April 23, 2019 - With the exceptionally favourable conditions on the sea and the excellent organisation of accompanying contents, the 13th Tivat Regatta UNA Montenegro Cup overcame all the expectations and confirmed already last year the apparent fact that Tivat gets a severe sport and tourist manifestation dedicated to sailing and the culture of life along the sea. Along with Bokelian competitors in the Optimist and Laser sports classes, who competed on Friday and Saturday, the Sunday Tivat regatta gathered 32 boats and over 150 sailors. The ship MM Shinning triumphed under the colours of YC Lahor Kotor with skipper Miloš Radonjić, setting a new track record - 1 h 34 min.

Tivat Regatta 2019- Award Giving Ceremony, Photo by Iva Gopčević Čelanović

April 23, 2019 - The Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the Democrats did not agree on overcoming the crisis in the Kotor government, so the SDP will not withdraw the initiative for the replacement of Mayor Vladimir Jokic (Democrats).

22 April 2019 - Proud knight, architectural miracle and symbol of the Bar-Boljare highway, the Moračica bridge will be built by September if the weather allows. That’s what Duško Rondović, chief engineer, says.

CdM journalist visited the construction site. Rondović is right. Although it was a sunny and warm day, the wind was blowing fiercely. And the same every day. That is why windbreaks will be constructed on both sides of the bridge. There will also be footpaths on the bridge.

Currently, works on the range construction are being carried out.

“Two-thirds have already been finished," pointed out Rondović.

Moračica bridge is one of the most demanding structures on the highway section. It will be 960 m long, and 23,40 m wide. It will be supported by five pillars, the highest of them being 161 m high. Range from the bottom of the riverbed of Morača to carriageway construction will amount more than 200 meters. Sky high. That will be the highest bridge on the territory of the former Yugoslavia.

There are around 150 workers at the site every day.

This bridge has already become a symbol of the Montenegrin highway, widely covered by all domestic and regional media.

CdM also visited Mrke bridge.

“It’s 300 m long, around 35 m high. A very demanding structure," said the chief engineer.

The first section of Bar-Boljare highway will be finished in the middle of next year, and that deadline will be met, said the president of CRBC company during the meeting with the president of the Government of Montenegro, Duško Marković held in Dubrovnik several days ago.

Construction of the priority highway section will cost €890 million.

Text by Cafe del Montenegro, on 19 April 2019.

22 April 2019 - Crvena Zvezda is the 2019 ABA League champion. The Serbian team blew out the Montenegrin side and defending champ Budućnost VOLI 97:54 in Game 5 of the Finals to win the series 3:2.

Apart from claiming the title for the fourth time in the history of the club, Crvena Zvezda also got a position in the 2019-2020 EuroLeague. Zvezda is back in the top-tier competition after losing the spot to Budućnost VOLI last season.

K.C. Rivers scored a game-high 21 points for the winning side that practically finished the game by halftime. The hosts overpowered their opponents 29:8 in the second quarter to reach 47:21 at halftime. Budućnost VOLI was unable to react and lost further ground, despite coach Jasmin Repeša’s pleas to his players to try and finish the game as best as possible.

Budućnost VOLI received a rude welcome in the arena that led to the game being delayed, although similar incidents had taken place in Game 3 in Podgorica in Podgorica.

Norris Cole commented on the hostile pregame atmosphere against his team with some statements to Eurohoops.

“That was the most unacceptable and unprofessional basketball environment. The ABA league should be ashamed of what happened tonight. They threw chairs, drinks, spit, fireworks, and other objects on to the court and their fans ran on the court disrupting our warmups to the point we had to leave the court. Totally unsafe and unacceptable. The game should not have been played. But they threatened we would forfeit the championship if we did not return to the court,” stressed out Cole.

When Budućnost VOLI players entered the court for their warmup session, various objects were hurled at them from the stands. The squad immediately turned back to return to the locker room.

“When our players set out to enter the arena, total hysteria and throwing all possible hard things happened: coins, phone batteries, stones, full bottles, broom parts, lighters, chairs. About 40 fans entered the court and came to the bench of Budućnost VOLI, they spit on and physically attacked our players. Cole, Earl Clark, and Nemanja Gordić, who was hit with a chair stolen by a fan,” reported the official statement of Budućnost VOLI.

