| Bulgaria in Brief: |
During Clinton Visit, Bulgarian Rightists Liken Gazprom to Red Army Bulgaria should lift its recently imposed moratorium for exploration and production of shale gas, argued rightist Union of Democratic Forces at a press conference Sunday.
At the same time, shale gas was among the topics discussed by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with Bulgarian PM Boyko Borisov during her visit in Sofia.
UDF MP Lachezar Toshev said he will table a motion for lifting the ban, thus joining calls from the other party in Bulgaria's Blue Coalition, Democrats for Strong Bulgaria.
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| Clinton in Sofia: US Joins Decade of Roma InclusionUS Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has praised Bulgaria for its efforts in integrating its Roma minority, during her Sunday visit to the country.
After her official program, which including meetings with Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev and PM Boyko Borisov, Clinton met representatives of Roma NGOs at the US embassy in Sofia.
"The US will join the Decade of Roma Inclusion as an official observer," stated Clinton.
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| Bulgarian PM: Clinton Agreed to Put Environment before EnergyBulgarian PM Boyko Borisov and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have agreed to protect the environment in pursuing their energy policies at a meeting in Sofia Sunday.
Energy was high on the agenda in Clinton's meeting with the Bulgarian PM and key cabinet ministers, and Clinton herself made it clear that Bulgaria is a key part of the US's energy strategy.
Although the Secretary of State did not mention the issue of shale gas in the press conference after the meeting, PM Borisov made it clear that his was a key topic of discussion.
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| Clinton: Bulgaria Is Democratic Example for Arab WorldBulgaria is a success story in the transition from an authoritarian regime to democracy and could help countries in the Arab World, stated US State Secretary Hillary Clinton in Sofia.
Sunday Clinton is on an official visit to the Bulgarian capital, where she discussed key global and bilateral matters with local leaders.
The US Secretary of State said that Bulgaria has effected its transition from an authoritarian regime to democracy in an exemplary way.
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| Bulgarian President Vows to Clinton to Aid US InvestmentsBulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton agreed that relations between their countries are on good ground, but have much greater potential.
"Bulgaria will continue to strive stimulating American enterpreneurs to invest in the Bulgarian economy," stated President Plevneliev.
Energy was singled out as a key area for economic cooperation, with Plevneliev naming the three lines of energy efficiency, energy independence and energy liberalization.
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| Clinton: USА Is Bulgaria's Friend ForeverI promise to the Bulgarian people that the United States will be forever with them, as we have been in the past, stated US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Sofia.
"It is a great honor for me to be again in this beautiful country and to be able to demonstrate again our strong partnership," added Clinton after meeting Bulgarian PM Boyko Borisov and members of the cabinet
The US Secretary of State said that Bulgaria has effected its transition from an authoritarian regime to democracy in an exemplary way.
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| Clinton: USA Committed to Bulgaria's SecurityUS Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has reiterated the American commitment to Bulgaria's national security during her Sunday visit in Sofia.
"I would like to underscore the commitment of the United States to Bulgaria's security. We take very seriously our collective security obligations.... |
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| Clinton Doesn't Mention Shale Gas in Bulgaria, Vows to Send Energy EnvoyBulgaria is a key country for the United States in terms of energy strategy, it transpired during US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to Sofia Sunday.
Clinton vowed to pursue work with Bulgaria, especially in the field of nuclear energy and energy sources diversification.
"Over next week, I will send US Special Envoy for Eurasian Energy Richard Morningstar to Bulgaria," stated the Secretary of State.
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| US, Bulgaria Slam Russia, China on Syria Resolution VetoThe US and Bulgaria have vowed to increase pressure on the regime of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, during US State Secretary Hillary Clinton's visit to Sofia Sunday.
Following the failure of the UN Security Council, which she termed "a travesty," a non-UN coalition must be gathered to pressure Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad to step down, stated Clinton.
