May 30, 2022 - As the second anniversary of two lawsuits against TCN CEO Paul Bradbury approaches, the latest court hearing in Diary of a Croatian Lawsuit, a diary which will run and run and run. 

One of the things that I have learned about being sued in Croatia is that it is very important to be in control of your calendar. This is true both for the lawyers and the defendant. Without proper control of the calendar, lawyers can double book appointments (not once, but twice) leading to a delay in the hearing. This is something we observed in a previous court report where I uncovered a solution to speed up the Croatian judicial system - we simply need to crowdfund for more legal secretaries to organise the lawyers. Read more in Diary of a Croatian Lawsuit: 50 Lawyers, No Secretary, No Hearing.  

For the defendant, diaries are also important. I am a notoriously disorganised person, and planning ahead is not one of my strengths. One thing I am learning about the Croatian legal process is that nobody is in a hurry. The two delayed hearings from the double-booked prosecution lawyer, for example, put back the first hearing by over 6 months. I am not necessarily in a hurry either, although there is the small issue of the rolling interest on the lawsuit. This stands at 8% a year, so for every year that the case goes on (and we are at 2 years almost already), add 8,000 kuna to the 100,000 kuna claimed from the two lawsuits. If I lose. So with a double-booked prosecution lawyer delaying proceedings by 6 months, that is an additional potential 2,000 kuna to pay on one of the two lawsuits. 

My problem with planning in the future is that the last hearing in November threw up a date in May the following year (another 2,000 kuna). As I never have anything planned that far ahead, I didn't immediately take a note of the exact day - it would come with the court notes later. 

Thursday May 5, at midday in the Zagreb Municipal Court, the documentation told me. 

This hearing would see the first witnesses giving evidence on an article that I did not write on a portal that I do not own which quoted me. As I understand it, there was no request for retraction, and the article is still live in its original format today. Given that the lawsuit is for 50,000 kuna for defamation, and seemingly no effort has been made to remove or alter the original article, I find this a little strange. 

Both sides were invited to provide witnesses to give evidence in the hearing. My other lawsuit, for a meme featuring the official Croatian tourist board slogan, had myself and the Director of the Croatian National Tourist Board on the witness stand talking about uhljebs, how many Facebook followers I had, what I was doing before I moved to Croatia 20 years ago, and a host of other things. It was my first time on the witness stand in a court of law, and it was a rather strange experience, as you can read in Diary of a Croatian Lawsuit: HTZ Director Kristjan Stanicic Talks Uhljebs.

Two witnesses were proposed from the prosection, both employees of the national tourist board, and three for the defence, including the journalist who wrote the article (whom I have never met). I was surprised to learn that both prosecution witnesses were called to appear on May 5, but only one for the defence. My lawyer informed me that this was quite normal, as 5 witnesses were too much for one hearing, and the other witnesses would be called at a later date. As it turns out, the remaining two witnesses have been called to appear in 6 months' time, in November (another 2,000 kuna...). 

About a month before the hearing, I started to get organised and realised to my horror that I was the one who was double booked. A conference I was involved in organising in Dubrovnik was taking place on May 5-7, with the opening welcome party on May 4. What an inconvenience (and additional expense) to fly to Dubrovnik for the opening, then fly back early the next morning to Zagreb, and then back to Dubrovnik in the afternoon, thereby missing the first day of the conference entirely.

And then it got really strange... 

One of the sponsors of the event came forward a couple of weeks before the conference, to sponsor the opening night (and very nice it was too) - none other than the Croatian National Tourist Board. Not only that, but one of the two people due to give evidence against me the following day in court in Zagreb was representing the tourist board at the event in Dubrovnik I was involved in organising. Sponsor your event by night, give evidence against you by day. 

A strange feeling indeed, and so the magical world of Croatia works. I wondered if we would share a cab to the airport, and then perhaps one to the Zagreb courtroom. I really didn't want to miss the first day of the conference, and in the end my lawyer Vanja Juric told me to stay in Dubrovnik. I would not be called to speak and nothing would be decided that day. She would handle all. 

And so to the opening night of the event in Dubrovnik where, as sponsors, the national tourist board soon-to-be prosecution witness (and a very nice lady) welcomed all to the Sponza Palace, shaking hands with those as they entered. 

