Croatia News - CroatiaPress.com

Zagreb, February 20 (CP) — Croatian parliament is holding its first regular session since being set up, which is expected to last until the end of March.

Some 27 laws from the European package are to be adopted and the 2008 state budget is to be approved.

Two parliament deputy speakers will be chosen from the opposition today.

Since the two opposition parties, SDP and HNS failed to agree on who is to fill the post, this will now be down to HDZ.

The session began with question time.

Zagreb, February 20 (CP) – Croatian Defence Minister Branko Vukelic has said speaking in Washington that Croatia would be invited to join NATO at the Alliance’s summit in Bucharest in April 2008.

Vukelic said this following a meeting at the Pentagon with defence ministers of the countries-signatories of the US-Adriatic Charter with US Defence Secretary Robert Gates.

Vukelic said that Croatia was praised by Gates over its reforms’ implementation in the military in order to match NATO standards and expressed optimism regarding Croatia being invited to join the organisation at the Bucharest summit.

Vukelic has been meeting with US senior officials together with defence ministers of other NATO hopefuls, Albania and Macedonia.

Zagreb, February 19 (CP) – Former Croatian top tennis player Goran Ivanisevic is to be questioned by police after he attacked a paparazzi in front of his Zagreb home on Monday.

The attack on a tabloid magazine photographer was reported to police and Ivanisevic has promised to speak to the police once he returns to Croatia, as he is on a trip.

Ivanisevic has been known for having a problem controlling his temper on the tennis court and has of late been at the focus of tabloid journalists’ interest due to his personal life and possible involvement with a local model turned TV star, something he and his long-time partner Tanja Dragovic have been denying.

Zagreb, February 19 (CP) — The Foreign Ministry has issued an advisory to its citizens travelling to Serbia to avoid gatherings, rallies and protests.

The same warning has been issued for travel to Kosovo.

Zagreb, February 19 (CP) – An arrest warrant has been issued for Nenad Bizic from Darda, a convicted murderer jailed in Lepoglava prison who has failed to return to the penitentiary after completing his work shift outside prison.

The medium-height, browned haired murderer has been serving a nine-year prison term for murdering his neighbour in 1997.

Zagreb, February 19 (CP) — The Turkish vessel that caught fire in Croatian waters nearly two weeks ago has only been towed as far as Savudrija.

Although it was to arrive in Trieste on Monday, the go-ahead of the Italian maritime authorities is awaited for it to travel further.

The Italian authorities wish to get guarantees from the owner regarding the ship’s security, so that the vessels is currently stranded in Croatian territorial waters.

The Turkish vessel caught fire nearly two weeks ago off the Croatian northern coast and after the fire was contained it was to be towed to a Trieste shipyard for rebuilding. For a while the ship’s cargo posed an ecological threat to the northern Croatian coast.

Zagreb, February 19 (CP) — The search for a missing Labin fisherman, which was discontinued last night due to poor visibility, has continued on Tuesday morning without success.

Fisherman Adam Vlacic went missing as he was fishing between the islands of Cres and the Istrian peninsula on Monday.

Helicopters, port authority vessels and Rabac port employees are involved in the search operation.

Several items belonging to the fisherman’s boat have been retrieved off the island of Cres.

Zagreb, January 19 (CP) – The State Statistics Bureau has released data on the increase of prices and services for personal use which show that in January of 2008 compared to the previous month prices had increased 0.7 percent and 6.2 percent compared to January 2007.

Calculations have shown that Croatia is experiencing the highest inflation since 2000, mostly due to the increase in prices of food with fruits, vegetables, bread and fish heading the price increase.

Zagreb, February 18 (CP) – Croatian popular music diva Tereza Kesovija, 69, has had a tumour from one of her kidneys removed at a clinic in Slovenia, but is set to continue concert activity in Ljubljana, Slovenia on March 8.

One of Croatia’s music legends Tereza Kesovija, who was diagnosed with a kidney tumour during a routine check-up a month ago has undergone a successful operation to remove the growth in Slovengradec in neighbouring Slovenia last week.

Kesovija explained that laser surgery of that type was not conducted in Croatia, so she had to opt for a Slovene clinic.

Kesovija is a well-known Croatian singer who has also staged concerts at, among other venues, the Paris Olympia and is an academically trained musician and an accomplished flute player.

Zagreb, February 18 (CP) – The Croatian Ingra construction company has announced the stock exchange it was planning to purchase shares in the GP Mavrovo construction company.

Ingra should complete the transaction in 10 days time via the Macedonian stock exchange.

Mavrovo has some 3,198 employees and an annual turnover of $74.4 million. The Macedonian construction market is expected to experience a boom and Ingra is hoping for good business prospects.

It has not been disclosed how much Ingra will be paying for the Mavrovo shares.