Freight Transport not as Badly Hit as Passenger Transport, Ministry Tells Protesters
ZAGREB, Oct 26, 2020 - The Transport Ministry said on Monday, following a protest rally by hauliers in Zagreb, that freight transport was not as affected by the corona crisis as passenger transport and that the government had taken a series of measures to help the transport sector.
The Ministry acknowledged that the transport sector, along with tourism, was one of the most affected by the crisis, but noted that freight transport was not as badly hit as passenger transport.
It said that since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the government had adopted a number of measures to help hauliers.
"Some of the measures were adopted even before the pandemic, such as the refund of excise taxes on freight transport, whereby an estimated HRK 240 million has been refunded to hauliers. No government before has made such a decision," the Ministry said in a statement.
Among the measures adopted by the government was a discount on motorway tolls and exemption from paying a portion of the fee for CEMT permits.
As regards the protesters' demands for exemption from parafiscal levies such as the public television subscription fee and the fee for tourist boards and the cancellation of mandatory membership of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce and the Croatian Chamber of Trades and Crafts, the Ministry said that these matters did not fall within its purview.
As for the border crossing regime with Slovenia, the Ministry said that the present restrictions had been unilaterally imposed by Slovenia.
Based on the statements by representatives of hauliers today, the impression is that their intention is to use local roads and local border crossing points as much as possible, which poses an indirect risk to road safety, while our intention is for trucks to use motorways as much as possible for safety reasons because many people live along local roads, the statement said
The Ministry said it was working on arrangements to improve the flow of traffic at main border crossing points and to reduce wait times for trucks awaiting inspection at the border.
Zagreb Mayor Expects Gov't not to take HRK 900 mn from Fiscal Equalisation Fund
ZAGREB, Oct 26, 2020 - Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandic said on Monday that coronavirus and reconstruction following the March 22 earthquake were the priorities for which the City would have money, and he expects the government not to take HRK 900 million (approx. €119 mn) from Zagreb from the Fiscal Equalisation Fund.
Given the fact that at tomorrow's session of the City Assembly there will be a discussion on the conclusions on the agreements between the Republic of Croatia, Zagreb and Krapina-Zagorje and Zagreb counties on the establishment of a fund for the reconstruction of those areas, struck by the earthquake, reporters asked Bandic where the money would come from.
City's money is in Fiscal Equalisation Fund
"Covid and the earthquake are two priorities for which there will be money. The HRK 900 million in the Fiscal Equalisation Fund, which we have been paying into for 15 years, is the City's money, the money of Zagreb's taxpayers and I expect the government not to take it from the City. That's where the money will come from," the mayor told a press conference ahead of Tuesday's Assembly session.
He said that capital projects such as the extended Branimirova Street or Jarun Bridge would not be at risk, and neither would the Solidarity Fund for the earthquake or anything needed to ensure citizens' health due to coronavirus.
The mayor referred reporters to the Chairman of the Assembly, Drago Prgomet, when they asked him why tomorrow's Assembly session with 51 councillors would be held online, while the parliament, which has 151 members, held live sessions.
The Assembly presidency makes the decision, go ask Chairman Prgomet, he said.
Coach Zlatko Dalic Announces the Croatia Player List for Nations League in November
October 26, 2020 - National team coach Zlatko Dalic announces the Croatia player list for the upcoming Nations League matches in November, when the 2018 World Cup finalists will again have a tight schedule.
As in October, the national team will play three games during the upcoming gathering in November. Namely, Croatia will play a friendly match against Turkey on November 11 in Istanbul, followed by their two final matches in the Nations League - on November 14, they will play against Sweden (Solna / Stockholm), and three days later, they will host Portugal in Split.
Croatia currently sits in 3rd place in Nations League Group 3 with 3 points. Portugal and France are in first and second place with 10 points each. Croatia has only won one game in this Nations League campaign against Sweden earlier this month in Zagreb.
Coach Dalic invited 23 players and eight call-ups, among which is Bordeaux midfielder Toma Basic for the first time.
"We will monitor the condition of all players in the next two weeks and react on time, depending on the situation. I wish all invited players to be healthy so that we can welcome the last matches of this year and finish the competition in the Nations League in a satisfactory position," said Dalic.
The national team will gather on November 9 in Istanbul, and the day after the match against Turkey, they will travel to Stockholm. Croatia will travel to Split immediately after the match against Sweden.
