From the 22^nd to 29^th of June, Montenegro will host the 40th World Medical and Health Games, which will host up to 2,000 participants, according to the organizer's expectations. 

Along with the Games, the International Symposium on Medicine will be organized in Budva. The organization of the Games, as quoted by the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism, costs 487,690 euros. In the information from the government session that was held on Thursday, it was reported that the expected profit from the event is between 1.6 and 2.3 million euros. For the organization of the event, MORT will pay to the company Liverty International 130 thousand euros, excluding taxes. 

It's a sports event intended for health workers. The games were first organized in Cannes in 1978, and since then they have been organized every year in a different state. They gather more than 40 countries, and participants compete in 24 individual and team disciplines.

Last year the Games were held in Malta, and Montenegro, in competition with France and Italy, was elected as the destination for this year's competition.

Text by Damira Kalac, on June 10th, 2019, read more at Vijesti

In Montenegro, 266 unregistered drone operators have been registered, but the number of drones in use is significantly higher, as reported by the Civil Aviation Agency.

In order to regulate as many drones as possible, the Agency has launched an educational campaign on safe drone management this year.

"The agency, through the conduct of this campaign, insists on following up the regulatory frameworks of civil aviation by drone operators, so as not to endanger the safety of air traffic, but also endangering people and property on the ground," the statement states.

The Agency says that drones experience a real expansion, not just for recording from the air, but are also very useful in monitoring the infrastructure, forestry, agricultural, road traffic, and the like.

"It is important that all those who operate drones adhere to certain rules in order to avoid unwanted events such as crashing with other aircraft or their falling to the ground, which can endanger people's lives and property," they said.

They add that they have signed an agreement with the Police Administration to combat the illegal use of drones, thus making it easier, in joint activities, to perform more effective surveillance measures of drones.

The Agency stressed that all operators whose drones weigh more than half a kilogram, with a flying range of more than 15 meters and a height over ten meters, should be registered with the Agency, which is free of charge.

They explained that the approval of the agency to perform drone operations is only needed when it comes to drones of higher weight and if it is flying closer to urban environments or people's gatherings.

"It is absolutely forbidden to fly at night near the airport, as well as ejecting objects from the drone during flight, it must be within the field of vision of the operator at all times and up to 500 meters distance horizontally and up to 150 meters above ground or water," reminded the Agency.

Drones, as they add, must not approach a gathering at less than 150 meters and a distance of fewer than 30 meters from people, animals, objects, vehicles, vessels, other aircraft, roads, railways, power lines and similar facilities.

In the case of the illegal use of drones, there is the possibility of financial penalties and the initiation of court proceedings due to endangering the public order.

The Agency said that to combat the illegal use of drones, they cooperate with other state authorities and institutions.

"We want through this cooperation, but also the current educational campaign, to further emphasize the importance of safe drones management, without limiting the potential for progress and innovation in this growing industry," they concluded.

Text by MINA News, on June 10th, 2019, read more at Vijesti

11 June 2019 - LLC Parking Service Budva recently issued a report informing the users that the installation of a new camera-based parking guidance system at the entrance ramp to Old Town Budva is currently in progress. This solution should ensure the efficiency of traffic functioning and eliminate the human factor in the regulation of this sensitive zone.

Camera-Based Parking Guidance System relies on the detection technology. Thanks to the installation of this system, the software is able to supervise spots on both sides of the hallway, giving detailed information on the rotation, occupancy rates and infringements in the parking.

The installed cameras, according to the Parking Service representatives, will recognize and note the vehicle license plates from the issued tickets database and will only allow the entry of the cars whose owners have purchased the ticket.

Within the next several days, all the data from the tickets database will be collected and processed within the software, which will provide the conditions for the proper functioning of the traffic. The Parking Service representatives note that they are making great efforts to enable this service at the very beginning of the summer tourist season.

 “Additionally, we inform the users that from today, on the parking lot at the Old Bus Station, the existing billing per hour has been abolished, so users are instructed to make more use of this zone for parking purposes, in order to reduce the summer crowd on the promenade towards the Lučka kapetanija, “says the report from the Parking Service.

Parking Service Budva offers general and special parking lots on the territory of the Municipality of Budva (Budva, Bečići, Petrovac). In the municipality of Budva, there are 9 special parking lots, garage in TQ Plaza and 3 seasonal parking lots in Petrovac. The capacity of these parking lots is around 1600 parking spaces.

