September 7, 2020 - The latest news for flights to Croatia as Wizz Air stops traffic on three lines to Split, and British Airways makes its last rotation to Zagreb and Pula from Heathrow.

Croatian Aviation reports that Hungarian Wizz Air has made some changes in its flight schedule for September as there will be a disruption of traffic on three routes to Split Airport.

This well-known low-cost company operates only to Split Airport, seasonally, in the summer flight schedule. Despite the pandemic, Wizz Air resumed traffic from Split to four destinations, one more than the previous year. This year, the company introduced a completely new line - Dortmund - Split.

In addition to Dortmund, Wizz Air offers direct flights from Split to London (Luton Airport), Warsaw, and Katowice. These three lines will stop operating this month.

The Split - Warsaw line is currently operating three times a week, every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. The last flight on this line has been announced for Saturday, September 19.

The Split - Katowice line also operates three times a week, on the same days as the line from Warsaw, and the last flight is announced for Saturday, September 19.

The Split - London Luton line operates twice a week, every Monday and Friday. This line will be in traffic for slightly longer. The last flight will be on Monday, September 28. 

A completely new route, Split - Dortmund, is announced as a year-round line, and Wizz Air offers flights through the entire winter flight schedule three times a week, every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Regular traffic in the winter months will depend on demand and restrictive measures.

Furthermore, British Airways made its last rotation on the London Heathrow - Zagreb - London Heathrow yesterday and finished traffic to Pula Airport. 

As was announced on August 25, British Airways decided to stop traffic on three of its four routes from London (Heathrow Airport) to Croatia.

The London Heathrow - Pula line has been in operation since August 1 with two flights a week (Tuesdays and Saturdays). British Airways planned to keep this route active throughout September, but the reintroduction of restrictions by the UK on passengers from Croatia forced the company to suspend traffic earlier. On Saturday, September 5, the last flight was made after only a month of regular operations, with a nine-year-old A320 aircraft (reg. Marked G-EUYL). British Airways plans to return to Pula in the spring of next year.

The London Heathrow - Zagreb line operated 3 times a week in July and 5 times a week in August. The company completely suspended sales on this line three weeks ago, and as of Monday, September 7, there are no more direct flights.

British Airways has been offering flights on the London - Zagreb route from October 1, with as many as 11 flights available per week. The fact is that this is a British Airways flight schedule planned even before the outbreak of the pandemic, and the company has not considered those flights so far. Operational changes (cancellations) for flights from October 1 can be expected in mid-September, and, certainly, this company will not fly 11 times a week to Zagreb.

If British Airways decided to stop traffic on this line now, in early September, there will likely be no flights either in October or in the other winter months. On the flight from Zagreb, there were 113 passengers (LF 70%).

Croatia Airlines also operates on the London-Zagreb route, which reduced the number of flights in September. 

The London Heathrow - Split line will remain in service until September 26.

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September 12, 2020 - It is over a month since Croatia celebrated the 25th anniversary of Operation Storm. Some reflections from a foreigner who attended Oluja 2020 in Knin.

(Author's note - I had intended to write this article some time ago, much sooner after the event, but time was against me)

Although I have been fortunate to have travelled the world, visiting almost 100 countries and living in 10, I have yet to meet a region quite like the one here. Every country has its different viewpoints from those who live and visit it, but this region seems to excel in that regard. Perspective is usually heavily influenced by personal experience, and never was this more true than in this most divided of regions. Attitudes to the Homeland War differ vastly between Croats who were in Istria or Vukovar, for example. Even more so between Sarajevo and Belgrade. 

Although I have lived in Croatia now full-time for 17 years, it took me a number of years to realise that my perspective was out of sync with almost everyone else. Arriving on Hvar in August 2002, I found a touristic paradise, which would soon become my new home as I bought a house in Jelsa a month later. Although it was just seven years since the war had ended, there was little trace of that on Hvar, where the tourism industry was recovering nicely, and the lack of physical scars of war meant that the recent past did not really touch me. I lived for years in that naive bubble, and the recent past only entered it in the first week of August each year, when Croatia celebrated its holiday, Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day and the Day of Croatian Defenders.

While I now completely understand the raw emotions of the occasion, for years, this day in Jelsa left me cold and I avoided the town on that day. One of the things I often get tarnished with as a Brit here is the actions and meddling of the British Government both here and elsewhere. As a former aid worker, I spent most of my time in Africa when not working apologising for actions done in my name as a British citizen. Extreme displays of nationalism - whatever the country - are things I tend to run from, although the more I understand Croatia after that initial bubble, the more I understand the nationalist pride of this very young nation which successfully fought against all the odds for its freedom. 