Goalkeepers: Dominik Livaković, Simon Sluga, Ivo Grbić
Defenders: Domagoj Vida, Dejan Lovren, Borna Barišić, Duje Ćaleta-Car, Dario Melnjak, Filip Uremović, Domagoj Bradarić
Midfielders: Luka Modrić, Mateo Kovačić, Marcelo Brozović, Milan Badelj, Marko Rog, Mario Pašalić, Nikola Vlašić
Attackers: Ivan Perišić, Andrej Kramarić, Josip Brekalo, Bruno Petković, Mislav Oršić, Ante Budimir
Callups: Ante Rebić, Tin Jedvaj, Lovre Kalinić, Mile Škorić, Josip Juranović, Toma Bašić, Antonio Mirko Čolak, Marin Pongračić
Source: HNS
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VIDEO: Large Poskok Vipers Seen and Filmed in Vodice
October 26, 2020 – One of the largest Poskok vipers has been spotted in the area around Vodice, another was filmed hanging from a tree
Autumn in Croatia is the time of harvest, when the land gives up its bounty in preparation for winter and spring renewal. Those taking part in the harvest near the Dalmatian town of Vodice are sure to be extra vigilant over forthcoming days as local media has reported sightings of poskok vipers in the local.
One local resident detailed to infovodice.com that they had seen a specimen of almost 100cm in length. This is the maximum size an adult can reach (they are usually only around 85cm). Another of the poskok vipers was filmed hanging from a tree.
Vipera ammodytes is known as the poskok in Croatia. This species of viper is only found in southern Europe and parts of the Middle East. Although commonly called the sand viper, it actually prefers to live on dry, rocky hillsides with sparse vegetation, although it can be found on the edges of woodland and in woodland clearings.
The most northerly regions in which poskok vipers can be found are southern Austria, north-east Italy and Slovenia. They can be found as far east as Georgia, Syria and eastern Turkey. They are most commonly found within the countries of the Balkan peninsula.
© Plamen Grigorov
In Croatia, it's possible to find them living throughout Dalmatia and Istria, on the islands of Krk, Pag, Vir, Ugljan, Pašman, Korčula, Hvar, Brač and Mljet and in the continental regions of Lika, Medvednica, Žumberak, Banovina, Kordun, Gorski kotar, Kalnik, Zagora and Hrvatsko Zagorje.
Poskok vipers are a protected species in Croatia. Although they carry the deadliest venom of any snake to be found in Europe, they do not usually attack people unless provoked. However, they can be provoked unwittingly.
Depending on the region and the temperature, in the autumn months, the snakes can climb into trees. They do so to keep warm and to hunt for birds which, alongside small mammals and lizards, form the base of their diets. They hunt larger prey by first biting with their venom, then tracking the poisoned prey until it succumbs to the bite.
© Andrea Bohl
People are at particular risk to the vipers while they are in the trees as they can unknowingly walk close enough to the snake to make it feel threatened. Between August and the end of October, female poskok vipers give birth.
Poskok vipers can react unpredictably when they feel they are in danger. Some remain motionless and hiss loudly, some hiss and then flee, while still others will immediately attempt to bite. It is this unpredictability that gives poskok vipers their Croatian name – poskok meaning 'jumping' snake. The snake doesn't actually jump, but it can strike and bite faster than any other European snake. It coils itself over the back of its body and then throws its front towards its victim and has a considerable reach when doing so, of up to 40 centimetres.
On average, bites from poskok vipers account for around 25 hospitalisations each year in Croatia. Deaths occurring as a result of a bite are these days extremely rare. Although the snakes can be mistakenly disturbed in the autumn, the most common period for poskok bites on humans in Croatia is actually between May and June. The venom of poskok vipers is used to make antidote serum used to treat bites from all European vipers. Poskok vipers are farmed in some parts of Europe specifically for this purpose.
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Tourism Minister Positive for Coronavirus, Two Ministers Self-isolating
ZAGREB, Oct 26, 2020 - Tourism and Sports Minister Nikolina Brnjac, who attended a meeting at the government headquarters on Saturday, is positive for coronavirus, two other ministers who participated in the meeting are self-isolating while other participants are being monitored, a government official said on Sunday.
Government spokesman Marko Milic said that Labour, Pension System and Social Policy Minister Josip Aladrovic and Economy and Sustainable Development Minister Tomislav Coric, who sat at the meeting next to Brnjac, were self-isolating.
