| Bulgaria in Brief: |
Bulgarian Journalist Raises Assassination Plot Alert Ivo Indzhev, one of Bulgaria's most prominent journalists, who was kicked out four years ago from national private bTV for apparently libeling President Georgi Parvanov, has warned of an assassination attempt being plotted against him.
"Bulgaria's senior prosecutor Boris Velchev has ordered a check of an alert for a planned assassination attempt against me, which was sent by a media," Indzhev wrote in his blog.
According to the announcement the plot was triggered by the journalist's latest book "A President on the Edge", which deals with Socialist President Georgi Parvanov.
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| Bulgarian Labor Minister Confirms Gradual Retirement ReformThe number of years of service required for retirement will increase gradually beginning January 1, 2011, Bulgaria's Social Policy and Labor Minister, Totyu Mladenov, reconfirms Thursday.
Mladenov made the announcement after a meeting with the parliamentary group of the opposition left-wing Coalition for Bulgaria, led by the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP).
The Minister explained the required number of years will go up by 1 in 2011 and with 1 more in 2012 and 2013 each to reach the planned 37 years for women (currently 34) and 40 years for men (currently 37).... |
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| Bulgaria Ethnic Turks Leader Unscathed by Embezzlement AllegationsBulgaria ethnic Turkish leader Ahmed Dogan managed to escape prosecution over allegations that he pocketed BGN 1,5 M as a consultant of hydro projects, financed by the state budget.
A meeting of the parliamentary commission for corruption fight and conflict of interests, which was to vote Thursday on sending Dogan to the judiciary, failed after two of its members surprisingly did not show up.
Borislav Velikov, MP from the Bulgarian Socialist Party, and Nikolay Kotsev from the ruling GERB party, failed to appear at the meeting for what were said to be "personal reasons", triggering suspicions of behind-the-scene moves aimed to rescue Ahmed Dogan.
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| Bulgaria Mulls 2 Anti-mafia AgenciesBulgaria is planning to create two brand new agencies to counter corruption and organized crime in order to clean its tarnished image as one of the most corrupt EU Member States.
The statement was made by Bulgaria's Justice Minister, Margarita Popova, in an interview for Reuters, cited by Darik radio.
The interview notes the pressure on Romania and Bulgaria coming from Brussels to deal effectively with corruption and organized crime, but reminds the EC praised Bulgaria for its will to carry out reforms in their July report on justice and home affairs through the so-called Co-operation and Verification Mechanism (CVM).
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| US Mission to NATO Political Counselor Kelly Degnan: Bulgaria Exemplifies Approaches for NATO's New Strategic ConceptInterview of Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) with Kelly Degnan, a political counselor at the US Mission to NATO. Degnan gave a presentation in Sofia on NATO's new strategic concept "NATO 2020" at a briefing organized by the US Embassy and the Atlantic Club in Bulgaria.
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| Cleves Launches New Luxury Rental Project in SofiaCleves, a luxury Sofia apartment rentals company. has opened a brand-new 15-apartment development at Cherkovna Str in Sofia's Oborishte municipality.
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| Bulgaria Finance Minister Probed over Classified Info LeakBulgaria's prosecutors have launched pre-trial proceedings against Finance Minister Simeon Djnakov over accusations of leaking classified information.
The minister has declined to comment.
The signal against Djankov was filed in February by the opposition Socialists, who accused him of disclosing a secret agreement between his predecessor, Plamen Oresharski and the governor of the Bulgarian Central Bank, BNB, Ivan Iskrov, to deposit part of the fiscal reserve in private banks.
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| Bulgaria's Revenue Agency Wants Access to Credit RecordsBulgaria's revenue agents must have full access to the credit records of companies that have applied for business loans, the Director of NRA, Krasimir Stefanov, says.
Stefanov spoke Thursday in an interview for the Bulgarian National Radio, BNR, saying it is a very urgent and pressing matter to grant this access because during the so-called "credit boom" businesses presented to banks forged information much different than the one listed in the National Revenue Agency (NRA) tax declarations.
According to the NRA Director, there are scores of instances when companies with zero profits have obtained loans in the amount of thousands of hundreds of EUR.
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| Bulgarian Parliament Speaker Begs Bulgarians for ForgivenessSpeaker of the Bulgarian Parliament Tsetska Tsacheva presented deep apologies to fellow Bulgarians over the saga around the scandalous amendment to the drugs law that was published this spring in the state Official Gazette without having been voted in plenary.
Speaking at Thursday's plenary, when the National Assembly adopted a report recommending the referral of the case to the prosecutor, Tsacheva said that what happened is a "stain" on her and the Parliament's reputation.
