March 5, 2021 - Two regions of Croatia today were menaced by a bomb threat. The Zagreb apartment block of former president Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović and a school in Sisak, to which an explosive was allegedly brought

As Index reports, today in the centre of Zagreb, in the building where former President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović lives, there was a dramatic intervention by special services. Shortly before noon, police received a report about a woman who locked herself in an apartment in Antun Bauer Street. She threatened to injure herself. She posted notes in her window on which it was written "there are bombs in the apartments".

Bomb threat in Zagreb Emica Elvedji PIXSELL

Police officers, firefighters, and an ambulance immediately went to the scene, as well as members of the Interior Ministry's anti-terrorist unit from Lučko. The tense situation lasted for about 45 minutes, after which special forces broke into the building and took the woman away.

Unofficial information says that the woman is a mentally unstable person. She was taken away by ambulance. As 24sata has learned, the former president Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović was not in the building at the time of the drama, nor were members of her family.

Bomb threat in Zagreb Emica Elvedji PIXSELL

In the same street, more precisely, at the next entrance, lives the politician Vladimir Šeks, the former president of the Croatian Parliament, who was shocked by the news. He  also was not at home at the time of the event. A police investigation is currently underway.

Drama at a school in Sisasak, to which a young man claimed to have brought an explosive Slaven Branislav Babic PIXSELL

At around the same time in the city of Sisak, a young man entered the Sisak Vocational High School building and also issued a bomb threat. Croatian media have reported the young man is the son of a deceased war veteran. The young man is said to have been looking for the HDZ prefect of Sisak-Moslavina County, Ivo Žinić. County administration employees were moved to the building of the Sisak High School after the earthquake, where they were today - together with about 200 students and professors. All had to be evacuated immediately. Prefect Ivo Žinić was not in the school building at the time of the bomb threat.

Police went to the scene and surrounded the school. The young man who claimed to have an explosive was alone in the school premises for half an hour, after which time he turned himself in to police. Večernji list reports that the young man walked out of the school building, was immediately overpowered by the police and then placed in a police van to be taken away. A criminal investigation has begun.

While in the school building, the young man also sent his photo to the media, angrily commenting about how "the county is occupied." Meanwhile, police employed the help of two of his friends in order to try and calm him and negotiate with them.

Defense Minister Tomo Medved came to the scene, so too a professional negotiator from the anti-terrorist unit Lučko. Medved said the young man had not stated any demands or motives. The Vocational High School in Sisak director, Ivica Beloglavec, told local media the school would not reopen in the afternoon because of the incident.

As Večernji list unofficially finds out, the attacker is a resident of Sisak who was active in distributing humanitarian aid in the earthquake-affected areas. He is said to have displayed angry annoyance on social media, only to decide to act on it today. However, his full motives are still unknown.

Fortunately, none of the county administration and school staff were injured, nor were the students.  What made this young man from Sisak initiate this act will hopefully become known when the police investigation is over. The first statement of Sisak-Moslavina police in regards to the incident is pending.

To read more news from Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

March the 4th, 2021 - Former Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic has always been known for her diversity when it comes to turning her hand to various things, and she has stepped outside of the political box once again with her newest role.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Lucija Spiljak writes, the Zagreb School of Economics and Management (ZSEM), the oldest business school in all of Croatia, leads the Olympic committees of four countries and two elite European universities in creating an educational programme for professionals, which will enable them to follow new business careers after finishing with the sporting world.

In addition to ZSEM, the consortium consists of the Olympic Committees of Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, the European Institute of Sports in Slovenia and two elite universities - the Stockholm School of Economics from Sweden whose professors participate in selecting Nobel Prize winners and the German WHU - the Otto Beisheim School of Management & Euromasters, whose master's programme in management was ranked among the top three in the entire world by the prestigious Financial Times (FT) magazine.

As stated, the MLEA (Micro Learning Entrepreneurship for Athletes) project will develop specialised, "tailor made" programmes to enable current and former athletes in the region to acquire the necessary business knowledge and skills to facilitate their often difficult and confusing transition from the sporting world to business and entrepreneurial careers. The project will also include elements of gamification and the employment of micro-learning methodology.