Clinton spoke at a press conference after meeting Bulgarian PM Boyko Borisov and key cabinet ministers, such as Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikolay Mladenov.
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| Iran Vows to Hit Any Country That Gives Base for US StrikeIran would attack any country which has given its territory to help effect strikes on the Islamic Republic, said Gen Hossein Salami, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
"Any point used by our enemies for conducting hostile operations against Iran will suffer our aggression in return," said Salami Sunday according to Fars as quoted by Interfax.
Currently US Secretary of Defense Hillary Clinton is on an official visit to Sofia, with one of the topics on the agenda developments in Iran and Syria.
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| Hillary Clinton Meets Bulgaria President, on to PM, MinistersUS Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is on an official trip to Sofia Sunday, has met Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev.
Details from the meeting have not emerged, as Clinton has already entered another meeting, with PM Boyko Borisov and cabinet ministers.
A press-conference of Clinton and Borisov is scheduled after the meeting.
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| Bulgaria's Maxim Behar to Defend Transparency at World PR Forum in DavosBulgaria's top PR expert Maxim Behar, a CEO of M3 Communications Group, Inc. in Bulgaria and a Chairman of Hill+Knowlton Strategies – Czech Republic, will be defending publicity in the opening debate at the World Communication Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
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| 1,050 Bulgarian Police Guard Hillary Clinton on Sofia VisitExtreme security measures have been implemented by Bulgarian authorities during the Sunday visit of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to Bulgarian capital Sofia.
Clinton arrived in Sofia around 12.30 EET, and is set to stay a few hours, discussing with Bulgarian leaders key global and bilateral issues.
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| Bulgaria Welcomes 6th US State Secretary VisitUS Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's Sunday visit to Sofia is the sixth visit of a head of the American diplomatic service to Bulgaria.
In February 1990, US Secretary of State James Baker made a trip to Romania and Bulgaria, where he met President Petar Mladenov and opposition representatives.
The second visit was in November 1999 by Madeleine Albright, who prepared the imminent visit of President Bill Clinton.
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| US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Arrives in SofiaAmerican Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has arrived on an official visit to Bulgarian capital Sofia, during which key global and bilateral issues are set to be discussed.
Clinton arrived at Sofia Airport half an hour late due to bad weather conditions, with heavy snowfall and winds.
Saturday Clinton was at the global security conference in Munich, where she stressed that Europe has been and remains US's essential ally globally.
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| Hillary Clinton to Visit Bulgaria for 2nd Time, Bill-lessCurrent US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's Sunday visit will be her second, both times without her husband Bill Clinton.
Her first visit was almos 14 years ago, during 1998, in her capacity as First Lady of the USA.
She came for the conference "Women of the 21st Century" at the invitation of then-Bulgarian President Petar Stoyanov and his wife Antonina.
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| Bulgaria Deplores Failure of UN Syria ResolutionHistory will not forgive those who support a dictatorship that is killing hundreds, stated Bulgarian FM Nikolay Mladenov on the vetoed UN Security Council resolution on Syria.
Saturday Russia and China vetoed the resolution, which asked Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad to step down.
"I am deeply dissappointed that a resolution against the violence in Syria, going on for close to a year, was blocked at the UN Security Council," stated Mladenov Sunday.
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| Tunisian PM: All Countries Should Evict Syria EnvoysCountries around the world should ask Syrian ambassadors residing there to leave, argued Tunisian PM Hamadi Jebali.
Speaking at the security conference in Munich Sunday, Jebali argued that ongoing bloody violence in Syria carried out by the regime of embattled President Bashar Al-Assad must be opposed by the national community.
"We must chase away Syrian diplomat from Arab countries, and from other countries around the world," stated the Tunisian PM.
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| FM: US Army Bases in Bulgaria Won't Be Used for Strike on IranJoint US-Bulgarian military bases in Bulgaria will not be used for a potential US strike on Iran, said Bulgarian Foreign Affairs Minister Nikolay Mladenov.