August 5 is the date that this is celebrated, and the focal point each year is in Knin, the liberation of which in 1995 was part of the biggest land battle in Europe since World War II. Operation Storm was a complete triumph for Croatia, liberated almost 20% of the county in days, averted another Srebrenica in Bihac, and effectively brought the war to an end after four years of bloody fighting and occupation. What is not to celebrate?

Due to my perspective and lack of deeper understanding of the situations, I consciously avoided all mention of both Vukovar and August 5 in Knin for many years. With so many perspectives and experiences that were much more involved and painful than my own, there would have been little of value to add, as well as the inevitable offence taken by the words of a Brit who either did not understand or had an alleged agenda. 

But then last November, just before the annual Vukovar Remembrance Parade on November 18, I decided to visit. I had read a lot about Vukovar and what happened in those tragic months in 1991, but there was nothing online in English about the experience of attending the annual remembrance day, which is one of the most important dates in the Croatian calendar. And, not for the first time in Croatia, what I found on the ground in Vukovar was very different to the perceptions that I had been given from second-hand sources. You can read my experience in Vukovar Remembrance Day Through the Eyes of a Foreign Resident.

And, having been to Vukovar, it was time to attend the annual event in Knin at Oluja 2020. As I left my house in Varazdin at 4am to pick up my press accreditation by 9am, I was sure that this was going to be a difficult day, and not one I was going to enjoy. 

But, just like my day in Vukovar, what I found on the ground was very different to my expectations, one of the most dignified and measured victory celebrations I have seen. And one with some very large seeds of hope in the future. 

(Population of Knin, source Wikipedia)

There are two very different perspectives on Operation Storm, which is seen as a great liberation by Croatia, while Serbs see it as both a disaster and massive ethnic cleansing of a region which had been majority Serb for generations. That is not a debate for me to get into, but what is undisputed is that the population shifts from 1991 to 1995 were significant. Firstly, many Croats fled from the newly-established Krajina Republic, which brought the Serb population up to 88%, before Oluja completely reversed those numbers, as Serb civilians took the path of their retreating army towards Belgrade.  What is beyond argument was that Operation Storm was a stunning military tactical and operational success, which completely turned the tide of the war, while liberating occupied Croatia.

(Serb MP Boris Milosevic, left)

Oluja 2020 was the 25th anniversary of Operation Storm. It is a national event each year, broadcast live on national television and attended by all the senior politicians and other dignitaries. Among them was General Ante Gotovina, who was instrumental in commanding the success of the operation. This year's event was also historic for the appearance of a Serb politician for the first time, with Croatian government representative Boris Milosevic from the Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS) took his place in the front row. As a further symbol of some seeds of reconciliation, the government announced that Milosevic, the Croatian Government's Vice-President for Social Affairs and Human Rights, would accompany Veterans Minister Tomo Medved to lay a wreath in the village of Grubori, north of Knin, where several elderly Serbs were killed less than 3 weeks after Operation Storm. 

I wasn't sure what to expect as I picked up my press pass, but I was surprised to see that I was the only foreign journalist covering the event. While the main event was in Knin's central square and timed to include the 09:43 arrival of Croatian troops in the city, all eyes were on its imposing fortress, where the flag of liberation was raised at exactly 09:46. This was carried live on a giant screen on the main square and was clearly a moment of intense pride and emotion for every Croat watching. 

I was surprised at how empty the main square was. Social distancing - of people and weaponry - had come to Oluja 2020 apparently.

The weapons were soon taken up by the soldiers to whom they were allocated. 

And a bearing of arms followed.  

(The raising of the flag at 09:46 - click if video above unavailable)

Centre stage in the front row was Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, President Zoran Milanovic and General Ante Gotovina, all of whom gave speeches.

You can learn more about Gotovina's speech in Gotovina: We Are Stronger and Better people, Ready to Work for a Better Tomorrow.

Much was made of social distancing, with the lecturn disinfected between after every speech, although this initiative was somewhat undone by the President, who shook the hands of both the General and the Prime Minister to congratulate them on their speeches.  

It must have been an intense day for General Gotovina, who hid his emotions well, but clearly felt the name of each fallen soldier as their names were read out.  

The whole event was extremely dignified, conciliatory, full of remembrance and pride at the considerable achievement of liberation a quarter of a century ago - a perfect tone. Impressive stuff. 

