ZAGREB, 24 July 2022 - A steward was killed when a racing car ran off the track at the Grobnik Circuit venue in the Rijeka hinterland on Saturday, organisers of the race reported on Sunday.

The accident happened on the first day of the "Croatia 2022" contest, during an hour-long Endurance race.

In the accident, the car driving at full speed ran off the track, pushed the fence and hit two stewards  standing at their position. One of them sustained fatal injuries and died after he was admitted to  a hospital in Rijeka. The other steward was lightly injured.

The contest was suspended and an investigation is under way.

The Croatian Automobile and Karting Federation (HAKS) has informed the competent international agencies and Croatian law enforcement and investigation authorities about the case.

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ZAGREB, 24 July 2022 - Strabag Hrvatska director Veljko Nižetić has said ahead of Tuesday's inauguration of Pelješac Bridge that the construction company will finish all works on access roads on time and in line with the contract.

The works are worth HRK 478.3 million without VAT and the deadline is 13 August.

Speaking to Hina, Nižetić said an annex to the contract signed during the works put the deadline earlier and that the works would be completed in line with the contract.

Under the contract, Strabag was given the construction of a route of over 10 km, including 1,300 m on the mainland and 9,220 m on the Pelješac peninsula. Strabag also built three underpasses, two tunnels, one viaduct, and two bridges.

Despite being satisfied with the work done, Nižetić pointed to the many problems affecting the construction industry in recent years, notably labour shortage. Most workers are from Croatia, followed by those from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and some are from Albania, he said, adding that soon they will probably have to hire workers from faraway countries.

Other major problems include higher construction material prices, disrupted supply chains, and higher energy prices.

The Croatian Bureau of Statistics has said that construction material producer prices in Croatia in June were 9.7% higher on the year and 17% higher than the 2015 average.

According to Nižetić, the costs should be split with investors. He said the problem was bigger for small contractors without enough capital to finance projects.

Nižetić said projects were many and that a lot of money was being absorbed from EU funds.

However, he called for caution, saying that builders were facing shocks on a daily bases due to the consequences of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, which result in losses.

He hopes that clients will take that into account and that new price calculation models will be defined in order to share the risk more fairly.

Nižetić recalled that Strabag has been in business in Croatia since 1996, that it has over 1,500 employees, and that it has participated in the construction of many important motorways and tunnels.

Strabag Hrvatska is also interested in a rail transport upgrade in Croatia. The HŽ Infrastruktura rail company has selected the Strabag AG-Strabag d.o.o.-Strabag Rail a.s consortium as the best bidder for reconstruction and construction works on the Hrvatski Leskovac-Karlovac railway. The bid is HRK 1.71 billion without VAT.

(€1 = HRK 7.5)

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ZAGREB, 24 July 2022 - An earthquake measuring 3.8 on the Richter scale was registered between Glina and Petrinja at 1233 hours Sunday, the Croatian Seismological Service reported on Sunday afternoon.

The epicentre of the tremor was near Glina, that is 14 kilometres west of Petrinja.

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ZAGREB, 24 July 2022 - The southern island of Brač will host the Postira Seaside Film Festival (PSFF) for the 12th time on 26-31 July, featuring the best world and domestic shorts, organisers said earlier this week.

Foreign films will be shown over the first two nights, including Denmark's Oscar-nominated "On my mind" by Martin Strange-Hansen, "Silence" by 2018 PSFF winner TJ O'Grady-Peyton, and "Pops" by 2017 PSFF winner Lewis Rose.

Domestic shorts include Andrija Tomić's "Bulky Waste", Marko Šantić's "Marko", Filip Antonio Lizatović's "Carpe Diem", which won the best Croatian short at the recent Mediterranean Film Festival Split, and Marko Dugonjić's "A Moving Target".

Films vying for the audience award include "Friends" by Andrey Svetlov and "The Silence Echo"  by Suman Sen, which won the best short at the Raindance Film Festival.

The Midnight Shorts programme will feature the Brazilian "Sideral" and "SOS Cine" by French director Laurent Firode, among others.

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, 24 July 2022 - In the last 24 hours, 1,076 coronavirus cases, out of 3,109 tests, and 11 related deaths have been registered in Croatia, the national COVID-19 crisis management team said on Sunday, adding that there are 10,302 active cases.

Hospitalisations stand at 595, including 13 patients on ventilators, while 5,563 persons are self-isolating.

Croatia has registered 1,177,595 coronavirus cases to date, the death toll is 16,217, and 70.84% of adults have ben vaccinated, including 68.80% fully.

For everything you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, bookmark our dedicated section and select your preferred language if it isn't English.

July 24, 2022 - The Knin police station reported that they've charged an arsonist with starting three fires in the last months.

They've determined that he has, on July 23rd, around 4:30 AM, started a fire in Modrino selo. He used some newspapers and a cigarette lighter to intentionally start a fire very close to several houses. He ignited some dry grass, however, the firefighters reacted on time and wouldn't allow the fire to spread. It's estimated that the fire was able to burn around 6 acres (60,000 square meters).

