February 16, 2020 -  KK Mertojak was fantastic in the return Champions League quarterfinal game against the champions of Italy, Neumartkt Imperial Life. 

Supported by a packed Poljud bowling alley, KK Mertojak swept one of Europe's best professional teams with a high score of 7:1 (3677: 3595) and thus made up for the 3:5 loss from the first match, reports Dalmacija Danas.

It was a victory for the team, the community, and fans.

“This result is especially significant due to the fact that after 1999 (VK POŠK) this is the first team placement in the Champions League final four by a Split club (in a city that is considered to be one of the sportiest cities in the world). Unfortunately, at this moment, Mertojak is the only one of European value in the city of Split, and we hope that it will be recognized,” said KK Mertojak.

Mertojak’s success is building gradually, though they are already taking one step higher than last year. The next stop is Apatin, Serbia from March 28-29, where a caravan of fans will support Mertojak along the way.

The Mertojak bowling club was founded in 2006 as an amateur and neighborhood club, though they conceived it as a bowling school. They gathered a group of boys who were interested in the sport, and with proper training, good coaching and fair conditions, the results started to come. Mertojak moved from nothing to the first in the league.

They are led by Hrvoje Marinovic, the 2018 World Individual Finalist and the Mixed Doubles Finalist at the 7th World Senior Singles Championship held in Cluj, Romania. In the 2017/2018 season, the team also became the Croatian finalists, just behind Zaprešić in first.

The club initially trained at the Mertojak bowling alley, where they could work in excellent conditions. However, the owner discontinued the bowling alley for various reasons, and today, the club trains and plays at Poljud. Although it is a decent bowling alley, there are too few lanes. Due to this, and chronically small and limited financial resources, they are not able to host any competition. The city only contributes a little. 

Sponsorships are also nearly impossible in bowling, because it is not an Olympic sport.

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

As Slobodna Dalmacija writes on the 14th of February, 2020, there are more than 200 underwater archaeological sites below the surface of the sparkling Adriatic in ​​Split-Dalmatia County, ranging from isolated finds of small artefacts to preserved shipwrecks carrying amphorae and shipwrecks from World War II.

Archaeologists Sasa Denegri, Silva Kukoc and Tea Katunaric Kirjakov, an archaeologist and art historian at the Art Academy of the University of Split, have produced a cultural and tourist guide called "The Underwater Heritage of Split-Dalmatia County".

The aim of this guide is to promote Central Dalmatia's rich underwater archaeological sites in order to get a complete picture of the diversity and importance of the underwater world, and encourage the further development of archaeological and diving tourism in Split-Dalmatia County, according to Dalmacija.hr.

"Our underwater heritage stands out as an added value to Croatian tourism. Throughout the guide, almost all the localities in our county are listed along with all the directions, the depth they are located at is detailed, and what is permitted in these areas is also detailed. I believe that through the Split-Dalmatia County Tourist Board, all those tourists who want to see these cultural sites ​​in an organised way will be acquainted with them. I'd also like to thank the authors of the guide, as well as the county services who have done something extremely valuable and of high quality,'' said Prefect Blazenko Boban.

In addition to Split-Dalmatia County's prefect, the guide was presented by the Head of the Department for Tourism and Maritime Affairs, Stipe Cogelj, and the Director of the Tourist Board of Split-Dalmatia County, Josko Stella.

The cultural and tourist guide to the underwater heritage of Split-Dalmatia County presents 28 underwater sites and three museum collections with underwater archaeological finds. The guide is designed in such a way that the waters of Split-Dalmatia County are divided into five geographical areas (the waters of Split and the Bay of Kastela, the waters of the island of Brac, the waters of the island of Hvar, the waters of the islands of Vis and Palagruza), and it covers the period from prehistory right up to the Second World War.

All localities are approximately indicated on maps, and different colours indicate different depths of sites.

A separate section also deals with the Battle of Vis as the most significant naval battle on the Adriatic sea and the three wrecks that participated in the battle as one of the most significant underwater finds in the Adriatic.

During the development of the guide, it was ensured that it represented different types of cultural domain from all historical periods, covering all of the waters of the county (ancient remains of architecture and shipwrecks, late medieval shipwrecks, and the remains of modern-day wrecks and planes from World War II). In addition to the historical and geographical information, each site has its own level of depth and accessibility for visitors.

The guide is available in Croatian and English.

Make sure to follow our dedicated travel page for more.

ZAGREB, February 16, 2020 - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will visit Zagreb at the end of April and Croatia sees Russia as a partner with whom one should talk, Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Minister Gordan Grlić Radman said in Munich on Saturday.

Grlić Radman met with Lavrov on the margins of the Munich Security Conference 2020.

He later told reporters that they discussed the two countries' expectations from the Zagreb visit.

"It is in our interest to know what Russia's positions are. We care about partner relations," Grlić Radman said.

