The High Grounds Festival Ready to Rock in Varazdinske Toplice
July 29, 2020 - At a time when almost every event has been cancelled, the High Grounds Festival in Varaždinske Toplice lives on.
In northern Croatia, the town of Varaždinske Toplice is home to a forest in which The High Grounds Festival takes place. July 31 to August 2 are reserved for peaceful nature, high-quality music, lots of educational content, and good vibration features. "As a highlight of the festival is the exterior itself and alternative content that is not so much shown and referred to at festivals. The program is mostly in the woods with a large open meadow connected to the forest," event organizers told TCN.
Kako nam je bilo? / HG II from High Grounds Festival on Vimeo.
The program starts at 9 p.m., and the one can choose between two platforms; Mystic Forest and Base Ground. Depend on what kind of music people prefer, they can choose between House, Electronic, Funk, Soul, Groove, Tecno, Dub, Reggae.
After partying night, Reshetka International will be there to provide high-quality food and the craft beer is being served to you this year by the Udruga Pivara Sjever. Check here TCN's review of Reshetka. The HG Festival also assures camping places for those who want to feel the event at its fullest. Through Saturday, there will be various lectures about hemp - history view, law issues, and medicine usage.
Kako nam je bilo? / HG IV from High Grounds Festival on Vimeo.
Sunday is the only day with free entrance, so make sure you don't miss the comic book workshop, board gaming, circus aerial skills workshop, and fairy of handmade products. The main message from organizers is that this year, the HG music and educational festival connects people in the shade of the forest and spreads messages of love, peace, and togetherness - which we all need.
YTD Tourist Trade Volume Higher Than Expected by HTZ
ZAGREB, July 28, 2020 - The Croatian National Tourism (HTZ) Board director, Kristjan Stanicic, said on Tuesday that so far this year Croatia had reached 44% of the volume of tourist trade in the corresponding period of 2019.
This is higher than expected by the HTZ considering the COVID-19 pandemic, Stanicic said during a visit to Dubrovnik.
In July alone, the turnover is equal to 60% of the turnover recorded in July last year.
"We will do our best to make sure that our southern destinations reach the current national average, but all this depends on air transport," Stanicic said, adding that further developments would depend on the epidemiological situation.
Currently, there are over 80 flight services bound for Dubrovnik and Split.
Of 100 registered hotels in Dubrovnik-Neretva County, about 60 are open, and their occupancy rate is at 33%. Private commercial accommodations have reached 50% of the results in 2019.
The islands of Korcula and Mljet as well as the peninsula of Peljesac are doing better than, for instance, Dubrovnik and destinations inland from Dubrovnik, the county's authorities said.
Meet Kumi and Her Team, Making Fun, Personalized Face Masks from Porec
July 28, 2020 – If it's a “new normal“ to wear a face mask almost everywhere you go, let it be fun, catchy, and personalized. Kumrije Musljiu, known as Kumi, recently started to make face masks by order in her atelier in the heart of old-town Porec.
Kumi used to sew dolls, toys, and souvenirs, but she had to adjust to the new situation with the coronavirus and start sewing masks too. Her business, named „By Kumi“, located right by the Euphrasian Basilica in the center of old-town Porec, is a place where you can come and order your mask.
“We decided to start making masks to get something positive out of this situation. That is, when we need to follow the rules, these masks should be personalized and represent each person in some way,” says Kumrije, known as Kumi.
Source: Private archive
More and more orders each day
All the masks are handmade and unique. It's not a surprise that these two-layered masks of different materials, washable in a machine, became so popular.
Their masks are recognizable by the variety of colors and motifs. As Kumi explains, customers mostly want their logo on a mask, something they like, or something that defines them in some way.
Therefore, you can pick whatever color you desire and put motifs or even a coat of arms on a mask, if you want.
Source: Private archive
Kumi works with one employee and her daughter, who help her make all the masks ordered.
“We are a very good team and each of us has a job that we do professionally,” says Kumi.
Source: Private archive
First, they gave masks to their neighbors, close friends, city associations (Association of the Disabled and Nursing Home), and the mayor of Porec.
After that, interest began to grow, and with it, their business. They have more and more orders each day because customers are very satisfied and they continue to recommend them.
Loris Peršurić, the mayor of Poreč / Source: Private archive
Recognizable quality
Even though this year’s season is different, and the attendance is not the same as usual, those who come to “By Kumi” atelier are always delighted with their products.
Apart from masks, Kumi says they “have a lot of products filled with lavender, so tourists fall in love with that scent”.
