Passenger Ship Runs aground on Croatian Coast

Croatia, October 24 (CD) -- The Marko Polo passenger ferry carrying some 40 passengers and some 60 crew ran agound in the early hours of Saturday morning. The ship travelling between Rijeka, Split, Dubrovnik and Bari in Italy.

Although a full investigation by relevant bodies will establish the actual cause of the accident that happened on the island of Sit between Sibenika and Zadar, some passengers have expressed the belief that the captain might have nodded off or was drunk.

The passengers were taken to Split and Rijeka via the road, the transport organised by Jadrolinija company, which owns the ferry.

The ferry has suffered quite a bit of damage and had taken water, but no one was injured.

Podravka Food Concern Managing Board Members Arrested

Former Podravka food concern CEO Darko Marinac, the current CEO Zdravko Sestak and other members of the Podravka managing board have been arrested under suspicion of fraud.

The Zagreb police commissioner’s head of office Krunoslav Borovec declined to confirm the names of those arrested and said that police procedure was under way.

The group are suspected of making financial transactions via two companies in 2006.

The money siphoned off would have been used to purchase Podravka shares at a later date.

They are believed to have embezzled some 250 million kuna.

Croatian Defence Minister Suffers Heart Attack; Has Surgery

Croatia, October 21(CD) -- The Defence Minister Branko Vukelic, suffered a heart attack overnight and underwent bypass surgery in Zagreb this morning.

Vukelic's condition is said to be stable.

Croatian Television General Manager under Fire for Spreading National Hatred

Croatia, September 19 (CD) – The general manager of Croatian Radio Television (HRT) Vanja Sutlic has come under fire for using the language of national hatred following news of his comment made several months back when he referred to a journalist working at HRT as a ‘Serbian whore’ for being married to a Serbian national.

The leaked information that has so far not made it into the media had sparked reactions from the HRT Journalists Organisation and even president Stjepan Mesic who is currently on an official visit to Israel has commented on the latest revelations that Sutlic should not pass without being punished for his words and implied stance, as the fact that he is the general manager of a public television bars him from uttering such insults.

Four HRT journalists have confirmed Sutlic had made the comment, while HRT spokesperson speaking on behalf of Sutlic said he denied he ever said any such thing adding that he would look for justice in court.

The woman he insulted Ivana Dragicevic Velickovic has stated she was shocked at what she had learned and added that she wanted for this to be taken to court, as that is the only way she can get the truth about this incident out in the open.

Over the past few days Sutlic has been involved in similar incidents including attacking an HRT journalist for posing a question that propelled a nationalistic reply from a talk show guest.