Zlatko Hasanbegovic

A lecture given by two well-known Serbian historians in Zagreb earlier this week has caused controversy in Croatia because it appeared to show sympathy for the Serbian nationalist Chetnik movement in World War II.

But why did the boycotts start in 2016 - why exactly that year? Did it maybe coincide with the Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ, taking power in Croatia?

More than 700 organisations, individuals, journalists and public figures in Croatia have signed an open letter on Thursday, criticising the media's "one-sided, simplified and ultimately dishonest and unfair reporting" about migrants and refugees.

Ivana Peric, editor of the H-alter website, one of the signatories, told BIRN that the media were overwhelmed by fake news about refugees.

Israel and the Sarajevo Jewish Community revoked an invitation to Croatian right-wing politician Zlatko Hasanbegovic to attend a ceremony at which his grandparents will be posthumously honoured for saving a Jewish girl.

The grandparents of controversial Croatian right-wing politician Zlatko Hasanbegovic will be posthumously honoured by Israel for shielding a young Jewish girl from the fascist regime during World War II.

Zlatko Hasanbegovic, head of Zagreb’s committee for naming streets, said that a proposal to honour 1990s general Janko Bobetko had been withdrawn, but denied any connection to a protest by rights activists.

Educational experts in Croatia complain that the criteria for naming members to the National Council on upbringing and education are unclear - after the government nominated a number of very socially conservative candidates to it.

Croatia's local elections on Sunday confirmed the strength of the governing centre-right Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ, in the counties, but underlined its lack of strength in the major cities of Zagreb, Split, Rijeka and Osijek.

The HDZ won in 11 out of Croatia's 20 counties, while its traditional opponent, the opposition Social Democratic Party, SDP, managed to win in only five.

Controversial former Culture Minister Zlatko Hasanbegovic, along with other two independent right-wing MPs - Bruna Esih and Zeljko Glasnovic - could withdraw their support for the government led by the centre-right Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ, an analyst told BIRN.

Croatia's ruling party, the Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ, fears its plans for the local elections in Zagreb could be upset after a far-right researcher, Bruna Esih, said she was running for Mayor.

Esih, aged 41, who entered parliament on the HDZ list as a non-party candidate in the last elections, already has the HDZ worried.