The scientists at Zagreb's Ruder Boskovic Institute are happy with their impressive developments, and the processes which follow will pave the way for the further use of their findings in the wider chemical industry.

As Lucija Spiljak/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 29th of January, 2019, talented scientists working at the prestigious Ruder Boskovic Institute's green synthesis laboratory, the so-called ''green chemists'' Stipe Lukina and Ivan Halasz Ph.D., in cooperation with their colleagues from the European Synchrotron in Grenoble (ESFR), have managed to develop some brand new instruments designed for studying mechanochemical processes, thus opening up the path for their faster application in the chemical industry.

In layman's terms, these new processes are based on X-ray diffraction, and for the very first time, the newly developed method has enabled chemical reactions to be detected during trituration. The latest results have already been published in two highly respected scientific papers; one in Chemical Communications, and the other in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

The Ruder Boskovic Institute's scientists stated that thanks to these developments, they have managed to explain some of the features of mechanochemical reactions when they resemble reactions in solutions.

The use of isotopically labeled solids, coupled with spectroscopic methods, showed up what was previously ''hidden'' chemical reactivity.

In yet another display of Croatian talent which stretches across the board, from sport to the arts, to medicine and science, the praiseworthy work done by the scientists from Zagreb's Ruder Boskovic Institute has been properly recognised by the wider academic community and is currently in the top five percent of all published works in the world according to the sheer level of interest it has attracted since its initial publication.

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Click here for the original article by Lucija Spiljak for Poslovni Dnevnik

Some welcome Zagreb news as a new tender which aims to ''do up'' the Sava riverbank has been announced, but with some cut-backs and amendments in an attempt to reduce problems for potentially interest companies.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 29th of January, 2019, a new tender for the realisation of the planned facilities thought up by the City of Zagreb along the Sava river has been announced. The new facilities along the banks of the river Sava will be, at least according to what we currently know, four cafés, a pavilion for film screenings, and wooden sunbeds.

The Sava's long-awaited riverside amenities should have appeared in the desired location late last June, and from the City of Zagreb itself, they announced that all the works would be carried out in the scope of the ''Swamp on the River'' project, which won the Europan 13 international competition. The Spaniards and the Turks, who had been working on the project, had foreseen pedestrian-cycling paths, sports grounds, kids' playgrounds, sandy beaches, swimming pools, an outdoor cinema, markets, several viewpoints, and various hospitality facilities. 

All of that would need to be located within an assembly of facilities which could easily be packed away so that things could be safely removed within 24 hours should the Sava's water level threaten to rise.

All of the above posed a problem for the companies who were supposed to produce the pavilions, as well as take care of their upkeep, meaning that nobody was actually applying to the tender and the whole project was of course far from realised by the previously promised month of June 2018, Vecernji list writes. Meanwhile, the office for strategic planning and city development carried out "consultation with the interested public", then a new tender was announced, but this has a smaller volume than the one last year did.

The plans for container pools have been thrown out of the tender, so there will be no chance of safely swimming in the Sava, and therefore some millions will be saved to spend on ''doing up'' the riverbank itself. Instead of last year's 7.5 million kuna, five million kuna will be allocated.

Both the east and the west of the ''Hendrix Bridge'' will have two pavilions and twenty wooden sunbeds, the east of Freedom Bridge (Most Slobode) will also boast two pavilions, but one will be for watching films, there will also be ten wooden sunbeds placed in that location.

Make sure to stay up to date with Total Zagreb for everything you need to know about what's going on in the capital.

After years of back and forth (literally) on Sljeme's cable car, Zagreb mayor Milan Bandić has ceremonially opened the works on the up and coming cable car, he also explained why Zagreb's brand new attraction is going to cost more than the one in the Alps.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 25th of January, 2019, the ever enigmatic Milan Bandić symbolically started the works on the construction of the Sljeme cable car by using a dredge and laying a stone foundation.

The Sljeme cable car saga has been ongoing for some considerable time now, with a few little scandals under its belt for good measure, and now that works have finally actually begun, the contracted time for the eventual realisation of this large city project currently stands at fifteen months.

True to character, Milan Bandić was witty and always the spectacle yesterday, especially when responding to the question put forward by SDP's Mateja Mišić, who asked him where he intended to get the cash for the lift from if he hadn't put it in the plan for this year's budget, according to a report from Večernji list.

In 2019, Mišić recalled, the initially planned amount for Zagreb's cable car was once a certain amount, while the projection for 2020 is different.

''The money will be secured in the rebalances,'' concluded Bandić, who decided to justify matters and state that the up and coming Zagreb cable car will be more expensive than that which leads to Matterhorn.

