January 26, 2020 - The Croatia handball team met Spain for the European Championship final in Stockholm on Sunday.

After meeting in the second round on Wednesday for a tie game, Croatia met Spain again for their eighth major final ever and third European Championship final on Sunday. The team was after the gold, which is the only color missing from their collection of European medals so far.

Recall, Croatia has two Olympic gold medals and one gold medal from the World Championship in 2003, though only two silver medals and three bronze from the Euros. 

The game against Spain was their chance - and there were 10,000 Croatian fans in the stands to help them do it.

Croatia had the first attack of the game, which resulted in a foul on Karacic. Maric scored for the Croatia lead and 0:1 in the 1st minute. Spain missed on their first attack, and Duvnjak scored for 0:2. Stepancic made it 1:3 in the 4th minute. Spain equalized for 3:3 in the 6th minute. 

A foul on Maric resulted in a 7-meter shot, which Duvnjak scored for 3:4. In the 9th minute, Duvnjak scored another for 4:5.

Mandic put Croatia back in the lead for 5:6 in the 11th minute and Karacic scored for 6:7 in the 13th minute.

Duvnjak scored yet another 7-meter shot for 6:8. Karacic made it 7:9 in the 16th!

Maric gave Croatia the biggest lead yet -  7:10 in the 18th minute.

Spain equalized for 10:10 in the 24th minute - and Croatia hadn’t scored for six minutes. 

Sego made a stellar save in the 27th minute, which gave Croatia the attack and a 7-meter shot. Duvnjak missed, keeping the game 10:10.

Spain took the lead for the first time in the game in the 27th minute for 11:10.

Thirty seconds before the half, Mandic scored to equalize for 11:11, though Spain retook the lead for 12:11 at the half. 

Sego opened the second half with a brilliant save in Spain’s first attack. Stepancic equalized for 12:12 in the 32nd minute.

Spain retook the lead for 13:12 in the 33rd minute - and they were up 16:12 in the 35th minute.

Horvat scored a 7-meter shot for 16:13. 

Duvnak nailed the net for 16:14 in the 38th minute.

Spain had gone seven minutes without scoring a goal.

Horvat scored for 16:15 in the 44th minute.

Mamic made it 17:16 in the 45th minute, and Horvat scored for 18:17 in the 47th.

Duvnjak equalized for 18:18 in the 48th minute. 

Stepancic put Croatia back in the lead for 18:19 in the 53rd minute. 

The game was 20:20 with three minutes to go.

With 25 seconds to go, Spain scored for 22:20, which was the final score of the game.

Domagoj Duvnjak was named the player of the game.

Before the start of the final, the European Handball Federation and fans voted Domagoj Duvnjak as the Euro MVP, and Igor Karacic is on the ideal team of the competition.

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

Health Minister Kujundzic hasn't had the best time of it of late. His alleged dodgy dealings, incorrectly declared properties and magic houses and apartments and even land popping up from the island of Pag to his hometown of Ivanbegovina (near Imotski) have all surfaced in the media.

We recently wrote an article which posed the question of just what it would take, or indeed how much would need to be found out, before a Croatian politician would actually do the honourable thing and step down when caught with their fingers ''in the till'' as it were. Could Milan Kujundzic actually end up resigning? Or will it be the usual saga of removing him when the government is backed into too much of a tight corner?

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 26th of January, 2020, a government source confirmed to N1 that a late night meeting was held with Health Minister Kujundzic on Saturday night.

That same government source for N1 added that the decisions that follow in this case should show accountability and take into account the stability of the Croatian Government and HDZ.

Other sources from HDZ, however, claim that enfeebled Health Minister Kujundzic could step down as early as Monday.

"I perceive this in one way as a lynch atmosphere, but when it comes to politics, one should be prepared for such things as well.