Mladenov was speaking ahead of Sunday's visit to Sofia by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is set to discuss a number of security issues with Bulgarian leaders, including the situation in Iran and Syria.
Over the week, Bulgarian media quoted anonymous Bulgarian government sources, who said that Secretary of State Clinton is expected to request that one of the 4 contracted US military bases in Bulgaria be open for use for an operation against Iran.
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| Sofia to Welcome US State Secretary Clinton with Russian SnowA second cold wave with heavy snow has gripped Bulgaria Sunday, the day of the visit of US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton.
US Department of State officers going to Bulgaria have already revealed they have prepared for heavy winter conditions.
After a few warmer days, when the temperatures in capital Sofia rose well above zero and a heavy rain started falling Saturday evening, Sunday Sofia has woken up to heavy snow Sunday.
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| US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Expected in BulgariaAmerican Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is expected Sunday on a one-day visit to Bulgaria, during which a string of bilateral and global issues are likely to be discussed.
Saturday Clinton was at the global security conference in Munich, where she stressed that Europe has been and remains US's essential ally globally.
Sunday the US State Secretary is set to meet Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev, PM Boyko Borisov and Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikolay Mladenov.
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| Bulgarian Business Reports Huge Losses over Polar ColdThe business in Bulgaria has registered losses of BGN millions over the unusual polar cold that gripped the country last week.
The information was reported Saturday by the largest TV channel bTV, saying that the most affected are the construction sector and retail trade.
Many companies have announced large losses over increased energy expenses.
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| Russia, China Veto UN Resolution on SyriaA Western-drafted and supported resolution condemning the violent crackdown in Syria has been vetoed at the UN Security Council by Russia and China.
According to BBC, the two permanent members of the Council have rejected the draft resolution despite strong condemnation by US President Barack Obama of the violence.
The vote came just hours after activists accused the Syrian security forces of carrying out one of the bloodiest attacks since the uprising.
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| *Afghan Killer of Bulgarian, French Soldiers Bribed Way to AttackMcClatchy
By Jon Stephenson and Ali Safi | McClatchy Newspapers
MAHMUD RAQI, Afghanistan — The Afghan soldier who killed four French troops last month bribed an Afghan army recruiter to forge his enlistment papers, deserted to Pakistan and then bribed his way back into the army the month before the shootings, McClatchy has learned.
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| Bulgaria Marks World Cancer DayBulgaria joins Saturday many countries across the globe in marking February 4th - World Cancer Day, dedicated to raising awareness of cancer and to encourage its prevention, detection, and treatment.
World Cancer Day, WCD, is an initiative of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), a leading international non-governmental organization dedicated to the prevention and control of cancer worldwide. Founded in 1933 and based in Geneva, UICC's growing membership of over 460 organizations across 120 countries, features the world's major cancer societies, ministries of health, research institutes, treatment centers and patient groups.... |
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| Number of Visitors at Bulgarian Winter Resorts Up 8%There are about 8% more tourists at Bulgaria's top winter resorts, compared to the same time last year.
The data was reported by the Deputy Chairman of the Bulgarian Tourist Chamber, Evelin Videnov, cited by "Focus" news agency.
According to Videnov, the 2012 winter season has been great for the country's tourism.... |
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| Bulgarian Eco Activists with New Rally against Forestry ActBulgarian environmentalist staged once again Saturday a protest rally against looming amendments to the Forestry Act.
The coalition of NGOs, known as "For Keeping Nature in Bulgaria," staged a march through downtown Sofia to the building of the Parliament.
Over one hundred demonstrators reiterated demands to the Members of the Parliament to not pass the amendments which give big investors rights to build in Bulgarian mountains.
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| Bulgaria's Ex EU Commissioner Civic Project on Way to PoliticsThe civic movement, dubbed "Bulgaria for Citizens," established by former Bulgarian European Commissioner Meglena Kuneva, is on its way to turn into a political party.