Our cable car, as Milan Bandić said, is a kilometre longer, and therefore, unlike the one in the Alps that costs fourteen million euros, this one here costs fifteen million.

Make sure to stay up to date with everything you need to know by following our dedicated lifestyle page. If it's just the Croatian capital city you're interested in, give Total Zagreb a follow.

The Days of jobs in tourism events across three Croatian cities, both in continental Croatia and on the coast, are set to offer new employment opportunities for many seeking to enter into the world of tourism, which is by far Croatia's greatest economic asset.

While jobs in Croatia might appear to be few and far between for many of those seeking opportunities elsewhere across the territory of the European Union, tourism remains by far the strongest sector in Croatia, with numerous positions available up and down the coast, and doors opening even in the previously overlooked continental part of Croatia as more and more tourists 

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 25th of January, 2019, the Days of jobs in tourism event will bring together many Croatian employers from across the tourism sector to get both currently unemployed people and those seeking a career change interested in working in Croatia's booming tourism sector this upcoming summer season.

The ''Days of jobs in tourism" event will be held for the third consecutive year this year under the official organisation of the Ministry of Labour and Pensions, the Ministry of Tourism, the Croatian Employment Service and the Croatian National Tourist Board.

The aim of this event is to enable employers and the currently unemployed to connect with each other, gain important information on employment opportunities and engage in tourism career development in one place.

According to the estimates of the event's organisers, this year, "Days of jobs in tourism" will bring together more than 120 employers and more than 17,000 visitors seeking seasonal employment from three cities - January the 18th in Osijek, January the 25th in Zagreb and February the 1st down on the coast itself in Split.

Minister of Labour Marko Pavić and Tourism Minister Gari Cappelli paid a visit to the Zagreb event which start at 10:00 today at the Zagreb Fair (Velesajam).

Make sure to stay up to date with our dedicated business page for much more.

This year will see the third edition of the 3T - Tourism, Travel and Tech conference. This conference has the goal of connecting tourism and IT professionals, and this year, the main focus of the conference lectures is smart tourism.

The share of tourism in Croatia's GDP is close to 20 percent, which is the highest percentage in the European Union. Tourism and IT are the two fastest growing and successful sectors in Croatia and therefore should collaborate more and use each other's strong points. Tourism should use innovative start up solutions and follow the trend which implements technology's role in travel and vacation. The role of smart tourism is growing and tourism businesses should use it, technology is here to support all of this.

The first keynote speaker is Miikka Rosendahl, who will explain how Helsinki obtained the prestigious title of the Virtual Capital of the World and what Croatian tourist destinations can learn from this practice and experience. The keynote speech will be followed by a panel discussion on the topic “What really generates bookings” which will be moderated by Ilija Brajković.

Finally, another keynote speaker, Natalija Havidić from the Ministry of Tourism will present a digitalistion project for public services in the tourism sector. The conference will see about fifteen other lectures, presentations and discussions.

“Helsinki recently won the European Capital of Smart tourism competition and I’m happy to have the representatives from Helsinki here to let us listen to their experience in using the technology to improve their tourism offer. When we organised the first 3T conference in 2017 in order to connect the IT and tourist sector, it was a bit of a risky move. An excellent response to the first and the second edition of the conference proved we offered professionals and visitors what they wanted. This year will bring various content”, said Oleg Maštruko, director of the 3T conference.

The third 3T conference will take place on March the 12th in the Kaptol Boutique Cinema in Zagreb. Make sure to get your tickets in order to keep up to date with all of the rapidly developing technology trends in tourism.

For more information and tickets, click here.

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Velika Gorica locals aren't happy as as yet unofficial information that ZET could charge them more to use public transport that connects them to the capital has leaked to the media.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 22nd of January, 2019, Every year, Velika Gorica ZET subsidises about ten million kuna for the Zagreb-based company to be able to connect the Croatian capital city with other nearby areas around Velika Gorica, such as Mraclin, Poljana Čička, Strmec Bukevski, Kozjača... ZET is in charge of all sixteen lines which travel to these areas, and the contract whch was initially signed is now about to expire, which is why negotiations on extensions have begun.

But the subsidy that Velika Gorica pays to ZET could, according to the first calculations which have been discussed unofficially from that company, be even higher in the coming period. The news quickly spread to local media, leading concerned Velika Gorica residents to rightfully ask: Does this mean more expensive public transport?

''That's just what we're missing! God forbid that we get new buses for the residents in the neighbourhood. They're cold inside, the wind blows from all sides, they're old and they all shake,'' reads just one of the irritated comments caused by the news about possible price increases. Those who have been using bus number 268, which they have referred to as the "line from hell" connecting Velika Gorica to Zagreb don't sound much happier, either.

