ZAGREB, 23 April 2022 - A representative of the Croatian Civic Initiative (HGI), one of the political parties representing the Croatian minority in Montenegro, will be a minister without a portfolio in the minority government to be nominated by Prime Minister-elect Dritan Abazović on 28 April, local media said on Friday.

HGI leader Adrijan Vuksanović confirmed to the Montenegrin media that he would be the party's candidate for minister without a portfolio in the new government. Earlier, the party's main committee unanimously accepted the invitation from Prime Minister-elect Abazović to participate in the minority government.

"We consider this an important gesture that will help ensure respect for minority rights and be an important mechanism for their affirmation. This is a strong message to the international and domestic public that Montenegro is following its natural path of multi-ethnic harmony and respecting the contribution from the ethnic minorities in the social, cultural and political field," HGI said.

Ethnic Croats account for about one per cent of Montenegro's population.

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ZAGREB, 23 April 2022 - President Zoran Milanović on Saturday extended his best wishes to the Christian Orthodox faithful for Easter, saying that this holiday always gave hope of a better tomorrow and a victory of the good despite challenges and difficulties faced by people. 

"We live in a time when mutual understanding, nobility and tolerance are needed even more for a victory of the good to create a society in which the difference and dignity of every person will be respected. May this atmosphere of Easter be an additional encouragement to the faithful, and to us all, to build such a society," the president said.

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ZAGREB, 23 April 2022 - Croatia has begun to block the assets of Russian nationals who are under sanctions, the Večernji List said on Saturday, adding that Russian-owned holiday homes, forests and companies have been seized.

Based on the EU sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, Croatia has blocked the property of the wife and sister of Alisher Usmanov, one of the richest Russians, on the southern peninsula of Pelješac, the newspaper said, citing documents from public registers.

It appears that in locating Russian-owned properties in Croatia the Croatian authorities have largely relied on the findings of the Oštro website, the only Croatian website to be participating in the international journalistic project the Russian Asset Tracker, which tracks down the assets of Russians close to President Vladimir Putin.

Oštro has found that Usmanov's wife Irina Viner-Usmanova and his sister Guljbahor Ismailova are behind the off-shore and Croatian companies registered as the owners of the Pelješac properties concerned.

Among the properties seized is a villa in Mali Lošinj, on the northern Adriatic island of Lošinj, which is owned by a company in which Maja Tokareva is a member of the management board. She is a daughter of Nikolay Tokarev, president of the Transneft oil pipeline company, which is also under EU sanctions.

For now there are no indications in the court register of companies and land books that Croatia intends to block a villa in Lozica, an attractive section of Dubrovnik, owned by Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg, or a villa on Šipan island, off Dubrovnik, Večernji List said.

An anonymous source told Večernji List in early March that Putin's friends had renovated Katino Villa and its large grounds on Šipan island for Dmitry Medvedev, now the deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council.

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ZAGREB, 23 April 2022- Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković issued messages on Saturday offering their best wishes to the Christian Orthodox faithful who celebrate Easter according to the Julian calendar.

"May Easter, a symbol of hope, peace and faith, be an inspiration and encouragement to you in overcoming the challenges and tests that lie ahead," the prime minister said in his message, noting that this oldest Christian holiday is a reminder of the universal human values of kindness, solidarity and tolerance.

"May the spirit of this great holiday further strengthen us in our efforts to make the community that we live in an even better place for all its citizens. On behalf of the government and on my own behalf, I wish you an abundance of good health, joy and peace and that you spend this holiday among your families and loved ones," Plenković said.

Jandroković said that the Easter message of hope and peace, at the present time of uncertainty, divisions and the war in Ukraine, promotes solidarity, charity, mutual understanding and respect for the differences among people..

"The atmosphere of Easter fills us with joy and love and inspires us through the strength of faith to celebrate the victory of life over death and of light over darkness. (...) This greatest Christian holiday invites us to find in ourselves the strength of forgiveness and sympathy and to lend a hand of support to those in need," Jandroković wrote.

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ZAGREB, 23 April 2022 - Economy and Sustainable Development Minister Tomislav Ćorić formally opened a solar power plant in Mursko Središće on Friday, saying that the Sobočan company has put this northern town on the European map of positive production trends. 

The project cost HRK 4 million (€533,000), of which 70 per cent was provided by the European Union. Thanks to the solar power plant, as much as 70 per cent of the needs of the Sobočan company for its production processes will be met using renewable energy.

Over the last 20 years, Sobočan has evolved from a small family firm into one of the leading European manufacturers of furniture and equipment for world renowned brands, its founder, Franjo Sobočan, said.

He said that the company had begun its green transition in 2016 by building a wood-waste burning plant, and that now it is one of the leaders in applying solutions based on renewable energy sources.

Ćorić said that with its competitiveness and the fact that it exports about 70 per cent of its production, Sobočan can be an example to the entire industrial sector in Croatia. He said that the company has shown how to cope with competition on the global market and become a success story.

For more, make sure to check out our business section.

April 23, 2022 - The latest flight news to Croatia as 15 TUI Croatia summer flights will run this year to Dubrovnik, Split, and Pula. 

Well-known British tour operator TUI has announced 15 regular flights to three Croatian airports - Dubrovnik, Split, and Pula. All traffic lines, according to currently available data, should start in May, reports Croatian Aviation. 

Namely, TUI is planning 15 international seasonal routes to the three mentioned Croatian airports, with the largest number of operations announced to Dubrovnik Airport, which is not surprising considering that Dubrovnik will be the hub of this tour operator's cruiser this summer season. 