After two Croatian MiG fighters flew overhead (a little too quickly for this aspiring photographer to document), it was time to take a walk around town, and I soon realised why things were so quiet on the main square. 

A line of masked policemen were preventing the marchers from proceeding, the first time this has happened apparently. It was still early in the day, but the atmosphere was good-humored and celebratory. 

There were, of course, some souvenirs on offer that one would perhaps not find at Advent in Zagreb, but the atmosphere was a lot less intimidating than I had been expecting. 

As the dignitaries headed on to Mass, I decided to go in another direction - in search of this Serb village of Grubori, scene of that 1995 massacre and soon to be the symbol of another seed of reconciliation with the visit of Medved and Milosevic (this event took place on August 26, with President Milanovic and SDSS leader Milorad Pupovac also in attendance).

That Grubori visit took place three weeks after Oluja 2020 - I was trying to find it on my own on the day. The first surprise was that Google Maps had never heard of it. Indeed, it didn't seem to exist at all online, apart from those terrible events on August 1995. A Croatian colleague told me to head to a village called Plavno, 30km north of Knin, and then to ask. 

I have been to some desolated spots in the Balkans in my time, but this one was right up among them. Finally arriving at Plavno, a seemingly almost deserted place and former heartland of Serb population in the Knin region, a local man in his string vest put his head out of the window at the sound of a rare car.

Grubori? There is no sign. Over the bridge and then the rough road to the right.

I think I got to the right place, but if not, it was one of several very similar. Abandoned, overgrown, forgotten. Like so many villages on both sides in this region.  

Going back to Plavno, I was surprised to see a well-tended Serb graveyard, the graves maintained and many with fresh flowers. There seemed to be almost nobody in the area at all.  

Appearances were misleading, however, and it seems that the church has regular community gatherings.  

Indeed, the only other person I saw in the entire area was a Serb woman sitting in her yard cleaning vegetables, a rusting washing machine for company. The other side of 25 years of Oluja.  

From Grubori to Cavoglave, a focal point of the Oluja celebrations each year, as well as a reminder of the fierce fighting and suffering that took place here.

Croatia might have won its independence, but the cost was high, and the pain and memories remain. 

Did my perspective change somewhat with a visit to Oluja 2020? Yes, for sure. The balance of celebration, remembrance and looking forward was a difficult one to get right, but the overall impression was a superbly organised event which struck completely the right balance. These are small beginnings, but encouraging ones.  

While moves towards reconciliation are welcome, there are more pressing problems to deal with. This building overlooking the main square was a symbol of another more immediate problem once the celebrations of independence subside. With restricted access to the main square event, one might have assumed that the balconies in surrounding buildings offering a grandstand view would be popular. But I counted just 10 of the 36 terraces in use, and the majority of the other apartments shuttered up. My initial thought was that this was perhaps due to the Serb exodus 25 years ago, but I was told locally that the population of the Knin workforce has declined 20% in the last 12 months alone. The owners are more likely to be found in Dublin, Munich or Stockholm. 

It was quite a day.  I learned a lot. I arrived in the morning with a sense of trepidation, and I left in the afternoon with a feeling of hope. There is a long way to go, but I had a feeling that I had witnessed an important first step on a journey.  

Bravo, Hrvatska, on an outstanding example of how to remember the past, celebrate freedom, and look to the future. 

September 7, 2020 - Wonderful news from New York this morning as Borna Coric advances to his first Grand Slam quarterfinal! 

Croatian tennis player Borna Coric has advanced to his first quarterfinal of a Grand Slam tournament with a 7:5, 6:1, 6:3 victory over Australian Jordan Thompson. Coric defeated Thompson after two hours and ten minutes of play.

After the epic match and the incredible turnaround against the sixth-best player in the world, Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas (6:7 (2), 6:4, 4:6, 7:5, 7:6), Coric had a much easier job against the 63rd-best tennis player in the world.

The Australian dropped his serve early for 2:1 in favor of Coric, but came back and equalized at 5:5. That was all we saw last night from Thompson, and until the end of the match, Borna Coric was the only one visible on the court.

The second and third sets went easier, as Coric broke his rival in the second with three breaks, while in the third, one was enough for a spot in the quarterfinal.

? if you're into your first #USOpen quarterfinal pic.twitter.com/8nV620jzty

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 7, 2020

In the quarterfinals of the US Open, Coric will face the seventh-best player in the world, German player Alex Zverev. In their meetings so far, Borna leads 3:1. Their only match at a Grand Slam tournament was in 2017 at the US Open when Borna won 3:1.

