Croatia News - CroatiaPress.com

Zagreb, April 17 (CP) – Pavle Strugar, a former Yugoslav Peoples’ Army (JNA) commander responsible for the shelling of the Croatian ancient walled city of Dubrovnik is to be temporarily freed from jail on compassionate grounds.

Although his first request for temporary release was rejected on insufficient evidence as he claimed his siblings were ill, just a week later he was granted temporary leave, as he submitted fresh evidence on the grave condition of his sister’s health.

Strugar was sentenced in 2001 to eight years in jail for his role in the bombardment of Dubrovnik.

Zagreb, April 16 (CP) – The Croatian Helsinki Committee (HHO) president Ivo Banac was rushed to hospital on Wednesday morning in Zagreb after suffering symptoms similar to a heart attack during a radio interview.

The doctor treating Banac denied he suffered a heart attack, but claimed he fell pray to stress which he had a lot of during the past few days regarding the Pukanic scandal in which HHO offered help to journalist Pukanic’s wife Mirjana.

The doctor said that Banac would remain in hospital for a few days and should be released soon.

Banac, a staunch critic of first Croatian president Franjo Tudjman has recently become the president of the HHO NGO.

Zagreb, April 16 (CP) – A 61-year-old man tried to commit suicide in front of the Zagreb city authorities’ building on Wednesday by setting himself alight.

The man’s life was saved by security guards who leapt out of the building and calmed him down and brought him indoors.

The man was taken to a psychiatric hospital following the incident.

He had allegedly tried to set himself alight to draw attention of the media to the bad way he was treated by his employers.

Zagreb, April 16 (CP) – A joint diplomatic commission tasked with finding a solution to the unresolved border issues between Croatia and Slovenia is to be held most probably in Rijeka on April 25.

Both governments will be putting forth their views on the issues.

The two sides agreed last year that the a third party should mediate in resolving the border issues, but so far have not agreed which institution would be tasked with this, another issue that the two sides need to agree on.

The upcoming meeting will represent a break in the stalemate in talks between the two countries the relations of which have been burdened by unresolved border issues on land and at sea.

Zagreb, April 16 (CP) – The World Bank (WB) has decided to postponed the payment of € 100 million in a loan to Croatia, as the country had failed to adopt the law on the introduction of a tax number.

The adoption of the law on tax number was planned for the start of April with Finance Minister Ivan Suker being tasked with drawing it up beforehand.

The delay in the introduction of the tax number is one of the key electoral promises of the Croatian Democratic Party (HDZ) had resulted in the Croatia not obtaining from the World Bank the first tranche of the adjustment loan (PAL2) of €100 million, despite the fact that the money was due in March.

It seems like it will be more than two weeks before the law is adopted, so that the money will not be in before June.

Tax number introduction is pivotal if the fight against corruption helps the efficiency of the tax system and is a key provision for adjustment with the EU acquis communautaire.

The state attorney’s office officials and the police are checking the claims about the police cover-up of illegal drugs being used at the Zagreb home of the Pukanic family, reports the Slobodna Dalmacija daily.

The police have allegedly known of cocaine being kept in the safe in the Pukanic home since 2007.

At the start of 2008 NGOs had demanded an investigation into the safe in the Pukanic home, but according to Slobodna Dalmacija those calls were ignored due to interventions by journalist Ivo Pukanic.

Pukanic reported an assassination attempt last Wednesday and the story is now being further complicated with the latest illegal drugs twist.

Zagreb, April 15 (CP) — The Zagreb Stock Exchange index Crobex has after a sharp fall it experienced on Monday recorded a growth of 2.53 percent with brisk trade with most liquid shares recording an increase in value.

Crobex ended the day at 3.347,26 points, its lowest level since mid-January of 2007.

Zagreb, April 15 (CP) — The price of petrol and Eurodiesel has gone up as of midnight at the INA petrol stations by 0.6 percent on average and the price of heating oil by 0.3 percent.

The price of diesel and blue diesel used by fishermen and farmers has remained unchanged.

The next change is to happen in two weeks time, as the INA oil company adjusts prices in such intervals.

Zagreb, April 15 (CP) — Opening the Croatian-German economic forum on Tuesday morning in Zagreb, president Stjepan Mesic spoke of the traditionally good Croatian-German relations, the notion fully supported by his German counterpart Horst Koeller. Koeller said that corruption and incomplete reforms in the judiciary represent the main stumbling blocks to even better business relations between the two countries. The host of the Forum, Croatian Chamber of Commerce president Nadan Vidosevic warned of Croatia’s large deficit in the foreign trade exchange with Germany, while deputy Prime Minister Damir Polancec spoke of Croatia’s serious efforts at reforms in preparation for its EU entry.

Zagreb, April 14 (CP) – Arsenal striker and member of the Croatian soccer squad Eduardo da Silva is to continue the recovery from his foot injury in his native Brazil, where he is to be treated by the Brazilian squad physio expert.

It is yet to be seen whether Da Silva’s recovery will be quick enough for him to be able to spend time with his national squad mates in Austria in June.