Judicial reform in Croatia moving in the right direction: Justice Minister

[Mary]

Zagreb. The reduction of the number of court cases by more than 500,000 is the main index that the reform of the judiciary in Croatia is moving in the right direction, the Minister of Justice of Croatia Ana Lovrin said, cited by agency HINA.
Lovrin said that the increase by 120% of the number of sentences on cases, linked to corruption, showed that the program for combating corruption was implemented effectively.

[Mary]

The 200 or so travelers aboard the Royal Clipper may not get a flashy floor show, but the intimate looks they get of the ship offer all the entertainment they need.

The basics: The ship will leave Europe Nov. 1 to spend the winter in the Caribbean, returning to Europe in April for weeklong cruises to Italian ports, round-trip from Rome, through mid-June. It will sail 10- and 11-night Italy/Croatia cruises from June 28 to Oct. 1. Book early; the cruises sell out.

European cruise: Seven-night cruises around Italy range from $2,095 (inside cabin) to $5,215 (owner's suite, high season), plus $225 in port charges, per person in a double cabin. Ten-night cruises in Italy and Croatia range from $3,095 to $8,005, plus $345 in port charges. Early booking discounts are $400 to $600; contact a travel agent for details. Airfare is extra.

If you can afford it, splurge on a balcony cabin. Avoid the owner's cabin at the rear of the ship and others near the stern because of noise from the engine.

Caribbean cruises: Prices per person for seven-night cruises this November to April range from $1,745 to $4,865, plus $195 in port charges and air fare.

The other Star Clippers: As of December, the Star Flyer will be based year-round in the South Pacific, sailing around the Society Islands (Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora). The Star Clipper will spend the winter in the Far East (Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia); from May to early October, it will sail mainly around Greece and Turkey.

Good to know: Dress is resort casual; you don't need a tie, even for captain's dinner. These ships are best for those who like to read and enjoy a laid-back lifestyle, without need of splashy entertainment. There were children aboard, but no specific children's activities.

The day was just about perfect.

The five-masted Royal Clipper sailing ship was spending a full day at sea, sweeping through the Ionian and Mediterranean seas from the Greek island of Corfu, rounding the toe of Italy on its way to Sicily. Wind in the sails propelled us over water that was a deep sapphire blue. It was a sunny day.

I relaxed in the breeze and discussed travel and books with new friends from England and Australia. But I was high for another reason.

I watched as one passenger after another -- including a few lithe young things and a stooped, older man who shuffled around deck -- hooked on a safety harness and, under the watch of a couple of crew members, climbed the ship's rope ladder up to the crow's nest. A little girl with Down syndrome made the climb, a crew member right behind her; he carried her back down. Her face was joyous.

Then I climbed up, too. Yes! My fist punched the sky.

A couple of evenings earlier, as afternoon light was fading from a soft, storybook blue into pearly pink, I scored another highlight.

Most passengers were having cocktails or early dinner when I stood at the very front of the ship and stared down over the rail at the bowsprit net. It's a safety net for the crew working on head sails, but looks like a triangular-shaped hammock and is used as such by passengers. There's one on either side of a metal pole that extends forward from the prow to anchor the rigging at the bow.

No one was around when I finally crawled over the railing and sat on the metal anchoring the net. Eventually, I inched tentatively onto the netting -- 30 feet above the sea on the fast-moving ship.

I lay there for a half-hour, gazing at the sky changing colors, the clouds, the sails, thinking heaven can't be much better than this.

This was a cruise unlike any other I've taken.

Built in 2000, the Star Clipper line's Royal Clipper -- the newest of the line's three ships -- is 439 feet stem to stern, with 42 sails and capacity for 228 passengers, making her the largest five-mast sailing ship in the world.

In summer and early fall, the ship follows several European itineraries. Our 10-night cruise began with passengers from 17 countries boarding in Venice, Italy. The Royal Clipper called at three Croatian ports, including Dubrovnik, before stopping at Montenegro and Corfu. It continued on to Sicily, Italy's Amalfi Coast and the port for Rome. About 85 of us were from the United States, 52 from Germany, others from Britain, Australia, South Africa, Japan, Korea and other countries.