Nikola Mektic and Dutchman Wesley Koolhof will play in the doubles semifinal of the US Open! Eighth-seed Nikola and Koolhof won the quarterfinals match 7:6 (6), 6:3 against the Belgian duo Sander Gille / Joran Vliegen.

The Croatian-Dutch pair went through the first part of the road to victory by winning the tie-break in the first set, in which Gille and Vliegen had two set points at 6:4. In the second set, a break in the fourth game was enough.

Passing the quarterfinals, Mektic reached his third semifinal in the men's doubles of Grand Slam tournaments, after Wimbledon in 2017 (with Franko Skugor) and Roland Garros in 2018, when he played with Austrian Alexander Peya. On the way to the first final, their rivals will be the third-seeded American Rajeev Ram and Briton Joe Salisbury.

Last year's quarterfinal at Roland Garros remains the best result for Petra Martic at Grand Slam tournaments. Kazakhstani Julia Putinceva beat the best Croatian female tennis player and 8th-seed in the round of 16 of the US Open. The match ended 6:3, 2:6, 6: 4 for the 35th-best female tennis player in the world.

Petra started the match poorly, but after 15 minutes, Putinceva had a 5:0 lead and, although Martic continued to play much better, she did not miss the opportunity to win that set.

The second set was another story. After 2:2, Martic equalized for 1:1 thanks to a great game and a great series. And when a complete turnaround was expected, Petra stopped, allowed Putinceva to take over the game and quickly lead 4:0, and later 5:1.

However, Petra did not give up, she managed to reduce the score to 5:4, but Putinceva managed to serve for her biggest career result. Martic scored four aces during the match, had a first-serve percentage of 59 percent, and used four of 10 break points. During the match, she made 39 unforced errors (Putinceva 25) and scored 40 winners (Putinceva 26).

Source: HTS

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As Marija Crnjak/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 6th of September, 2020, this pandemic has brought a lot of trouble with it, but also a lot of innovative products. One of them is vegan sailing on the Adriatic with Matea Sedlacek, one of the few female skippers on the Adriatic. A woman on a boat and sailing without catching any fish certainly makes good material for a story.

A different sort of autumn sailing offer, which will continue into the next Croatian nautical season, was offered to the market by the Alvus Sailing agency, and includes sailing from Split to the Dalmatian islands, vegan menus and sailing instructions for those who want to learn.

"The offer itself is something that doesn't exist in Croatia, and we can see the huge potential of the whole story. Veganism itself is gaining momentum across the world and is definitely a story that will be more and more important in the future, both for people and for the planet, for all beings,'' explained 30-year-old skipper and entrepreneur Matea Sedlacek.

This skipper from the continental Croatian town of Kutina had her first encounter with sailing at the Faculty of Kinesiology. Falling in love with life under sail, the decision on which way to continue her studies was easy.

''Shortly after graduating from college in 2014, I worked my first summer as a skipper. On one of the Croatian skipper's portals, I was found by a German who has a travel agency specialising in sailing, we met and that's how the cooperation started,'' Matea Sedlacek explains.

At the same time, she entered the challenging world of fitness, worked as a trainer in Zagreb, after which she opened her own Physical Activity Centre, Grgur, in Kutina (CTA Grgur), which is currently her main job.

''It's exactly the fact that I'm self-employed which gives me the freedom to alternate my job as a fitness trainer with jobs in the nautical industry. I haven't spent the last few seasons on sailboats, but on the coast and on speedboats in Sveti Juraj, working as a booking manager and as a skipper for day trips and for taxi transfers by boat. By chance and because of the coronavirus pandemic, this year I returned to my old love, sailing and being a skipper,'' said the skipper.

"Every week I'm more or less amazed how I, quite small and young, can drive such a big boat. Every successful entry was greeted with applause, because it is something that isn't expected from a woman. I guess men are supposed to be able to do that, so I believe they find it easier to get into the business in general. So while it may be weird to see a woman be a skipper successfully at first, that's why I feel that anyone who ventures into this world will only do so if they are truly sure they can do it, with a little more forethought than a man,'' added Matea. The best feeling is when she gains the trust of the guests. She likes to explain everything to them, talk about the route, give them a few options. Depending on what the crew is like, she also more or less teaches them to sail.