It was also determined that the same suspect started two smaller fires in the same area on June 28th. He was using the same tools to start those fires, newspapers and a lighter, but the first two fires were put out immediately, burning only around 70 square meters.

He is kept in custody in Šibenik while awaiting trial.

Kudos to the Knin police department for being able to stop an arsonist a day after he started a fire. The last thing we need now, with such a severe weather situation (heat, drought) is people starting intentional fires, which might end up being disastrous.

July 24, 2022 - A very unusual maritime accident happened early Sunday morning in Split, when a tourist boat called Morska Vila hit the waterfront and sank.

Luckily, all of the passengers aboard the boat were able to leave the boat without injuries after it hit the waterfront at the gas station in Split. The 21-meter vessel came to Split from the direction of Čiovo

The Croatian media report today that the 44-year-old captain of the Morska Vila was apprehended right after the accident, as he was clearly under the influence of alcohol. The police have reported that he had over 0.1 per cent blood alcohol level, while the rest of the crew have tested negative for any alcohol. The Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure reported that they're undertaking the necessary actions to secure the crash site and ensure that the sea's pollution around the vessel is minimal. The Split firefighters set up a barrier around the boat, and the divers were sent to investigate the bottom of the tourist boat to see the extent of the damage. The Ministry is also investigating the total number of people on the boat at the time of the accident. The media reports vary, as some say there were 41 people, while others mention over 50. There are reasons to believe that there were more people (passengers + the crew) on the vessel than is allowed, which is just another potential transgression by the captain. 

July 24, 2022 - If a foreigner has done more for a Croatian island, I have yet to meet them. Congratulations to Michael Unsworth, the pioneering owner of 5-star, Michelin Star Lesic Dimitri Palace, the new Town of Korcula Person of the Year. 

It is a love affair that started more than 50 years ago, when a young English student followed a pretty young lady from Yugoslavia, who was also studying in London. What was meant to be a short holiday in Orebic to woo her turned into a lifetime passion for both the Peljesac town, but also the magical island across the channel and birthplace of Marco Polo himself - Korcula. 

Little did that young student know back then that he would go on to marry the girl and still be humoured by her half a century later, but that he would leave an indelible mark on the island that was to become his second love. 

There is so much that one could say, but the simple facts say it best - and Michael Unsworth is a very modest man, who will probably be upset at all this attention. For that reason, I decided to leave his photo in the body of the text, so that the lead photo could showcase the very latest addition to the incredible Lesic Dimitri Palace, the first 5-star boutique hotel on a Croatian island, where every room is themed to the Silk Road of Marco Polo, the latest being the Sumatra Residence pictured here (more details in the press release below).

The hotel and restaurant scene when Michael started was average at best, with pizza and other faster foods the common fare. Walking around the old town these days is a gastronomic delight, as the standards have been raised considerably. It all started with Lesic Dimitri Palace, which has never compromised on quality. And there is a good reason why Lesic was the first island hotel to be awarded the prestigious Michelin Star, thanks to magician chef Marko Gajski, who has blossomed under Michael's guidance. 

If there is one place on the coast that I had to spend the rest of my life, it would probably be on the LD Terrace, the gentle afternoon breeze from the water cooling the air, listening to Michael's stories from around the world, while sampling Marko's latest creations washed down with the best Korcula wine pairing. 

Several people have told me over the years that they have never met a foreigner who loves an island as much as I love Hvar. That is perhaps because they have never met Michael, who has Korcula in his veins. 

Congratulations to you, Sir, richly deserved and fully fitting. I look forward to toasting you with a glass of Posip or six the next time we meet. 

You can learn more about LD Palace on the official website.  

Press release:

Korčula's Lešić Dimitri Palace has been synonymous with high-quality tourism experiences – both on the island in Croatia – on the global luxury tourism map for over a decade. The oldest part of the palace (dating back to the 15th century), which received the World Architecture Community Award back in 2010, got an additional accommodation unit this season – the Sumatra Residence. Sumatra's interior draws inspiration from Marco Polo's Silk Road, which is also the focal point of what the Palace has to offer, and excellence as the core business principle. An open space attic with one of the best views of the ancient walls, islands around Korčula and the blue waters of the Adriatic, is a new luxury heaven for romantic couples and anyone who identifies as such. Sumatra completed the story about the famous place in Korčula that stood out from the beginning as a rarely successful example of conversion and restoration of cultural monuments into a cultural good that the entire town can be proud of. With his forward-thinking planning and tireless efforts, Lešić Dimitri Palace owner and director Mr. Michael Anthony Unsworth has managed to prove that Korčula can be and is a world-class exclusive tourist destination. Thanks to his outstanding business results and years of wholehearted enthusiasm for the benefit of society, he received the Town of Korčula's Person of the Year Award.

Learn more about Korcula in the Total Croatia Korcula in a Page guide.