Tsacheva expressed especial regret at the fact that while chairing the fatal plenary sitting she did not pay enough attention to what was being read out from the tribune.
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| Bulgarian Tourists Stranded in Greece over Hauliers StrikeThousands of tourists from Bulgaria, Russia and Serbia, who are traveling by car, remain stranded in northern Greece because of the lorry drivers strike, officials have said.
"Bookings by tourists from neighboring countries have also been frozen because of the strike," the head of the Hellenic Hotels Federation, Andreas Andreadis, said in a television interview Thursday.
The interview came just as the Greek government used a rare emergency order to force lorry drivers back to work after a three-day strike.
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| Bulgarian Trade Representatives Asked to Lure Foreign InvestorsIncrease of direct foreign investments and of export are defined as the two main tasks for Bulgaria's trade attaches abroad by Economy and Energy Minister, Traicho Traikov.
The Minister presented Thursday the new rules for the application process, the work and the assessment of the performance of the trade representatives and opportunities for their staff development.
Traikov spoke during a meeting with economy experts and advisors, saying from now on those representatives will be appointed for a 3-year term instead of the current 1-year in order to halt the practice to bring outside people into the system, who then leave to work for the corporate business.... |
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| Bulgarian Parliament Refers State Gazette Scandal to CourtThe Bulgarian Parliament adopted Thursday the report of an ad hoc committee set up to investigate circumstances under which an amendment to the Law on Drugs that was not voted in plenary was published in Bulgaria's official State Gazette.
116 MPs voted in favor of the resolution, with none against and two abstaining. The act recommends that the case be referred to the Supreme Cassation Prosecutor's Office.
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| German Power Metal Band Helloween to Sing in Bulgaria in JanuaryGerman power/speed metal band Helloween will stage its fifth ever concert in Bulgaria in January 2011.
Helloween will be performing together with the Finnish metal band Stratovarius on January 23, 2010, in the Hristo Botev Hall, announced the concert organizers Loud Concerts.
The concert will be part of Helloween's "THE 7 SINNERS WORLD TOUR 2010/11", which will start in Vienna, Austria, in November 2010.
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| No Talks Yet with Somali Pirates for Release of Bulgarian ShipThere are no forthcoming negotiations between Bulgaria and the Somali pirates who hijacked the Bulgarian chemical tanker MV Panega, according to a report of NGO Ecoterra International.
The Bulgarian vessel Panega was hijacked on May 11, 2010, in the Gulf of Aden in the proximity of the internationally protected shipping corridor and approximately 100 nautical miles east of Aden (Yemen).
The chemical products tanker of 5 848 tonnes was en route from the Red Sea to India.... |
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| CME: Ad Spending in Bulgaria Down by 12% in 2010Central European Media Enterprises Ltd., which bought Bulgaria's first national private television bTV earlier this year, has forecast that ad spending in Bulgaria will fall by 12% in 2010.
"TV add spending in 2010 did not match our expectations for recovery.... |
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| Top Bulgarian Socialist Blasts US Ambassador in Open Letter to ObamaIvelin Nikolov, a top-tier official of the Bulgarian Socialist Party, vented exasperation at the overall behavior of US ambassador to Bulgaria James Warlick, choosing the form of a self-styled open letter to US President Barack Obama published in Bulgarian daily Duma Thursday.
In the short text Nikolov, who is editor-in-chief of Duma, expresses disaffection with the US ambassador's ways of commenting on Bulgarian political life and of voicing strong positive and negative opinions on various domestic issues.
Nikolov claims that Warlick, among other things, "proclaims who is a criminal and who is not, without taking into consideration the courts.... |
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| Bulgaria Vows to Bring back Roma from FranceBulgaria and Romania are undertaking all necessary measures to bring back the Roma, who have violated French laws, Bulgarian Interior Minister, Tsvetan Tsvetanov informs.
Tsvetanov spoke Thursday, in the aftermath of media reports about French Interior Minister, Brice Hortefeux, declaring Roma camps in the country would be demolished and all Roma involved in illegal activities would be immediately deported to Bulgaria and Romania.
"We have received the information and we are acting together with our Romanian colleagues to bring back those who have violated the law.... |
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| Bulgaria Crowned Top Beach Destination for UK TravelersBulgaria has been named the number one beach holiday destination for UK holiday-makers this summer in a brand new ranking released on Thursday.
Bulgaria's Black Sea Coast emerges as the top beach destination this summer, closely followed by North Tunisia, Antalya in Turkey, and Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt, according to the study, commissioned by Kelkoo, and conducted by the Center for Economics and Business Research.