Lines to Dubrovnik:
Birmingham, from 05.05. to 30.10., from one to two flights a week, Thursdays and Sundays,

Bristol, from 12.05. to 30.10., from one to two flights a week, Thursdays and Sundays,

Cardiff, from 12.05. to 27.10., once a week, on Thursdays,

Doncaster, from 12.05. to 27.10., once a week, on Thursdays,

Glasgow, from 05.05. to 27.10., once a week, on Thursdays,

London, from 05.05. to 30.10., twice a week, on Thursdays and Sundays,

Manchester, from 05.05. to 30.10., twice a week, on Thursdays and Sundays,

Newcastle, from 12.05. to 27.10., once a week, on Thursdays,

East Midlands, from 12.05. to 27.10., once a week, on Thursdays.

Lines to Pula:
Manchester, from 10.05. to 08.10., twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays,

London, from 10.05. to 04.10. twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays,

Birmingham, from 11.05. to 08.10. twice a week, Wednesdays and Saturdays,

Doncaster, from 14.05. to 08.10. once a week, on Saturdays.

Lines to Split:
London, from 09.05. to 14.10. twice a week, Mondays and Fridays,

Manchester, from 09.05. to 14.10., from one to two flights a week, Monday and Friday.

Various types of aircraft have been announced on routes to Croatia, from B737 and A320 to wide-body B767 and B787. In total, in the peak summer season, TUI will have up to 24 weekly flights from the UK market alone.

For more on flights to Croatia and other travel announcements, check out our dedicated travel section.

April 23, 2022 - The most important European water polo tournament will be held in Split from August 27 to September 10, and the group draw for the European Water Polo Championship will be held at the symbolic Peristil tonight in a special setting.

Summer is approaching and Split is busy preparing for the European Water Polo Championships, which will take place from August 27 to September 10. It is a big event for the town at the foot of Marjan, the biggest in the last few years, reports Slobodna Dalmacija.

In addition to the tournament, the city is also preparing for the spectacle of drawing the groups. If there is a reason to use the term ''spectacle', it is precisely because there is a lot of expectation for this event, since it will be held in nothing more and nothing less than the imposing Peristil, inside Diocletian's Palace. Especially for this occasion, the organizers made an effort to turn one of the symbols of the city into a real water polo stage.

This is how the Peristil will look for tonight's group draw for the European Water Polo Championship. (Image: Slobodna Dalmacija)

As the organizers pointed out, this symbol of history will be, this time, in the service of sports. The stage will be located at the foot of the main Protiron and the arch under which the emperor appeared in the past. Under the stone columns, there will be an auditorium for about 200 guests, and among them numerous dignitaries from sports and social life.

This new and special image of the Peristil will serve as a great advertisement for Croatia. Tourism, which has long been a cornerstone in our country, will get another boost. During the championship, as many as 28 national teams (12 women's and 16 men's) will be in Split with more than 600 athletes and support staff, along with 100 judges and representatives of the Ligue Européenne de Natation (LEN). More than 300 journalists and 600 people are expected to take part in the organization as well.

These are numbers that speak for themselves. A massive spectacle is being prepared in Split, and its first act is scheduled for tonight at 8 pm when the Water Polo Euro group draw begins on the "new" Peristil. A dynamic entertainment program has also been announced, with numerous audiovisual effects that will give a new glow to the centuries-old stone square.

Drawing groups is a great overture to everything that awaits us in the competition itself. The tournament will be accompanied by a series of entertainment events, concerts, museum exhibitions, congresses ... Guests, both domestic and foreign, will be able to enjoy the varied offer, and all together will once again see what kind of host Split always is.

The whole story about holding the European Water Polo Championship in Split started in 2018. Two pools will be temporarily set up inside the Spaladium Arena, the main one for competitions and the auxiliary one for warming up.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.

April 23, 2022 - 18-year-old Croatian footballer Roko Šimić was RB Salzburg's hero on Friday night and will play in this season's UEFA Youth League final!

You've likely heard a thing or two about wonderkid Roko Šimić, who recently made the list of the 50 best football talents of the next generation according to GOAL, with the Croatian striker coming in at #36. 

“Red Bull Salzburg’s conveyor belt of attacking talent is showing no signs of slowing, with Roko Šimić set to be one of the latest strikers to emerge at the Austrian champions. The son of Croatia legend Dario Šimić, the 18-year-old joined Salzburg for €4m in the summer of 2021 having become the youngest scorer in Lokomotiva Zagreb history the previous season. Šimic, who has been likened to both Erling Haaland and Dusan Vlahovic, has since signed a fresh four-year deal at Salzburg after breaking into the first-team squad, with Real Madrid, Arsenal and Tottenham among those rumoured to be tracking him,” GOAL wrote back in March.  

But Roko's talents aren't just because of his famous father Dario, who you may remember playing the shirts of Inter Milan, AC Milan, and Monaco. 

Namely, the 18-year-old Roko Šimić and RB Salzburg beat Atletico Madrid 5-0. Recall, the Spanish club was better than the Hajduk Juniors this season, with the Split club losing at Poljud on penalties in the playoff round of this competition. 

Šimić was unstoppable against Madrid. In the 15th minute, he brought his team to the lead, while in the 28th minute he scored a penalty for 2-0. But Roko wasn't done - he also assisted Kameri who scored 3-0 in the 44th minute!

In the second half, Sahin scored the fourth goal in the 67th minute and Dikite for 5-0 in the 89th minute.

In the final, RB Salzburg will play against Benfica, which beat Juventus 6-5 after a penalty shootout. After 90 minutes it was 2-2, with Benfica leading 2-0 with goals from Martim Neto in the 3rd and Luis Semed in the 10th minute. But at the end of the first half, Benefica played with a man down and Juventus used the upper hand to equalize at 2-2. The scorers were Chibozo in the 51st minute and Turicchi in the 73rd minute.

The final match will be played on Monday, April 25, at 6 pm. 

To follow the latest sports news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.