I commend all of you journalists who will investigate me, and I invite all government bodies to investigate me on all grounds. I encourage you and others to investigate not only those who are public figures, but also many others about wages, what they had, what they got under communism, about privatisation, how much taxes, surtaxes and other kinds of contributions they paid. Do everything you need to do to me down to the last detail, and then do it to everyone else,'' Health Minister Kujundzic said on Friday at an extraordinary press conference regarding the attack of a journalist carried out by his own relative in front of his incorrectly declared house in Ivanbegovina.

Health Minister Kujundzic also held a meeting with Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, and the chance of his resignation, as he said at the time, didn't even come into it.

Make sure to follow our dedicated politics page for more.

A bus of Chinese tourists from Wuhan, the Chinese city where the Coronavirus epidemic was first detected, recently arrived in Croatia. Just before noon yesterday, the bus reached the border crossing at Bregana.

*Follow this page for updates from Total Croatia News on the coronavirus in Croatia. Contact numbers for epidemiologists, travel advisories and measures for preventing the spread of the coronavirus can be found here.

According to reports, they arrived in Europe by plane to Milan, and arrived by bus to Croatia. Before their arrival in Croatia they were screened for signs of the virus at Milan airport. No one showed symptoms of the disease, as reported by Index on January 25,2020.

Chinese Tourist Bus Driver Advised by Croatian Epidemiologists

They stopped at Bregana and were instructed what to do if they notice symptoms. As Index learned, the bus driver also received the phone number of epidemiologists and must contact them if any passengers show any symptoms of the Coronavirus.

Croatian Institute of Public Health Issues Travel Advice for China

The Croatian Institute of Public Health was informed of the event and had previously issued precautions for travelers going to China and returnees or tourists from China, as reported by Iva Tatić/Total Croatia News on January 25, 2020. Those precautions follow below:

In view of the emergence of a new Coronavirus in China and the unknown about transmission routes, HZJZ advises international travelers traveling to affected areas to follow the usual precautions advised to reduce the risk of other travel-related diseases (i.e. alimentary infections which are transmitted by fecal-oral means or insufficiently processed foods, respiratory infections transmitted by aerosols and droplets, sexually transmitted diseases transmitted by unprotected sexual contact, blood-transmitted diseases transmitted by the sharing of drug and drug injection supplies).

• Avoiding close contact with people who have an acute respiratory infection.
• Frequent hand washing, especially after direct contact with people who are ill or while in their surroundings. If contact with an affected person cannot be avoided, use a surgical mask to cover your mouth and nose, do not touch your eyes, mouth of nose after contact with the patient. And mandatory washing and disinfection of hands after contact with the patient.
• Avoiding close contact with live or dead animals: both domestic and wild animals.
• Consuming properly processed foods, preferably immediately after preparation; thorough peeling of fruits and vegetables, drinking bottled water without ice.
• Avoidance of unprotected sexual intercourse with persons whose health status is unknown.
• Avoiding the sharing of drug paraphernalia (or illicit drugs) with others.

Health Precautions for Travel Returnees

Measures to reduce the spread of the disease on and upon return from the affected area:

• Passengers who have symptoms of acute respiratory infection should cover their nose and mouth with disposable wipes and wash their hands when coughing and sneezing.
• If an international traveler becomes ill, he/she is advised not to travel during the illness for several reasons: The demands of the journey may worsen his/her health. In some countries a passenger will not be allowed to board a means of transport (airplane, ship, train, bus) if he/she is recognized to be ill due to the possibility of transmitting the infection to other passengers.
• If the passenger becomes ill while traveling in a vehicle in international traffic, they should report their symptoms of the disease to staff to ensure that the patient remains comfortable and has the necessary protective equipment (surgical mask), medication (antipyretic, analgesic), and so that arrangements can be made for the patient with be met at the destination by the local health service.
• If a passenger develops fever and/or coughing and breathing difficulties within 14 days of leaving the affected area (at this time, Wuhan City is considered the only affected area), the doctor should be informed and informed that he/she has stayed in Wuhan for (or other affected area, if identified).