On Saturday, during the first ever meeting in the country, after the establishment of the movement, Kuneva told about 100 citizens of the city of Shumen that "Bulgaria for Citizens" could turn into a political project.
She, however, pointed out that the movement had no preliminary plans to enter politics and this is not its own, single goal – they rather wanted to find out "the energy of Bulgarian people.... |
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| Top Diplomat: Bulgaria Missed Moment for Lift of US VisasBulgarian Foreign Affairs Minister, Nikolay Mladenov, regrets that the Bulgarian side "has slept through" the opportunity to lift the visa regime for the US.
Speaking in an interview for Darik radio Saturday morning, Mladenov accused the previous cabinet of acting irresponsibly on the issue. He pointed out that the former US Administration had lower criteria for the percentage of refused visas for Bulgarian citizens – a threshold for the country to request lifting the visa regime if the refusals would fall below it.
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| Bulgaria-Romania Danube Bridge Open for Freight TrafficTraffic of tractor trailers has been reinstated on both sides of the Danube Bridge connecting Bulgaria through the city of Ruse with Romania.
The news was reported by the Border Police Saturday. The bridge was closed for freight traffic on the Romanian side over inclement weather and heavy snowfall.
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| Ideal Standard VP East Region Vassil Kanev: Bulgaria Under-Appreciated as Investment, Business LocationExclusive interview with Vassil Kanev, Commercial Vice President - East Europe Region at Ideal Standard International; Executive Director and Chairman of Board of Directors of Ideal Standard-Vidima AD for the "Investors of the Decade" Business Survey of Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) and Novinite.bg.
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| Ex President: Today's Bulgaria Has No LeadersFormer Bulgarian President, Georgi Parvanov, (2002-2012) declared Saturday that rule and power should not be any politician's single-handed goal and must be protected by ideas and talent.
Parvanov is on a visit to the Black Sea capital Varna to participate in a round table "15 Years Later, Where are the Leaders," organized by the youth organization of the Bulgarian Socialist Party, BSP, in the city.
The discussion is dedicated to the 15th anniversary of the date when Parvanov, then leader of BSP, and the nominated for Prime Minister Socialist, Nikolay Dobrev, returned the mandate to appoint a cabinet in the aftermath of wide-spread people discontent and rallies toppling the BSP cabinet of Zhan Videnov.
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| Russian Gas Supplies for Bulgaria Back to NormalRussian gas supplies for Bulgaria and transit for Turkey, Greece and Macedonia have been reinstated to normal volume, the Ministry of Economy and Energy reports Saturday.
Over the last 24 hours Russian gas supplies to Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey and Macedonia have been reduced by 1/3, prompting the Ministry to create emergency headquarters to monitor them.
According to the announcement, pressure at the entrance of the Bulgarian gas delivery network had been reinstated to levels agreed on with the supplier and the country is receiving all contracted and requested natural gas.
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| Bulgarian PM Assuages Shale Gas, ACTA FearsPrime Minister, Boyko Borisov, has vowed to not revise the ban on hydrofracking until Bulgarian people have even one single worry about exploration of shale gas in the country.
Borisov made the statement in an interview for the State TV BNT in answering a question from the host if he would retreat from the ban if US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, asks him to do so, during her visit to Sofia Sunday.
"I will tell Hillary that the American company Chevron had a hectic approach and downplayed fears of Bulgarian people over the exploration and extraction of shale gas.... |
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| Moscow Gripped by Large Scale ProtestsThousands of people are staging protest rallies in Russia's capital Moscow against Prime Minister Vladimir Putin absolute control on power.
The Saturday protest is the third since December's parliamentary election which was tarnished by numerous reports of fraud and pressure.
Meanwhile, Putin's supporters are holding their own march at a different location in the capital.
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| Feb EC Report to Blast again Bulgarian JudiciaryBulgaria's judiciary has emerged once again as a major problem in the upcoming report of the European Commission, the Bulgarian National Radio, BNR, informed Saturday.
