July 27, 2022 - The Pelješac Bridge is open, but what about the Ston bypass and other access roads?

A famous proverb says, "Donkeys will not cross the bridge," but Joško Antunović's donkeys from Kuna Pelješka will cross the Pelješac Bridge. They will go to competitions and exhibitions throughout Croatia after many years since driving cattle through the Neum corridor was forbidden. Thus, donkey trips became less frequent and were made exclusively by the Ploče-Trpanj ferry. 

"We can hardly wait for this bridge; they will certainly cross it," Antunović told Jutarnji List and added: "This is the last round of hay I will drive on the Ploče-Trpanj ferry. Unfortunately, hay cannot be transported via Neum; the paperwork is complicated, so we go by ferry, but it is too expensive."

Joško Antunović and many other residents in the area are thrilled about the Pelješac Bridge, and they will be even happier when the Ston bypass and the Ston bridge are completed. Those ten kilometers will complete the road connection project in southern Croatia.

The Pelješac Bridge stole the glory from the access roads, bridges, viaducts, and tunnels on which no less significant construction works with three bridges, two viaducts, and four tunnels were carried out and are still ongoing. In addition, two viewpoints and crossings for agricultural machines for the local population were also built. Twenty-five kilometers of access roads have been completed, and another smaller section of 7.5 kilometers from Prapratno to Ston, the so-called Ston bypass, built by the Greek company Avax, remains unfinished. On the other hand, the section constructed by Strabag is nearing completion.

The endlessly long public procurement procedure, bureaucratic entanglements, and numerous appeals slowed down the access road project.

"In addition, the Brijesta junction has been completed, which includes a viaduct of some two hundred meters, where the connecting road descends to the local road in Brijesta," engineer Davor Perić explained.

On the mainland, Strabag built an underpass at the Duboka junction and an underpass on the D8, and on the peninsula, among other things, the Kamenice Tunnel, the Doli Viaduct, the Dumanja Jaruga Bridge 1, the Dumanja Jaruga Bridge 2, the Debeli Brijeg Tunnel, and the Zaradeže underpass.

According to the contract, Strabag Hrvatska is in charge of a route with a total length of more than ten kilometers, of which 1,300 meters on the mainland and 9,220 meters on Pelješac, the value of which is HRK 478.3 million.

The longest among the tunnels is the 2.4 km Debeli Brijek, which first broke ground in December 2020. However, while Strabag was successfully working on its sections, Avax ran into problems on the Ston bypass. First, there was a problem with bringing machinery and equipment from Greece, then the pandemic and labor shortage came, and then financial problems at Avax followed. So the construction of the "Prapratno" viaduct, the "Polakovica" tunnel, the "Supava" tunnel, and the "Ston" bridge, with a total value of HRK 511 million, was delayed. Still, they should be finished by the end of this calendar year.

Avax was also affected by the escalation of material prices, especially concrete and steel, which made adjusting the already agreed prices necessary. According to information from Croatian Roads, there will be no price corrections on the Pelješac Bridge because the material was purchased before inflation and disturbances in the world markets, and modifications could occur for access roads. However, such an increase should not exceed 10 to 15 percent of the currently contracted price of the works.

Until the Ston bypass is completed, heavy trucks and trucks transporting dangerous goods will not be able to travel over the Pelješac Bridge so as not to congest Ston and possibly endanger the environment. They will continue to operate the old way via Neum.

The maximum permitted driving speed on the Pelješac Bridge will be 90 kilometers per hour, which, as on the access roads, will be regulated by dynamic traffic signals, which will be managed from Zaradeže.

The Pelješac Bridge, with part of the access roads, shortens the journey from Zagreb to Dubrovnik by two hours. Kilometer-long queues and hours-long waits at the Klek and Bistrina border crossings are no more. 

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.

July 27, 2022 - There is a rising star in the world of copywriting and content creation on LinkedIn. Meet a young lady whose free advice is helping many as she continues to grow - Dina Calakovic, based in Madeira, Croatia and Scarborough in the UK.

Two months ago, I had never heard of Dina Calakovic, but today I eagerly await her next post on LinkedIn when I log on each morning. We have never met, indeed only exhanged a couple of LinkedIn requests and some emails for this interview, but in the few weeks since I came across her on LinkedIn, I have read most of her posts, started implementing some of her suggestions 17 days ago, and completely changed my business model. 