"The reason for promptly reporting a passenger with a fever with respiratory symptoms to a physician is to permit timely diagnosis and determine the true cause of the disease. It is much more likely that the returning traveler has the flu or other respiratory illness than the disease caused by the new Coronavirus. It also enables timely initiation of the proper treatment, prevention of further transmission of the disease to persons in close contact and ensures the necessary monitoring of the health persons who have been in close contact with the patient.

A returnee from the affected area may announce his/her arrival by telephone to the doctor to avoid staying in the waiting room and to arrange a way of arrival (it is not advisable for the patient to travel by public transport). If he/she does not know who to contact, the person may call the local epidemiologist or the epidemiologist of the Croatian Institute of Public Health for advice," the HZJZ advised.

What have scientists discovered about the Coronavirus so far?

The new Coronavirus has taken scientists by surprise according to Index on January 26, 2020. They do not know exactly where it originated, but it has already traveled 9500 kilometers since being discovered in China at the end of December. Despite quarantines, the epidemic is spreading. The number of fatalities is on the rise too.

If this was a Hollywood movie, now would be the time to panic. However, most people just need to wash their hands and continue going about their daily lives.

"Don't panic if you're not paid to panic," says epidemiologist Brandon Brown of the University of California, who has studied many deadly epidemics. "Health professionals need to be on standby and governments need to provide them with resources. Timely and accurate publicity is the key, and everyone else can relax," Brown adds.

Within three weeks of the outbreak, which spread to at least 941 people in 11 countries, scientists learned more about the virus. It is a Coronavirus, a relative of the pathogen causing Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), a disease that has caused hundreds of deaths worldwide.

Other Coronaviruses cause nothing more severe than a cold. In addition to humans, Coronaviruses can infect cows, pigs, cats, chickens, camels, bats and other animals. Most of the initial victims of the current epidemic reported they had visited a large '' live market '' in the Chinese city of Wuhan, suggesting that the virus had passed from a different species to humans.

Coronavirus Causes Only Mild Symptoms in Young and Healthy

When experts examined the genetic code, they found a sequence previously unknown to science. This means that humans have not been able to develop natural immunity to the Coronavirus called n-CoV2019. Fortunately, it seems to only cause mild symptoms in young and healthy people. Most of the reported deaths are occurring in people over 50, those who have been previously ill or have weakened immune systems. "So far, we have no evidence that this is more dangerous than the flu. Most people will be fine with decent medical care," reports Michael Mina, an epidemiologist at Harvard.

"In fact, it is possible that hundreds or thousands of people have already been infected in China and elsewhere but have experienced such mild symptoms that no one has noticed," adds Tom Inglesby, director of the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. "It's too early to know. In new outbreaks; the most severe cases are often identified first and can result in a distorted picture of how dangerous the situation is," Inglesby points out.

Information Updates Spreading Faster Than Coronavirus

Epidemiologists are now trying to find out when the new Coronavirus acquired the ability to transmit from person to person since the public market in Wuhan, which is considered the starting point, is clearly no longer the source of the epidemic's spread. Health workers expect human-to-human spread to continue in the short term, which means new cases will emerge across Asia, in the US and possibly in Europe. The news is that information about the virus is spreading faster than a virus.

The SARS epidemic erupted in 2002 in the Chinese province of Guangdong and by the time of its suppression in 2003; it had killed 774 people in 29 countries. The registered number of patients exceeded eight thousand. However, at the beginning of the crisis, the Chinese government was falsifying the number of sick people, refusing assistance from abroad, which undermined the ability of their own citizens to protect themselves. The public outrage led to the resignation of the Chinese Health Minister.

This time it's different. Chinese authorities quickly informed other countries of the epidemic's development. They also shared the genetic sequence of the virus, which can help epidemiologists track its spread and predict what to do next.

"This is definitely not 2003. The speed at which the virus was identified is a testament to that," adds Michael Mina from Harvard.