"Hello Paul," she said, with the accompanying handshake, which was reciprocated. And so a pleasant evening ensued.

And so to the following day in Zagreb, which took place with me in the conference in Dubrovnik. 

The minutes of the lawsuit seemed to show that the prosecution witnesses consider that TCN has an insignificant reach and is not an important portal, and that I am not a tourism expert (I never claimed to be, although it is true that I get asked to talk about tourism at conferences - next one of the future of tourism at Future Tense in Zagreb on June 9). Apparently, the national tourist board did an excellent job and reacted well to everything. 

Reporting on corona was a really intense time, especially after we introduced the award-winning Viber Community,  Total Croatia Travel INFO, which as Dubrovnik  Mayor Mato Frankovic noted, brought 'priceless' promotion to Dubrovnik when 12.5 million Americans tuned in to Good Morning America for a piece on Dubrovnik during the pandemic (see above). Not bad for an insignificant portal.

I decided to look back at the corona timeline with a little hindsight. Perhaps our tourism chiefs (and I include the Ministry of Tourism, then run by Minister Gari Cappelli and the rest of the tourist board structure) really did do an amazing job and were ahead of the game. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. A brief timeline: 

January 25, 2020 - The first article on TCN on coronavirus appears: What is Croatia Doing to Prevent the Spreading of the New Coronavirus?

February 25, 2020 - The first case of coronavirus in Croatia. Soon after TCN starts a daily update on coronavirus. 

March 9, 2020 - First ever coronavirus map (in English or Croatian) of Croatia appears on TCN. 

May 6, 2020 (more than two months after the first case in Croatia, and almost two months since the first corona map), ZERO mention of coronavirus on the Ministry of Tourism website. COVID-19 as a topic simply does not exist. 

There is precious little information on the national tourist board website either, unless you like to read official communiques from Narodne Novine - hardly a tourist-friendly read. 

May 11, 2020 - All change 5 days later, however, as noted by leading portal, Index.hr. 

Suddenly the Ministry had an entire section in English dedicated to coronavirus. 

And for some reason, the Croatian National Tourist Board thought this might a good moment to also update its information. 

All good. Kind of. 

The problem was back then that there was so much unclear information. Nobody could tell you definitely who could or could not cross the border. As we had been writing about corona extensively, and with the lack of information from the official tourism bodies, as you can see above, a lot of people and portals (including CNN, which was linking to our daily update) were relying on TCN to get up-to-date information. From memory, our daily update had around half a million visits in total. 

May 17, 2020 - In the absence of any proper information, I asked Kreso Macan to come with me to visit the Slovenian border crossing at Bregana outside Zagreb, so that we could see firsthand what was happening, and who was - and was not - being allowed to enter. To say that confusion reigned would be an understatement. 

The Ministry of Health had recently launched the Koronavirus community which was enormously useful, as was the corresponding website - for Croatian readers. There was limited information in English, but it was something. The Ministry of the Interior (who were outstanding throughout corona) then started a section of their site with some information. But something was missing, and we decided to start a Viber community for tourists, similar to the Koronavirus one, a free service.  

Within a couple of hours, we had a simple infographic that shared the essential information that simply was not available elsewhere. By the end of the first day, the community had translated this into 12 languages.  We worked hard and answered all the questions we could, as Macan put in the systems to automate the process. 

And then the new community showed us some other things...

While we were answering the same day,  lots of questions to official websites asking for information were going unanswered. 5 days no response, 8 days no response - there were hundreds of posts like this. As we established above, I am not a tourism expert, but I am guessing that if a tourism country's official bodies cannot be bothered to answer questions about entry requirements, then perhaps tourists could choose somewhere else for your vacation.  

This is the reality of what was happening on the ground. 

I could go on, but fear that I have already gone on a lot. No, I am not a tourism expert, and yes, my portal has a miniscule reach, but despite this I am grateful for the 7 international awards for the Viber Community, that the likes of CNN and ABC News somehow managed to find us, that the Mayor of Dubrovnik appreciated the priceless (his word) promotion, and the literally dozens of people I have met all over the country who told me that without that Viber community, there would have been no chance of visiting Croatia at all. 

