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Articles by Ma Zhen
Croatia thwarts 25,000 illegal entries, arrests 950 smugglers this year
ZAGREB, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Croatian authorities have prevented 25,000 attempts of illegal entry and arrested 950 human smugglers and their accomplices since the beginning of this year, Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic announced on Tuesday. Bozinovic made the remarks during a tour of the state and external Schengen border along the Una River.
Economic Watch: Diesel price surge sends shockwaves through European economy
BRUSSELS, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- Record diesel prices are sending shockwaves through Europe's economy, pushing up freight costs and squeezing farmers and businesses as disruptions to Russian and Middle Eastern supplies tighten an already strained global market. An analysis of data published in the European Commission's latest Weekly Oil Bulletin put the consumption-weighted average retail diesel price across the European Union at a record 2.23 euros (about 2.54 U.S. dollars) per liter.
Warum sind Kraftstoffpreise auf dem Balkan niedriger?
AUDIO: Warum sind Kraftstoffpreise auf dem Balkan niedriger? (3 Min) Spritpreise im Ausland Stand: 18.09.2026 05:00 Uhr Unser Nutzer Thomas Eckersberg hat sich mit einer Frage zu Kraftstoffpreisen an uns gewandt. Er fragt: Warum können Nachbarländer, speziell im Osten, Südosten und dem Balkan, deutlich niedrigere Kraftstoffpreise gewährleisten bei gleichen Weltmarktpreisen für Rohöl?
Direct Beijing-Bucharest-Zagreb flight opens new gateway to Central, Eastern Europe--China Economic Net
Air China flight CA723 takes off from the Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 12, 2026. (Photo by Tao Ran/Xinhua) * Air China now serves 27 European destinations with nearly 260 weekly flights between the two continents, with the Beijing-Bucharest-Zagreb route adding another thread to this growing network. * For Croatia, where tourism accounts for about one-fifth of GDP, the direct flight is a long-awaited gateway to the world's largest outbound tourism market.
Photos Air China lance son premier vol Beijing-Bucarest-Zagreb
© Chine Nouvelle (Xinhua) - Zheng Bin,Ma Zhen - 05/09/2026 ZAGREB, 4 septembre (Xinhua) -- Des personnes vêtues de costumes traditionnels croates sont photographiées à l'aéroport international de Zagreb, en Croatie, le 4 septembre 2026.
Xinhua Headlines: Direct Beijing-Bucharest-Zagreb flight opens new gateway to Central, Eastern Europe
* Air China now serves 27 European destinations with nearly 260 weekly flights between the two continents, with the Beijing-Bucharest-Zagreb route adding another thread to this growing network. * For Croatia, where tourism accounts for about one-fifth of GDP, the direct flight is a long-awaited gateway to the world's largest outbound tourism market. For Romania, it restores a connection that has been absent since 2003.
Xinhua Headlines: Direct Beijing-Bucharest-Zagreb flight opens new gateway to Central, Eastern Europe
Air China flight CA723 takes off from the Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 12, 2026. (Photo by Tao Ran/Xinhua) * Air China now serves 27 European destinations with nearly 260 weekly flights between the two continents, with the Beijing-Bucharest-Zagreb route adding another thread to this growing network. * For Croatia, where tourism accounts for about one-fifth of GDP, the direct flight is a long-awaited gateway to the world's largest outbound tourism market.
Xinhua Headlines: Direct Beijing-Bucharest-Zagreb flight opens new gateway to Central, Eastern Europe
* Air China now serves 27 European destinations with nearly 260 weekly flights between the two continents, with the Beijing-Bucharest-Zagreb route adding another thread to this growing network. * For Croatia, where tourism accounts for about one-fifth of GDP, the direct flight is a long-awaited gateway to the world's largest outbound tourism market. For Romania, it restores a connection that has been absent since 2003.
Xinhua Headlines: Direct Beijing-Bucharest-Zagreb flight opens new gateway to Central, Eastern Europe
* Air China now serves 27 European destinations with nearly 260 weekly flights between the two continents, with the Beijing-Bucharest-Zagreb route adding another thread to this growing network. * For Croatia, where tourism accounts for about one-fifth of GDP, the direct flight is a long-awaited gateway to the world's largest outbound tourism market. For Romania, it restores a connection that has been absent since 2003.