“Podgorica fans did not run on the court during warms up. They did not touch any players. They did not throw any chairs or multiple soda cups on the court. And the ABA league stepped in to control it, but they did not step up to control the environment in Belgrade. Podgorica did not vandalize the playing court,” stated Cole regarding the similar incidents that took place in Game 3 in Podgorica and brought a sanction to Budućnost VOLI.

Boriša Simanić had a key output since he dropped his 10 points in 10 minutes (on perfect 3/3 f.g., 3/3 f.t. shooting) of the first half. The Serbian forward also had a couple of highlights, two days after being announced for the NBA Draft. Dejan Davidovac added 11 points for Zvezda that prevailed despite missing Stratos Perperoglou.

No Budućnost VOLI player scored in double figures. Norris Cole scored nine while projected lottery pick in the 2019 Draft Goga Bitadze had seven points in 16:36.

After the game, Billy Baron of Crvena Zvezda was named MVP of the ABA Liga playoffs.

Source: Eurohoops

22 April 2019 - The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development will, after a feasibility study, decide on the co-financing of the Mateševo-Andrijevica motorway section.

This information was announced by the president of this institution Sir Suma Chakrabarti during an interview for TVCG. He also added that the EBRD is also prepared to finance the future concessionaire of the Airports of Montenegro.

The European Bank supports the efforts of the Government of Montenegro to improve the environment for business and investment. However, the grey economy must be reduced, and this also requires tax reduction.

"Energy, transport, infrastructure and the private sector - these are areas where we still want to invest. We are pleased that we can help Montenegro make the private sector more capable of fighting competition, and therefore achieve easier integration. We also support the efforts of the Government to improve the environment for business and investment, "he said.

The first section of the motorway is coming to an end, and preparations for the construction of the remaining sections are on-going. Chakrabarti commented on the plans to participate in the financing of the project of the century - the Bar-Boljare motorway: "Our bank has already helped to prepare the preliminary design of two sections of the motorway, as well as a feasibility study for the entire highway. After the assessment is finished, we will issue a final decision on co-financing and providing help to Montenegro for the Mateševo ​​- Andrijevica section".

Given that the European Bank is taking into consideration the development of road infrastructure, Chakrabarti revealed that the Airports of Montenegro are also in their focus.

"We are ready to consider the financing of the winners on the tender, which will be awarded the concession for Airports of Montenegro," he said.

Suma Chakrabarti also spoke about the methods to reduce and mitigate the negative effects of the grey economy: "During the conversations with business representatives, I have been told that high taxes are a huge burden that puts pressure on local companies. They also mentioned the Labour Law, as well as the necessity of improving skills. You need to focus on these areas to prevent the negative effects of the grey economy".

22 April 2019 - On April 22, Prime Minister of Montenegro Duško Marković met with the leaders of the Orascom Development Holding to discuss tourism potentials in Montenegro and the contribution of the Luštica Bay project to the achieved results in this area.

Prime Minister and the representatives of Orascom Development, led by Chief Executive Officer Khaled Bichara, concluded that Montenegro’s tourism is in its stride and that every day the country has more and more tourists. “Investors and projects such as the Luštica Bay make a significant contribution to the good results we have achieved”, Marković emphasised at the meeting in Podgorica.

According to the Prime Minister, there is great expansion in the area of tourism. ”We had an excellent winter season and we can say that the summer season has started earlier than usual. According to the newest data, there are 29% more guests currently staying in Montenegro compared to the same period last year," Marković pointed out.

He expressed satisfaction with the resort development and the dynamics of the construction works, noting that the Luštica Bay and other major resorts on the coast give a new quality to Montenegro's tourist offer. CEO Bichara thanked Prime Minister Marković for the continuous Government's support, emphasising that without this support the project could not have thrived.

"We could not have achieved anything without the support of the Government. Still, it is also important to point out that tourism cannot be successful without investors such as the Orascom Development, so cooperation is essential,” Mr. Bichara stated on this occasion.