The study rated the world's most popular beach destinations using the latest official statistics to assess the performance of 10 key travel criteria, including: climate, security, local affordability of goods and services, quality of food, the cost of flights and accommodation, tourist attractions, and the exchange rate.
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| Bulgarian Muslims Stage New 'Chief Mufti' RallyOutraged imams submitted Thursday with the Parliament a declaration signed by 200 000 Bulgarian Muslims demanding annulment of the reinstatement of Nedim Gendzhev as Chief Mufti.
This is the latest in a series of protests all around the country against the May 12 ruling of the Supreme Court of Cassations which brought back Gendzhev as Chief Mufti.
In October 2009, the National Muslim Conference decided to elect Mustafa Ali Hadzhias Chief Mufti.... |
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| Bulgarian Interior Minister Denies Police BrutalityThe police operation carried out in Kardzhali last Friday, when police broke in a private home and allegedly hurt people there, was thoroughly legal, stated Bulgarian Minister of Interior Tsvetan Tsvetanov Thursday.
"Everything that took place in Kardzhali is within the bounds of the law," said Tsvetanov, adding that until someone is proven to be guilty he, as a minister, will continue to defend "professional actions" on the part of policemen.
"We must not politicize a regular police action," called Tsvetanov, regarding criticism on the part of both people hurt and opposition parties Bulgarian Socialist Party and Movement for Rights and Freedoms.
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| 2 Bulgarians Extradited to Germany for Human TraffickingGermany has asked Bulgaria to extradite two Bulgarian citizens over charges of human trafficking and pimping, the Bulgarian National Radio, BNR, reports.
The two, a father, 48, and his son, 24, abused and exploited at least three women in the German city of Bremen. The German authorities began their probe after being alerted by the Czech police when one of the victims, a 19-year-old girl, managed to send an sms to her relatives.... |
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| Liverpool Eyes Bulgarian Aston Villa Midfielder Stiliyan Petrov - ReportLiverpool manager is reportedly considering a move for Bulgarian Aston Villa midfielder Stiliyan Petrov, who he hopes will replace transfer-seeking Javier Mascherano.
Roy Hodgson admires the Bulgarian star's style and is ready to offer GBP 7 M for Petrov's services, The Mirror reported.
According to the article the Bulgarian star is aware of the Liverpool interest and could be keen on a move to Anfield - although Villa are desperate to keep their squad together despite so many being wanted men.
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| German Foreign Minister: 'Turkey's Direction is Europe'German federal Minister of Foreign Affairs Guido Westerwelle voiced his conviction that Turkey's true orientation is a European one on his official visit to the country, but still left uncertainty over Turkey's eventual accession to the EU.
"Turkey's direction is Europe," said Westerwelle in Turkish at a joint press-conference with Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu, reports Deutsche Welle.
The German foreign minister stated that his country has a "great interest" in Turkey's looking towards the EU, adding that Germany views Turkey as "an exceptionally important strategic partner.... |
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| Pakistan Mourns Worst-Ever Air Crash VictimsPakistan is observing a day of national mourning on Thursday after a plane crashed in hills north of the capital, Islamabad, in the country's worst-ever air disaster.
An Airbus A321 crashed as it was about to land in the capital Islamabad, killing all 152 people on board.
The domestic flight from the southern city of Karachi was operated by the private Pakistani airline Airblue, which has a good safety record.
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| Cabinet Takes Charge of Bulgaria's 'Air Force 1'Bulgaria's so-called Crew 28, which is taking care of the air flights of the Prime Minister, the President, the cabinet and other officials is now under the authority of the Council of Ministers.
The decision was made by the Members of the Bulgarian Parliament Thursday. Until now Crew 28 was under the authority of the Transport Ministry.... |
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| Bulgaria Pressed to Fork Out EUR 67 M by End-2010 for N-PlantBulgaria must pay by the end of the year an installment of EUR 67 M for its second nuclear power plant project, which has stalled over lack of a new investor and funding, a deputy minister has said.
"Bulgaria's outstanding payments for the project by the end of the year stand at EUR 67 M. The future expenses will depend on the work conducted by Russia's Atomstroyexport, commissioned to build the planned 2,000 megawatt plant," Deputy Minister Marij Kosev said in an interview for Trud daily.
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| Bulgarian Conservatives Brag about Parliamentary BoostThe parliamentary group of Bulgaria's conservative Order, Law and Justice (RZS) party will have more members than the required quota of 10, the RZS leader, Yane Yanev, says.