Xinhua Headlines: Direct Beijing-Bucharest-Zagreb flight opens new gateway to Central, Eastern Europe
* Air China now serves 27 European destinations with nearly 260 weekly flights between the two continents, with the Beijing-Bucharest-Zagreb route adding another thread to this growing network. * For Croatia, where tourism accounts for about one-fifth of GDP, the direct flight is a long-awaited gateway to the world's largest outbound tourism market. For Romania, it restores a connection that has been absent since 2003.
Search underway for missing ultralight aircraft in Croatia: authorities
ZAGREB, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Croatian authorities launched a search and rescue operation on Friday afternoon after an ultralight aircraft flying from the Czech Republic toward the Croatian coastal city of Zadar went missing, the country's Civil Protection Directorate said. "Due to unfavorable weather conditions, an aerial search of the area is currently not possible," the directorate said.
Croatia approves aerial assistance for firefighting in BiH
ZAGREB, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Croatian government has decided to send military aircraft to neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) to assist in extinguishing wildfires, according to an official statement issued on Monday. Under the decision, members of the Croatian Armed Forces are authorized to cross the national border to provide humanitarian assistance in fighting wildfires in the municipality of Bosansko Grahovo in BiH.
Roundup: Wildfires sweep across Europe as heat, dry weather fuel blazes
LONDON, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Wildfires swept across parts of Europe on Friday as intense heat and dry weather fuelled blazes from Croatia and France to Germany and Belgium, forcing thousands of people to evacuate and stretching emergency services. In Croatia, a massive wildfire swept through wooded and residential areas around the tourist town of Omis overnight. A body has been found at the site of the incident, and at least 40 people were injured, according to local police on Friday.
2 Portuguese tourists rescued, 2 missing off Croatia's Adriatic coast
ZAGREB, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Two Portuguese tourists were rescued while a massive search operation continued for two others after their inflatable boat drifted off Croatia's northern Adriatic coast, Croatian national broadcaster HRT reported Wednesday. The four individuals set off early Wednesday morning from a campsite near the coastal town of Senj, but their inflatable boat was quickly swept out to sea by strong winds. A coordinated rescue effort located two of the tourists near Krk Island.
Iberia Airbus plane landing gear damaged at Croatia's Split Airport
ZAGREB, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- An Iberia Airbus A320 aircraft suffered nose landing gear damage while landing at Split Airport on Saturday afternoon, with no injuries reported among the 178 people on board, Croatian authorities said. The incident occurred at approximately 16:22 local time (1422 GMT) as flight IB0945, arriving from Madrid, was touching down at the airport in Split, the second-largest city in Croatia.
Roundup: Extreme heat tests Europe as fires spread and rivers run low
BERLIN, July 23 (Xinhua) -- A new round of extreme heat is tightening its grip on Europe from the Mediterranean to Scandinavia, setting local temperature records and fueling wildfires, violent storms and growing safety risks. Weeks of scorching temperatures and scarce rainfall have also pushed major rivers to historic lows, disrupting shipping, industry and agriculture, while forecasters warn another heat surge could arrive around the turn of the month.
Croatia issues heat warnings as severe heatwave grips country
ZAGREB, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Croatia on Thursday issued high-level heat warnings for several regions across the country, with temperatures forecast to exceed 35 degrees Celsius over the weekend. The Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service (DHMZ) issued a red alert, the highest warning level indicating very dangerous conditions, for the coastal regions of Rijeka and Split. Meanwhile, Dubrovnik is under an orange alert, signaling dangerous weather conditions.
3 Czech citizens killed, 1 missing in Croatia boat collision
ZAGREB, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Three Czech citizens were confirmed dead, and another person went missing after a catamaran collided with a sailboat on Sunday off the coastal city of Split, in southern Croatia. Croatian authorities said the collision involved a domestic passenger catamaran carrying 118 passengers and seven crew members and a French-flagged sailboat carrying Czech tourists. The accident occurred in the Split maritime zone, between the islands of Solta and Brac.