Does constructive criticism official bodies in Croatia work? Yes it can. Is it popular? No. I was intrigued to learn from the national director in court that I was the only person the national tourist board sued in all of 2020. And they sued me twice, despite me having a very small reach, and again after posting a variation of their logo on my private Facebook page for 3 days which has an even smaller reach - I wonder if they will be suing this national television broadcaster for playing around with their logo - Croatia, Full of Deception - on prime time television last week. 

November will be a big month for Diary of a Croatian Lawsuit, with the next hearings for both lawsuits scheduled for their next hearings. If there are no double bookings. 

To follow the latest from Diary of a Croatian Lawsuit, click here.  

May 30, 2022 - Shannon Shorter joined KK Split for the second half of the season in December. On Friday night, the team was eliminated by KK Zadar in the semi-finals of the Croatian league. However, the Yellows managed to make a run to stay in the ABA League by reaching the relegation spot and ended up not even needing to play relegation. The American guard sat down with Burak Canboy for this exclusive interview. 

Thank you very much for taking the time for this interview. Let me congratulate you on receiving the ABA League Top Scorer Award this year. You won the Korean Basketball League Championship in 2019, but apart from the Israel All-Star Game MVP in 2014, this was only your second individual international award. How do you feel?

I did win a league's top scorer title in Israel before, but it was not celebrated officially like this one. It surely wasn't my goal to become the league's top scorer when I signed. I was only looking to compete in a new league that I had heard about. I thought that I could have done better but also felt I was able to improve my game a bit during this time. It is surely a blessing being able to compete at this level.

Why basketball?

As a kid and young man, I tried different sports. Did football, baseball, etc. but at some point, I saw my brother's success in basketball and spent a lot of time and tried to follow in his footsteps.

I told my Mom I wanted to be in the NBA one day. I want to be a professional basketball player. I managed to become a professional, and the NBA is still on the horizon [laughs].

What did you know about KK Split and Jugoplastika before coming here, and what have you learned since then?

I had heard of the club and knew about Croatian legends. I read up a little online about Toni Kukoč being from here and about the 3 Euroleague titles.

The biggest thing to take away as an experience since coming here is seeing the fans and how they supported the team and me. I came here to win the title and am very disappointed about not having been able to do that for the fans and the club. 

How would you describe the five months you have been with the team? Namely, your experiences with the management, coaches, players, and fans?

I have nothing but good things to say about all of them.

KK Split is the 20th club in a 10-year career (2x Hebei Xianglan, China, and 2x Ostioneros de Guaymas, Mexico). You probably get this quite often, but how come you have changed clubs and countries so much?

Well, it wasn't planned. I did not want to go back home. If you know what I mean. I felt discomfort at home. Especially financially, so I tried being more comfortable. I tried doing something I loved and was able to get paid for it. Then after some time playing in Mexico and South America, I looked for an agent and asked him to give me the best opportunity to move my career forward.

Every step since then felt like moving forward.

USA, Mexico, Argentina, Israel, Japan, China, Turkey, France, Australia, Lebanon, Korea, Greece, and Croatia. That is 13 countries in which you have played basketball so far. Which was your favorite country to live in, and where you have enjoyed the level of competition the most?

Israel and Australia to live in. It was a very relaxed feeling. Competition was Turkey and Australia, apart from ABA League now, which is also very competitive.

Is there any country or league still on your "bucket list"?

Spain! 

That was a very fast answer! Why?

I'd say that apart from the NBA, it is one of the top 2 competitive leagues in the world, along with Turkey. It would be great to get a chance to compete on that level. 

I would like to ask you a few rather lifestyle and political questions. Most of our readers are either Croats abroad or expats in Croatia. I am sure they would like to hear how it feels for you to work and live as a foreigner in Croatia? How does Croatia relate to the other places you have played?

Croatia is surely up there with one of the top places. Split is a nice place, not too big,  no need to drive; things are close enough that you can walk to places with a lot of tourist attractions. I especially like spending time by the Riva.

You are originally from Houston, Texas. What do you love about Split, what do you like doing here, and what do you think is missing?

The people are really nice. I just love to go for walks; the experiences here are wonderful. 

