February 25, 2021 - A 4.1 magnitude earthquake rocks the Dubrovnik area Wednesday night. 

Index.hr reports that at 23:07 on Wednesday night, a short but strong earthquake was recorded near Dubrovnik.

The EMSC first reported that the quake had a magnitude of 4.3 on the Richter scale, but the Croatian Seismological Service announced that the magnitude was 4.1.

The epicenter was reported 20 kilometers northwest of Dubrovnik, according to the Seismological Service.

It was 'strong and fierce', 'it woke us up','it was very unsettling','rumble and trembling','short but strong','it woke me up, you could really feel it!' are just some of the residents' comments published on the EMSC website.

Apart from Dubrovnik, the earthquake was also felt by the inhabitants of Mokošica, Zaton, and  Orašac.

There is no information on material damage.

To read more news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

February 24, 2021 – TCN recently interviewed Josipa and Matija on their 1,100 kilometers long journey, and now this Croatian couple completed the Via Adriatica trail with success... but not without the headache of the demanding Croatian mountain regions and changeable and unpredictable weather conditions.

Josipa and Matija set off on the Via Adriatica trail on January 1, 2021, starting from Prevlaka, the southermost peninsula in Croatia. The last time we talked to them was one month ago when they were at Svilaja mountain, not even half of their journey. Yesterday, after 54 sunny, rainy, snowy, foggy, and windy days, this Croatian couple completed the Via Adriatica trail.

In the meantime, the Dinara mountain, a newly declared Croatian 12th National Park, amazed them the most, while Velebit mountain showed all of its natural power and broke them with snowstorms. However, after successfully overcoming all the climbs, peaks, sections, weather troubles, they finished their journey at Cape Kamenjak in Istria.

Lost in a minefield

Since Svilaja mountain, when we last heard from each other, the weather conditions created many problems for Josipa and Matija. First, due to the heavy rain, they could not move from the shelter for three days, and the weather forecast was getting worse and worse. They had to move on because there was no point in waiting anymore.

On the Dinara mountain, on the way to a shelter called "Vjetre s Dinare" ("Wind from Dinara" meaning Croatian stormy wind bura), they went through the fog, rain, icy rain, wind, and finally – through a minefield.

"We followed the markings, which at one point got lost because there was snow. It was a thick fog. We didn't see anything; the GPS didn't work either. So we went on our own about 200 meters. We saw a board in the distance, turned backward on us. We thought we would see something written on it, some marking! We climbed up, turned, and looked – 'caution, minefield, please don't pass this way.' I can't describe how we felt at that moment, without a trace, in the middle of nowhere. Besides, we were followed by a dog, a Turkish Kangal, which normally eats wolves," describes Josipa the moment when her whole life passed before her eyes.

Still, they somehow managed to get to that "Wind from Dinara" shelter, apparently so named for a reason. However, that's where another struggle started – lighting a fire.

Real Himalayan conditions on Dinara

All the wood was wet, and Matthias struggled to light the stove. Due to the rain falling for the previous three days and over which the snow was falling, their boots were completely wet. Wood splitting and lighting a fire caused them many problems on the way, which, they admit, took a lot of energy and nerves.

"This whole heating situation was forcing us day after day to pick up bags and warm-up, so we went to bed around 7 pm every day," says Josipa.

Mountain lodging Rupe on Dinara

On Dinara, they felt the power of the bura wind for the first time, which even extinguished the fire during one night in the shelter. All the smoke entered the small house, and all attempts to ignite the stove failed.

"It was freezing, minus 10 degrees Celsius, and the feeling reached minus 20 degrees with 110 km/h of gusts of wind. We experienced real Himalayan conditions on the Dinara," says Josipa.

Fortunately, they had warm sleeping bags with them – that were even too hot! Josipa and Matija couldn't believe that they were lying in a room while it's minus degrees while being hot in feathered bags. That's what it means for a mountaineer to have the right equipment. Still, they took advantage of those windy days to take photos and enjoy.

Mountain lodging Pume on Dinara

In the end, they had to leave the shelter and, despite a strong bura wind on which was difficult even to stand, let alone walk, they moved on. As the sun always comes after a storm, the weather finally calmed down, and it was beautiful.