Source: Private archive
They also have baby products that are filled with anti-allergic cotton wool and are washable, which are great for children and parents. They have something for every age, which makes customers even more satisfied.
Due to the custom-made service and the quality, the price of one mask is 50 kuna, but Kumi says they are here for anyone who needs a mask and can’t afford it.
Source: Private archive
Pazin First Town in Istria to Have Reclaimed Its Landfills
ZAGREB, July 28, 2020 - Pazin Mayor Renato Krulcic said on Tuesday that Pazin was the first town in Istria County to have rehabilitated and reclaimed its landfills.
Addressing a news conference, Krulcic said that local government had invested HRK 28 million of local budget money and EU funds in sustainable waste management in the last five years.
He went to say that a transfer station and a recycling yard have been built and a mobile recycling yard has been purchased for this town with a population of about 8,600.
Croatian and Slovenian Foreign Ministers Discuss Fight Against Coronavirus
ZAGREB, July 28, 2020 - Slovenian and Croatian foreign ministers Anze Logar and Gordan Grlic Radman met in Ljubljana on Tuesday, discussing further cooperation in efforts to contain the coronavirus epidemic and cooperation within the European Union.
Addressing a joint press conference after the meeting, Logar said he had learned from Slovenian epidemiologists that the number of new coronavirus cases was on the decline in some areas of Croatia and that he was glad about it.
"I think that Slovenia and Croatia should continue to cooperate closely and take coordinated action to curb the epidemic," Logar said.
Responding to questions from the press, Logar said that he and Grlic Radman had also discussed epidemiological risks in Croatia and the possibility of Slovenian tourists bringing the virus into Slovenia after returning from their holidays in Croatia.
Logar raised the issue of open nightclubs and bars in Croatia, saying that there had been several cases of the virus being imported from Croatia. He also cited cases of people entering Slovenia from Croatia after previously visiting Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is on Slovenia's red list of unsafe countries. He said that those people stop over in Croatia for two days to get a certificate so that they would not have to go into quarantine in Slovenia.
Logar said that Slovenia was closely monitoring the epidemiological situation in its neighbourhood, including Croatia where a lot of Slovenian tourists are spending their summer holidays. He denied media reports that the Slovenian government was thinking of closing the border with Croatia in mid-August to prevent the possibility of children becoming infected while on holidays in Croatia and then returning to Slovenia before the start of the new school year.
Logar said that he and Grlic Radman had not discussed tighter border controls because of the COVID-19 outbreak. "It all depends on the epidemiological situation in both countries and the number of possible virus imports from Croatia," the Slovenian foreign minister said.
Logar said that he had presented his Croatian counterpart with Slovenia's views on cooperation within the Three Seas Initiative, which is due to hold a summit in Tallinn in October, and that he was interested in Croatian projects within this initiative and possible cooperation between the two countries in this regard.
Grlic Radman chose Ljubljana as his first foreign destination after the new Croatian government was confirmed and he retained his portfolio in the new cabinet. He said that this showed the importance Croatia attached to the cooperation with Slovenia.
He recalled that he had met with Logar on May 22, after which Slovenia opened small border crossings which had been closed because of the epidemic. He announced further successful cooperation in all areas, especially in the coordination of efforts to contain the epidemic.
Grlic Radman also pointed a recent successful meeting between Croatian and Slovenian prime ministers Andrej Plenkovic and Janez Jansa in the Slovenian border town of Otocec ob Krki, which had also focused on overcoming the consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak.
UNICEF Donates 10 Oxygenators to Croatia
ZAGREB, July 28, 2020 - UNICEF on Tuesday donated 10 oxygenators to the Croatian Civil Protection Directorate, and these medical devices can be used by patients who need oxygen therapy.
Presenting the donation worth HRK 52,600, the UNICEF Croatia office head Regina Castillo said that the corona crisis affected each family and had a significant impact on the life of children.
Damir Trut of the Civil Protection Directorate thanked her for the donation and help which UNICEF has been providing since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In cooperation with the Croatian government and with the support of its partners, businesses, donors and citizens, UNICEF has provided medical and protective equipment for health workers, advice, guidelines and recommendations for families with children, and supported the online education of children and provision of social welfare services, especially for the most vulnerable families and children.
Association Requests Lower VAT for Hairdressers and Fitness Studios
ZAGREB, July 28, 2020 - The Voice of Entrepreneurs association (UGP) on Tuesday called for lowering of the standard 25% Value Added Tax rate to 13% on services provided by hairdressers and fitness studios, explaining that this would be benefit the state budget in the long run and would also create more jobs.
The association presented the findings of an analysis showing that a lower VAT on those services would have multiple positive effects on employment and doing business.