What are you missing?

My wife. 

That's something we cannot change. But what would you say Split could change to be even better?

I really don't know. It is a very unique city. Maybe the stores could be open a bit longer.

If you do not wish to answer this one, I can understand, but what are your experiences regarding racism in sports, and how do they differ here in Croatia from other countries you have played in?

Growing up, I either didn't experience racism much, or maybe I wasn't aware of it yet. I would say that I didn't experience it as a professional player. Neither elsewhere nor here. Then again, I must say that the Zadar fans have been very disrespectful. I wouldn't say that was racism. I appreciate supporters trying all to get the opponent's players off their game, but in Zadar, it was too much. 

Anywhere else you have experienced that?

[Laughs]. Yeah. The fans in Lebanon were even tougher. 

Do you wish to comment on the gun shooting in Uvalde, Texas? I hope your family and friends are safe. 

It is very unfortunate, very sad. It is very distasteful and I don't have the words; I still don't have them. I don't know what to say to the families; I don't know what an individual may be thinking to do that. It must have been some very deep insecurity within himself. Something must have hurt him very deeply. 

I believe that usually, such things come from the heart. Like premeditated murder, you have to think about things first. It must come from the heart. Or rape or anything you would say is abnormal. Such things always come from inside.

I pray for the hearts of everyone on earth to get rid of that darkness in their hearts and be able to find love.

This is the 2nd mass shooting in only two weeks. Lawmakers need to make changes. It shouldn't be possible to put guns into everyone's hands. Things have to change.

Let me get back to the sports-related questions. Last year Zadar won the championship after five games against Split. This year you played a lot of derbies with Zadar both in the ABA League and in the Premijer Liga. Why do you think they could pull off those important games, and why did Split fall short when it counted?

I won championships and am used to playing in the finals over the years. When you play for titles, you understand what things you need to do and what things you cannot do when games are on the edge.

For example, on Friday, we had the momentum when we were up by 10 points. Then you get called with an intentional and a technical foul. They score all free throws and get points off the inbound. Your energy, lead, and momentum are gone.

So I can say they were more mature mentally to know how to win these games where every possession matters. We just aren't there yet.

In the second quarter against Zadar, you had a few successful back-to-back pick and roll plays with Shawn Jones. Why didn't we see these kinds of plays during the fourth quarter and regularly earlier in the season?

The play had just come to play approximately two weeks ago. That's why we hadn't used it much before. Later in the game, I agree that we could have used it more often, but other plays were also working well with Vuko and Roko. 

Your coach Srđan Subotić had his first year as a head coach. How do you think he did in general? What are his strengths, and what do you think he could improve in the future?

I have a lot of respect for him. He had a lot of pressure on him the entire time, but you could not tell. He did very well to have the team focus on what's ahead, not what's behind. I think he could push players more out of their comfort zone to challenge everyone to deliver greatness all the time. 

You are now almost 33. Coach Srđan played until he was 37. Michael Jordan came back out of retirement at your age and won three more titles before retiring at 40. How do you feel about your body, and how many more seasons do you think you have in you?

I always said that I would love to play until I am 40. In the meantime, I got married, which shifts focus. Luckily I had no serious injuries, so my body still feels good. I surely have 3 to 5 more years in me.

How much time do you spend thinking about the future, and what are your plans after retiring as a professional player?

I am thinking about the future a lot already and have a foundation back home where I do community work and try to give something back with scholarships and back-to-school drives. That's something I would do more. I also would love to do news and analytical work. I am looking for opportunities to do that in the summer. Other than that, I am meditating to help me stay present in the moment and enjoy what I have now.

Are we going to see you playing for KK Split again next season?

That's a good question. It is a possibility. I don't want to rule it out. I told the team and the management that a mutual benefit would need to be reached. I know my value and timing made it possible this year. So many talks will be needed, and we will see where it goes from there.

Once more, thank you for taking the time, and I must say that I would personally very much enjoy bumping into you again under the baskets of Gripe next season. However, even if not, I wish you and your family a safe future on your journey around the basketball courts of the world. 

Thanks, I appreciate it. 

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated sports section. 

May 30, 2022 - Croatian Statehood Day 2022 has been marked by the famous waterfall!