Scientists Develop Diagnostic Test Within 24 Hours

After receiving the Coronavirus genome, it took scientists 24 hours to develop a diagnostic test.This fact further supports the argument to avoid panic. The rapid increase in the number of patients can be misleading. Before the diagnostic test was developed, doctors had no reliable way of distinguishing n-CoV2019 virus infection from the virus causing pneumonia. And that means the number of registered cases will now skyrocket.

"You may hear about 300 new cases, but maybe 300 were before. An increase in the number of patients may not mean spreading the virus, but better detection," she added.

Follow our Lifestyle page for updates on the spread of Coronavirus and recommended protective measures for Croatia and abroad. 

*Follow this page for updates from Total Croatia News on the coronavirus in Croatia. Contact numbers for epidemiologists, travel advisories and measures for preventing the spread of the coronavirus can be found here.

The Zagreb roundabout (Remetinec roundabout) has been a major issue in the City of Zagreb for a while now. After being closed to the public for thirteen long months, the finishing touches to the lighting and electricity are complete and the roundabout is finally now open for traffic.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 26th of January, 2020, on Sunday morning, traffic was allowed to enter and drive on the finally reconstructed Zagreb roundabout, as well as along the tunnel underpasses and along all of the access routes from Remetinec road (Remetinečka cesta), Dubrovnik Avenue (Avenija Dubrovnik) and Adriatic Avenue (Jadranska Avenija) as well as the Adriatic Bridge (Jadranski most), and by early May this year, there will be new tram lines, walking and cycling routes.

The head of Zagreb's city transport office, Dinko Bilic, stated that the implementation of the Zagreb roundabout project had to be defined through two usable units, which had to be divided into parts of the construction that required a temporary thoroughfare and works that could be performed only after the temporary thoroughfare had been removed.

"On the basis of such distribution, an amendment to the main design was made in which it was determined that approximately 95 percent of the works would be performed before the removal of the temporary thoroughfare, and that the works to be performed in the positions of the temporary thoroughfare would be performed after the commissioning of that unit and after the demolition of the temporary roads,'' explained Bilic.

Therefore, today saw the very first operational unit put into service this morning, which includes roads whicn run along the reconstructed Zagreb roundabout, the tunnel underpasses and all access road routes from the aforementioned directions.

The completion of the second unit is planned by the beginning of May this year, the city transport office announced.

Watch the video of a drive along the newly reconstructed Zagreb roundabout by Matija Habljak below:

Follow our lifestyle page for more. If it's just Zagreb you're interested in, give Total Zagreb a follow or check out our dedicated Zagreb in a Page for all you need to know about the bustling Croatian capital.

As Morski writes on the 26th of January, 2020, two underground sewage pumping stations, five kilometres of new pipelines and a submarine outfall, as well as a wastewater treatment plant will soon be constructed on the island of Lopud, just northwest of Dubrovnik.

A contract for the construction of the sewage system, worth 12 million kuna in total, was signed today between a representative of the Dubrovnik water supply company as the investor, and the Zagreb-based company Energoherc as the contractor. The signing of the contract was also attended by the Mayor of Dubrovnik, Mato Frankovic (HDZ).

Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Frankovic said he was pleased to sign the third contract for the construction of a sewage network in the area of the City of Dubrovnik, on this occasion the island of Lopud, in such a short time.

''What's a particular pleasure is the fact that we're starting with the first Elaphite island, on which one of the most important problems is the lack of a sewage network. The fact is that our tourism rests on the clean sea, and this cannot be the backbone [of Croatian tourism] if there's no sewerage network in the City of Dubrovnik.

That's why it is extremely important to solve this issue for all of the Elaphite islands, and solve the question of all of the sewage network in the city. The island of Lopud's sewer network is the first operation to start this year,'' said the Mayor before thanking the aforementioned investor for another initiated investment, and Croatian Waters (Hrvatske vode), which provided part of the funds and is following this extremely important project. He asked the residents of the island of Lopud for their patience while performing the works.