I have yet to implement 95% of Dina's advice (there is SO much, and it is SO good), but after just 17 days and 5% of her ideas implemented, I have grown my LinkedIn following organically by 25% (more than 1,200 new followers) and attracted 10 business enquiries, one of which has already paid. 

LinkedIn has become my new social media home, a combination of useful business tool, incredible free university, and positive mindset. And people like Dina are doing amazing work paying it forward to help others, while developing their own businesses along the way. 

It is time to meet this young lady...

Dina Calakovic describes herself as a professional copywriter who also runs a marketing consultancy.

She is a health freak, loves boxing & dancing, gangsta rap, and is very passionate about her business. She claims to suck at numbers, and discovered her purpose with writing.

1. Full disclosure, a few months ago I and many on LinkedIn had never heard from you, but now you are absolutely my favourite person to follow on LinkedIn for your amazing advice, and I am now one of almost 30,000 fans. Tell us first where did you come from and how did you get here?

Wow, thanks for your kind words - it means a lot.

I started posting in October 2020. Back then I had only 700 followers.

At first, my purpose was to attract high-ticket clients as a freelance copywriter.

I wanted to build Authority in my industry, and make potential clients chase me, not vice versa.

It was quite a challenge because I was a newbie, competing against senior copywriters who have 10+ years of experience, huge portfolios of work, and have worked with big brands.

But I knew exactly what I needed to do to get there.

So here are the exact 10 steps I took, opposite to most copywriters: 

1. I've never worked for an agency. You'll hardly earn big $$$ working for somebody else. 

2. I've studied copywriting for 10hrs/day a year before I started writing for clients. Instead of starting with little knowledge & charging small fees, I wanted to start big. 

3. 12 months before I'd started studying copywriting, I've learnt everything I possibly could about LinkedIn. And created the Authority Building Strategy. 

4. Once I was armed with copywriting & LinkedIn knowledge, I started sharing copywriting advice in my posts. 

5. I made sure to use the "SHOW, DON'T TELL" principle. That's how you prove your skill, regardless of the number of projects you have in your portfolio. 

6. Instead of posting often, I was posting 2x/week. Each of those posts took me 2-3 hrs to create. I was focusing heavily on Quality. 

7. Besides posting, I made sure to write a killer LinkedIn Profile. I knew prospects will be looking at my profile before deciding to buy. 

8. I was writing pro bono for my friends who already had businesses. They were amazed with the quality of my work, and the word got out. 

9. I was investing a lot of time into networking, helping people & building my LinkedIn tribe. 

10. I had the "you need me, I don't need you" attitude on sales calls, even though my wallet couldn't back it up. It worked.I landed my first client after 4 weeks of posting on LinkedIn, and the rest is history.

2. You started a business with a partner over a year ago, and you only met in person for the first time this week. Tell us how that worked.

We met back in March 2021 on LinkedIn. Stevan's posts caught my eye, and we started talking.

He blew me away. Not only did he have extensive marketing knowledge, but he was also an amazing human being. 

At the time he was working in a startup that was going nowhere, his wife was pregnant with their second child, and he was making no money.

Meanwhile I was teetering on the edge of burnout, working 24/7, and desperately needed help.

After he decided to quit his startup, I asked him to help me out with some projects.

He accepted, and our first mutual copywriting gig was a major success. It was a LinkedIn Profile for a Senior Executive looking for a job.

Long story short, the Profile we wrote attracted Recruiters from Microsoft, Amazon, and Zalando.

Soon we had more work to do. So one project quickly became 3, 5, 7.

After that, starting a company together was a no-brainer. :)

We finally met in person last week, and had an amazing time!

3. You write brilliantly and consistently with free copywriting tips on LinkedIn, strongly advocating for the power of LinkedIn as a place to write original content. Why are you so passionate about LinkedIn, and why do you think LinkedIn is different?

What I absolutely LOVE about LinkedIn is that it's a very supportive platform, full of positivity and encouragement. People will go the extra mile to support you and help you out. Not to mention you can learn a lot, especially if you carefully choose who to follow.

But keep in mind that you need to first find out where your target audience is. It makes no sense to invest all of your efforts into LinkedIn if your target audience is on IG for example.

LinkedIn is a great platform for service providers, especially for high-ticket services, so if you're one - LinkedIn is a place to be. :)

4. In your latest post on 7 reasons why you should start writing on LinkedIn, you claim that "You won't need to chase business opportunities. Ever again." Is that really true? Can you give some real life examples?

It is.