Croatia celebrates Statehood Day on May 30, when the foundations of a modern Parliament were laid in 1990, confirming its historical role in preserving Croatian statehood. On this occasion, Niagara Falls shone in the colors of the Croatian flag, reports HRT.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken congratulated the Croatian people on Statehood Day on behalf of the United States of America.

"The United States looks forward to further deepening relations with Croatia, strengthening trade and investment ties, strengthening energy security, tackling the climate crisis, and working together to address regional and global challenges, including Putin's unchallenged, unjust, and planned war against Ukraine," the State Department said in a statement.

"Thirty years ago, at the very beginning of our diplomatic relations, we were proud to be with Croatia. We are proud to stand with Croatia today as NATO allies, transatlantic partners, and as two peoples firmly connected by common values and unbreakable bonds of friendship," reads the congratulatory message from Secretary of State Blinken.

The Republic of Croatia celebrates Statehood Day on May 30. It marks the 32nd anniversary of the constitution of the first democratic and multi-party parliament. On May 30, 1990, after a decade of Communist rule, the foundations of a modern parliament were laid, and its historical role in preserving Croatian statehood was confirmed.

In the working part of the session, the Commission for Elections and Appointments was first elected, headed by Ivan Milas, whose proposal the leadership of the first multiparty parliament was elected. Žarko Domljan was elected president, and Ivica Percan, Stjepan Sulimanac, and Vladimir Šeks were vice presidents.

Stipe Mesić was elected President of the Executive Council of the Parliament, and Dr. Franjo Tuđman was elected President of the Presidency of the Socialist Republic of Croatia. He addressed the audience and pointed out that during its long history, "the Croatian National Assembly has been the guardian of the sovereignty (except from 1918 to 1941) of the Croatian people concerning other national and state communities."

The first convocation of the Parliament had 351 deputies and three councils: the municipality, the associated labor, and the socio-political council. The majority, 207 out of 351 seats, was held by HDZ, the League of Communists of Croatia - SDP had 107, the Coalition of People's Accord 21, the Serbian Democratic Party 5, while 13 seats went to independents and representatives of national minorities.

The Parliament worked for a little over two years. Then, in August 1992, elections were held for the House of Representatives of the Croatian Parliament. The new Parliament had only one house and significantly fewer deputies - 138.

(Source Sabor.hr).

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

May 30, 2022 - Split-Dalmatia County overnights and Split Airport flight traffic have hit 80% of the record 2019!

"We are only at the end of May and in the middle of an extended weekend. Nevertheless, all tourist indicators tell us that from the beginning of the year to the end of May, we are at around 80% of traffic in terms of overnight stays compared to 2019," said Joško Stella, director of the Split-Dalmatia County Tourist Board for HRT.

"If we looked at 2021, we have three times more overnights than last year. So we have excellent bookings for the peak season," he pointed out.

As for guests, domestic tourists make up about 10% in Split-Dalmatia County, and the increase in prices will affect this.

"We hope that prices will not rise too much," Stella said.

Stella added that they had made a master plan for tourism development, and their main goal is sustainable tourism with the help of the local population. They have already taken some actions, and they know how much they can burden local tourism during July and August.

Stella concluded that he expects to get very close to the 2019 results, but it is more critical for them to take care of tourism sustainability.

The head of the Passenger Reception and Dispatch Service of Split Airport, Mate Melvan, was a guest on Dnevnik N1 on Sunday. 

He pointed out that they are delighted with the traffic this extended weekend, after which there are about 140 aircraft and approximately 34,000 passengers.

"Compared to previous years, we are now at about 80 percent compared to 2019, and the goal is to reach 2019. However, compared to last year, we are significantly in the black; it is best to forget," Mate Melvan told N1.

Commenting on the impact of inflation and the war in Ukraine on price growth, he added: “Airlines are under pressure due to the crisis, but it is not affecting high demand so far, and we are looking forward to it. Figures show that we could reach the 2019 figures in July and August. 45 to 50 airlines have announced flights. It turns out that the demand for Split is growing."

For more on travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

May 30, 2022 - The latest flight news to Croatia as 42 Croatia Airlines international routes have been announced in June from five Croatian airports. 