''The island of Lopud is a tourist destination, but the fact is that during the season a small part of the work can still be performed without being a burden on the season itself. Without the patience and understanding of the residents, it's difficult to get the works done on time and with quality. But I believe we can all be happy because Lopud will get a quality sewer network. They will no longer be burdened by these problems that have plagued them on a daily basis,'' said Mayor Frankovic.

On behalf of the Dubrovnik water company as investor, the contract was signed by the President of the management board, Luksa Matusic.

''This is an extremely important investment for us. Lopud is the first of the Elaphite islands to receive a sewage system. The other islands are of no less importance to us, but we've resolved all of the property-legal relations and obtained a building permit here,'' said Matusic on this occasion, emphasising that this investment is being embarked on in cooperation with Croatian Waters and will endeavor to finish it as soon as possible.

He also touched on the wastewater problems that the residents of the island of Lopud have been suffering from for the last fifteen years and pointed out that the investor has been assisting as much as it can in the last two seasons, although it doesn't have any infrastructure in its ownership.

''After Lopud, I hope that Sudjuradj will be next, in cooperation with the City of Dubrovnik, which has some of its investments planned there. Kolocep and Sipanska Luka are after Sudjuradj, for which we have a building permit. Nobody is less important to us, but here we have all the prerequisites for investing immediately after signing the contract,'' explained Matusic.

The contractor is, as mentioned previously, Energoherc, whose director Ante Simic points out that Dubrovnik, when it comes to functioning, should be an example to the rest of Croatia, which obliges them as contractors to do the job with high quality and within the given deadlines.

According to the announcement, the first machines to carry out the works on the island of Lopud can be expected as of February the 1st, 2020.

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle page for more.

January 26, 2020 - While almost every EU Member State registered an increase in domestic tourism, Croatia recorded the third-largest increase in the number of overnight stays of local guests.

HRTurizam reports that the number of tourist overnights in the European Union was expected to reach over 3.2 billion last year, which is up 2.4 percent from 2018. Since 2009, there has been a steady increase in the number of overnight stays in tourist accommodation in the European Union, mainly thanks to the rise in the number of overnight stays by foreign tourists.

In 2019, Spain (469 million nights, + 0.5% more than in 2018) maintained its lead over France (446 million, + 0.8%), Germany (436 million, + 4.0%), Italy (433 million, + 0.9%) and the United Kingdom (375 million, + 5.7%). Croatia recorded 91.2 million overnight stays, which is up 1.8 percent from a year ago.

These early estimates, which include business and private overnight stays, are from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.

The highest increase in overnight stays was recorded in Slovakia and Lithuania

The number of overnight stays in tourist accommodation in 2019 increased in almost all Member States, with the highest being recorded in Slovakia (+ 12.6%) and Lithuania (+ 10%). They are followed by the Netherlands (+ 6.8%), the United Kingdom (+ 5.7%) and Romania (+ 5.6%).

On the other hand, the only decrease in the number of overnight stays was recorded in Greece (-3%) and Malta (-2.7%).

The share of overnight stays of domestic tourists is highest in Romania and of foreign tourists in Malta

In the European Union, the number of overnight stays by domestic tourists increased at the same pace (+ 2.4%) between 2018 and 2019 as the number of overnight stays by foreign tourists (+ 2.4%).

Almost every EU Member State registered an increase in the number of overnight stays of domestic guests, with the largest being recorded in Slovakia (+ 15.1%), Cyprus (+ 13%), Croatia (+ 10%), Lithuania (+ 9.9%) and Malta (+ 9.2%).

Also, the number of overnight stays by foreign tourists increased in most Member States, with the largest being recorded in the United Kingdom (+ 19.2%), the Netherlands (+ 10.6%), Lithuania (+ 10%) and Slovakia (+8. 4%).