At dinner -- several menu choices at open seating anytime between 7:30 and 10 p.m. -- the ebullient maitre'd asked, "English, German or French?" He sat passengers with others who spoke the same language.

My husband and I formed a loose group after the first few nights, eating often with two couples from England, one from Florida and one from South Africa.

Ship fits where others cannot

Because of its small size, the Royal Clipper maneuvered into ports not usually visited by the cruise ship behemoths. One was the idyllic, seaside resort of Hvar, Croatia, almost unknown in the West. Another, Kotor, Montenegro, is an exquisite medieval walled town with extraordinary vistas.

Unlike traditional cruise ships, there's no elevator, no floor shows. Passengers sat on stools or danced after dinner in the casual Tropical bar on a covered deck between the cozy (over-chilled) library and the interior bar with a white baby grand piano. A surprisingly well-equipped gym next to the spa and a sports platform at the stern were gathering places for the sporty set. There was a talent show on deck one night. Another night, cruise director Frederic Jansen led guests to the top level to look at stars.

Jansen, 35, an energetic Belgian, gave port talks on deck by the bridge, which almost always was open. About an hour before arrival, he'd tell us about our destination -- in three languages.

A young woman usually was at his side as sort of an apprentice. She was Marie Krafft, 28, the daughter of Mikael Krafft, a Swedish entrepreneur who founded the Star Clippers cruise line, now based in Monte Carlo, Monaco. In 1991, he launched his first ship, the 360-foot-long Star Flyer, which accommodates 170 passengers. Its twin, the Star Clipper, followed in 1992. After working in hotels, Krafft recently joined the company.

Jansen and Krafft sold shore excursions, of course, but they also gave advice to those who wanted to explore ports on their own. Passengers who seek out Star Clipper ships -- about 42 percent are repeat guests -- are independent sorts.

Our cohorts -- especially a couple from South Africa and two Canadians on their way home from living in Dubai -- hiked while others of us were content eating gelato at sidewalk cafes with water views.

Amalfi makes a nice detour

Every day but one, sailing was smooth. That midday, one passenger noticed the sloshing, frothy sea visible through the dining room portholes and commented, "I feel like I'm in a Tide commercial." The captain diverted the ship to Amalfi, Italy, instead of the scheduled Capri, which pleased a bunch of us who hopped on public buses to Positano and Ravello.

On July 3, the day at sea, there was a July 4th celebration with an American lunch buffet: hamburgers, sausage, barbecued ribs, potato salad, French fries, grilled pineapple and such all-ethnic-American dishes as tortellini, cabbage and halibut kebabs. The hotel manager played his harmonica.

The captain was eating lunch alone at the piano bar when a passenger sat on the next stool and began chatting. He finally did a double take and asked, "Oh, are you the captain?"Yes," said the ship's master, Sergey Utitsyn, 48, from Estonia.

Utitsyn described the Royal Clipper as "a doctor. She offers a kind of therapy. You stand on deck in the wind and sun, and you feel better."

[Mary]

Croatia and Costa Rica were elected on Tuesday to the U.N. Security Council for 2008-09 after their respective rivals, the Czech Republic and the Dominican Republic, pulled out after two rounds of voting.

Croatia and Costa Rica overwhelmingly won the required two-thirds majority of votes from the 192-member General Assembly in a formal third ballot in which they were the only candidates for the two nonpermanent seats still vacant.

Earlier, unopposed Libya, Vietnam and Burkina Faso had won non-permanent seats for 2008-09 in the first ballot.

[Mary]

Oesterreichische Post (Austrian Post) AG said it has bought ST Media, Croatia's second largest unaddressed direct advertising company, for an undisclosed sum.

The Croatian marketing agency distributes leaflets, flyers and catalogues.

At the beginning of the year, Austrian Post acquired the Croatian market leader in this segment, Weber Escal, and now controls around three quarters of the market for unaddressed advertising in Croatia.

ST Media and Weber Escal will send an estimated 300 mln mailings this year, Austrian Post said.