The business schools of Sweden and Germany involved in the project have been developing their world-renowned sports and management centres for years now, functioning as interdisciplinary research centres boasting expertise in a wide range of areas from management and marketing to international business and finance. Through this project, ZSEM intends to lay the foundations for the creation of a similar sports centre here in Southeastern Europe.

The former President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic will more than likely succeed in her new position of ZSEM Advisor for International Affairs

The project will, as touched on, also include the former Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic as the new advisor of ZSEM for international affairs. She otherwise became a member of the International Olympic Committee last year. In her new position, the former Croatian president will support ZSEM's ambition to further expand in terms of international cooperation and even more actively engage in international projects.

"Since its establishment, ZSEM has been internationally oriented and we are continuously working on strengthening ties with those who are similar and the best business schools and universities around the world. We believe that this global networking is one of our greatest qualities and unique values ​​that we can provide to our students. Therefore, we want to continue to strengthen our international cooperation and our global recognition and position in the coming years. The arrival of Ms. Grabar-Kitarovic in our team can undoubtedly help us significantly. We´re glad that she will share her rich and valuable life and professional experience she gained in her previous positions with us and our students,¨ said dr.sc. Mato Njavro Dean of ZSEM.

Former Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, a member of the International Olympic Committee and the Croatian Club of Olympians, pointed out that former presidents across the world are engaged in education after the end of their political careers, and that she is glad that she got such an opportunity.

"The way ZSEM works and its ambitions for further development and international positioning have opened space for our cooperation. It started with a project related to sports and ZSEM's desire to position itself as a regional centre for athlete education in the future. It is well known that sporting careers typically end when an individual is still young, and very often they do not have adequate skills and knowledge that would enable them to develop equally successful business careers, so their potential often remains underused, which is a missed opportunity for them as individuals and for the community as a whole,¨ pointed out the former president.

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January the 19th, 2021 - Former Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic has been lending a helping hand in quake-stricken Banovina. The Petrinja earthquake which struck Sisak-Moslavina County back at the very end of December 2020 marked the end of a truly horrendous pandemic-dominated year, and with a lot to be cleaned up and rebuilt, the former president has been getting involved.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, former Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic visited the Radosevic family's estate in Novi Seliste near Petrinja last week. The devastating earthquake destroyed all material memories and anything of value for this deeply unfortunate family, and with professional and financial help, a new concrete house will now be built for them.

The owner of the house, 36-year-old Ivica, saw a light at the end of the tunnel with the help of the former president, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic.

''When an acquaintance called me and said 'Ivica, you know what? Kolinda is coming to you tomorrow,' I thought he was kidding around with me. I didn’t believe it at all straight away. And then when I saw her standing in the yard, I beamed. Not just me, but the whole family did. My heart was pounding for an hour! However, despite the fact that she's the former president, her move was not politically motivated,'' Ivica told Jutarnji list. He stated that Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic inquired about the recent Petrinja earthquake, the family, the whole area, and asked them what they still needed.

"She promised to return in a week or two because she came in the company of experts who measured the terrain and did some sketches, and they'll build me a new house on the site where the old one once stood,'' says Radosevic, not hiding his satisfaction with the promises he has been given.

The Radosevic family house was otherwise set on fire back during the war, and after years of decay it was rebuilt by the state.

"The work was sloppy and we were happy to have a roof over our heads, but I didn't expect the house to disappear like this in just a second," said the father of six. On the day of the Petrinja earthquake, he was at work at the Petrinja cemetery as an employee of Komunalac. A resident of Novi Seliste says that the former president stayed with Ivica for quite a long time.

''As she walked through the muddy yard and talked to the neighbour’s children and played with their dog, which obviously reminds her of her own adopted dog, Kika, none of us even thought it would be her. She had a mask on and was dressed just like any other normal worker out in the field,'' said another local.

Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic came to Banovina to volunteer with other people, she wore a mask and a green cap with the Croatian coat of arms on it and spent her days volunteering in the kitchen before Pleter took over the food supply. Some locals also learned that she gave them words of comfort and took large boxes of groceries out of the vans and took them to the locations where they were most needed.

''Kolinda was just a masked volunteer. She was like all of us, nameless, without any self-promotion. She carried liquids with food and hauled goods. She didn't stop even once,'' said one volunteer.