The report, under the Verification and Cooperation Mechanism, is interim and does not include political conclusions of the type that the judicial reform remains a major challenge for Bulgaria. This conclusion, however, emerges between the lines of the 8-page document, according to BNR.... |
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| Bulgaria Braces for Fresh Weekend SnowNine Bulgarian regions remain under code yellow Saturday over fog and snow, the National Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) has announced.
In the regions of Vidin, Montana, Vratsa and Pleven in northwestern Bulgaria the warning is over expected snowfall and ice; in Plovdiv and Pazardzhik in southern Bulgaria – over fog, in Blagoevgrad in southeastern Bulgaria and in Smolyan in the Rhodoppe Mountains – over heavy rain, while in the southern region of Kardzhali code yellow was declared for heavy mixed precipitation of snow and rain.
Snow is supposed to arrive in western and central Bulgaria Saturday night into Sunday.... |
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| Day of Mourning in Bulgaria's Pernik over Slain Teen BurialSaturday, February 4, is an official day of mourning in Bulgaria's western city of Pernik, near the capital Sofia, in memory for the murdered teen girl Miroslava Nikolova.
The City Hall has granted BGN 1 000 for the funeral services and buses free of charge for friends and relatives of the girl.
The mass is served at 11 am in the largest church in the city – "St.... |
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| Bulgaria Marks 140th Anniversary of Freedom Apostle Gotse DelchevBulgarians all over the country are honoring Saturday, February 4th, the 140th anniversary since the birth of the Bulgarian revolutionary hero from Macedonia Gotse Delchev.
One of the founders and the ideologists of VMRO, Delchev is among the most significant revolutionaries, revered as national hero in both Bulgaria and Macedonia.
Gotse Delchev was born in 1872 in the town of Kukush, present-day Greece.... |
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| Bulgaria Asks Clinton to Keep Joint Military Grounds with USBulgaria is going to appeal to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to keep the joint Bulgarian-American military training grounds.
The call will be made during Clinton's 5-hour visit to Bulgaria on Sunday, February 5, according to the Bulgarian "Standard" daily.
The training grounds are important not only for the country, but on regional level as well, and Bulgaria wants to continue using them and to receive US technology and funding for them and for the quality training of local servicemen including for foreign missions, "Standard" writes, citing own, unnamed sources.
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| Polish PM Caves In, Freezes ACTA RatificationPoland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk has yielded to mass protests, announcing Friday that his government would put on hold plans to ratify ACTA, the controversial international online anti-piracy accord.
"I consider that the arguments for a halt to the ratification process are justified," Donald Tusk told reporters, as cited by international media.
"The issue of signing of the ACTA accord did not involve sufficient consultation with everyone who is part of the process," Tusk said, adding that he would hold broad talks on what to do next.
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| Key Bulgarian Judge Embarks on Deflating Wiretap Permit StatisticsSofia City Court Chair Vladimira Yaneva will be invited to a meeting of the Bulgarian Parliamentary Subcommittee for Special Surveillance Devices Control next week to elaborate on her strategy for reducing the number of wiretap permits through maximum duration applications.
"Next week we shall invite Yaneva to a meeting at the Subcommittee to brief us on some issues of special surveillance devices (SRS)," socialist MP and rotating chair of the unit Mihail Mikov said on Friday, as cited by news portal Mediapool.
On Thursday it emerged that Yaneva had advised Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov and Konstantin Kazakov, head of the State Agency for Natonal Security (DANS) to make use of the maximum surveillance period of 2 months in applications to the court so as to deflate statistics.
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| Sofia Court Orders Jail for Suspect under EAWThe Sofia District Court ruled Friday to keep in permanent detention Stefan Klenovski on grounds he presented a fake ID during his arrest and can attempt to hide.
The ID card he presented had his picture, but the name was listed as Yordan Klenovski while the real owner had been a third person.