In June this year, the Croatian national airline Croatia Airlines announced 42 international routes from five Croatian airports - Rijeka, Split, Dubrovnik, Zagreb, and Osijek. Croatian Aviation brings you a list of lines with the number of weekly operations.

In June this year, Croatia Airlines is increasing the number of international routes, mainly from its base at Split Airport, from where the aircraft will take off to new international destinations. Nevertheless, most weekly operations are available from or to Zagreb International Airport, where the airline has its main base.

From Zagreb to:
Amsterdam, daily,

Athens (via Dubrovnik), 3 times a week, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays,

Barcelona, 3 times a week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays,

Vienna, 5 times a week, every day except weekends,

Brussels, 10 times a week, two flights on Mondays, Fridays, and Wednesdays,

Dublin, 3 times a week, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays until June 9,

Frankfurt, 19 times a week, 2 to 3 flights daily,

Copenhagen, daily,

London, 3 times a week, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays,

Munich, 10 times a week, 2 flights on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays,

Paris, daily,

Rome (via Split), daily,

Sarajevo, 13 times a week, 2 flights a day except Saturday,

Skopje, 10 times a week, 2 flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Sundays,

Zurich, daily, two years a day.

Croatia Airlines will operate 114 weekly flights from Zagreb to 15 international destinations in June, noting that 13 routes are direct, while two (for Rome and Athens) have a stop in Split or Dubrovnik. Given that most routes are operated by Airbus fleet aircraft, the national airline will offer over 105,000 seats on its international routes to Zagreb in June.

From Split to:
Amsterdam, once a week, Tuesdays,

Athens, once a week, on Saturdays,

Vienna, twice a week, Wednesdays and Saturdays,

Berlin, once a week, Saturdays,

Bucharest, 2 times a week, Wednesdays and Fridays,

Dublin, 3 times a week, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays,

Dusseldorf, 2 times a week, Thursdays and Saturdays,

Frankfurt, 9 times a week, daily, 2 flights on Saturdays and Sundays,

Copenhagen, 3 times a week, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays,

London Gatwick, 2 flights a week, Mondays and Fridays,

London Heathrow, once a week, Saturdays,

Lyon, 2 times a week, Wednesdays and Saturdays,

Milan, 2 times a week, Thursdays and Sundays,

Munich, 12 times a week,

Paris, 3 times a week, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays,

Threshold, once a week, Saturdays,

Rome, daily,

Stockholm, 2 times a week, Fridays and Sundays,

Zurich, 5 times a week, Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and two flights on Saturdays.

More than 60 weekly flights will be available from Split on 19 international routes in June, with certain routes running after the first half of June, so the number of seats offered in July will be even higher. In June, Croatia Airlines will offer more than 51,000 seats to and from Split Airport, not taking into account the available capacities on domestic routes to Zagreb and Osijek.

From Dubrovnik to:
Athens, 3 times a week, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays,

Frankfurt, daily,

Munich, 4 times a week, Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays,

Paris, 5 times a week, every day except Mondays and Saturdays,

Rome, 2 times a week, Saturdays and Sundays,

Zurich, 4 times a week, Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.

According to Dubrovnik Airport, Croatia Airlines will operate up to 25 weekly flights on 6 international routes in June. More than 26,000 seats are available on the aforementioned lines in June.

From Rijeka to:
Munich, 3 times a week, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays.

The only international line of Croatia Airlines from Rijeka is the seasonal route to Munich, which remains in traffic three times a week this summer. Almost 2,000 seats are available on this line in June.

From Osijek to:
Munich, 2 times a week, Mondays and Fridays.

Osijek Airport has only one flight less per week than Rijeka, also to Munich. The line remains in traffic on Mondays and Fridays and there are slightly more than 1,200 seats available in the next month. This is also the only international line from or to Osijek Airport.

In total, Croatia Airlines will offer almost 190,000 seats to the 5 mentioned Croatian airports in June, exclusively on regular international routes. There are more than 200 weekly flights on 42 scheduled international flights.

For more on flights to Croatia and other travel announcements, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.

May 29, 2022 - Ana Đerek won two medals at the World Cup in Varna on Sunday!