If you know how to build Authority on LinkedIn, and position yourself as a "go-to" person in your industry, you will never ever need to chase people, clients, jobs, or projects again. All the juicy opportunities will be chasing you instead.

I've never sent a single outbound message, never been a member of pods, never paid for LinkedIn ads, or any automation tools, and managed to grow a highly engaged audience in just a couple of months by writing quality content.

Within 9 months, I was already receiving 5 business inquiries a day.

The best part is - not only do you attract inbound leads with your content, but you also attract people that resonate well with you.

Like attracts like, and your content will attract people you actually enjoy working with. There's nothing more rewarding than that.

5. Your top 5 copywriting tips for people starting out in the space with a low marketing budget?

Low marketing budget? Start writing.

Buy a couple of e-books from reliable sources (they are always relatively cheap), educate yourself, and just start.

- If you write 1 post a day,

- Every month you'll publish at least 20 posts.

- If each post lands you 100 eyeballs,

- That's already 2,000 people being aware of your brand.

- In one year we're talking about 24K potential clients. 

Use that potential.

Here's how:

1. The first sentence needs to grab attention. (the Hook) 

2. Make it about the reader. They are the Hero, not you. 

3. Delete 50% of the words. Cut to the chase asap. 

4. Form is important. People rarely read big chunks of text. 

5. Either share another perspective on the subject, actionable advice, or motivate. Combo works like a charm. 

6. You gotta give it your all. If you feel like your advice is not helpful enough, rewrite. 

7. Use data & numbers as much as possible to back up your claims.

A bit more than five, but it'll do.

6. You recently wrote and published an excellent e-book, LinkedIn Hook Templates: Start Your Posts Like a Pro. Tell us a little about it, and what kind of reaction you have had (full disclosure, it is the first ebook I have bought in 15 years)?

Yup, the Hook book was our first product, and recently we published our second ebook "15 Steps To Writing a Killer LinkedIn Profile".

What is it all about?

Hook is the first sentence of your LinkedIn post, and its job is to stop the scroll, and grab people's attention - so they keep on reading.

But the thing is - there are thousands of posts on people's feed, and grabbing attention is far from an easy job.

Even if you write the most valuable post out there, chances are nobody's gonna read it if your hook sentence is weak.

That's why we made 67 copy-paste Templates with examples that you can use to start your posts, and spark curiosity with ease.

We made the Templates from my posts which got us from 0 to 1,500,000 Post Views and 5 Business Inquiries per day on LinkedIn in just 9 months.

Our second product is the 15-Step Framework behind the Top 0.1% of LinkedIn Profiles.We basically described in detail the exact 15 Steps we took to write dominant LinkedIn profiles that provoked instant responses from giants like Amazon, Microsoft, and Zalando SE.Plus, we included top picks from our best performing clients' profiles. We've broken down each profile, showing you exactly which techniques were applied where - so you can steal from the best we have, and turn your profile into your 24/7 Sales Rep.

The reaction was amazing. You can check out the testimonials we got on our products' landing pages.

P.S. We already have one freebie ready to go out along with our Newsletter launch soon, and more products to come of course. :)

7. And finally, what's next for Dina Calakovic?

A newsletter where we plan to give out even more value to our audience, show them what to do short-term, and how to think long-term.

We are also going to launch more digital products, which will help our audience to attract & convert clients with writing. 

Personally, lots of travel with my boyfriend Simon, gym, and good food. :)

You can follow Dina Calakovic on LinkedIn.

****

What is it like to live in Croatia? An expat for 20 years, you can follow my series, 20 Ways Croatia Changed Me in 20 Years, starting at the beginning - Business and Dalmatia.

Follow Paul Bradbury on LinkedIn.

July 27, 2022 - From Split to Los Angeles, world-famous photographer Jadran Lazić will open an exhibition at Palace Elisabeth in Hvar town tonight, showcasing 50 years of his work. 

The exhibition opening of the world-famous Split photographer Jadran Lazić, entitled 'Jadran Lazić: 50 Years of Photography', will open on Wednesday, July 27, at the Palace Elisabeth hotel, in the hotel's Red Salon, starting at 8:00 pm. 

The exhibition includes photographs taken across fifty years of intensive and dynamic work shooting actors, singers, football players, and others whose lives gained mass popularity in international media. The exhibition will also present a monograph of Jadran Lazić's photographs, which come in two volumes of 900 pages, offering a visual time machine of 20th-century glamour. 

