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ZAGREB, 1 April (2022) - Bridge MP Zvonimir Troskot said on Friday the government had not used all the available instruments to cushion the impact of rising prices on citizens' living standards and on businesses or secure energy supply routes, calling for lower VAT and fuel excise taxes and for subsidies for enterprises. Troskot recalled that Bridge MPs and 16 other MPs had submitted a motion to offer additional short and long-term solutions as, he claimed, the government had not used all the instruments at its disposal. Asked about a government reshuffle, Bridge MP Nikola Grmoja said he did not want to…

ZAGREB, 1 April (2022) - A total of 11,590 Ukrainian refugees have arrived in Croatia to date, including 202 in the last 24 hours, and all have been provided with the necessary care, the head of the Civil Protection Directorate, Damir Trut, said on Friday. Speaking to the press after meeting with Osijek-County prefect Ivan Anušić and representatives of the County Civil Protection Service, Trut said that about 1,000 refugees have been accommodated in the eastern Slavonia region. The executive director of the Croatian Red Cross, Robert Markt, said that this organisation was providing refugees with humanitarian aid and psychosocial…

ZAGREB, 1 April (2022) - Croatian natural gas distributor PPD has so far not received a request from its Russian partner to make payments in roubles, the company told Hina on Friday. "PPD has so far not received a request from out supplier, Gazprom Export, to change the contractual provisions. Deliveries are running smoothly and PPD is meeting all its obligations towards all its buyers," the company said. PPD said that the security of supply was its "absolute priority" and that it was ensuring the security of supply thanks to all its suppliers.  Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday he had…

April 1, 2022 - The 2022 World Cup draw was held in Doha tonight, revealing Croatia in Group F against Belgium, Morocco, and Canada.  The draw for the World Cup groups was held today in Doha which started at 18:00 Croatia time.  Croatia was in the second strongest group (Pot 2) based on the FIFA ranking from March 31. The only thing known apart from the ranking was that the host Qatar was automatically placed in Group A. The rule is that there can be no more than two European teams in one group, and as for other continents, two…

ZAGREB, 1 April (2022) - The 23rd International Bjelovar Spring Fair opened in Gudovac on Friday, with more than 400 exhibitors from a dozen countries showcasing their agricultural products and services. The Spring Fair, which is open until Sunday, also includes the 17th Beekeeping Fair, the Horticulture Equipment Fair and the Construction and Utility Equipment Fair. Gudovac is located near Bjelovar, about 80 kilometres northeast of Zagreb. The show was opened by Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković, who noted that in the past few years Croatia had been exposed to challenges it could have no influence on, such as natural disasters, the COVID-19…

April 1, 2022 - As a support measure for those who have fled Ukraine due to the Russian invasion, Booking.com has enabled the Ukraine Refugee Rate, a special rate that allows its partners to offer accommodations for free or at a significantly lower price to Ukrainian refugees. The Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24 this year, has forced more than 4 million Ukrainian citizens to leave their homes and cross borders to seek asylum in neighboring countries. The majority of refugees are women and children, who have found a very warm reception at the borders of countries like…

ZAGREB, 1 April (2022) - The national statistical office has released data on cinematography in 2020, which confirm that cinemas and films were the part of the culture and art sector most affected by the coronavirus pandemic in the first year of the pandemic. Compared to 2019, the number of screenings in 2020 was down by 48% and the number of visitors by 70%. Due to the closing down of all cultural and educational institutions, as many as 51% of cinematographers worked from seven to ten months in 2020. The number of screenings and visitors dropped significantly in all counties, except…

ZAGREB, 1 April (2022) - Economy and Sustainable Development Minister Tomislav Ćorić said on Friday he believed the year 2022 would see a further growth of the national economy. "I believe that the Croatian economy will show in 2022, just as it did in 2021, the kind of resilience that opened the door to convergence towards the EU average," Ćorić said at a meeting of exporters, organised by Lider business weekly. Recalling Croatia's growth rate of more than 10% in 2021, the minister said that this year could be like that as well. "That is our goal and I believe that with…

ZAGREB, 1 April (2022) - Vice Mihanović, leader of the HDZ party in Split, said on Thursday his party's nine deputies in the Split City Council would resign if Deputy Mayor Antonio Kuzmanić, who Mayor Ivica Puljak, confirming his own resignation earlier in the day, said would run the city as commissioner until a snap election, did so. "The condition for HDZ councillors to resign is for the other deputy mayor, Antonio Kuzmanić, to resign as well," Mihanović, whose party is in the opposition in the Split City Council, told Hina. Confirming his own resignation, as well as the resignation of his first deputy Bojan Ivošević…

ZAGREB, 1 April (2022) - Croatia has recorded 1,442 new coronavirus cases and nine COVID-related deaths in the last 24 hours, the national coronavirus response team reported on Friday. The number of active cases in the country stands at 9,976. Currently, 657 infected people are being treated in hospital and 40 of them are on ventilators, while 6,599 are self-isolating. Since 25 February 2020, when the first case was confirmed in Croatia, 1,100,618 people have been registered as having been infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, of whom 15,584 have died. A total of 4,683,210 people have tested for the novel…