First, she won gold on the beam, and soon after she won the bronze on the floor! After Mate Žugec's silver medal yesterday on the pommel horse, Croatia returns from Bulgaria with a set of medals, which is a great announcement for the World Cup in Osijek, which awaits us from June 9 to 12.

The Split double Olympian and member of GK Marjan already in the qualifications on Friday showed that she is more than ready for the international season. In her first competition this year with both new exercises both on the beam and on the floor, she reached the finals with the third-best scores. And then today in the finals she shone even more.

Slobodan Kadic

Ana Đerek won gold on the beam quite convincingly, with a score of 13,300 ahead of silver medalist Maise Kuusikko (13,000) and bronze medalist France's Aline Friess (12,450).

Slobodan Kadic

"I am very pleased, overjoyed, and proud to have shown what I did today. This is my first gold at the World Cup on the beam and while the anthem was playing there were tears of joy. This gold on the beam came after a hard period of training. Since the beginning of the year, on the one hand, I have been training on the beam so much, and on the other hand, I hate her so much that this came to me like a fool's dance. The reward for all these months of fighting with ‘do I need this device, why am I doing it so much, why is this not going to get better’… I am so proud because I have a new jump. If someone had told me at the beginning of the year ‘you’re going to do a D jump on the beam’, I would have said ‘well you’re crazy, I don’t have that in me’. In the end, I have the only jump in this competition. I am most proud of that," said the double medalist from Bulgaria.

Soon after one podium, another came. Bronze on the floor with a score of 12,900. France's Aline Friess (13,000) celebrated, while the silver medalist was Greta Mayer (12,950).

"I could have been better, I have better exercises, but to say I'm dissatisfied would be crazy. I did the exercise again, with minor mistakes, but since I had the beam before which tested me both mentally and physically, I pulled out the floor again. As tired as I was, 12,900 is a good grade, bronze is too good a medal. I'm satisfied."

In her career, including Varna, Ana has competed in 29 World Cup finals and has won 15 medals. Croatian gymnastics, on the other hand, has improved its overall numbers and our women's gymnastics currently has 123 finals at World Cups - 7 gold, 16 silver, and 15 bronze medals.

“I hope that this start of the season will not be all I will do in 2022. I am aware that I still have a lot of competition, a lot of opportunities, and that a lot of work still needs to be done so I can end the season and say I am satisfied. But this start is great, great, great!"

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated sports section. 

ZAGREB, 29 May 2022 - As many as 86% of members of Generation Z in Croatia would rather go to a bank to conclude a contract on a loan than resort to the Internet banking for that purpose, it was said at a recent Digital Touchpoint conference in Zagreb.

During the conference, organised by the ASEE and Payten companies, the findings of a survey conducted by the Ipsos pollster among 300 respondents were presented. Surprisingly, youngsters, who are growing up with the Internet, prefer going to a bank to conclude a contract on a loan.

Generation Z (or Gen Z for short), colloquially also known as zoomers, is the demographic cohort succeeding Millennials and preceding Generation Alpha. Researchers and popular media use the mid to late 1990s as starting birth years and the 2010s as ending birth years. 

As much as 63% of those respondents also prefer shopping in-store than online.

Furthermore, 80% of respondents consider possession of one's own property important.

A majority of those polled know what crypto currencies are but they do not use them.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, 29 May 2022 - Over the past 12 months Croatians ordered more than 1.7 million burgers on Glovo, which makes Croatia one of the ten countries where Glovo operates with the largest number of burger orders, Glovo said this past Friday ahead of International Hamburger Day, 28 May.

A total of 850,000 burgers were ordered by residents of Zagreb on Glovo in the past year. Zagreb is followed by Sisak, where 34% of orders on Glovo were burgers, and by Velika Gorica, Varaždin, Rijeka and Karlovac.

Croatians most frequently order cheeseburgers, classic hamburgers and chicken burgers and they order them most often on Fridays and Saturdays, between 8 and 9 pm.

Glovo, a Spanish on-demand courier service that purchases, picks up, and delivers products ordered through its mobile app, has been active in Croatia since 2019. It entered the Croatian market in Zagreb, after which it expanded its business to a dozen other cities.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated lifestyle section.