For more on the Petrinja earthquake, follow our dedicated section.

June 11, 2020 - Former Croatian President Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic could become a new member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), whose Executive Committee nominated a total of five new members of the international umbrella sports organization on Wednesday.

T.portal writes that according to the official website of the International Olympic Committee, five candidates have been nominated by the Executive Board of that organization: Maria de la Caridad Colón Ruenes from Cuba, Princess Reema Bandar Al-Saud from Saudi Arabia, Battushig Batbold from Mongolia, famous athlete Sebastian Coe from Great Britain and Kolinda Grabar Kitarović from Croatia.

Candidates were selected by a special commission, and the final decision will be made at a virtual session on July 17, 2020.

IOC President Thomas Bach said the selection of these five candidates would benefit the entire Olympic movement because of their skills and expertise.

"By nominating three female candidates, the IOC is once again demonstrating its commitment to promoting gender equality among its leadership," the statement said.

The International Olympic Committee is a non-profit international organization made up of volunteers, dedicated to building a better world through sport, the IOC said at the end of the statement, adding that the IOC redistributes more than 90 percent of its revenues to the wider sports movement, which means that every day the equivalent of $ 3.4 million goes to help athletes and sports organizations at all levels around the world.

According to the Croatian Encyclopedia, the IOC is the organization that manages the Olympic movement, and its main task is to ensure the regular holding of the Olympic Games, to supervise their preparations and implementation. It also has the exclusive right to decide on the Olympic flag, anthem and symbols. It was founded in 1894 in Paris, and since 1914 has been based in Lausanne.

IOC members are elected from among nationals of countries with a recognized National Olympic Committee and they are not representatives of their countries in the IOC, but are representatives of the IOC in their countries. At the beginning of the 21st century, 202 national committees were members of the IOC. The executive board consists of a president, vice president and 10 members, writes the Croatian Encyclopedia.

Biographies with photos of nominated members can be seen here.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

The President of the Republic of Croatia, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, attended the opening ceremony of the 21st Biograd Boat Show.

As Morski writes on the 17th of October, 2019, speaking at the grand opening of the largest exhibition of vessels in Central and Eastern Europe, President Grabar-Kitarović emphasised that the Biograd Boat Show is a manifestation that has grown into one of the leading nautical fairs in Europe over the last twenty years, and has thus become a recognisable nautical, tourist and economic event.

''Fair events like this promote a very important segment of our tourist offer - nautical tourism, they enrich the tourist offer and extend the tourist season, which is one of the main goals of our tourism policy,'' she added.

The president also assessed this indispensable segment of the overall Croatian tourist offer. She believes that we must support its development for a number of reasons. Along those same lines, she stated that nautical tourism attracts tourists who boast a higher paying power, who, through higher consumption, contribute more strongly to the economy, which enables the tourist season to be extended, and its development gives an additional impetus to the development of Croatian shipbuilding.

It also gives an image of prestige to Croatian tourism, which is why it is of interest to the most demanding tourists, putting Croatia side by side with some of the world's most impressive and developed tourist destinations.

The president said that the fair shows the importance we attach to the development of Croatian nautical tourism, but also to the small Croatian shipbuilding industry, which in addition to our overall tourism sector make an important contribution to the overall economic development of Croatia.

''Among the exhibitors, I'm particularly pleased with the numerous Croatian shipbuilders and manufacturers of marine equipment, and with my presence today I'd like to support this segment of Croatian industry,'' she said.

She added that it was important to more effectively connect and stimulate all supporting tourism industries and thereby strengthen the entire Croatian economy, President Grabar-Kitarović expressed her belief that the Biograd Boat Show is a manifestation that will result in such a synergistic effect.

Make sure to follow our dedicated travel page for more.

The tiny Croatian island of Zlarin, barely ever heard of outside of Croatia, is praised at no less than the United Nations (UN) General Assembly by the Croatian President.

As Morski writes on the 25th of September, 2019, Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović delivered an eloquent but stark warning in English on Tuesday at the UN General Assembly about the harmful pollution of the oceans and seas, including the Adriatic aea, which is a key resource for Croatia, helping tourism stand for about 20 percent of the country's GDP.