The magistrates further pointed out that during an arrest attempt in September 30, the man fled from the three policemen, abandoning his minor child.
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| Sofia Downtown Traffic Comes to Standstill over Clinton's VisitDowntown Sofia will be closed for all traffic after 11 am on Sunday, February 5, for the 5-hour visit of the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Parking in downtown will be banned since 7 am on the same morning.
Clinton is expected to land at Sofia airport around 12 pm and then meet with Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, and President, Rosen Plevneliev.... |
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| Lower Austria Backs Bulgaria's Hydro Project, Schengen EntryLower Austria fully supports the advancing of the "Gorna Arda" hydro power plant project, says the province's Governor, Edwin Proll.
Proll spoke after his Friday meeting in Sofia with the new Bulgarian President, Rosen Pleveneliev.
Plevneliev stated that the project is of prime importance to Bulgaria and the investment is crucial, especially in time of crisis and in an underdeveloped region of the country.
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| 4 Bulgarian Cities Hold Urgent Warm Clothing Donation CampaignsUrgent donation campaigns will be held in four Bulgarian cities to help homeless people and hobos weather the freezing winter weather.
People are invited to bring warm clothes, hats, scarves, mittens, shoes, blankets, or anything else they consider useful to the designated spots in Sofia, Veliko Tarnovo, Varna and Plovdiv on Saturday between 12 at noon and 3 p.m.
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| Sofia Hit by Wave of 'Running Engine' Car TheftFifteen automobiles, left unattended for minutes by owners, with running engines and unlocked doors, have been stolen in the Bulgarian capital Sofia in the first three days of February.
The news was reported Friday by the Head of the anti-Car Theft Unit at the Sofia Directorate of the Interior, Dimitar Mashov, cited by the Bulgarian National Radio, BNR.
Most of the stolen vehicles are luxury SUVs, with three of them disappearing in the last 24 hours.
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| Montenegro Joins South Stream Gas PipelineMontenegro will be connected to the South Stream gas pipeline, Russian energy giant Gazprom said on Friday.
"The parties have discussed technical opportunities to join Montenegro to the South Stream project, after the country showed it was interested at the end of last year. We have decided to work out a feasibility study to build a gas pipeline bend to Montenegro," Gazprom said in a statement, as cited by RIA Novosti.
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| Bulgarian MPs Wear Guy Fawkes Mask to Protest ACTAA number of Members of the Bulgarian Parliament protested Thursday and Friday against the singing of the controversial international ACTA agreement.
On the initiative of the blog "Open Parliament" and following the example of their colleagues from the Polish Parliament, they agreed to wear the mask of Guy Fawkes, symbol of the global protest against ACTA, and to have their picture taken with it.
The MPs say they support copyright laws, but oppose ACTA over its possible turning into an instrument to limit freedom of speech, to control internet use, and to turn into an obstacle for the exchange of information and knowledge online.
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| Germany: NATO Can't Scale Down Troops in KosovoGerman Defense Minister Thomas de Maiziere said Friday that he did not expect a drawdown of NATO peacekeepers in Kosovo any time soon, given the "difficult" situation in the Balkan country.
De Maiziere spoke to reporters ahead of a meeting with fellow NATO defense ministers at the military alliance's headquarters in Brussels, as cited by DPA.
The meeting was also expected to tackle NATO's Afghanistan mission amid growing speculation about its withdrawal plans.
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| Bulgartransgaz Reports 1/3 Drop in Russian Gas SuppliesRussian gas supplies to Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey and Macedonia have been reduced by 1/3, according to Kiril Temelkov, CEO of Bulgaria's state-owned gas transmission operator Bulgartransgaz.
"At present, gas supplies for Bulgaria, as well as volumes of gas exported for Greece, Turkey and Macedonia, have been slashed by over 30%," Temelkov said in an interview on Friday.
