20 people have been arrested on suspicion of match rigging, the Bureau for Combatting Organised Crime (USKOK) said yesterday.In an operation dubbed "Offside" USKOK agents arrested 20 Croatian and two Slovenians for giving and receiving bribes, with profits of between 150,000 to 300,000 Euros per football game.Amongst those arrested are well-known public figures, including several soccer players, the Croatian news portal Index reports.They are suspected primarily of fixing the domestic games of Prva HNL (Croatian Football League), although there is a possibility that some international matches were also rigged.Police have confirmed cooperation with several other countries, although they did

Operation 'Offside' arrests 22 for match rigging

Over 20 people have been arrested on suspicion of match rigging, the Bureau for Combatting Organised Crime (USKOK) said yesterday.In an operation dubbed "Offside" USKOK agents arrested 20 Croatian and two Slovenians for giving and receiving bribes, with profits of between 150,000 to 300,000 Euros per football game.Amongst those arrested are well-known public figures, including several soccer players, the Croatian news portal Index reports.They are suspected primarily of fixing the domestic games of Prva HNL (Croatian Football League), although there is a possibility that some international matches were also rigged.Police have confirmed cooperation with several other countries, although they did

Jelavic rumoured to leave Rapid

Speculations that Rapid Vienna will have to let their two best strikers go have intensified after the club announced the signing of a young talent.The club's executive director Alfred Hörtnagl said today (Tues) Austrian Under-21s national team ace Atdhe Nuhiu will join Rapid for next season from league rivals SV Ried. Nuhiu, who is 197 centimetres tall and signed a three-year deal with the option for another year, has been compared with Stefan Maierhofer, who is 202 centimetres tall, and left Rapid last year for English Premiership side Wolverhampton Wanderers.Rumours that Croat Nikica Jelavic and Albanian Hamdi Salihi will leave

Football star Luka Modric becomes a father

Tottenham midfielder Luka Modric (24) has become a father for the first time.His 27-year-old wife Vanja gave birth to a healthy boy three weeks prematurely in the Croatian capital Zagreb.The couple got married in May after four years of being together.

Source: Croatian Times Online News

Two hundred more soldiers sent to east Croatia

Croatian Minister of Defence Branko Vukelic has said he will send 200 more soldiers to help flood fighting in Baranja, east Croatia, today (Fri).He added he would also send 10 special tracks to help evacuate residents.At the beginning of June the Ministry sent 200 soldiers with full rescue equipment to Oriovce.

Source: Croatian Times Online News

Two hundred more soldiers sent to east Croatia

Croatian Minister of Defence Branko Vukelic has said he will send 200 more soldiers to help flood fighting in Baranja, east Croatia, today (Fri).He added he would also send 10 special tracks to help evacuate residents.At the beginning of June the Ministry sent 200 soldiers with full rescue equipment to Oriovce.

Source: Croatian Times Online News

'Cest is d Best'brings fun at Zagreb streets

The 14th International street festival "Cest is d Best" will be held from 3-6 June in Zagreb.More than 300 performers will take part on five stages in the city's main streets and squares.Cest is d'best, is a festival transforming the streets of downtown Zagreb into a bright world of circus and street theatre for numerous entertainers.This year's interest will be windmills.The first windmill was placed on watch at the main city square Ban Jelacic Square. The installation symbolizes the positive and renewable energy of the Cest is d'Best.

Source: Croatian Times Online News

Famous Croatian journalist Josko Martinovic dies

Award winning Croatian national television, HRT, journalist Josko Martinovic has died from melanoma at the age of 47.

The former war correspondent and TV host died yesterday (Wed) in Rebro hospital in Zagreb after a seven year battle with melanoma,

Martinovic was front man of "Globalno sijelo" a TV show about strange people, places and events and covered events during the Croatian Homeland War in 90s. He was the first TV reporter to arrive in the newly liberated Knin in 1995.

Source: Croatian Times Online News

Robert Kovac retires

Former Croatian national defender Robert Kovac has decided to end his professional career as a football player.He has already informed his club Dinamo Zagreb about his decision, the daily newspaper Sportske Novosti has reported.Before moving to Dinamo Zagreb, Robert Kovac used to play in Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern, Juventus and Borussia Dortmund.

Source: Croatian Times Online News

Robert Kovac retires

Former Croatian national defender Robert Kovac has decided to end his professional career as a football player.He has already informed his club Dinamo Zagreb about his decision, the daily newspaper Sportske Novosti has reported.Before moving to Dinamo Zagreb, Robert Kovac used to play in Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern, Juventus and Borussia Dortmund.

Source: Croatian Times Online News