Read more about lifestyle in Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.

10 June 2019 - According to the recent statement of the Civil Aviation Agency of Montenegro published by local News Agency TVCG, the individuals who conduct illegal use of drones - uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV) will face steep fines.

While they originated mostly in military applications, the use of drones is rapidly expanding to commercial, scientific, recreational, agricultural, and other applications, such as policing, peacekeeping, and surveillance, product deliveries, aerial photography, smuggling, and drone racing. Civilian UAVs now vastly outnumber military UAVs, with estimates of over a million sold by 2015.

Although 266 drone operators have been registered in Montenegro, the number of unmanned aerial vehicles in use is much higher. To introduce as many operators as possible into regulatory frameworks, the Civil Aviation Agency of Montenegro has launched an educational campaign on ways to safely manage drones. The representatives of the Agency highlighted that the cases of illegal use of drones will be punished.

"The use of drones is experiencing real expansion, not only for aerial recording, but they also prove to be very useful in controlling infrastructure, forests, agricultural goods, road traffic and the like. However, it is important that all those who operate the drones comply with certain rules, in order to avoid unwanted events, such as an airplane crash or dropping the drone to the ground, which could endanger the lives of people and property, "the representatives of Civil Aviation Agency explained.

As they pointed out, in order to prevent the illegal use of drones, the Agency signed an agreement with the Police Directorate.

"This agreement creates the conditions for more effective control of the use of drones by conducting joint activities,” states the report from the Agency. As they emphasize, it is of great importance to emphasize once again the basic regulatory requirements that are placed before drone operators:

1. All operators whose drones have a mass of more than half a kilogram with a range of over 15 meters and height over 10 meters, should be registered with the Agency;
2. The registration of the drones is free of charge;
3. The approval of the Agency for carrying out an operation using drones is only necessary when it comes to heavyweight drones and if they fly closer to urban areas or gatherings of people;
4. It is forbidden to operate a drone at night;
5. It is forbidden to operate a drone near the airport;
6. It is forbidden to throw objects to the ground during the flight.

Additional rules include the fact that "the drone must be within the field of vision of the operator and within 500 meters of the horizontal distance and up to 150 meters above ground or water. Also, the drone must be at a distance more than 150 meters from people’s gathering of and more than 30 meters from people, animals, facilities, vehicles, vessels, other aircraft, roads, railways, transmission lines and similar objects. In the event of illegal use of drones, there is the possibility of fines and court proceedings for violating public order and peace, "the Agency said.

Read more about lifestyle in Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.

Six ecologic NGOs "Ozon", "Breznica", "Young Ecologists Society Niksic", "North Country", "Green Home" and "Durmitor Development Center" today at noon in the center of Zabljak started a tour symbolically named "Euroskop" which is supported by the Active Society Fund through the project "De facto Development", financially supported by the European Union.

"The start in Zabljak has a symbolic meaning, because 27 years ago, Montenegro, by unanimous decision of parliamentarians, was proclaimed an ecological state and is dedicated to the current topic of protected area management with a focus on the Durmitor National Park and Tara River. In the next five months, seven public events will be organized in the central city areas of Podgorica, Niksic, Pljevlja, Berane, Rozaje and Ulcinj, with the aim of better informing the citizens about Chapter 27 and everything that implies the negotiation process in this, most complex and financially demanding segment of the European integrations. Representatives of environmental NGOs will, through direct communication with citizens and interested institutions, consider all relevant information related to Chapter 27, the current report on Montenegro from 2019, published several days ago by the European Commission, the UNESCO Report on the NP "Durmitor", whose publication was announced for June 7^th, local ecological plans and problems, and share educational and informative materials to make the public as interested as possible in monitoring the negotiation process and relevant projects being implemented or planned," says Aleksandar Perovic from “Green Home”.

During the realization of the campaign "Euroskop", mechanisms of public participation in the decision-making process in the field of environment and climate change will be presented, which will give a concrete contribution to the implementation of the Arhus Convention in Montenegro.

At the same time, signatures of the petition for the protection of Sinjajevina from the construction of military polygons were collected. Aleksandar Milatovic from GI "Let's Save Sinjajevina" thanked the citizens of Zabljak for their massive support.