Milic noted that Brnjac had mild symptoms and that her condition was good as well as that she would continue working from home. Members of her family have been told to self-isolate as well.
Coric and Aladrovic will be self-isolating for 14 days.
Milic said that all participants in the Saturday meeting wore face masks during the entire meeting.
All the other participants in the event are being monitored and will have to test for coronavirus, the spokesman said.
Lika-Senj County head positive for coronavirus
Earlier in the day, Lika-Senj County head Darko Milinovic, too, confirmed having contracted COVID-19.
Milinovic said that he would continue working from home and that also positive were all members of his immediate family.
Croatian Medical Chamber Calls on Retired Doctors to Activate Amid Pandemic
October the 26th, 2020 - The ongoing coronavirus pandemic is continuing to deal heavy blows, with the infection rate in Croatia rising to figures that were difficult to imagine back during the beginning back in spring. With capacities filling and medical staff being stretched thin, the Croatian Medical Chamber has called on retired medics to activate and get involved with helping to deal with the result of the spread of the new virus across the country.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 26th of October, 2020, due to the significant deterioration of the epidemiological situation related to the spread of COVID-19 here in Croatian, Minister of Health Vili Beros recently came out and asked the Croatian Medical Chamber to provide the Ministry of Health with data on retired doctors who are willing to re-engage in healthcare duties during the epidemic, each according to their own respective specialisations.
As has since been found out, in the first 24 hours of Beros having made this plea, 23 retired doctors responded to the call of the Croatian Medical Chamber, stating that they're ready to re-activate to try to help cope with the spread of the new coronavirus.
The Croatian Medical Chamber added that they expect much higher numbers of retired medics to respond at the beginning of the next working week.
To brieflty recall, the Minister of Health recently warned that the number of hospitalised coronavirus patients is growing rapidly, as are the number of health professionals who are positive for the virus and as such have been placed into self-isolation, which is why they can't currently participate in treating patients.
Minister Beros asked the Croatian Medical Chamber to submit to the Ministry of Health data on retired doctors who are willing to re-engage professionally, and interested doctors can contact the chamber should they desire to involve themselves amid the pandemic, the invitation reads.
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Crnac in Continental Croatia Boasts Zero Infections Since Pandemic Began
October the 26th, 2020 - The numbers have been rising in Croatia and the amount of newly infected people has surprised even experts in some cases. With major Croatian cities and their respective economies suffering at the hands of the new virus, it's difficult to imagine a place within the borders of this small country that the virus hasn't managed to penetrate - meet Crnac.
Many praise the beautiful Istrian peninsula for its management of the ongoing crisis, but very few even know about the small place in continental Croatia called Crnac, which has boasted zero infections since the very beginning of the pandemic.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, since the beginning of the coronavirus crisis, which penetrated Croatia's first lines of defense back in spring, Crnac, a small town nestled between Virovitica and Osijek in Eastern Croatia, hasn't had a single case of a person testing positive for the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. When it comes to answering the question of what is the secret of their success, Crnac's proud locals say that they respect all of the epidemiological measures, and it is to their advantage that everyone is mainly engaged in agriculture, so they're more or less always outdoors.
"You don't go to bigger cities so much for nights out. Masks are always worn in stores, disinfection is mandatory and young people follow the measures when they're at school,'' said Crnac local Bojan Stojcevic for Vijesti.hr.
As for Crnac's secret weapon, the so-called "magic potion against the coronavirus", they believe that because they are mainly engaged in agriculture, in the vast Slavonian fields, the virus would find it very difficult to spread from host to host. "Agriculture, as our ancestors say, is a factory under the open sky. Our family farms also spend their working hours outside. Maybe the secret is in that,'' said Mato Damjan, the mayor of Crnac.
Utility companies work appropriately and in line with the measures, there are no gatherings in front of shops and cafes, and during masses the measures are very much adhered to. The only ones who bring unrest to this small place and who have broken the rules are - those who come from outside of Crnac, even at a time when they had to have passes in order to enter.
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PM Plenkovic Negative for Coronavirus
ZAGREB, Oct 26, 2020 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic was tested for coronavirus on Sunday and the test has come back negative, government spokesman Marko Milic confirmed on Monday.
The prime minister underwent testing after on Saturday a meeting was held in government offices that was also attended by Tourism and Sports Minister Nikolina Brnjac, who on Sunday tested positive for COVID-19.
The meeting focused on the drafting of a national development strategy for the period until 2030 and a national recovery and resilience plan, as well as on the fight against COVID-19.
Brnjac decided to get tested after she felt symptoms of the disease. Her condition is good and she has mild symptoms, Milic said on Sunday.
Labour Minister Josip Aladrovic and Economy Minister Tomislav Coric, who sat next to Brnjac at the meeting, are self-isolating while other participants in the meeting are being monitored and have been instructed to get tested, Milic said on Sunday.
Croatia Reports 828 New Coronavirus Infections, 15 Deaths
ZAGREB, Oct 26, 2020 - Croatia has registered 828 new cases of the coronavirus infection over the past 24 hours, and there have been 15 deaths, the national COVID-19 response team said on Monday.
The number of active cases in Croatia now stands at 10,919. There are 864 COVID patients in hospitals, and 65 are on ventilators.
Since February 25, when Croatia registered its first case of the coronavirus infection, 37,208 people have contracted coronavirus, 452 of them have died, and 25,837 have recovered, including 1,038 who have recovered in the last 24 hours.
There are currently 26,730 people in self-isolation.
To date, 449,541 people have been tested for coronavirus, 3,973 of whom in the last 24 hours.
Schools in Zagreb may switch to online classes
The head of the Zagreb City health department, Vjekoslav Jelec, said that 558 new cases of the coronavirus infection had been recorded in Zagreb in the past 24 hours.
Jelec underlined that the health system was under strain due to the fact that there was a large number of health workers who were infected or in self-isolation.
He also noted that switching to online classes was a possibility.
17-year-old girl, infected with COVID-19, dies in Split
A 17-year-old girl, who was positive for coronavirus, died in Split on Saturday.
According to unofficial sources, the girl, who suffered from asthma, became ill while at home with her parents. Even though she was quickly taken to a local clinic and then to the KBC Split hospital, the doctors were unable to save her.
A test confirmed that she was infected with coronavirus.
PHOTOS: Plitvice Lakes in Autumn Tones Create Beautiful Contrast
October 26, 2020 – On this day 41 years ago, Plitvice Lakes was included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. A look at the famous park in late October when it is covered in autumn tones.
One of the most beautiful natural sights in Europe and definitely a must-visit place in Croatia, Plitvice Lakes National Park, is known for its magnificent travertine barriers that create 16 clear lakes separated by the numerous cascading waterfalls.
Although Plitvice Lakes are known for the crystal clear water of lakes and green vegetation, in autumn their appearance turns into a real colorful landscape due to the yellow and orange leaves of the surrounding treetops.
Plitvice Lakes are located in the Korana River valley where the travertine barriers block it, and the area of the national park stretches through Karlovac and Lika-Senj counties. Whether it is spring, summer, autumn, or winter, Plitvice Lakes exude their unique beauty at any time of the year, and autumn stands out as it creates a beautiful contrast between the orange leaves of the deciduous forest and the clear green waters of lakes.
Anyone who visits Plitvice at this time of the year will not remain indifferent walking the wooden paths watching the waterfalls that make their way through the diverse vegetation. The lakes are now filled by the contrast of variegated deciduous treetops and clear lake water, as well as the contrast of fast and loud waterfalls defying calm parts of lakes.
A boat ride on the largest lake Kozjak and a train ride on the hilly part of the park allow visitors to even better observe and absorb the coexistence of lakes, forests, and plants. This time of the year, yellow and brown leaves cover wooden paths and edges of lakes where ducks and fish freely swim.
The natural process of travertine is responsible for Plitvice's shape since travertine barriers create lakes and waterfalls, which is why this colorful paradise was included on the UNESCO World Heritage List on this day 41 years ago, but also because of its well-preserved forest and rich fauna.
The first and the biggest Croatian national park, Plitvice Lakes was placed on the World Heritage List as the only natural heritage at the time. Today this list counts as many as 1121 world heritage sites, and 213 as natural heritage.
Alongside Plitvice Lakes, the natural heritage under UNESCO protection in Croatia consists of two more national parks – Paklenica and Northern Velebit, and a group of rocky peaks of Velebit called Hajdučki and Rožanski kukovi made the list too. They are all part of UNESCO's Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe.
The Croatian region of Lika, where Plitvice Lakes and all other UNESCO nature sites in Croatia are located, proves to be rich with natural heritage that is unique in Europe and is worth visiting when in Croatia.
All photos © Donatella Pauković
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