This year, for the first time, the Red Salon, which is part of the Palace Elisabeth Hotel, was transformed into a unique gallery that offers visitors a special cultural experience. The space is ideal for events, conferences, and events for up to 80 guests. As an integral part of the Palace Elisabeth Hotel, the space is recognizable by its authentic atmosphere and high ceilings, which sets it apart from other event venues.

The exhibition 'Jadran Lazić: 50 Years of Photography' will be open until October 20, and visitors can see it every day from Monday to Sunday. Jadran Lazić will officially open the exhibition tonight! 

Lazić was born in Split in 1952, where he started working as a photojournalist as a high school student and then as a photographer of pop stars, actors, and athletes of the time. He then headed to Paris and secured an engagement with the reputable Sipa Press agency. From being a paparazzi, Lazić quickly became a professional photographer that covered numerous important events. His photos were published by elite magazines such as Time, Newsweek, Paris Match, Hello, Gale, Stern, People, and Style.

Today, Jadran Lazić lives half the year in Los Angeles and half in Zavala, Hvar. Lazić has not stopped as a photographer, either, and owns a photo agency in Los Angeles, where he has lived since 1987. 

Lazić's portraits of film, music, sports, art and other stars are collected in his monographs, including Jack Nicholson, Marlon Brando, Robert De Niro, Elizabeth Taylor, Sean Penn, Mila Jovovich, Jean-Claude Van Damme, David Bowie, Sean Connery, Faye Dunaway, Jodie Foster, Bianca Jagger, Jimmy Carter, Chuck Norris, Shanon Doherty, Brigitte Bardot, Sofia Loren, Richard Gere, and more.

The two-volume edition was printed in a thousand copies, of which 750 in Croatian and 250 in English. The deluxe edition allows buyers to choose one of Jadran's ten best photos, signed and numbered. The monograph price is HRK 2,000 for the standard edition and HRK 4,000 for the deluxe edition.

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, 26 July 2022  - The passage of the first cars over Pelješac Bridge on Tuesday marked the opening of this structure to traffic at a ceremony that included a firework display, torches on boats sailing near the bridge and the ringing of church bells.

After 304 years, the bridge put an end to Croatia's territorial discontinuity which was created by a 1699 peace treaty under which the Dubrovnik Republic, or the Republic of Ragusa, ceded the stretch of the coast around Neum to the Ottoman Empire.

The ceremony of its inauguration started at 2015 hours at the Komarna rest area and on that occasion a special composition by pianist Matej Mestrović was performed.

The programme also included a performance of the Anthem of Europe and Croatia's national anthem, and the screening of a video showing the construction of the bridge over the past few years.

Speeches were delivered by Croatia's top officials President Zoran Milanović, Sabor Speaker Gordan Jandroković, and Prime Minister Andrej Plenković after the Croatian road operator (HC) management board chairman, Josip Škorić, and Transport Minister Oleg Butković as well as representatives of the local authorities addressed the event.

On behalf of the European Commission, President Ursula von der Leyen and EC Vice President Dubravka Šuica addressed the ceremony, and a video message by Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang was shown.

The programme featured the sailing of traditional vessels, local "Dubrovački Trombunjeri" men clad in historical uniforms, and motorbike associations of Homeland War veterans.

The ceremony ended with a fireworks display around 10pm when two Croatian-made cars, a Nevera from Rimac Automobili and one built by Croatian racing driver Niko Pulić, drove across the bridge

Regular passenger car traffic starts on the bridge at midnight Tuesday.

July 26, 2022 - Dinamo advanced to the Champions League 3rd qualifying round after beating Shkupi on a 3-2 aggregate on Tuesday. After 2-2 in Zagreb, Dinamo won in Skopje with a minimal 1-0.

The match and overall winner were decided early in the second half. In the 47th minute, Dinamo's captain Arijan Ademi was the only scorer in Skopje. In the 3rd qualifying round, Dinamo will play against the Bulgarian champion Ludogorets.

Dinamo opened the match a bit slow, but it didn't take long for the Croatian champion to start threatening Shkupi's goal. Ivanušec and Špikić tried first in the 13th minute, and Bruno Petković found himself in an even better situation with a header five minutes later. Shkupi was dangerous in the 21st minute but couldn't find the back of the net. 

By the end of the first half, Dinamo still had two great opportunities and wholly dominated the first 45 minutes. In the 35th minute, Špikić had a great chance, and in the 41st, Shkupi was even closer to the goal. Petković was alone in front of the goal in stoppage time, but the first half ended 0-0. 