Text by Obrad Pjesivac, on June 9th, 2019, read more at Vijesti

The exhibition of the Koran from 1579, in the Cultural center, marked the 450^th anniversary of the construction of the Hussein Pasha Mosque in Pljevlja. The Koran of Hussein Pasha Boljanic, which is preserved in the same mosque in Pljevlja, is one of the most beautiful manuscripts of the Koran from the 16th century. "Today, for this mobile good of invaluable value, it can be said that it belongs to the order of national monuments located in our city. This Koran is one of the best examples of Quranic text in the wider area. It is decorated with intense colors including gold, green blue and red. The graphics are beautiful and large, and the ornament is varied. The Koran is in leather covers sized 39x 28.5 centimeters and a thickness of six inches. The weight is about five kilograms," said muezzin of Husein Pasha's mosque Jakub Durgut. He said the valuable book was not exposed to visitors due to the inability of adequate protection and appealed to anyone who could give their contribution to keeping the mobile good in the right way. "The first two pages of the Koran are particularly decorated with ornaments in more vibrant colors, among which gold and blue are especially highlighted. The Koran of Hussein Pasha Boljanic was created in 1579. The text is printed with black ink in 13 lines on 233 pages and has 352 miniatures made on a golden base."

Within the celebration of the 450^th anniversary, at the hotel "Gold", a stamp issued by the Post of Montenegro was promoted for the jubilee. There are plans to hold a scientific gathering with the participation of historians from Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Croatia and Turkey, and a formal academy where honors will be presented to individuals.

The Hussein Pasha mosque in Pljevlja was built in 1569. The main designer of the mosque is unknown, and it is assumed that the plan was made by the famous builder Hajrudin - the designer of the Old Bridge in Mostar. By its type and architectural characteristics, Hussein Pasha's Mosque represents a unique building and occupies a prominent place among the monuments of Islamic art in this area.

The mosque is 17.2 meters long, 13.10 wide, and its walls are 112 centimeters thick. It is made of finely carved stone.

Above the entrance is a porch that is held by four marble pillars and is covered with three large domes. The interior of the mosque is illuminated with 25 windows, and the dome is richly decorated with arabesque. The 42-meter-high minaret is considered to be the highest in the Balkans.

The mosque is covered with a carpet from 1573 - a special and precious artwork that Hussein Pasha sent from Misir where he was the governor of that area.

Text by Goran Malidzan, on June 9th, 2019, read more at Vijesti

The program "Creative Montenegro", launched by the Ministry of Culture, gave the first results this year. A total of 11 authors are supported by the first competition in the framework of this program, which will establish a Montenegrin cultural product, as a fruit of the creative sector and entrepreneurial-productive cooperation. There are 10 projects and products, and one scientific study.

Providing basic conditions and resources for workspace, equipment, promotions and alike can be said with certainty that the Ministry together with the authors have successfully launched ten new businesses in culture, which is why we want to motivate other artists to apply to the competitions with their initiative and ideas.

Bearing in mind the importance of the "Creative Montenegro" program, primarily as regard to the affirmation of the author and the importance of their projects for the creation of a Montenegrin cultural product, the Ministry of Culture will endeavor to present each of them to the public, along with the projects which they are the authors of. The author of one of the 11 ideas supported by the contest "Creative Montenegro" is "Articulation" from Podgorica. This is the project "VR Montenegro", which is based on contemporary technologies of virtual reality, that is, 'location scouting' in the film industry. Thanks to this project, Montenegro's presentation as a destination at film fairs and festivals will be extremely enriched - as representatives of interested production companies will be able to see, in one place, using VR glasses, all film locations and landscapes in our country. Not only will Montenegro be further affirmed as a film destination, but it will also be possible for authors to valorize their work through co-production with some of the overseas production companies. Igor Mitic from "Articulation" explains that the project "VR Montenegro" will introduce a series of locations from Montenegro. 

"Our project involves a tour of all of Montenegro, with numerous locations at different weather conditions, during different seasons. In this way, we will get a complete picture that we will be later presented as the Montenegrin offer on film shows," said Mitic. The program "Creative Montenegro" will thus contribute to the creation of an innovative product. 

"The point is that someone who is physically not in Montenegro is actually brought to a certain location in our country. Our goal is to get the project "VR Montenegro" to bring as many foreign productions as possible to work here," he concluded. "Articulations" stated that Montenegro has many specifics and advantages as a film location and that it is time to use it in the right way.

Text by CdM, on June 8th 2019, read more at CdM