Bulgartransgaz' CEO explained that Bulgaria was using its own reserves to make up for the gas supply restriction amid the severe winter weather.
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| Every 3rd Bulgarian Was Economically Inactive Q4 2011A total of 1.672 million people, or 33.7% of all Bulgarians aged between 15 and 64, were economically inactive (neither employed of seeking a job) in the fourth quarter of 2011, it has emerged.
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| Bulgarian PES Head: EU Right Wing Must End 'Mania for Cuts'The right wing across the entire European Union must end its mania for savings, says the President of the Party of European Socialists, PES, Bulgaria's Sergey Stanishev.
Stanishev, who is also the leader of the Bulgarian Socialist Party, BSP, and former Prime Minister, has made the statement in an interview in the Spanish daily "Publico," on the occasion of the 38th Federal Congress of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party.
In it, Stanishev points out Europeans had been forced into the conviction that cutting expenses and not investments is the only way out of the economic crisis.... |
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| Sofia Airport Launches Wine Tasting SaloonIn February, known in Bulgaria as "vine and wine" month, the Sofia airport launched a renovated wine tasting saloon.
The saloon will offer monthly degustation of prestigious Bulgarian wines.
"This is an opportunity to present Bulgaria as a country with traditions and great achievements in winemaking.... |
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| Bulgarian Ruling Party's Version of Illegal Assets Bill Prevails at DebatesThe second day of debates on the two draft bills on the confiscation of illegal assets tabled by Krasimir Velchev, Chair of the parliamentary group of center-right ruling party GERB, and Hristo Biserov from the ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS), yet again failed to yield constructive dialogue and degenerated into an exchange of mutual accusations.
The discussion at the Parliamentary Legal Committee lasted around two hours and was very similar to Wednesday's debates at the Internal Security and Public Order Committee.On Thursday, the Parliamentary Legal Committee reviewed and passed at first reading GERB's version of the asset forfeiture bill with 13 votes in favor, mostly from MPs of GERB and the right-wing Blue Coalition.
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| US Environmentalists Sue Bulgarian Artist Christo over River ProjectA lawsuit has been filed by group of environmentalists, outdoor enthusiasts and wildlife advocates demanding to block a project by Bulgarian-born artist to drape fabric canopies along a long stretch of the Arkansas River in Colorado.
According to the group, the US Bureau of Land Management in Denver has violated federal legislation and its own policies by approving Christo’s “Over the River” project.
Local business leaders and politicians have pointed out that the economy is still bad in the part of Colorado where “Over the River” is situated, stating that the project would put places like Cañon City on the map and create long-term benefits.
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| Bulgarian Parliament to Probe Ex VP Pardons of CriminalsSixty Members of the Parliament have signed a petition to establish an inquiry committee to probe the pardons and the Bulgarian citizenship granted by the former Vice President, Angel Marin.
The MPs are from the ruling, center-right Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria party, GERB, the marginal, conservative Order, Law and Justice party, RZS, which recently became an ally of GERB, and the so-called independent MPs, renegades from other parliamentary groups, also supporting GERB.
The news was reported by RZS leader, Yane Yanev, Friday, saying that ex President, Georgi Parvanov, had forgiven about BGN half million in debt to individuals, without anyone knowing who they were.
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| Mercury Climbs up amidst Forecast of New Snow in BulgariaEleven Bulgarian regions remain under code yellow over low temperatures and snow, the National Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) has announced.
New heavy snow is in the forecast for the regions of Vidin, Montana, Sofia city and Sofia, Pernik, Vratsa, Pleven, Lovech, Gabrovo, Veliko Rarnovo, and Ruse. In Vidin and Montana, the snow will be accompanied by freezing cold.
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| Hungary's Malev Grounded over Bankruptcy FearsHungary's state-owned Malev airline has stopped flying due to debts worth USD 270 M after the Hungarian government withdrew financing.
Malev halted all flights at 6 am Friday in Budapest. The flight from Sofia to Budapest scheduled for Friday afternoon is among those cancelled.