The meeting discussed issues important for the acceleration of the construction works at the Luštica Bay seaside resort, owned by the Orascom Development.

Orascom Development Holding (ODH) is a leading developer of fully integrated destinations, including hotels, residential units and leisure facilities such as golf courses, marinas and supporting infrastructure. ODH offers a diverse portfolio of worldwide destinations covering Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman, Morocco, Montenegro, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The group operates a total of 33 hotels with 7,177 rooms and controls approximately 101.0 million sqm of land.

Luštica Development AD was founded in 2008 as a joint venture between Orascom Development Ltd. (90%) and the Government of Montenegro (10%). The project site is an inspiring, wonderfully secluded area along the Luštica peninsula, where rolling hills cascade down to an idyllic coastline. Its 690-hectares will be sensitively developed into a fully-integrated, new town in Montenegro with state-of-the-art infrastructure. It will mark the most significant investment in Montenegro yet (1.1 billion Euros) and after completion will host a few thousand residents, more than 1000 apartments, more than 500 villas and townhouses, seven hotels, two marinas, a signature 18-hole golf course and a range of public facilities including a school and medical facility.

Once upon a time, there were 18 mills on the upper rivers, the Vidrovan, Boljasnica, Rastovac and Susica - the mills of Perkovic, Raicevic, Matanovic, Maksimovic, Djukanovic, Piljevic, Medjedovic, duke Nikola, Buca, Novi mlini, and watermill Djuricic.

They were also posts for cloth, Medjedovic, Mijanovic, and Raicevic. Today they do not work, most of the mills are in ruins, and the tradition is kept only by the Raicevic mill in Vir.

When Tomo and Milosav Raicevic returned from America, in 1905, they bought the mill from Janko Vukotic, who cut off the rivers Vidrovan and Boljasnica and made a benat (dam) for the watermill to work.

"The mill was always operational. Sometimes, in front of the mill, there was a queue for two or three days. They had grain coming on horses and donkeys from Golija, Piva, Zupa, Banjani, and they had a priority - first, they were milled for them, then for the hosts. The mill worked well, and they could make a living from it, and as a remuneration, people gave 'contribution' - five percent of milled flour," says miller Drago Simanic, who does not let the old craft disappear completely.

His grandfather, father, and uncle worked in his cousin's mill, and six years ago Drago decided to have a try in this job, as well.

"As a child, I watched my grandfather working, later my father and uncle. I liked working in the mill, and six years ago I decided to start doing this myself as well. It does not work like in those old times; there are no queues as there once was, there are less sowing and milling. There were once four barrels; now there are two. I work the most from November to the New Year. Then on two winches from morning till evening I mill a ton of wheat. On one winch we have corn, and on the other buckwheat and rye," says Drago.

Mill has been refurbished in recent years, and two 80-ton silos have been made but are not yet in use. Glad, like all millers, argues that grain milling in the traditional way, on stone and water, preserves all the nutritional properties of cereals and that the flour from the mill on electricity and this one on the water cannot be compared.

"They say it is not the same taste of flour from the mill on electricity and this one on the water. Unfortunately, no one brings wheat anymore and rye much less than before. The corn and buckwheat are mostly being milled, which are brought from Duzi. I have permanent clients from Zupa, Duzi, Rastovac, Golija. All these are older people who mill grain mostly for their needs, for a sack or two." Whether the grain will be coarse or small depends on the customer's request, and Drago has already figured it so well that as soon as he puts on the grain and turns on the winch, he can assess what kind of flour will come out.

"I know exactly what the flour will be, whether it is dry or not. Last year was quite dry. Not only the length of grinding but also the quality of the flour depends on the moisture," says Drago, adding that he can mill a hundred pounds of grain at once for roughly one hour and a half.

He shows the mill, explains the process of work but does not hide the pleasure of praising the area he lives in, by saying it is a real paradise on earth.

"There is no spiderweb on a mill that works," says the German proverb. There is no place for the spiderweb in Raicevic's mill. Drago says he believes it will continue to be so in the future.

Text by Svetlana Mandic, on April 21st, 2019, read more at Vijesti

Telenor has the largest coverage of 4G network in Montenegro, according to research results conducted by the Agency for Electronic Communications and Postal Operations (EKIP). According to the results of measuring the quality of mobile networks in Montenegro, Telenor has the best quality of speech transmission and excellent data transfer performance.