The new group will have anywhere between 11 and 15 Members of the Parliament, Yanev pointed out, adding he had already notified the Speaker from the ruling center-right Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) party, Tsetska Tsacheva, about the plan and she did not have objections.
During the talk with Tsacheva it had emerged that the reinstatement of a parliamentary group after its fall apart is possible because there is no such clause in the Parliamentary Code, so "what is not banned is allowed," the RZS MP, Emil Vasilev, joined in.
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| Serbia Faces Fierce Opposition in UN over Kosovo ResolutionSerbia has tabled a resolution at the UN calling for thorough dialogue on all open questions regarding the status of Kosovo, amid staunch opposition by key Security Council members, reports Serbian news agency Blic.
Last week Serbian President Boris Tadic and foreign minister Vuk Jeremic announced that Serbia does not regard the decision of UN International Court of Justice that Kosovo's declaration of independence does not breach international law as referring to a right to secession and vowed that the matter should be settled by the UN General Assembly.
The Serbian government stance received full parliamentary support at home.
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| Archaeologists Uncover John the Baptist Relics in Bulgaria's Sozopol - ReportParts of St. John the Baptist's relics might have been discovered during archaeological excavations in Bulgaria's southern Black Sea town of Sozopol, report Bulgarian media.
Archaeologists investigating the Sv.... |
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| Immigration? Given Choice Between a Skilled Indian and an Unskilled Bulgarian, I Know Who I'd PreferBy Stephen Glover, the Daily Mail
As Lib Dem Shadow Chancellor, cuddly Vince Cable was the nation's best-loved politician. In government, he looks testy and grumpy, and evidently hates working with the Tories.
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| UN Proclaims Universal Human Right to Clean WaterSafe and clean drinking water and sanitation is a fundamental human right, proclaimed the UN General Assembly, settling a debate that has continued for 15 years at the UN.
The resolution, tabled by Bolivia, received 122 votes in favor, with none against and 41abstaning, out of UN's 192 member-states.
The UN resolution declares that safe water and sanitation are "essential to the full enjoyment of life and all other human rights.... |
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| Berba's Mom Denies Allegations His Brother Is 'Kidnapped'My son Asen is not missing as UK tabloid Sun will have it, stated Margarita Berbatova, mother of Bulgarian Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov.
"That is complete nonsense, I am constantly in touch with my son," said Berbatova for Bulgarian news agency BGNES.
Thursday The Sun came out with the title "Berba's Brother 'Kidnapped'", explaining that Asen Berbatov was abducted by gangsters in Bulgaria over debt and "has not been seen for a month.... |
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| Bulgarian Police Violence Victim: Police Randomly Targeted My FamilyKadir Mustafov, member of the Kardzhali family that recently suffered from violence on part of the Bulgarian police, stated that policemen had absolutely no ground for entering his home and probably had ulterior motives.
Speaking in an interview for the Bulgarian National Radio Thursday morning, Mustafov said that interior minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov must have been misled from his Karzhdali subordinates and that the account presented by him before Parliament Wednesday was incorrect.
Mustafov again denied that he had called Dzhem Mustafa to order prostitutes, saying that he simply wanted to use his taxi services.... |
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| France Vows to Deport All Bulgarian RomaThe French Interior Minister, Brice Hortefeux, declared half of the illegal Roma camps in the country would be demolished in the upcoming three months.
Hortefeux further vowed to deport to Bulgaria and Romania all Roma, who have violated the law in any way.
The Minister's statements came after an emergency cabinet meeting following the clashes between Roma and the police in central France.
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| Bulgaria to Mandate Direct Deposits for All SalariesThe representatives of the Bulgarian cabinet, the employers and labor unions, from the so-called Three-Way Council, agreed Wednesday on several new measures for reducing the social security deficit.
The debate surrounding the Social Security Institute (NOI) lasted three days and concluded with promises from Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, that the mandatory insurance contribution would not go up until the end of 2012 while criminal charges would be faced only by employers who conceal these contributions and not by those who fail to pay them.
The business in the face of the employers say that increasing insurance deposits would not solve the problems of the retirement reform and of NOI because it would not motivate the economy's recovery.
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| EC Vows to Back Bulgaria's Health Care ReformThe EU Health and Consumer Policy Commissioner, John Dalli, declared he will assist Bulgaria in the creation of an integrated electronic health care system.
The information was released by the Bulgarian Health Ministry Wednesday after a meeting between Dalli and Bulgaria's Deputy Health Minister, Desislava Dimitrova, during the 18th International AIDS Conference in Vienna.