"We should negotiate more convenient transportation with regard to the condition they're in - there are often defective vehicles, unpleasant drivers, constant delays or skipping departures,'' added one Velike Gorica resident, adding that the monthly workers card costs as much as 610 kuna. Still, there is no official confirmation of the ticket price increase as yet, and Velika Gorica's administration have said that they will do anything to make sure their residents don't need to pay more.

''Negotiations are in progress and we can't say anything more specifically until they're over. The expiration contract lasted for ten years, it was signed in 2009, and the signing of the next one is a matter of agreement,'' they say from Velika Gorica. This is very similar to what they are saying from ZET, and details about the contract are still as yet unknown.

''However, as of now, the quality of service and passenger satisfaction are our imperatives, and Velika Gorica and ZET are socially sensitive partners and take care of the needs of all public transport users,'' they say from ZET.

The concession contract extension, or the possibility for a new one to be signed without the announcement of a public tender was made possible by a decision by Mayor Dražen Barišić back in 2017, and the majority of that was adopted by the City Council, but only if the contract is signed under the exact same conditions as previously, so it is not yet clear how these proposed price hikes could potentially fit into a new contract.

For news and everything you need to know as and when it happens, stay up to date by following our dedicated news page. If it's just the capital and the surrounding areas you're interested in, give Total Zagreb a follow.

Although ZET's fifteen kuna ticket that can be purchased in vehicles has hardly been a celebrated move, the four kuna ticket is still very much a hit among public transport users.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 18th of January, 2019, from the first day of next month, it will be possible to buy a new ticket at a lower price on ZET's buses and trams. Currently only the somewhat unpopular fifteen kuna ticket is currently available.

From February onwards, passengers on ZET's public buses and trams will be able to purchase tickets costing six and ten kuna, and the cheapest ones, standing at a price of four kuna, will still be available but only at kiosks, as opposed to on the vehicle itself.

"The tickets are currently being made because they will be different from those that can be bought from outside the vehicle and will have ''bought from the driver'' written on them,'' stated ZET's Anto Jelić.

He told Vecernji list that he believed that the six and ten kuna tickets would fully extinguish those currenty costing fifteen kuna, which have proved rather unpopular. As he explained, the new one that will be able to be bought for six kuna will be worth half an hour of travel, just like the one that one can currently buy outside of the tram or bus for four kuna.

In kiosks and sales points which are able to sell ZET tickets, you will be able to purchase a half an hour ticket costing four kuna, a one hour ticket of seven kuna and a one hour and thirty minute ticket of ten kuna. Tickets costing six and ten kuna will also be available for purchase in ZET's buses and trams themselves.

"This will now be a relief for both drivers and passengers, which is what we ultimately wanted," added Jelić.

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Owing to the current influenza epidemic, the Zagreb Clinic for Infectious Diseases "Fran Mihaljević" is currently experiencing an extrarodinary state of affairs, with patients needing respirators and oxygen, and even some dying.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 17th of January, 2019, over the last 24 hours alone, four people with severe lung inflammation have been received and a total of eighteen are needing to be treated with respirators. There are hundreds of people arriving from all over Croatia, and the flu season hasn't yet reached its peak.

According to the Croatian Institute of Health, five people have died of flu, and 8,460 are currently sick enough to need treatment with this common yet potentially deadly infectious viral illness.

The Zagreb city office for emergency situations has called a media conference of the Dr. Fran Mihaljević Clinic for Infectious Diseases, at which journalists will have their questions answered and be further informed about the depth of the current situation.

The aforementioned Zagreb clinic's press conference will be held on Saturday, the 19th of January, 2019, at 10:30 in the meeting room of the administration building of the clinic in Zagreb. The topic of the conference will be the significant increase in the number of patients with severe influenza and lung inflammation hospitalised at the Dr. Fran Mihaljević Clinic for Infectious Diseases.

The head of the Institute for Intensive Medicine confirmed to Index that the situation at the Zagreb clinic has become overwhelming.

"People suffering from all over Croatia are coming to us. They're all on mechanical ventilation, there are currently eighteen patients,'' Kutleša said.

"From December the 30th until today, 26 patients with severe lung inflammation have been admitted to the clinic, except one who had bacterial meningitis. These were also complications caused by influenza. All of them either were or are still on mechanical ventilation, or on respirators,'' Kutleša explained.

As many as ten patients needed to be given oxygen when a respirator was insufficient, there were also deaths that followed.