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| Ex Bulgarian President Challenges PM to Leadership BattleBulgaria's former President, Georgi Parvanov, vows to lead a heavy battle with Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, and his weak, inactive and detrimental cabinet and rule.
Parvanov, who left office on January 22 after serving two terms there (2002-2012), spoke Friday in an interview for the largest private TV channel bTV. He said that the forthcoming battle with the ruling, center-right Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria party, GERB, was a battle among different leaderships more than ever.
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| US Won't Abolish Bulgaria's Visas in 2012 - Ambassador in WashingtonThe US will not drop its visa requirements for Bulgarians in 2012, Bulgaria's Ambassador in Washington Elena Poptodorova has revealed.
Bulgaria will start working anew with the new US Congress next January in order to achieve towards achieving its inclusion in the US visa waiver program, Poptodorova has told the Bulgarian Standart daily.
However, Poptodorova has pointed out that the Bulgarian government and the relevant US institutions will continue cooperating on the issue throughout the year.
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| Bulgaria Air to Purchase 9 Embraer Jets by End of 2014Bulgaria's Bulgaria Air airline carrier will acquire 9 state-of-the-art Brazilian Embraer jets by the end of 2014, it was announced on Friday.
The new planes will allow Bulgaria Air to increase its weakly frequency of flights to some European destinations and re-launch its flights to Prague, the company's CEO Yanko Georgiev has said, according to the Standart daily.
The first E-190 aircraft is expected to arrive in Bulgaria in March, while three more will arrive by the end of 2011.
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| Bulgaria PM to Inspect Danube Bridge 2 Construction Each MonthBulgaria's Prime Minister Boyko Borisov will personally inspect the construction of the so-called Danube Bridge 2 between Bulgaria and Romania each month, it has been made clear.
"I wasn't to know what these companies that receive so much money are doing every day," the Prime Minister declared during the latest Council of Ministers sitting.
On Wednesday, the Bulgarian government decided to draw EUR 50 M out of the total of EUR 70 M European Investment Bank loan provided for the construction of the project.
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| Bulgaria's 'Arsenal' Military Plant Braces for Massive LayoffOver 900 employees of Bulgaria's Arsenal Kazanlak, one of the largest military factories in the Balkans, will be laid off, it was made clear after the plant's managing body met with representatives of the local municipality.
Approximately 600 of the workers about to be laid off are employed on temporary contracts, while 94 have reached the age of retirement, the Bulgarian National Radio clarified on Friday.
The layoff of employees on temporary contracts will be launched on February 13, while those on full-time contracts will start leaving on March 1.
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| Bulgaria's Ex-VP Okayed Two-Thirds of Citizenship RequestsBulgaria's former Vice President Angel Marin okayed 81 749 out of a total of 132 288 Bulgarian citizenship applications during his two terms in office, it has emerged.
3.5 times more applications for Bulgarian citizenship were given the thumbs up in the period 2002-2011 than in the preceding 10 years, the BGNES news agency has estimated.
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| Panetta Believes Israel May Strike Iran This Spring - ReportThere is a strong possibility that Israel will strike Iran's nuclear installations this spring, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta allegedly reckons.
"Panetta believes there is a strong likelihood that Israel will strike Iran in April, May or June - before Iran enters what Israelis described as a "zone of immunity" to commence building a nuclear bomb," a Washington Post columnist David Ignatius stated in an article.
Upon asked about the opinion piece by reporters travelling with him to a NATO meeting in Brussels, Panetta neither denied nor confirmed the claim.
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| US State Dept: We'll See Real Winter in BulgariaThe US State Department employees who are about to arrive on an official visit to Bulgaria on February 5 are about to witness some tough winter conditions, State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland believes.
"Happy Groundhog Day everybody. I understand he saw his shadow, so six more weeks of winter, huh? Winter like this we can handle though.... |
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