The UGP said that hairdressing is one of the few occupations that have survived changes introduced by the Internet.
The association says that hair salons are mostly small businesses that have managed to remain on the market, but there are fewer and fewer of them and therefore it is necessary to address the issues bothering them in a serious manner.
The lower VAT, the less grey economy
The UGP said that a lower VAT for hairdressers and fitness studios would help reduce the grey economy.
By reducing the VAT rate, the authorities would encourage doing business legally, and consequently, there would be more revenues in the state budget, it added.
New York City Croat Quoted by International Day of Conscience
July 28, 2020 - The Federation of World Peace and Love (FOWPAL) hosted a virtual forum in celebration of the 1st anniversary of the United Nations’ adoption of the International Day of Conscience on July 25, 2020.
The president of FOWPAL, nine distinguished panelists and invited global citizens shared their thoughts about promoting the culture of peace with conscience. Among them was New York City Croat Srecko Mavrek, an official KDP International Honor Society in Education representative to the UN Department of Global Communications, who shared his uplifting message in recognition of the day. His well noted quote was posted by the International Day of Conscience on Twitter and Facebook.
Words of conscience from Srecko Mavrek, a Croatian international educational expert in New York City and an official KDP Representative to the UN Department of Global Communications.#InternationalConscienceDay #ChangetheWorldwithConscience pic.twitter.com/XQK7PJcpoA
— International Day of Conscience (@icday2020) July 25, 2020
Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze, President of FOWPAL, stressed that “Conscience inspires acts of kindness, makes us grateful for what we have and willing to give back to society, and makes us realize that it is better to give than take. Our time in this world is limited, but the value we can add to our lives is limitless. In this critical time, let us continue to work together. With conscience as the antidote to our hearts and love as the wellspring of life, we can unleash our potential to promote a culture of peace, create a new era of conscience for all humanity, and build an achievable and sustainable future for the Earth and future generations.”
“I pray today and every day that the voice of conscience guides me to awaken me and that I’d be a benefit to others,” said Mr. Jonathan Granoff, President of Global Security Institute, adding, “Only if my heart is clear and good can I really be a benefit to others.” He also said that “This initiative that you’ve started of the International Day of Conscience is not an abstract lesson in a university. It’s a reality of the nations of the world brought to life through our individual efforts.”
In July 2019, during the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly, the United Nations adopted a draft resolution submitted by the Kingdom of Bahrain and declared April 5 as the International Day of Conscience. The Assembly invited "all Member States, organizations of the United Nations system and other international and regional organizations, as well as the private sector and civil society, to build the culture of peace with love and conscience in accordance with the culture and other appropriate circumstances or customs or their local, national and regional communities, including through quality education and public awareness-raising activities, thereby fostering sustainable development."
Hepatitis B and C Can Be Eradicated by 2030
ZAGREB, July 28, 2020 - With systemic prevention measures, diagnostics and treatment, hepatitis B and C can be eliminated by 2030, Danijela Lakoseljac, an epidemiologist at the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County Public Health Institute, said on Tuesday.
Speaking at a press conference on the occasion of World Hepatitis Day, she said the slogan of this year's global campaign was "Finding the Missing Millions" and that it referred to persons who were unaware that they might be infected.
The national slogan is "Get tested! Get cured!"
An estimated 325 million people globally suffer from chronic hepatitis B or C, a frequent consequence being cirrhosis or cancer of the liver and death, and 1.34 million people die of it, said Lakoseljac.
The problem with hepatitis B or C is that there are often no symptoms and infection can be established only by diagnostics.
In Croatia, hepatitis B incidence is low, with an estimated 0.2-0.7% of the population infected, i.e. 25,000, and the incidence trend is descending, notably in the past five years. The incidence of hepatitis C is between 0.5% and 0.9% and the trend is also descending, albeit slower than with hepatitis B, said Lakoseljac.
Croatia Records 41 New COVID Cases, One More Infected Person Dies
ZAGREB, July 28, 2020 - There have been 41 newly diagnosed COVID-19 patients in Croatia in the last 24 hours, and the COVID-19 tracker shows that there are 749 active cases in the country, the national COVID-19 crisis response team reported on Tuesday.
One more person has died due to the complications caused by the coronavirus infection, bringing the death toll to 140.
There are 133 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, including nine placed on ventilators.
Since 25 February when Croatia reported its first confirmed case of the infection with the virus, 4,923 people have tested positive, and of them, 4,034 have recovered fully.
To date, 114,090 tests have been performed, including 1,256 in the last 24 hours.
As many as 2,915 people are self-isolating.