Dinamo took the lead at the start of the second half when Luka Menalo assisted Ademi, putting them ahead 1-0! 

Three minutes later, Menalo's goal was called offside. Petković and Menalo worked to score a second goal, but Shkupi remained solid in defense to deny the Croatian champion.

Dinamo worked hard to stay ahead and avoid the match going into extra time. They ultimately succeeded as the match ended 1-0. 

In the Champions League 3rd qualifying round, Dinamo will play against the Bulgarian champion Ludogorets. After 3-0 at home, Ludogorets lost 1-2 to Irish club Shamrock Rovers. Ludogorets played almost the entire second half with a man down. 

On August 2, Dinamo will first visit Bulgaria, while the second leg will be played at Maksimir Stadium one week later. 

Source: HRT

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

ZAGREB, 26 July 2022 - The ceremony of the formal opening of Pelješac Bridge began on Tuesday evening at the Komarna rest area where numerous office-holders, guests and citizens came to attend this event.

The importance of Pelješac Bridge for Croatia is multiple. In the economic sense, it improves road connectivity with the southernmost parts of the country and thus facilitates the local economy. The improved connectivity enables better access to healthcare services and education for local residents.

The EU-funded project has enabled Croatia to restore its territorial continuity after 304 years. The territorial discontinuity was caused by a 1699 peace treaty under which the Dubrovnik Republic, or the Republic of Ragusa, ceded the stretch of the coast around Neum to the Ottoman Empire.

The bridge provides a direct road link between the southernmost part of Croatia and the rest of the country, which is currently cut off at Neum, where Bosnia and Herzegovina has access to the Adriatic Sea.

Work on the bridge officially started on 31 July 2018 and the bridge was fully joined together at a ceremony on 29 July 2021.

The entire project, including access roads, cost €525 million, of which €357 million was secured as a grant from the European Union.

ZAGREB, 26 July 2022 - Pelješac Bridge is a prominent project for promoting Chinese equipment, technology and know-how in the construction industry in Croatia and globally, and it will deepen mutually beneficial relations between China and Croatia and the EU, China's ambassador to Croatia has told Xinhua News Agency.

The project has been supported and followed with great interest and appreciation by the leaders of both China and Croatia, Qi Qianjin told Xinhua, as reported by China Daily on Tuesday.

He praised Chinese enterprises that have overcome the adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and completed the project on schedule.

The diplomat called Pelješac Bridge a symbol of the fruitful cooperation between China and Croatia within the framework of a broader cooperation scheme between China and Central and Eastern European Countries (China-CEEC Cooperation). 

Qi was quoted by Xinhua as saying that the bridge, the largest infrastructure project undertaken so far by China in Croatia, was a symbol of good cooperation between China and Europe.

The project greatly contributed to economic growth in Croatia and more broadly in Europe, as it employed over 250 local people, while it also helped to cultivate engineering, technical and management skills, thus effectively driving the development of local enterprises and promoting Croatia's economic and social development, Qi said

A total of 18 design and consulting enterprises and 45 construction companies in the EU, as well as 112 global equipment and material suppliers, participated in the project, he said.

Chinese enterprises strictly followed relevant environmental protection regulations of the EU and Croatia to minimize the impact of the project on the surrounding environment, he added.

Qi said he had been aware of the worries of local oyster producers concerning the possible negative impact of the construction project on the quality and volume of oyster production at the nearby Ston Bay.

However, thanks to the highest environmental protection standards observed throughout the project, no negative impact has been observed. On the contrary, the bridge has opened up new sales routes, Qi added.

The opening of the new bridge is expected to further deepen the mutual political trust between China and Croatia, strengthen the alignment of the development strategies of the two sides, and expand cooperation in various fields such as economy and trade, Qi said.

In summary, it will take the comprehensive cooperative partnership between China and Croatia to a new level, he added.

ZAGREB, 26 July 2022 - Slovenia on Tuesday sent a letter of congratulations to Transport Minister Oleg Butković on the inauguration of Pelješac Bridge, describing it as a historic day for Croatia.

"Congratulations to Minister Oleg Butković and all in Croatia on this historic day and opening of the bridge that will make Croatia territorially whole," Infrastructure State Secretary Alenka Bratuš, said in her message on social networks.

She also welcomed the fact that the main designer of the bridge is Slovenian architect Marjan Pipenbaher.

"This has particular importance and reinforces the good-neighbourly relations and friendship between our countries," says Bartušek, a former Slovenian PM.