Dinara – idyllic, fascinating, special, spacious, beautiful

The path towards Lišanjski Peak, the highest peak of the southern Dinara, they say, is a magical place that cannot be described but must be experienced. It is also the furthest point from civilization on the entire route.

"You are in the middle of nowhere. There is nothing in sight, no city, no roads, and everything around you is white. Everything is full of white peaks and hills. Idyllic. If someone threw me here and asked where I was, I would certainly not say that I was in Croatia," says Josipa.

Josipa on Dinara

Matija on Dinara

And Lišanjski Peak itself is fascinating – you can see Bosnia, Dinara, the Cetina River source. In those hours and 15 minutes of climbing, they saw many fresh traces of bears, but (fortunately) no bear jumped out in front of them.

That part of the trip was the most beautiful, they agree. The weather was good. They even walked in short sleeves, though the snow had not yet completely melted. This incredible experience will remain in their memory forever. And when they descended to the source of the Cetina, Lišanjski Peak seemed so far away. An exceptional experience, unique energy, and a special ambiance, they say.

The source of Cetina River

For Sinjal, the highest peak of Dinara and Croatia, they have no words. Now that they saw it under the snow, it seemed ten times more magical than in September when they first experienced it.

"We were standing up at the top, watching, and we couldn't believe where we had come. On one side, you see Biokovo that we passed. On the other side, you see Velebit that's waiting for us. We were proud of each other and ourselves. I get little chills when I think of that part," admits Josipa.

Dinara

Dinara

"Dinara is so spacious, so beautiful. Of all the mountains on this road, the Dinara has remained most etched in my heart and memory," says Josipa.

Velebit – almost giving up

They walked an average of 25 to 30 kilometers a day to the Dinara, and since they came to Velebit, they had been moving like snails. The weather conditions did not allow them to move faster than 10 kilometers a day.

On Velebit, they again got in a minefield, more precisely a demined area, also due to fog. The fear from Dinara returned. Everything around them was white – down because of the snow, up because of the mist, or clouds in which they were. They were disoriented. Then they realized that it was too dangerous to continue the journey.

Apart from the weather – alternating rain, south wind, bura, minus – their problem was every arrival at the next shelter. There were tears in those moments, they admit.

Šugarska Duliba on Velebit

There were some challenging days along the via Via Adriatica trail for this Croatian couple

They could not continue in the rain, especially in the thunder, because it is common knowledge that many mountaineers die due to thunder. However, luck was on their side. One friend drew their attention to a shelter that was not marked on the map, making their journey and planning easier.

On Velebit, they experienced a storm of all storms, with bura gusts of 150 km/h. In places where it pounded them, they barely adhered to sticks, arms, and legs. In one part, the bura even lifted them off the ground.

Josipa on Velebit

"Right in front of Baške Oštarije, where a warm bed and meal was waiting for us, the bura was blowing so much that it lifted us off the ground. If we were a pound lighter, we would probably fly into the air," says Josipa, adding that bura and cold take the most energy.

On the famous Premužić trail, cut into the slope, they thought it would be easy. However, when the snow fell, everything froze, and the track did not exist. It cost them time, energy, and nerves. It was a mental and physical breakdown, a difficult period.

"When the weather is great, the terrain is a disaster, and when the terrain is great, the weather is a disaster. Eternal struggle on our path. We were both sad and disappointed after Velebit because of that. Biokovo and Dinara got along so well, then we came to Velebit, and we thought it would be great because it's familiar to us," says Josipa.

Josipa on Premužić trail on Velebit

Generous help from friends, family, and even strangers

Just before the end of the Via Adriatica trail, in Gorski Kotar, they could barely make their way through the fog, which is why they could not even enjoy the beautiful views. By then, they were slowly fed up, on the verge of giving up, but then, as always in life, friends jumped in. Unselfish support from friends, colleagues, but also strangers came from all sides and gave them extra wind in their backs so that they would not give up when there are already so many successfully traversed sections behind them.

Josipa and Matija on Vojak – the highest peak of Učka mountain in Istria, at the very end of their journey

At Cape Kamenjak, their final destination, they were greeted by family but also by a few unknown people who were supporting them online. Friends couldn't welcome them because of work, but they're preparing a party on Saturday to frame and mark this whole story.