In the EU Member States, the highest share of domestic tourist overnights was recorded in Romania (83% of total nights), Germany and Poland (80%) and Sweden (75%). On the other hand, the highest share of overnight stays of foreign guests was recorded in Malta (95%), Cyprus (94%), Croatia (92%) and Luxembourg (88%).

You can check out the full report HERE.

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

January 26, 2020 - The Rimac Automobili roadshow continues, with a room with a view for the new C_Two in Singapore. 

If there is one man who seems to be having a lot of fun these days, it is Mate Rimac, the charismatic man behind the Rimac Automobili phenomenon, which has grown from playing around with a car in a garage to one of the most exciting automotive and technology companies in the world in less than a decade. A company which now has A-lister industry investors such as Porsche and Hyundai and - last time I checked - employed 600 people. Not bad in a country which had no car industry whatsoever when he started. 

I have met Rimac a few times, and the overwhelming impression he leaves is one of positivity, as well an almost chilldlike passion for what he does - impatient to get onto the latest innovation to break new barriers. 

And it is clear that he is not the only one having fun in the company, whose Facebook page yesterday featured a new frontier for the iconic new C_Two from Rimac - a showroom with a view in Singapore. 

A room with a view! The C_Two at the top balcony of our South East Asia Partner Wearnes' Singapore showroom.

Mere mortals like most of us will of course never be able to afford a C_Two of our own in ten lifetimes, but for those of you who like to celebrate the success of others, especially Croatian success, I heartily recommend you follow the official Rimac Automobili Facebook page. 

I am not sure how you take the C_Two for a test drive from such an elevated showroom, but it would not surprise me if Rimac had a solution. 

And for those of you taking part in the current social media fad presenting your profile on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Tinder, RImac Automobili is pretty hard to beat. 

To follow the latest Rimac news from Croatia and elevated showrooms around the world, follow the dedicated TCN section. 

According to Eurostat data, the share of renewable energy in the Republic of Croatia in 2018 was 28 percent in total energy consumption, meaning that Croatia is significantly above the EU average.

As Marina Klepo/Novac writes on the 25th of January, 2020, according to these indicators, Croatia is among the European Union (EU) countries to have exceeded the prescribed level for 2020, and the target set for Croatia is 20 percent.

However, back in 2004 that level stood at a significantly less 23.4 percent in Croatia. The share of renewable energy in total consumption was determined for each EU country individually, taking into account different starting positions, the respective level of potential in the area of ​​renewable sources, and economic results. In the case of Croatia, it is obvious that the goal set was lower than the starting position.

Compared to 2017, the share of renewable energy in 2018 increased by 0.7 percentage points, but was lower than in 2015 when it stood at 29 percent, which indicates that there has been no progress in recent years despite Croatia being above the EU average.

Renewable energy sources include wind energy, solar energy, biomass, heat from the Earth's interior, hot springs (geothermal energy) and water power. Of these sources, Croatia is best represented by its hydropower.

Increasing the share of renewable energy sources is considered crucial to achieving the set climate and energy targets. At the EU level, the share of energy from renewable sources in total final energy consumption in 2018 reached 18 percent, an increase of half a percentage point when compared to the year before.

Compared to 2004, the share has more than doubled, from the then 8.5 percent, while, as stated, the target for this year is 20 percent.

Almost every third country in the EU has already reached or exceeded its binding targets. In addition to Croatia, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Cyprus, Finland and Sweden are in this group.

Sweden accounted for the largest share of renewable energy in its total final consumption in 2018, 54.6 percent, followed by Finland with 41.2 percent, Latvia with 40.3 percent, Denmark with 36.1 percent and Austria with 33.4 percent.

The lowest share was recorded in the Netherlands, with only 7.4 percent, with Malta (8% percent), Luxembourg (9.1 percent) and Belgium (9.4 percent). The four EU countries which are very close to reaching the prescribed share of renewables are Romania, Hungary, Austria and Portugal, with the worst of them all being the Netherlands and France, which are more than 6 percent off the target.

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle and Total Eco Croatia pages for more.