He also met with his Slovenian counterpart Miro Cerar, but said that they did not have the time to discuss the two countries' border dispute that has been burdening their relations since the break-up of the Yugoslav federation.

Radman said the talks with Cerar focused on EU enlargement and Croatia's current EU presidency.

Slovenia insists on the implementation of an international arbitration ruling on the border dispute which Croatia does not recognise, offering bilateral talks on the border instead.

The Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg in late January said it did not have jurisdiction to rule on Slovenia's complaint against Croatia in which it alleged that the non-implementation of the border arbitration award breached EU law.

More news about relations between Croatia and Russia can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, February 16, 2020 - The Croat member of Bosnia and Herzegovina's (BiH) tripartite Presidency and its current chair, Željko Komšić, on Saturday had an audience with Pope Francis during which the current situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the status of the Church in the country were discussed, the BiH Presidency said.

Komšić also met separately with the Holy See's Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

The Vatican will continue providing constructive political support to Bosnia and Herzegovina as a multi-ethnic country and it will continue supporting its bid to join Euro-Atlantic associations, it was said at the meeting between Komšić and the pope.

Komšić told the pope that for Bosnia and Herzegovina the only solution was its membership in NATO and the EU.

Confirmed at the talks was the need to ensure respect for the basic human rights of all BiH citizens.

Komšić and Pope Francis also discussed common interests on the regional and international fronts such as peace and security, support for dialogue and responding to challenges faced by Western Balkan countries.

Komšić and Parolin discussed the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region and the ratification and implementation of the Basic Agreement between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Holy See, signed in 2007.

More news about Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina can be found in the Diaspora section.

ZAGREB, February 16, 2020 - Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said in Munich on Saturday that he was satisfied that France's position on EU enlargement had "evolved" and that the prospect of the EU launching accession talks with North Macedonia and Albania was good.

Last year Paris blocked the launching of accession talks with the two Balkan countries, asking that before further EU enlargement the methodology of talks be changed and that Skopje and Tirana do more in the fight against corruption.

Nonetheless, French President Emmanuel Macron said at the Munich Security Conference 2020 on Saturday that he would support the launching of talks with North Macedonia and Albania if the European Commission gave a positive assessment of their progress in March.

Speaking to reporters on the margins of the Munich conference, Plenković said that "France's position has evolved".

"I do not expect France to block the opening of talks now that the methodology has been changed," he said.

"Additional talks are to be conducted with the other two countries (Denmark and the Netherlands) that had reservations and I think that we are heading in the right direction," said Plenković, whose country is chairing the EU in the first half of 2020.

Plenković expects that the EU will approve the launching of accession talks with North Macedonia and Albania before the EU-Western Balkan summit to be held in Zagreb on May 6-7.

Plenković met in Munich with North Macedonian President Stevo Pendarovski and Kosovo's new Prime Minister Albin Kurti, saying that Croatia would help Kosovo in drawing closer to EU membership, including by cancelling visa requirements for Kosovo nationals.

Plenković also held talks with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who said that if the Taliban showed readiness for talks, a gradual withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan, including Croatian troops, could start.

Our 11th contingent is there (with 110 soldiers) and the 12th is getting ready but if agreement is reached, a gradual reduction of the mission in Afghanistan could start, he said.

Plenković promised that his government would continue to support the Three Seas Initiative, after the United States said earlier in the day that it would give up to one billion dollars for investments in the private and public sectors of countries on the Adriatic-Baltic-Black Sea stretch.

"We have to step up economic, notably energy cooperation in that area. As far as my government is concerned, we have supported the initiative so far and will continue to be actively involved in it," said Plenković.

More news about Croatia and the EU can be found in the Politics section.

February 16, 2020 - The KK Zadar basketball team has won its seventh Kresimir Cosic Cup title and the first after 2007.

KK Zadar won the Kresimir Cosic Cup after defeating Cibona 89-76 (20-24, 19-19, 27-16,23-17) in the final at home, in Croatia’s famous basketball city.

This is the seventh Cup title for the Zadar, and the first after 2007, while Cibona also boasts seven trophies.

Cibona opened the game better and led by ten points. However, Zadar had a turnaround in the third quarter, was better 27-16, and entered the last quarter with a 66-59 advantage. In the middle of the second half, Zadar led with 79-64 and easily reached the first trophy since 2007.

Dominic Vavra (20), Ivo Ivanov (18) and Dominic Gilbert (15) were the best for Zadar, while the Zagreb squad was led by Mate Vucic (18) and Josip Bilinovac (15).

The last six editions of the Cup have gone to Cedevita, which no longer competes as a Croatian club.

The interest in the game was huge. A half an hour before the game, many spectators feared whether they would make it in because the hall was sold out to the last seat. Nine thousand fans were said to be in attendance. 

When the game finished, a massive celebration erupted. Fan club Tornado lit several flares, all the spectators clapped as one and sang their favorite songs. The celebrations then moved to the city streets. 

Basketball has returned to Zadar.

The Kresimir Cosic Cup, also known as the Croatian Basketball Cup, is named after Croatian basketball player Kresimir Cosic, whose career began at KK Zadar. Cosic was the second international player ever elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (1996) and was also an inaugural member of the FIBA Hall of Fame. The Croatian Cup, named after him, has been running since 1992.

Source: Gol.hr

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

February 15, 2020 - Violeta, a Bosnian brand of toilet paper and similar products, announced that they'll offer to their Croatian consumers the same product they already know in very innovative packaging.

In Croatia, and you're absolutely forgiven if you don't know this unimportant factoid, most of the TP used is imported. I thought that nobody produced it, as when there was a lot of joking around at the Narodne Novine expense (the Official Gazette of Croatia company who tried and failed miserably at producing and distributing it, losing almost 10 million taxpayers' euros in the process) it was said that it would become the only toilet paper made in Croatia. Now a brief Google search introduced me to the Ola'la brand of the toilet paper and similar products, which I've never personally seen in stores, but apparently they exist.

In the absence of Croatian products, we buy imported, be it the traditional Slovenian stuff from Paloma, some international global producers, or in recent years increasingly, an import from Bosnia and Herzegovina: Violeta brand. The company is headquartered in Grude, owned by Petar Ćorluka, employs more than 900 workers and produces more than 200 hygienic products. It is one of the biggest companies in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and one of the biggest exporters. They're very present on the Croatian market, and recently they've announced the innovative packaging for their product (their announcement specifically mentions Croatia, although I personally don't understand why they wouldn't put it on other markets too). 

It's still going to be their toilet paper. However, the packaging of the paper will be such to facilitate the use of the plastic bag as a - trash bag. I mean, we all did it at least once, it's quite a large bag, no reason why you shouldn't use it to put some garbage in there - except, there is a reason, and that reason is that once the TP bag is opened, there's no way to close it again to prevent from the garbage falling out. Now Violeta has solved that: their new packaging will include a tie, which will allow the users to simply tie the bag once it's full of garbage!

It's not a major change, neither for the company nor for the environment. However, in order to reduce waste we need to work together, the companies that produce products and the consumers. If the companies don't think about this problem, then the consumers can't show they care and buy products which reduce waste. And if such products exist, the consumers can buy them and entice other companies to consider reducing the amount of packaging.

The idea of the project 'Dual purpose for a higher purpose' was by a Croatian marketing agency Saatchi&Saachi. They've also decided to use the packaging itself as a key communication channel, instead of the usual communication campaign.

And with the current problems with recycling in Zagreb, the Violeta company probably couldn't have chosen a better time for this product!

ZAGREB, February 15, 2020 - President-elect Zoran Milanović has confirmed that Dragan Lozančić will be his advisor on national security and defence, declining to comment on outgoing President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović's decision to dismiss Lozančić as Security and Intelligence Agency chief and saying only that she had the right to do so but that her explanation was unusual.

Answering reporters' questions in Pazin, where he attended an event marking the 30th anniversary of the Istrian Democratic Party (IDS), Milanović recalled that the Lozančić case happened five years ago and that "the President of the Republic had the right, together with the government, to dismiss and appoint officials."

"And that is what she did. But I must say that her explanation was really unusual, that's all. Politics goes on, parties compete and I don't see anything that would require my comment. That happened five years ago, it remains to be seen if the competent institutions will conclude or take action to establish if there was anything illegal in that case."

Milanovic confirmed that Lozančić would be a member of his team, as an advisor on national security and defence.

He added that the information on his advisors published by the media so far was mostly correct and that he would make their names public once he took office.

"I have made, more or less, all the decisions. The inauguration will be held on February 18, at the Office of the President, it will be a republican inauguration, not ceremonial as it used to be. Forty people have been invited and I hope no one is offended by my choice of inauguration," Milanović said.

Asked by reporters if after taking office he would meet with the leadership of the Croatian Bishops' Conference (HBK), he said that he would do it very gladly.

"Those details and forms are very important. I did it when I was Prime Minister, particularly in the first year and a half of my term. The situation later got a bit complicated, I still don't know why because I was very much careful about what I did and even more about what I said. Orsat Miljenić was the person in charge of high-level liaison also back then. Contact has been maintained and I look forward to cooperation," he said.

He added that the situation regarding the Vatican agreements "is a done deal".

"Everything I said during the campaign and in debates has been recorded and should I start acting differently, bring that to my attention," Milanovic said.

He would not comment on the latest developments in the ruling HDZ party in the context of intraparty elections.

Speaking of his cooperation with the IDS, he said that he would not have attended today's event if he did not have a good opinion of the party. "The philosophy and practice of regionalism has brought a lot of good to Istria. This region has made progress much faster than other Croatian counties, and not only because there was no war here. Istria is a well-governed region and a lot of credit for that goes to the IDS," Milanović said.

More news about Zoran Milanović can be found in the Politics section.