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Croatia's parliament on Friday voted to reintroduce compulsory military service in the European Union and NATO member country. The move comes amid heightened tensions in Europe following the Russian aggression against Ukraine, as well as an apparent arms race and military buildup in the Balkans, which went through a bloody war in the 1990s. Lawmakers approved legal changes in a 84-11 vote and with 30 abstentions in the 151-member parliament. The army service will last two months and provide basic military training, public broadcaster HRT said. This decision marks a return to conscription, which was suspended in 2008 when the country shifted to a volunteer system. Croatia's Defence Ministry said the aim is to teach young people basic skills and knowledge that are needed in crisis situations, so they would contribute to national security. Authorities will start calling conscripts born in 2007 for medical checkups by the end of the year. Conscripts will receive a salary, and ...
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said India and Croatia have agreed that whether it is Europe or Asia, solutions to problems cannot come from battlefields, asserting that dialogue and diplomacy is the only way ahead. In a joint press statement following the delegation-level talks with Croatian counterpart Andrej Plenkovic, Modi also said a plan would be made to boost defence cooperation between the two countries. Modi said he and his Croatian counterpart have decided to give a "three-time" pace to the bilateral ties. "We agree that terrorism is an enemy of humanity. Terrorism is inimical to forces that believe in democracy. We agree, whether in Europe or Asia, solutions to problems can't be found from battlefields, and dialogue and diplomacy is the only way," he said. His comments come amid an escalating situation in West Asia as the military confrontation between Israel and Iran intensified. During the meeting, the two leaders reviewed the full spectrum of India-Croatia
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has left for Croatia, the third and final stop of his three-nation tour, after concluding his "productive" visit to Canada where he attended the G7 Summit. "Concluding a productive Canada visit. Thankful to the Canadian people and Government for hosting a successful G7 Summit, which witnessed fruitful discussions on diverse global issues. We remain committed to furthering global peace, prosperity and sustainability," he said in a post on X on Tuesday. In Kananaskis, the prime minister held "productive" exchanges with leaders of the seven-nation bloc on key global challenges and shared aspirations for a better planet. Modi also met several world leaders and discussed ways to enhance bilateral cooperation in areas such as trade and the economy. Among the leaders that he met were his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia .
Italy substitute Mattia Zaccagni scored in the last minute of stoppage time for Italy to advance to the knockout stage of the European Championship after drawing Croatia 1-1. Luka Modric's second-half strike looked like sending Croatia through as the Group B runner-up, but Zaccagni swept a brilliant shot inside the far post in the eighth minute of added time to cap a furious finale from the defending champions. Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic was unhappy so much time was added after a battling performance from his side. You can't have eight minutes of added time after that game, it's nonsense, Dalic said. There weren't so many breaks in play, or so many fouls to justify that. I don't want to cause a fuss but I think Croatia needs to be acknowledged and respected. We played for almost three hours. Italy needed a point to progress, while Croatia realistically needed a win to stay in the tournament. The Croatians have two points from their three games and were at the mercy of other results