"A patient who had lung inflammation passed away. All of the patients, including her, are between the ages of 40 and 60. Our ECMO team even went all the way to Mostar to deal with one patient who was about 40 years old. We'd especially like to thank the ministry that has provided us with eight additional respirators and two ECMO devices,'' stated Kutleša for Index.

"This situation is dramatic. We haven't had an epidemic like this since 2009. When H1N1 prevails, to the degree it has this year, it's always awful. We had another difficult year between 2009 and 2019, but it wasn't this hard,'' Kutleša says, adding that people can still get vaccinated against flu.

"It's too late for those who have already caught flu," Kutleša added.

Make sure to stay up to date by following our dedicated news page. If it's just Zagreb you're interested in, give Total Zagreb a follow.

A project for Medvednica, a mountain located in Central Croatia just north of Zagreb, will see trees planted. Medvednica nature park is a popular destination, located close to Zagreb with its highest peak being the much loved Sljeme.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 8th of January, 2019, the JYSK retail chain has launched a project which will see the shopping giant collect all the funds made from the sale of plastic bags containing 50 percent recyclable material from January the 2nd to March the 31st, 2019, and putting them to good use for the purpose of preserving the environment in the Republic of Croatia.

In close cooperation with Croatian forests (Hrvatske šume), the funds collected from the sale of the bags will be intended for the purchase of as many as 10,000 beech seedlings for the purpose of the afforestation of two zones of the popular Medvednica nature park near Zagreb. The goal of this praiseworthy and highly socially responsible project is to raise further awareness of the importance of the need for forests and of their development.

"As a large international company which is in daily contact with thousands of customers, suppliers and associates, we're aware of our roles in the development of socially responsible business, creating a new value for all participants. Our wish is to raise public awareness of the important issues and we're confident that we will encourage many to behave more conscientiously towards nature,'' said Vesna Kukić-Lončarić, JYSK's country manager for Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia.

JYSK has initiated a project on the basis of a new directive of the European Union which was introduced in Croatia on January the 1st, 2019. It is a measure to reduce the use of non-recyclable plastic bags. In addition to the effect the retail chain wants to have over regular citizens, JYSK wants to encourage its own employees to actively engage in afforestation in Croatia, and plans to plant the huge number of aforementioned beet seedlings after the end of the fundraising cycle, which will be in April 2019.

"We're pleased that JYSK has recognised the importance of forest care in Croatia. Planting on surfaces that have suffered several times after stormy weather is crucial to restoring the balance of nature. We hope this will also encourage other companies to launch similar initiatives,'' said Damir Miškulin, head of the Zagreb branch of Croatian forests.

Make sure to stay up to date with more news on Medvednica and much more by following our dedicated lifestyle page. If you fancy yourself as a bit of an eco warrior, give Total Eco Croatia a follow.

As Ana Blaskovic/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 8th of January, 2019, the Croatian capital city of Zagreb exports 33.2 billion kuna of goods annually, whereas all of the counties of coastal Croatia together export only 15.9 billion kuna annually as a whole.

Despite ever louder warnings that the Croatian domestic economic model is growing weaker because of excessive reliance on tourism, it's likely that not only will that trend change soon, but that the changes will continue to strengthen in the future.

When analysing the figures on commodity exports, the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) points out that Zagreb exports 33.2 billion kuna of goods annually, twice more than the total exports of all of the counties of coastal Croatia put together - just 15.9 billion kuna. While the commodity export of Zagreb stands for one third of Croatia's total exports, these startling regional differences are so high that, for example, Croatia's southernmost county of Dubrovnik-Neretva, fails to even produce 157 million kuna's worth of goods, let alone export it.

If exports are looked at per capita, then the largest regional exporter is Varaždin County, followed by Zagreb and then Međimurje County. With 172.5 euro per head, Dubrovnik-Neretva County is far, far below the national export duty, of 3,360 euro per capita. The Croatian Chamber of Commerce says that Zagreb is far ahead of all of the others for the simple reason that data on foreign trade is recorded at the headquarters of companies, which logically gravitate to the capital.

Zagreb has the largest foreign trade surplus among Croatia's counties, standing at 46.8 billion kuna. Following are Sisak-Moslavina with 1.2 billion kuna, Brod-Posavina with 868 million kuna and Međimurska with 766 million kuna.

"Despite the shortcomings of the statistics, including the temporary relocation of large companies, it can be concluded that Croatia's accession to the EU and the period of recovery of EU-level demand were the most profitable for Lika-Senj, Zagreb County, and Brod-Posavina, which have achieved the largest export growth rates,'' stated Zvonimir Savić.

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Click here for the original article by Ana Blaskovic for Poslovni Dnevnik