Although they hoped to finish the trail in mid-February, the weather proved to them to be patient and that sometimes things had to go according to nature's plan, not human's. They became patient with each other as well.

"When you spend so much time together, 0-24, you have to make some compromises. As a couple, we function very well, and we support each other when it is hardest," says Josipa.

Josipa and Matija on the Sinjal Peak – highest peak of Dinara and whole of Croatia

Except for roe deers and a few lynxes, they didn't see any wild animals along the way, only a multitude of wolves' and bears' traces, small and large. Also, they were mostly alone along the way, occasionally accompanied by a group of other mountaineers, as well as some beautiful and lovely dogs. However, as they say, they would not survive this trip without the generous help of their friends from Mountaineering Association Vrlovka, who would come and wait for them along the path to give them food and equipment. The fearless team of that mountaineering association even walked with them on Velebit's part while a strong bura wind was blowing, providing Josipa and Matija immense support.

'We wanted to promote the beauty of Croatia, Via Adriatica trail, and active lifestyle'

When asked whether they would dare to retake this path, they agree they wouldn't after all the troubles they faced along the way. But, if asked that question in a week or two, they would definitely say yes, but only under better weather conditions.

Winter has its charms, but it is also exhausting. It requires a lot of hiking equipment, and it is much more dangerous to go in winter than at any other time of year. If Josipa and Matija could choose, they would go in the spring or late fall. When in the mountains in Croatia, one should be humble and patient.

View of Croatian islands from Velebit

"Our goal was to promote the beauty of Croatia, to promote Via Adriatica, and to promote an active lifestyle, especially now at this time of the corona when we are all locked in our homes. I think that hiking is a wonderful hobby, both for the body and for the mind, whether in a company, in a couple, or alone," says Josipa.

Although Josipa and Matija are experienced mountaineers (Matija is even a member of the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service – HGSS), the tour was very demanding for them, both physically and mentally. Considering that they only got a chance to set off on Via Adriatica now, during winter, because Matija's work has been banned and Josipa is having a vacation, the winter conditions did not favor them. But regardless, they enjoyed the inexplicable natural beauties of Croatia and met many generous life-long acquaintances along the way.

"It's hard to describe all those feelings that go through your mind and heart along the way. To understand what we are talking about, it is the best to set out on such a journey on your own," advise Josipa and Matija.

All the photos are from interlocutors' private archives.

You can follow Josipa and Matija and their other hiking journeys on their Facebook page.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

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February 24, 2021 - Former legendary Croatia national team player and first-team player of Sevilla, Ivan Rakitic, will be the first UEFA Children's Foundation ambassador. 

HNS reports that Rakitic will have the opportunity to participate in initiatives led by the UEFA Foundation and promote the work of a body that helps improve the lives of children around the world.

"I am proud to be part of the UEFA Children's Foundation family. I am really happy about that, but at the same time, I will have a great responsibility to show everyone that the UEFA Foundation and we players can achieve a lot and, above all, help children from all over the world to be happy and to laugh. I am the father of two girls, and I know very well what a smile on a child's face means," said Ivan Rakitić.

The president of UEFA, Aleksander Čeferin, who is also the president of the Board of the Children's Foundation, is delighted with Rakitić's support for the organization.

"Ivan Rakitić is not only one of the greatest midfielders of his generation, but he is also a person who wants to make a tangible difference off the field to improve the lives of others. I am impressed by Ivan’s dedication and desire to help children worldwide; we look forward to working closely together to achieve our goals. Our doors are always open to players, past and present. I would like you to follow Ivan's example and join the UEFA Foundation as ambassadors," said Alexander Čeferin.

Ivan won the historic silver with Croatia at the World Cup in Russia in 2018 and became European champion with Barcelona in 2015. In 2014 as captain of Sevilla, he won the Europa League. He recorded 106 appearances for Croatia before ending his national team career last year.

"I hope I have many more good years ahead of me, but I am convinced that when I finish my playing career, I will have more time to travel and be available. Of course, I want to dedicate myself to this role of ambassador from day one. Still, when I retire from playing, I am sure that I will have the opportunity to participate more in projects, and therefore my satisfaction will be even greater. The idea of being part of this family thrilled me from the very beginning; I hope to be an ambassador for many years because I know how important it is. We want to make as many children happy as possible," Rakitić concluded.

Since the UEFA Foundation was founded five years ago, around one million children have benefited from its range of activities worldwide, supporting projects in a hundred countries on five continents. Through sports, and especially football, the UEFA Foundation provides children in difficult conditions with hope for achieving life goals.

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

ZAGREB, 24 February 2021 - The Construction Ministry has so far received 763 applications for the reconstruction of buildings damaged in the March 2020 earthquake while the Fund for the Post-Earthquake Reconstruction of the City of Zagreb, Krapina-Zagorje and Zagreb counties has not received any.

"The ministry received 763 applications by yesterday. The Fund has not received even one," the Fund's director, Damir Vanđelić, said in Donja Stubica, about 50 kilometres northwest of Zagreb, adding that the fund was paying out allowances for urgent repairs, with 242 such payments having been made so far, and that it was in charge of emergency accommodation.

Asked whether the Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets was perhaps boycotting him, Vanđelić said that "so far no one has been boycotting me."

"I believe that the process will start at a particular moment because I have seen those people in Banovina, too, helping citizens fill out application forms. They will start forwarding the applications at a particular moment," he said and reiterated that he did not believe the ministry was boycotting him in any way.

Vanđelić met in Donja Stubica with Krapina-Zagorje County Prefect Željko Kolar and his associates as well as other local officials to discuss activities related to reconstruction in that county.

Speaking about the start of reconstruction works, Vanđelić underscored that he first needs to be issued with a decision to that effect by the ministry, after which he will be able to say when reconstruction will begin.

He noted that he would be heading the Fund for some time and that when reconstruction was launched and gained momentum, he would asked to be relieved of his duties.

"I definitely will not serve the full term because I will do my best for reconstruction to be launched sooner. If we fail to make it sufficiently fast, I will resign," said Vanđelić, appointed on Tuesday for a term of four years.

Kolar said that the damage in Krapina-Zagorje County from last year's two earthquakes, with the second happening on 29 December and hitting Sisak-Moslavina County worst, had so far been estimated at HRK 115 million.

During the meeting it was said that structural engineers would inspect buildings that were initially labelled green but have been damaged since and will most likely now be issued with yellow labels.

It was also noted that some families could not claim damages because their houses were built without a building permit.

ZAGREB, 24 February 2021 - The Istria County civil protection authority asked the national COVID-19 response team on Wednesday to adopt a decision on the reopening of bars with outdoor terraces in the county as of 1 March.

The authority's chief Dino Kozlevac said they had "responsibly talked" with the heads of the county Chamber of Trades and Crafts and Hospitality Guild.

He said all COVID measures should be adopted responsibly and cautiously because "the situation around us isn't good and some countries, notably in the east, are locking down."

In the past 24 hours, the Istria County Public Health Institute tested 344 swabs for COVID-19 and six came back positive. The county has 37 active cases of infection and 809 people in self-isolation.

ZAGREB, 24 February 2021 - Science and Education Minister Radovan Fuchs has said that the epidemiological situation in Croatian schools is stable except in Dubrovnik-Neretva County, which has switched to online classes, and that the relaxation of restrictions at universities has been postponed for a while.

The deteriorated situation in schools in Dubrovnik-Neretva County is due to private gatherings, as determined by epidemiologists, Fuchs said ahead of a meeting of the inner cabinet on Wednesday, noting that he hoped the situation would not further escalate there.

He noted that the ministry had planned to start relaxing restrictions at universities but that due to the latest increase in the number of new infections, that plan would be delayed for a while.

Speaking of the reconstruction of Zagreb schools, damaged in last year's earthquake, he said that he hoped it would start as soon as possible.

He recalled that the city administration was in charge of the reconstruction of schools and that the ministry was coordinating the reconstruction of institutions of higher education and institutes.

It has been agreed that the buildings should be reconstructed in such a way to make them more resilient to earthquakes, he said, noting that restoring the buildings to the state they were in before the earthquake will be financed from one type of funds while additional works will be financed from another.

The process will not be fast, he said, noting that preparation of the necessary documentation would take at least a year.