Matea Sedlacek says that this nautical season was better than expected, but since the middle of August and the worsening of the epidemiological situation, layoffs have started there as well.

"I myself had a situation that on Saturday morning, the day a trip started, the guests cancelled because they failed to cross the Austrian border, one of the passengers had a fever. So at the moment it’s really hard to be completely sure of what's going to actually be going on on any scheduled week. It's possible that many last minute offers will be opened, which could be tempting for Croatian guests,'' added Matea, whose girlfriend Marina is an amateur vegan chef who is building her own professional career in that direction.

"It simply came to our notice then that we could successfully connect the two things. So, with the help of friends from Alvus Sailing, we've offered our first week of Vegan Sailing for October. It will be a spontaneous-educational sailing week, to which vegans and those who are about to become vegans are welcome. It's our way of breaking down prejudices about veganism, which is still seen as some sectarian way of life, and vegans as people who impose their views on others or just follow popular trends. Our goal is to show people what veganism is really all about,'' concluded Matea Sedlacek.

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As Novac writes on the 5th of September, 2020, at PPK Karlovac, one of the leading Croatian food companies, a solar power plant covering an area of ​​7,500 square metres and an output of 1.2 MW was put into operation. A total of 3,939 photovoltaic modules, each with a power of 305 W, produce electricity for their own consumption, which PPK Karlovac has implemented in its production processes.

The annual production of the solar power plant is expected to be 1.2 GWh, while the consumption of electricity from conventional sources stands at 10.7 GWh annually. PPK Karlovac's investment is worth 7.2 million kuna, and the energy savings will amount to 10.89 percent, or 830 thousand kuna per year, while the payback period is estimated at 5.2 years. The project also aims to contribute to the preservation of the environment, which will be reflected in the reduction of CO2 emissions by 274 tonnes per year.

''We include high environmental standards and principles of sustainable development in the basic determinants of our business. In addition to the progress in the application of environmental protection standards, the financial effects of the project are of course important, and we're very pleased that during the trial period we even managed to exceed the expected results, achieving production of 720 MWh of electricity. We're especially pleased that this project is entirely a Croatian domestic product. The designer and contractor of our solar power plant was the Croatian company Enerco Solar, and all of the construction equipment, including the panels of the Croatian manufacturer SOLVIS, come from domestic production,'' said Igor Miljak, President of the PPK Karlovac meat industry.

The total value of PPK Karlovac's investment stands at 7.2 million kuna, with 50 percent of it having been co-financed by grants from the Ministry of Agriculture.

''The independent creation of resources for production while reducing the negative effects on the environment are the direction in which the European Union sees and plans the means and goals in the coming period. Investments in renewable energy sources are a step towards sustainable development, which means saving money, resources and caring for the environment, it also means increasing efficiency, rationalising costs and a positive impact on the state of resources. The use of renewable energy sources will continue to be an important intervention in the future National Strategic Plan and will enable successful producers and processors to reduce operating costs. Large companies and leaders in individual industries must be the drivers of development and take responsibility and an initiative in promoting green goals and domestic solutions. PPK Karlovac is among them and I'd like to congratulate them on making this step forward,'' said the Minister of Agriculture Marija Vuckovic.

This solar power plant was realised in cooperation with the company HEP ESCO, a member of the HEP Group, as the first project from the HEP EE solar plus Programme, which refers to investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy sources for industrial facilities.

''Croatia's energy picture is changing rapidly. Energy production at the point of consumption has multiple benefits both for the user of that energy and for the environment and for Croatia as a whole. The idea is that integrated solar power plants produce the optimal amount of energy for the needs of the facility and thus reduce energy costs in the long run. HEP, like all large energy companies, has recognised the trends and needs of the market and in its offer, and in addition to the supply of energy, it is including more and more complex and modern energy services. Among them is the construction of solar power plants on a ''turnkey'' basis, which is realised according to the ESCO model. Starting from the role of the carrier of Croatia's energy transition to a low-carbon society, HEP wants to establish a strong partnership with the industrial sector on projects such as PPK Karlovac's solar power plant,'' said HEP ESCO CEO Zeljko Jelacic.

PPK Karlovac meat industry is part of the larger Pivac Group, which continuously invests in projects aimed at preserving the environment and reducing the negative impact on it. After the completion of the investment in Karlovac, the company plans to build a solar power plant with a capacity of 2 MW in the new Braca Pivac facility, which is currently being built in the Ravca Economic Zone close to Vrgorac. Other investments in the form of solar power plants are also planned in Cakovec and Karlovac.

