Croatia News - CroatiaPress.com

Zagreb, February 21 (CP) — The search for the Labin fisherman who went missing on Monday morning has been officially called off.

However, his friends and relatives are continuing the search of the 6 nautical miles area between the island of Cres and the Istrian coast.

A boot was recovered on Wednesday, believed to be that of the missing fisherman.

The man went missing at sea on Monday morning, but before that managed to text a friend on a neighbouring vessel that his boat had gone down.

Zagreb, February 21 (CP) – Two vans owned by a Pula baker of Albanian descent had been blown up in the early hours of Thursday morning.

The two explosions went off one after the other next to a bakery owned. The police cordoned off the area and refused to discuss the details of the explosion, although it is believed that the attack happened due to the property being owned by an Albanian.

An investigation into the incident is to be carried out by experts from Zagreb and Pula.

Zagreb, February 21 (CP) – It has been announced that the Croatian police in collaboration with the State Attorney’s Office has severed the largest paedophile ring ever to be discovered in Croatia.

Although an official confirmation of the on goings and the operation is to come at Thursday’s press conference, unofficial information claims that up to 250 people have been arrested in the operation.

The trail leading to members of the ring was followed through a computer site which put the police on the track of the group.

It is not clear when charges will be filed as a large number of computers owned by the suspects needs to be checked for paedophile content.

Zagreb, February 20 (CP) – The Finance Ministry has revealed its proposal for the 2008 budget which envisages revenue of 115.6 billion kuna spending of 119.4.

It is said to be geared towards fiscal consolidation and slowing down of state expenditure.

The Finance Ministry is stressing that the country will adjust to the lower economic growth rate and higher inflation rate in view of the world trends in economy.

Zagreb, February 20 — Two deputy parliament speakers were elected on Wednesday at the first session of the newly established parliament.

They are SDP’s Zeljka Antunovic and Neven Mimica. HNS’ Vesna Pusic is to head the National Committee for the Monitoring of EU Negotiations.

This came following the SDP and HNS not being able to agree on each having a deputy parliament speaker and the decision practically being made by HDZ through a vote.

Zagreb, February 20 (CP) — HDSSB MP Branimir Glavas has informed the parliament commission in charge of electing, naming and administration services he would not accept the proposal by the Commission on his candidature for membership in the parliament’s Human Rights and National Minority Rights Commission.

Glavas is currently on trial at the Zagreb county court for war crimes committed against local Serbs in Osijek in 1991 and has been released from custody since new parliament had been set up, as he was elected as one of its members.

The proposal of Glavas to become a member of the Commission seems to be a slap in the face of those whose interests the Commission is supposed to protect.

Glavas explained that he rejected the offer in order to silence his critics.

Zagreb, February 20 (CP) – After exactly two weeks of a fire erupting on a Turkish cargo ship off the Croatian coast, the vessel has been finally towed to a Trieste shipyard.

The Turkish ship has been waiting for clearance from the Italian authorities to be let into Italian territorial waters and once it was allowed to carry on it arrived in the Trieste port on Wednesday.

The ship caught fire on February 6 some 13 nautical miles off the Croatian coast while it was carrying some hazardous goods which posed a threat to the area.

Zagreb, February 20 (CP) – Following the decision of the Telecommunications’ Agency (HAT), citizens with low income will now have the opportunity of enlisting for the so-called ’social landline tariff’ offered by T-Com.

The Agency has given T-Com the green light to offer a social package that will cost these eligible some 30 kuna per month, after it had analysed the prices of basic telecommunications’ services that T-com is obliged to offer on the whole of Croatian territory under equal conditions and at affordable prices.

The offered service is to be some 50 percent cheaper than regular monthly fees and is meant for all those receiving government poverty handouts.

Some 47,000 Croatian families are receiving such handouts at the moment.

Zagreb, February 20 (CP) — Two fairs open at the Zagreb Fairground today, the 17th International Sports and Boat Show and the International Fashion and Sports Clothing Fair.

According to organizers this year’s boat show will be the largest yet with over 512 exhibitors from 30 countries participating.

Zagreb, February 20 (CP) — The Italian police have arrested Sreten Peslac who had an arrest warrant issued for him for committing war crimes in Croatia and being sentenced in absentia by the Sibenik court to 10 years in prison.

Peslac was a member of a Serb paramilitary group which forced Croats out of their homes during the Homeland war.