4 killed in light aricraft crash in western Croatia
ZAGREB, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Four people were killed when a Germany-registered light aircraft crashed near Medulin in western Croatia on Thursday, Croatian authorities said. The aircraft had departed from Austria and was en route to Medulin when it went down shortly before noon, according to local media reports. Alana Vukic, director of Croatia's Air, Maritime and Railway Accident Investigation Agency, said the agency was notified of the crash at 11:20 a.m. local time (0920 GMT).
Four bodies recovered from rivers in central Croatia near Slovenian border
ZAGREB, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Croatian police on Sunday reported the recovery of four male bodies from the Kupa and Mreznica rivers in Karlovac County, central Croatia, on Saturday afternoon. The Karlovac Police Administration said investigations and autopsies are underway to determine the identities of the deceased and the exact causes of death. The discovery sites are located in the border region between Croatia and Slovenia.
Economic Watch: Eurozone teeters on stagflation in Q1 as Mideast conflict bites
BRUSSELS, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Latest Eurostat data released on Thursday suggests the eurozone may be sliding into stagflation, with first-quarter economic growth at a marginal 0.1 percent quarter-on-quarter, rising inflation, limited improvement in the labor market, and soaring energy costs amid the protracted Middle East conflict. The European Central Bank (ECB) faces a policy trap, warned Dejan Soskic, professor of economics at the University of Belgrade.
Festival of Lights opens in Zagreb, attracting large crowds
ZAGREB, March 18 (Xinhua) -- The Festival of Lights officially opened in Zagreb Wednesday evening, attracting large crowds to see visual installations and light art throughout the city. The festival, which runs through March 22, features a diverse program of light installations, projections, and artistic performances across the city's main squares and parks. The festival features 26 installations at 21 locations throughout the city, blending visual and performing arts with modern technology.
Croatia evacuates 485 citizens from Middle East
ZAGREB, March 6 (Xinhua) -- The Croatian government has evacuated 485 Croatian citizens from the Middle East by Friday afternoon, the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs said in a statement. Early Friday morning, a Croatia Airlines charter flight from Dubai landed in Zagreb with 157 passengers, followed by two additional charter flights from Dubai on Friday morning, the statement said, adding that another charter flight with 166 seats is expected to land in Zagreb later Friday.
Prison fire injures 8 in Croatia's 2nd-largest city
ZAGREB, March 2 (Xinhua) -- A fire broke out inside a prison in Split, Croatia's second-largest city, on Monday evening, leaving eight people injured. According to local media, the fire occurred at approximately 6:30 p.m. (1730 GMT). Eight injured individuals have been taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. The hospital spokesperson stated that the injured only suffered smoke inhalation, and their injuries were not serious. Television footage showed several ambulances near the prison gate.
Croatia advises citizens to avoid travel to Mideast
ZAGREB, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Croatia's Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs on Monday advised its citizens to avoid travel to the Middle East due to the deteriorating and unstable security situation in the region. According to a notice published on the ministry's Facebook page, the ministry urged Croatian citizens to exercise increased caution and recommended avoiding all travel to the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Israel.
Southwest China’s Migrant Monks Face an Uncertain Future
The spectacular vermilion temples that dot the hills and valleys of Xishuangbanna, a tropical region at the southernmost tip of China’s southwestern Yunnan province, are a testament to Theravada Buddhism’s importance in the area. Built and patronized by members of two ethnic groups — the Dai in the valleys and the Bulang in the hills — they are part of a heritage that stretches back hundreds of years. Many of them now sit empty.
The Mixed Blessings of Yunnan’s ‘Ancient’ Tea Tree Boom
Ma Zhen holds a Ph.D. degree in anthropology from Minzu University of China. She is also a filmmaker working on documentaries about tea culture and Theravada Buddhism. In the mountains of southern Yunnan province, along the Sino-Myanmar border, locals often tell the story of Pai Ai Leng. The mythical forefather of the Bulang people, one of China’s 56 officially recognized ethnic minorities, Pai Ai Leng wrestled with how to guarantee the prosperity of his tribe.
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