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As Morski writes on the 6th of September, 2020, the keel for the new polar cruiser of the Scenic Group, for the construction of which the Croatian Government issued a state guarantee in the amount of 80.1 million euros, should be laid at the end of this year or the beginning of next year at the 3 Maj shipyard in Rijeka.

Novi list learned the above from Sasa Cokljata, the director of the Scenic Group's company in Croatia, MKM Yachts. As he explained, everything depends on the time and deadline in which it will be possible to supply all the necessary equipment that needs to be installed in the hull of the ship. This is because the plan is to equip the new luxury cruiser as much as possible on the slipway, even to the level that after the launch, all that remains is to do the interior decoration.

After the keel is laid, the contours of the future luxury cruiser should start appearing on the slipway relatively quickly, given that the 3 Maj shipyard's employees began cutting the sheets and making the ship's sections for this vessel back in late April, which will be an improved replica of the Scenic Eclipse.

This 168-metre-long, ultra-luxury polar cruise ship has been moored at the Rijeka breakwater for several months now amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which has ground the previously booming cruise tourism market to an absolute halt.

The Scenic Eclipse was built in the Pula shipyard Uljanik, and due to the well known financial issues which errupted in that shipyard, Australian shipowner Glen Moroney took the ship immediately after its launch and managed to have it finished in Pula in the middle of last summer.

At the beginning of July this year, ten-year contracts were signed between Rijeka's 3 Maj shipyard and the newly established company MKM Yachts, one on business cooperation and the other related to the sub-concession.

Given that the current production at the 3 Maj shipyard takes place according to a special programme, the model of building a luxury almost 160 million euro polar cruiser has been agreed so that the Rijeka shipyard, as a subcontractor, will build the hull, while the construction of this and four other similar cruisers will be dealt with by MKM Yachts.

By sub-concession, MKM Yachts leased a small part of the Rijeka 3 Maj shipyard, both maritime domain and office space in the main building. At the moment, MKM Yachts' employees are already working extensively in the refurbished premises of the former Technical Office at the 3 Maj shipyard.

They are also in the process of hiring staff because they need to employ another 70-80 experts within this company. Cokljat notes that the company has scanned the base of potential professional staff.

''According to what we've detected, we're convinced that we'll be able to do the majority of the work, even in regard to the part related to the interior of the ship, with Croatian subcontractors and enterprises,'' said Cokljat.

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ZAGREB, Sept 6, 2020 - Croatian and Slovenian divers joined forces on Sunday as part of an environmental drive called "Cleaning Without Borders" to remove underwater waste in Savudrija Bay, the subject of a long-running border dispute between the two neighboring countries.

Over 150 divers from throughout Croatia and about 30 of their colleagues from Slovenia took part in the clean-up, removing dozens of bags of solid waste on both sides of the bay - in Piran, Savudrija, Veli Joze campsite, and Kempinski beach.

About 20 children participating in the 5th International Children's Diving Eco-Patrol also made their contribution.

"Drives like this are praiseworthy and that's the direction we should all be going for the environment," said the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, Tomislav Coric.

The main objective of the drive was to clear the sea bed of waste as well as to draw attention to the global problem of sea pollution and raise public awareness of the importance of preserving the flora and fauna of the Adriatic Sea, Andreja Vedrina said on behalf of the organizers, Promocija Ronjenja.

"Projects like this contribute to the good neighborly relations which Croatia and Slovenia have fostered for many years, while the clean-up drive itself contributes to the preservation of the underwater world of the Adriatic Sea," Slovenian Environment Minister Andrej Vizjak said in a video message.

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ZAGREB, Sept 6, 2020 - Ivo Segota and Mladen Kozic, a gay couple, foster two children after years of struggling, Vecernji List daily said on Sunday.

"No comment. We want to keep the children anonymous," Segota said in a message when asked to comment on the news broken by the 24sata news website.li

Both men have received the necessary training and know what is in the best interest of the children. They are aware that revealing any information about the children they have provided with a temporary home and stable environment could hurt the children themselves, and the public interest could put fostering in jeopardy, Vecernji List says.

Kozic and Segota entered into a life partnership five years ago, deciding to become foster parents three years ago. They underwent the necessary psychosocial tests and at no point was their sexual orientation raised as an issue, the newspaper said, adding that social workers wish for more young, highly-educated foster carers living in urban areas. However, their application was unexpectedly rejected last November on the grounds of being gay.

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