Few people expected ''centre stage'' to have been taken by one little Croatian island that few outside of this country have ever even heard of. The Croatian President praised the environmentally friendly initiatives of an island in the Croatian Adriatic with a mere 300 inhabitants. Zlarin is the first Adriatic island to totally get rid of single-use plastic and plastic waste.

The Croatian coast, visited by about 18 million tourists annually, is also polluted by plastic waste from its southern neighbours, Montenegro and Albania.

''From here I invite everyone - please stop throwing waste into our oceans and seas. Our own future is at stake,'' stated Grabar-Kitarović from the podium in New York.

''We cannot neglect the grave consequences on our nature and the significant economic losses that threaten us in the future,'' she added. Most of her speech was devoted to the protection of the oceans and seas, including the Croatian part of the Adriatic sea, of which 97 percent remains of truly exceptional quality.

She cited two successful concrete examples - the project of the Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries in Split, which, in cooperation with local fishermen collected a massive fifty tons of waste, and the action of green activists from the aforementioned Croatian island of Zlarin.

Residents, hospitality workers and traders from Zlarin, which only has a population of about 300, have signed a symbolic declaration to renounce the use of disposable plastic.

''Let all our communities show responsibility like the inhabitants of Zlarin island. Let us not hesitate and be discouraged by past or present failures, but provide strong leadership for our mutual success in the future,'' Grabar-Kitarović said.

She said that time was a key factor in addressing the global challenges of the 21st century, she also said that fear prevents the international community from taking steps in the right direction, hampering potential and creativity.

''It is up to us to fearlessly use the instruments we have at our disposal to advance our own people and our own planet,'' noted the Croatian President when addressing world leaders.

Make sure to follow our dedicated politics page for much more. If you're interested in both official and unofficial initiatives Croatia has in place to protect its environment, give Total Eco Croatia a follow.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Jadranka Dozan writes on the 22nd of August, 2019, in her four and a half years in office as Croatian President, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović and the President's Office cost Croatia's taxpayers 155.8 million kuna, while in the same period, 186 million kuna was spent on former president Ivo Josipović during his term.

The Croatian Government's budget expenditures reached 66.9 billion kuna in the first half of this year, and this figure suggests spending is within the previously announced annual plan of 140 billion kuna.

The half-yearly realisation is therefore now at 47.7 percent of the annual plan, but as the budget for 2019 has been increased, when compared to last year and with those 67 billion kuna included, it represents an increase of about five billion kuna in total.

Most departments and government bodies are currently spending at a pace slightly below what was initially planned. Some of this is likely to do with the Ministry of Finance and the troublesome Uljanik guarantees and the European Parliament elections.

Since the first elections are presidential ones, and President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović is often under the auspices of the public precisely through the prism of costs (especially when it comes to her travel), it remains to be noted that the Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia's expenditures amounted to 15.7 million in the first six months of 2019, equal to about 240,000 kuna less than last year.

As previously mentioned, when considering the entire budget mandate so far, President Grabar-Kitarović's office has cost Croatia's taxpayers a total of 155.8 million kuna over the last four and a half years.

At the same time, for the four-and-a-half-year term of former President Ivo Josipović, the Office of the President cost the taxpayer 30 million kuna more, with costs of 186 million kuna (208 million kuna in all of those five years).

Thus, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović's office has annually spent about seven million kuna less than the predecessor.

Make sure to follow our dedicated politics page for much more.

Now they are all back together, just like old times; the President is in the Pantovčak residence, Prime Minister in the Banski Dvori government building and Parliament Speaker across St. Mark’s Square.

Lots of media attention for Klis these days, as everything is being prepared for the opening ceremony of the Klis Summer.

National TV filming for Good Morning Croatia show (Dobro Jutro Hrvatsk) few days ago to bring us a piece of the atmosphere and the huge creative energy of Mladenka and Pavo Gruijica from the folklore group Sv. Kliment, who are the main initiators for the culture program of the Klis Summer.

The opening ceremony "Mila Gojsalić - Život u vječnosti" starts tonight (July 3, 2015) at 20:30 at Klis Megdan under the high patronage of the Croatian President Mrs. Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović.