Croatia, Denmark and Norway Send Joint Bid to Host Handball World Championship
January 20, 2020 - Could Croatia co-host the Handball World Championship in 2025? Maybe, and with the help of Denmark and Norway.
HRT reports that three great handball nations have come up with the idea of hosting the World Championship together. It will be a competition that will go down in history as the first to feature 32 national teams. The nomination was presented in Vienna, in the middle of the European Handball Championship, after Croatia defeated Germany.
In this deal, Croatia is ready to take on four groups before the competition, one major group, two quarterfinals and one semifinal. Denmark and Norway would share the rest.
The president of the Croatian Handball Federation, Tomislav Grahovac, points out that Croatia does not have enough funds to organize such a big competition by themselves.
“We think that both Denmark and Norway represent the world superpowers in addition to Croatia, and that for the first time, it would be the organization of such a great competition in cooperation between the Scandinavian countries and the countries from Central Europe and Southeastern Europe, however we position ourselves. This is something new and as the Croatian Handball Federation strives to be the first, and especially at the front of all new things in handball, co-hosting this World Championship is also one of the first steps towards organizing major competitions and such collaborations,” says Grahovac.
It is no secret that Croatia already has four halls prepared for this kind of competition: Arena Zagreb, Arena Split, Arena Varaždin, Žatika in Poreč and the novelty is a hall in Dubrovnik that is yet to be built.
Presentations such as this one in Vienna have also taken place over the last few days in Malmö, where Denmark played, and Trondheim, where Norway played its European Championship matches.
The final host decision will be known in about a month.
To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.
American Croat Creates App Which Bridges Dating and Fertility Industries
As Novac/Tena Sarcevic writes on the 19th of January, 2020, it was back in 2011 when Ivan Fatovic, an American Croat sat down for dinner with a few of his female friends in New York. They hadn't seen each other for a long time, so they had plenty to talk about. Warm friendly smiles, jokes and laughs over a bottle of wine. The conversation started off as it usually does, about what has happened to anyone since the last time they saw each other, how their families are, what's new at work, etc.
Then, his female friends, back then all single and around the age of 35, began to talk about love and relationships in the manner of the hit American show "Sex and the City".
Each of them had an aspiration to become a mother one day, and they were all aware that if they wanted to fulfill their wish, they didn't have long left to do it because of their ticking biological clocks. All of the women were beautiful and successful, but they just couldn't find the man they wanted to have a baby with.
They were looking for the real deal, in real life as well as through various dating apps. Tinder, Bumble, OK Cupid, they'd tried them all. But it seemed to them that the men on these apps were only interested in a bit of fun and nothing serious or further than that.
"These apps are more appropriate for people in their twenties," concluded one of Ivan's friends, who felt particularly frustrated about her relationship status.
''After three drinks, I've started telling guys that in the next five years I want to have three children. I don't care that people don't want to hear that on the first date,'' said one of the women. She was persistent in her position that it was better to express such wishes at the beginning than to wait for months, or even years, and then realise that the other party doesn't even want the same.
''Ivan, I don't care, I'm going to find someone who feels the same way I do,'' she told him. He jokingly replied that she didn't need Tinder but the Date and Disseminate app, to which everyone laughed.
''Is there anything like that out there? That's not a bad idea at all, I'd join such a network immediately,'' a friend told him. And that is where the idea of an application to be used exclusively by women who are ready to bring their offspring into the world without waiting around for Mr. Right was born. A year after that meeting with his friends, Ivan Fatovic, an American Croat, launched a website and the Modamily app.
It defines its platform as a kind of bridge between the dating and fertility industries. What people have in common is that everyone using the app is ready to start a family, and by using the app, they are looking for people to start a family with, as well as working out the methods by which they will do so.
''Modamily can help people start a family by getting them into a relationship and then they simply decide on the next step, but we also help them out if they've opted for one of the alternative options. We educate them about freezing their eggs, testing their genes, helping them find a surrogate mother, a sperm donor or an egg donor. And they may also opt for so-called co-parenting, an option where you find a best friend you decide to have a child with. The latter case is particularly popular with some friends, one of whom is gay. This is where the ''Will and Grace'' moment comes into it,'' the 44-year-old American Croat explained. He currently resides in Los Angeles and has been living exclusively from this business for eight years now.
Modamily, which is available worldwide, is a far cry from the classic dating app. When signing up, you not only answer basic questions about your own sexual and romantic preferences, but also address more complex topics, such as your attitudes toward child-rearing or religion.
''The app asks you how important religion is to you, whether you want to bring up your child in the spirit of the religion you grew up with, whether see your child attending public or private school, whether you want to live with the potential person with whom you have a child or you want them to live nearby, who is going to pay for what, how you'd like childcare to look, etc. These are important questions that many women in their forties don't want to ask the guy they're dating, because they don't want them to think they're being attacked, but they still want to know,'' explained Ivan Fatovic.
Registration on the app is free. Before you can meet someone, you first have to like each other, and if that happens, you have 24 hours to report to the other party. After one day goes by, you can't see the people who liked you unless you pay a 30 US dollar monthly subscription.
''A subscription lets you see everyone who liked you, but it also has some other benefits. For example, you might get more search filters. You can search for single women between the ages of 30 and 40 who live within 100 kilometres of you for example, and if you pay for a subscription you can search for multiple criteria; for example, to see who is Catholic, who is of a certain race, who went to Harvard and earns a certain amount of money annually,'' explained Ivan Fatovic, who is Modamily's only full-time employee.
This application is quite progressive when considering the options it offers, such as the aforementioned co-parenting. That's why, as the American Croat added, it was targeted by Rush Limbaugh, a conservative and host of talk shows and radio shows and, among other things, a friend of Donald Trump.
"He said we were demolishing the American family institution," Ivan Fatovic recalled. But other reactions have been almost positive from the very start, and he wholeheartedly disagrees with Limbaugh's criticism.
''We don't lead people to make any type of decision, nor do we claim that it's best have a child without being married. Nor do we claim that people need to be married in order to have a child. We just offer alternative options, we help people see all their options. Nobody is going to meet someone via the app and make a baby next week. People get to know each other, become best friends, trust each other, and decide for themselves what they want to do. And I believe that at least half of the straight people who find themselves on the app do indeed develop a classic romantic relationship,'' explained Ivan Fatovic.
''I've seen situations where parents have been fiercely quarreling and hating each other for years after their divorce. This is where the child finds themselves stuck in the middle and suffers the most. But I also know of cases where former partners have remained friends and are jointly caring for the child. Modamily is very useful for finding people whose views you agree with so it reduces the chances of misunderstandings. To more traditional people, this may still be unusual, but I believe that young people understand it. More and more people want to have children, but they don't necessarily see themselves with one person for their entire lives. Maybe the person you want children with is different from the one you will grow old with,'' added this innovative American Croat.
''In addition to classic relationships, it happens that people are looking for a sperm donor or an egg donor. These can be straight couples who have fertility problems or, for example, lesbian couples who need a sperm donor. So, they want to be parents themselves, they don't need that third party, but they want to get to know her, or maybe they believe the child will want to know who their biological parent is before the age of 18. Then they sometimes suggest that the biological parent should still be involved in the life of the child, but more through a role more akin to that of an aunt or uncle than to the parent,'' Ivan Fatovic noted.
His app is used by about 25,000 people around the world, and he estimates that about one hundred babies were born owing to it. 67 percent of the members are women, one-third of whom are under 35 and the rest older. The men using the app are a little older, on average, between the ages of 30 and 40, but there are those who, in their 60s, have decided they would like a child.
About 65 percent of the this American Croat's app's users are from the US and Canada, and the rest are from around the world.
''We are strong in Britain, Germany, Sweden, Norway and Australia, with several thousand users in each of these countries. There are only a few in Croatia, but I believe the number will grow over time,'' noted the American Croat, adding that he adores Croatia.
His mother is from the island of Korcula and his dad is from the City of Zadar and he goes to Split every summer because they have an apartment on Znjan. His parents met in America, so he was born in New York, but he attended elementary school in Dubrovnik because they moved there briefly. Therefore, his Croatian is very fluent. At one time he often came to Zagreb, too.
''It seems to me that Croats, unlike Americans, are less obsessed with work, they're people who know how to take a break and enjoy the great things life has to offer,'' he says when asked about the character of Croats, adding that he is sorry that many great young minds often they leave the country for work elsewhere. Croats and Americans, he believes, have certain cultural similarities.
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Croatian Tourism: 56 New Hotels, Camps and Marinas Categorised in 2019
In 2019, the Croatian Ministry of Tourism categorised ten new campsites with a total of 3,252 camping spaces in them, of which four new campsites are of 4 and 5 star categories, providing an additional, welcome boost for Croatian tourism.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 19th of January, 2020, during 2019, a total of 56 new hotels, camps and marinas were categorised across the Republic of Croatia. The largest number of new buildings, as many as 30 of them, were categorised as being of a high category, ie, boasting four and five stars.
The Ministry of Tourism, which categorises hospitality and tourist facilities from the groups: hotels, campsites and nautical tourism ports, also categorised 36 hotels, camps and marinas that increased their capacities and/or increased their categories, ie, their number of stars/anchors.
"The Government of the Republic of Croatia has recognised the importance that Croatian tourism holds for further advancement, demographic sustainability and increasing the standard of living in our local communities. That is why, since the beginning of our term of office, we've been placing emphasis on enhancing the quality of the tourist offer and extending activities throughout the year. In the past few years, we have achieved remarkable results in the form of tourist traffic, but more importantly, we're constantly increasing our tourism revenues and attracting more and more investments.
The opening of new hotels, camps and marinas in 2019, most of which are categorised with the highest quality standards of 4 and 5 stars, is proof that we've set up a quality framework for the sustainable development of Croatian tourism, which will give impetus to attracting visitors who have different interests and increasing consumption through most of the tourist year,'' said Croatian Tourism Minister Gary Cappelli.
In 2019, the Ministry of Tourism categorised 43 new hotels boasting 3,948 beds in total, while 26 hotels increased their capacities and/or categories. 26 new hotels were categorised as high-quality four and five star hotels.
Most of the new hotels are categorised in Split-Dalmatia County (13), Primorje-Gorski kotar County (6), the City of Zagreb (6) and Istria County (5). In continental counties, a total of 5 new hotels were categorised in 2019, which is excellent news for Croatian tourism spreading inland too, further away from the coast.
In 2019, the Ministry of Tourism also categorised 10 new campsites with a total of 3,252 camping spaces, of which four are 4 and 5 star category campsites. The largest number of new campsites was categorised in Zadar County (4 campsites with 485 spaces) and Istria County (2 campsites with 280 spaces), and 2 new campsites were opened in continental Croatia in 2019 (in Krapinske Toplice and in beautiful Vrhovine in Lika).
Last year, three new marinas were opened with a total of 774 berths, of which two marinas received the 5 anchors quality category. One new marina was categorised in Primorje-Gorski kotar County (Cres), in Dubrovnik-Neretva County (Dubrovnik) and Istria County (Medulin), while the marina in Rovinj, which boasts 192 berths, increased its quality standard to an impressive 5 anchors.
The positive trend of investing in Croatian tourism is expected to continue throughout 2020, especially due to the plan of passing two laws that will contribute to the improvement of the investment climate.
Make sure to follow our dedicated travel page for much more on Croatian tourism.
Bjelovar Reduces Surtax Rate, Increases Total Tax Revenue
January 19, 2020 - Dario Hrebak, the mayor of the town of Bjelovar reported on Friday on his Facebook page how the reduction of the surtax rate in the town led to the increase of the total tax revenue.
His Facebook post shows the numbers of income to the town, and his comment: "It's interesting... In the first 17 days of 2020 the town of Bjelovar made 250,000 kunas more than in the same period of 2019, although the surtax rate was 6 per cent higher then. We'll continue to follow what happens in the tax collection, and if the trend continues we will reduce the surtax rate in Bjelovar even further. This is the evidence that the income needn't be increased only with increasing of the tax rate, rather that the increase can happen through the increased economic activity, which is generated when the taxes are reduced and the conditions created where the economy is free to develop, without the influence of the politics."
The change in the tax policy in Bjelovar started in March of the last year when the surtax rate was first reduced from 12 to 9 per cent. In December the town council went one step further, reducing it for 3 more per cent, down to 6, which is what the surtax rate has been since the beginning of this year.
We've written quite a lot about mayor Hrebak and the changes he and his team have been implementing in the central-Croatian town. In May Bjelovar made news when they opened up all of Bjelovar's finance and budget transactions, establishing their town as the first completely transparent city in the country. After that, in September, we reported about Bjelovar becoming a fully digital town, keeping up with new technologies, opening things up to the citizens, simplifying their communication with the town administration, and also to allowing the town's employees to be more efficient and make their jobs easier overall.
Maybe the example of Bjelovar shows that things can change in Croatia, and not only that, it also shows what the change could look like everywhere, and which directions local administrations and the national government should consider when drafting their policies.
Croatian Producers Sell 74 Million Euro Worth of Products Through SPAR
ZAGREB, January 19, 2020 - Croatian producers sold 74 million euro worth of products through the SPAR retail chain in Italy, Hungary, Austria and Slovenia in 2019, which is 5% more than in 2018, SPAR Croatia said in a statement this past week.
The largest increase in sales was recorded in Italy.
It was not just large companies, but also medium-sized and small businesses that successfully marketed their products through SPAR's retail network.
Among the large producers were the food company Vindija, the aquaculture company Cromaris, confectioner Kraš and the hygienic products company Logistika Violeta.
Vindija increased its exports to Slovenia by 16%, Cromaris' exports to Austria and Slovenia rose by 13% and 17% respectively, Kras saw its exports to Slovenia grow by 3%, while Logistika Violeta increased its exports to Austria by 19%.
Small and medium-sized enterprises also recorded increased exports.
Prosciutto producer Pršut Voštane recorded an increase in exports to Slovenia of as much as 62%, while the Ekos bakery chain saw its exports rise nearly fourfold. Pisinium, a company that makes premium truffle sausages, increased its exports to Slovenia by 95%, while the Zigante Tartufi company's exports to Italy rose by 14%.
More business news can be found in the dedicated section.
Education Minister to Present Curricular Reform at Education World Forum
ZAGREB, January 19, 2020 - Science and Education Minister Blaženka Divjak will present Croatia's curricular reform at the Education World Forum in London on Monday, and on Tuesday and Wednesday, she will be in Brussels to present the sector priorities of Croatia's EU presidency in the European Parliament (EP) and attend the 12th European Space Conference.
At the Education World Forum, Minister Divjak will be speaking about the goals of the curricular reform in Croatia, the results of its experimental stage and the course of the education reform, her ministry said on Sunday.
During her stay in Brussels on Tuesday and Wednesday, Divjak will inform members of the EP's committees on culture and education and industry, research and energy about the priorities of Croatia's EU presidency in the sector of education, research and space.
On Tuesday, Divjak will attend the 12th European Space Conference, where she will speak about Croatia's position and goals of its EU presidency in the development of the space sector of the EU and Europe in general.
Special emphasis will be put on the need for a complementary specialisation of all member-states in the development of space technologies and the importance of the space sector in dealing with the burning problems of today, such as climate change. Emphasis will also be put on the sector's role in encouraging research and innovation and motivating young people with regard to the choice of their future profession, the ministry said.
More news about curricular reform can be found in the Lifestyle section.
Japanese Kodo Drummers to Perform in Zagreb on February 9
ZAGREB, January 19, 2020 - Japanese Kodo drummers will perform their new show "Legacy", marketed as a spectacular synthesis of some of their most popular pieces and new compositions, at Zagreb's Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall on 9 February.
The drumming troupe, whose name means "heartbeat", are masters of the art form who have catapulted the ancient Japanese culture straight to the 21st century. Since they started performing in 1981, the Kodo ensemble gave more than 6,000 performances in 50 countries all over the world.
"The legendary drumming sensation has been thundering throughout the world for 40 years, leaving audiences breathless," states the concert announcement. Their giant drums unearth a treasure trove of images and sounds the group has created in almost 40 world tours.
Legacy, Kodo's new show to be staged at the Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall, is a combination of some of their most popular pieces and new compositions, focusing on the limitless possibilities of their drumming.
"Japan's legendary Kodo drummers return to their roots with a physically stunning and musically sensational show. Legacy puts Kodo’s huge drums centre stage and reworks their treasure trove of signature pieces created over almost 40 years of international touring," it is stated in the announcement.
"Balancing a deadly aggression with utter tranquillity, Kodo’s sound stretches from the lightest of rainfall to cataclysmic thunderclaps, from silence to a wall of sound, as high, frightening and impregnable as a mountain," writes The Guardian.
More culture news can be found in the Lifestyle section.
Chinese Dismiss Peljesac Bridge Guards, Police Inspect Site Safety
The Chinese have been making tremendous headway on the construction of the long awaited Peljesac bridge down in Dalmatia. The strategic project which was funded heavily by the European Union will connect not only Croatian but EU territory, removing the need to cross the non-EU border into neughbouring Bosnia and Herzegovina when driving from the extreme south of Dalmatia to the rest of the country.
Peljesc bridge saw opposition from various Bosnian politicians and was a non starter for very many years. Now that the worst is behind it, the Chinese builders have advanced to an incredible degree. Getting large parts of the bridge's foundations done before the Croatian side could even work out who was going to build the access roads. A likely story.
Yesterday, an unusual scene took place at the site of Peljesac bridge's construction as the Chinese building the bridge removed the security guards from their positions. Police presence was also noted.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 18th of January, 2020, the police arrived to the Peljesac bridge construction site to supervise the safety of the site and will issue their expert opinion as soon as possible.
China Road & Bridge Corporation (CRBC), the company chosen to build the large and highly significant structure, has fired the previous security guards who guarded and supervised the construction of Peljesac bridge, the Dubrovnik local portal Dubrovacki dnevnik reported.