"Telenor has the largest number of 4G base stations in the country, up to 364, and in 95% of cases for data transfer services, 4G technology is being used. This means that the Telenor network enables users to surf the Internet undisturbed, download large amounts of data, and use the most advanced services and applications, with the same quality of network across Montenegro," said Ratko Pustahija, Technical Director at Telenor in Montenegro.

Measurement results also show that in urban environments Telenor reaches average speeds of 43.5 Mbps for downloads or 34.0 Mbps for uploads.

The measurement was carried out in November and December last year in all cities and most important travel routes in Montenegro for all three operators at the same time. The process involves the measurement of different parameters, with the help of which it is possible to compare the quality of the services provided.

Telenor continues to extensively invest in the development of its network, enabling customers to get high-quality service at all times.

Text by Promo, on April 19th, 2019, read more at Vijesti

21 April 2019 - The exhibition of the National Museum of Montenegro entitled "European Fashion at the Montenegrin Palace - Reflection" was opened tonight at the Museum of Macedonian Struggle for Independence in Skopje. 

The event was attended by top officials of North Macedonia, including Prime Minister Macedonia Zoran Zaev, Speaker of the Parliament Talat Xhaferi and Minister of the Interior Oliver Spasovski, as well as numerous visitors and guests. 

Minister of Culture of Montenegro Aleksandar Bogdanović, Minister of Culture of the Republic of North Macedonia Asaf Ademi, Director of the National Museum of Montenegro Anastazija Miranović, and Director of the Museum of Macedonian Struggle for Independence Daniela Nikolova delivered speeches at the opening of the exhibition. 

Addressing the attendees, Minister Bogdanović emphasised that tonight's exhibition represents a new step towards the cultural integration of the two countries. Furthermore, he stressed the importance of the ongoing visit to North Macedonia, which is the basis for deeper cooperation in the coming period. 

The authors of the project are Anastazija Miranović, Tatjana Jović and Isidora Kovačević. The exhibition will be open until 1 July.

Minister of Culture Aleksandar Bogdanović and Minister of Culture of the Republic of North Macedonia Asaf Ademi also recently signed the 2019-2022 Cultural Cooperation Programme between the Ministry of Culture of Montenegro and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of North Macedonia. 

The programme envisages, among other things, the promotion of cooperation in various fields of culture and cultural heritage, and Minister Bogdanović recalled that the Agreement on Cultural Cooperation between the two countries was signed in 2006. 

This document provides the basis for upgrading the relations that the two countries have in the field of culture, especially in the context of the implementation of joint projects and programmes. 

21 April 2019 - The Minister of Labour and Social Welfare Kemal Purišić met with Minister of Human Rights and Refugees of Bosnia and Herzegovina Semiha Borovac in Sarajevo, where they discussed the Law that covers the implementation of the Regional Housing Programme in these two countries. 

The ministers expressed satisfaction with the progress made in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, as well as the belief that the planned construction of housing units for refugees and internally displaced persons will be completed within the specified deadline. 

Purišić and Borovac emphasised the common interest of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro to use all available funds through the Fund of the Regional Housing Programme. 

Minister Purišić stressed that one of the outcomes of the Regional Housing Programme in Montenegro is the Law on Social Housing, which the Government adopted last year. 

"The Law covers broader categories of population in social need. Given that Bosnia and Herzegovina do not have such a regulation, and the construction of apartments according to the model of social housing is in progress, Montenegro and the competent authorities can provide assistance and experience in this regard," Purišić said. 

Furthermore, Purišić and Borovac discussed the Agreement on the search for missing persons, which, after adoption by governments in both countries, should be signed soon. 

"After the signing of the Agreement, the planned activities for the search for missing persons will follow. According to the analysis of the working group that drafted the Agreement, we search about 300 missing persons in both countries. It is important to reliably exchange these data to avoid duplication of the search process in the countries of the region, which is prescribed by the Regional plan for the search for missing persons brought within the framework of the Berlin Process," Borovac said.