ZAGREB, 24 February 2021 - Defence Minister Mario Banožić said on Wednesday that the government would decide on the purchase of multipurpose fighter jets in a few weeks, announcing that a plan for the procurement of arms for this year would be made public in mid-March.

"The interdepartmental commission has made a study which will be the basis for the government's decision," Banožić told reporters ahead of a government session.

He added that other bodies, such as the competent parliamentary committee, would take part in the decision-making process.

Banožić noted that many had tried but failed to contaminate the military aircraft procurement process through the media and that the government now "entirely controls the situation" and would make a mature decision on the dynamic and conditions of procurement.

The minister announced that in mid-March the government would present an official plan for the procurement of arms for this year.

"This year... procurement will be done according to individual groups of products. There is for the first time a new source of financing, the EU Defence Fund, and the Defence Ministry will be not only a supplier but one of the partners in projects that are expected to increase the productivity of our firms and in which we will participate through the first component, research and development," the minister said.

Banožić said that the ministry would not only act in the process as the legal entity to carry out the procurement procedure but would also serve as a platform for making new prototypes.

He added that this was why amendments to the law on the establishment of the Dr Franjo Tudjman Defence and Security University would be submitted for a second reading in parliament.

February the 24th, 2021 -  As Index writes, editor Neven Barkovic was a guest on a recent N1 Studio live show to comment on Index's newly added text window on their portal which ended up causing upset in HDZ.

HDZ has condemned Index's move and threatened to "take appropriate legal steps" and expects a reaction from both the Croatian authorities and the Croatian Journalists' Association.

This morning, Minister of Culture and Media Nina Obuljen Korzinek said during the aforementioned N1 programme that she had analysed which article within the law Index had violated, and announced sanctions against the Electronic Media Council, although that body should be independent.

"HDZ party members are people who are voluntarily members of an organisation that is the only one to have been convicted as a party in a Croatian court"

At the beginning, the presenter asked Neven Barkovic: "Do Index's editors consider HDZ party members to be people?''

"The fact is that these are people who are voluntarily members of an organisation convicted in a Croatian court, the only party convicted of corruption as a party. HDZ members aren't members out of altruism or idealism, but to take advantage of the use of that party's card, the way the party leadership has benefited from for years, for which we've had many final verdicts,'' Barkovic replied.

Could Index be prosecuted under the Electronic Media Act?

''It's fascinating to me that the minister is announcing some sanctions for Index, through a body that she says is independent in the same sentence. This is an interesting formulation which is typical of HDZ," Barkovic commented.

"I don't know on what basis we should react," Barkovic said of the possibility of the Electronic Media Council reacting to Index's announcement about HDZ. The minister has referred to the Law on Electronic Media, Article 12, paragraph 2, which says, and I'll shorten it a bit, that it is forbidden to incite hatred on the basis of religious, ethnicity, or even political beliefs. I just spoke with a lawyer who said that political belief is not the same as holding membership of a political party. That same paragraph of the law says that hatred mustn't be spread on the basis of trade union membership. Discrimination would mean that HDZ members are being denied something. That isn't the case. By clicking the option that shows that they are members, they're taken directly to the part of Index where numerous HDZ scandals are listed and where they can be informed of them, although I don't know how they could be uninformed about all the scandals this party has partaken in,'' Barkovic explained.

"If HDZ wants us to treat them like people, then let them start behaving like people. If HDZ wants us to stop calling them criminals, let them stop dabbling in crime," he said.

Bakovic added that Index, while SDP was in power, also wrote very openly against SDP, and he also saw SDP ministers dismissed as a result of his own work.

"Among them is Slavko Linic, who is having a great time with HDZ party members today."

He called HDZ's thesis that they were endangered a joke.

"Someone who is so privileged, I mean privileged within Croatian society, is the last person who should be complaining that he's being discriminated against. Such a person has no right to complain. The least a person like that can do is to endure the criticism, no matter how harsh it might be," he said.

"If Plenkovic wants to consume media that only favours him, then let him watch HTV."

Barkovic also said that the appropriate position of the media in a democratic society is often misinterpreted as "neutral", while in fact the correct description of the position of the media in such a society is "objective".

"Index will put most of its efforts into looking at those who are in power, those who are in a position of power. We think that's the right approach,'' Barkovic concluded.