Although the sight of the police arriving and the security guards being dismissed might have seemed somewhat surprising, with many hoping for some drama to unfold, according to the aforementioned Dubrovnik-based portal, the move is not really surprising because Chinese builders are very well known for being extremely cost-conscious, but on the other hand, one should not neglect the possibility of the level of the bridge's security protection, which has obviously been called into question for some reason or another.
Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle page for more on Peljesac bridge and its construction.
Croats in NBA: Bojan Bogdanovic Scores 30 Points for 9th Time this Season
January 19, 2020 - On Saturday night, 11 games were played in the NBA, with Bojan Bogdanovic and Dario Saric brilliant for their teams.
Bojan Bogdanovic led the Utah Jazz with 30 points in a 123:101 home win over Sacramento. The Croatian basketball player played 31 minutes with 30 points (two-pointers 10/15, three-pointers 6/9, free throws 4/4), two rebounds, one assist, and one steal.
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) January 19, 2020
In addition to Bogdanovic, Rudy Gobert was also great for the Jazz with 28 points and 15 rebounds, as was Donovan Mitchell with 22 points and Jordan Clarkson with 20 points. In the ranks of the defeated Kings, De'Aaron Fox was the best with 21 points.
Also outstanding was Dario Saric, whose Phoenix Suns celebrated somewhat surprisingly in Boston against the Celtics 123:119.
In 38 minutes spent on the court, Saric achieved a double-double with 13 points (two-pointers 6/12, three-pointers 1/4), 11 rebounds and five assists. The Suns were led by Devin Booker, who lacked one assist for the triple-double. He scored 39 points, ten rebounds and nine assists. Deandre Ayton tallied 26 points and 15 rebounds in the win.
The brilliant Marcus Smart scored 37 points for the Celtics, including 11 three-pointers. Jayson Tatum added 26 points with ten rebounds and Gordon Hayward scored 22 points.
The NBA's best Milwaukee Bucks celebrated 117:97 against Brooklyn, and Dragan Bender scored six points with six rebounds in 20 and a half minutes on the court.
The Los Angeles Clippers also defeated the Pelicans in New Orleans 133:130. Ivica Zubac had three points, three rebounds, and two assists in 15 minutes.
Oklahoma City defeated Portland 119:106 in front of its fans. Mario Hezonja played 28 and a half minutes for the guests, scoring four points with eight rebounds and one steal.
Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division
1. Toronto 28 14 .667 -
2. Boston 27 14 .659 0 1/2
3. Philadelphia 28 16 .636 1
4. Brooklyn 18 23 .439 9 1/2
5. New York 11 32 .256 17 1/2
Central Division
1. Milwaukee 38 6 .864 -
2. Indiana 27 15 .643 10
3. Detroit 16 27 .372 21 1/2
4. Chicago 16 28 .364 22
5. Cleveland 12 31 .279 25 1/2
Southeast Division
1. Miami 29 12 .707 -
2. Orlando 20 23 .465 10
3. Charlotte 15 29 .341 15 1/2
4. Washington 13 28 .317 16
5. Atlanta 10 33 .233 20
Western Conference
Northwest Division
1. Denver 29 12 .707 -
2. Utah 29 13 .690 0 1/2
3. Oklahoma City 24 19 .558 6
4. Portland 18 26 .409 12 1/2
5. Minnesota 15 27 .357 14 1/2
Pacific Division
1. LA Lakers 34 8 .810 -
2. LA Clippers 30 13 .698 4 1/2
3. Phoenix 18 24 .429 16
4. Sacramento 15 27 .357 19
5. Golden State 10 34 .227 25
Southwest Division
1. Dallas 27 15 .643 -
2. Houston 26 15 .634 0 1/2
3. Memphis 20 22 .476 7
4. San Antonio 17 23 .425 9
5. New Orleans 16 27 .372 11 1/2
Source: HRT
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Crackdown on Drug Dealers Announced
ZAGREB, January 19, 2020 - Prime Minister and HDZ party leader Andrej Plenković said in Split on Saturday that the competent agencies would step up the fight against drug dealers and people involved in organised crime, and in a comment on coming intraparty elections, he said that he expected fair conduct from all candidates.
"We will step up activities that concern legal security. We will change laws if necessary, step up the fight against those who are involved in drug dealing and organised crime and who turn young people into delinquents," Plenković said at an event marking the 30th anniversary of the HDZ branch in Split.
Plenković said this in the context of last week's murder of three drug dealers by a 25-year-old man in Split.
More politics news can be found in the dedicated section.