EC is to help Bulgaria in the development and implementation of electronic health records which are to connect online patients, doctors and the National Health Insurance Fund (NZOK).
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| Vorskla Steel Declares Interest in Owning Bulgaria's Obsolete MillThe CEO of Vorskla Steel Bulgaria, Viktor Demyanyuk, declared at a press conference Wednesday that the company is still interested in purchasing the Bulgarian obsolete steal mill Kremikovzi.
The Ukrainian Vorskla Steal, related to billionaire, Konstantin Zhevago, will take part in the public tender for the mill's sale despite the fact the latter is "a jalopy with the price of a Mercedes," according to Demyanyuk.
The CEO insists his company, which has been declared insolvent, has money for the purchase, but wants first to check thoroughly the real condition and state of Kremikovzi in order to make sure he can have a return on the investment and the mill can really produce something that can be sold on the world market.
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| Melrose Finds New Natural Gas Deposits in BulgariaNatural gas prices in Bulgaria will go down in the fall of 2010 as a result of extraction from three new deposits discovered by UK-based company Melrose resources.
The three new natural gas deposits - Kaliakra, Kavarna, and Karvana East - are located in the very northeast of Bulgaria, in the Black Sea off the Kaliakra Cape.
The discovery of the new deposits was announced Wednesday by Bulgaria's Economy Minister Traicho Traikov together with the CEO of Melrose David Archer and UK Ambassador to Bulgaria Steve Williams.
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| Condoleezza Rice, Aretha Franklin Duet for CharityThe former US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, and the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, took the stage in a rare duet.
The concert was held Tuesday evening at Philadelphia's Mann Music Center and aimed at raising funds for urban children and awareness for music and the arts.
Rice, who was the Secretary of State under the Administration of President, George W.... |
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| Beaten Family to Sue Bulgarian Police in European CourtThe Mustafovi family, in whose home the police have broken in Friday evening, will sue the Bulgarian police in the European Court of Human Rights.
During a Parliamentary hearing on Wednesday, the Bulgarian Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov has accused the son of the family, Kadir Mustafov, of ordering two prostitutes.
According to the minister, the reason for the police entering the family home was that Kadir has called a taxi driver, who, according to the police, was a pimp and who's phone was under surveillance.
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| UNESCO Statute of Bulgaria's Nesebar Hangs on ThreadBulgaria's historical Black Sea town of Nesebar will remain a UNESCO World Heritage City for the time being, the Mayor, Nikolay Dimitrov, announced Wednesday.
The item to discuss the eventual change of the statute of Nesebar has been removed from the agenda of the 34th session of the World Heritage Committee in Brazil. It is still, however, unclear if the issue would come up again or if this is the final decision on it.
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| Bulgarian Labor Minister Claims No Delay of Pension ReformThe Bulgarian Labor Minister Totyu Mladenov has announced that the pension reform will not be postponed due to the "dramatic situation" in the National Social Security Institute.
Mladenov participated in a meeting Wednesday with the head of the Institute, Hristina Mitreva, the executive director of the National Revenue Agency, Krasimir Stefanov, employers and trade unions.
"At the moment the deficit in the Institute is BGN 206 M, due to the unpaid insurances for the first half of 2010," Mladenov said, noting that the macro framework envisions BGN 50 M smaller deficit for 2011, more than BGN 300 M less for 2012 and more than BGN 570 M for 2013.
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| NGO Outraged by Sofia City Hall Property SwapThe Sofia City Hall must revise their decision to bind the purchase of the land plot near the Russian Church with the sale of its share of the Central Market Hall, the NGO "Civic Committee for Salvation 2000," demands.
Citizens insist on obtaining from the municipality complete information about all procedures involved in the deal and want it published on the internet, along with the reports of the appraisers.
They further ask the Mayor, Yordanka Fandakova, to comply with the Construction and Public Works Act and give all parks and gardens in the capital a public, municipal property statute.
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| Americans Wish for Lower Immigration Rates - Gallup PollMore than 60 percent of Americans support the state of Arizona law to criminalize illegal immigration, which is set to take effect tomorrow, July 29, 2010.
"The law, known locally as SB1070, requires police officers, "when practicable," to detain people they reasonably suspect are in the country without authorization and to verify their status with federal officials, unless doing so would hinder an investigation or emergency medical treatment. The law also makes it a state crime - a misdemeanor - to not carry immigration papers.... |
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| Majority of Bulgarians to Skip Summer VacationA large majority of all Bulgarians, sixty three percent, are not going on vacation this summer, according to a recent poll of the National Center for Study of Public Opinion (NZIOM).
The poll shows results not much different than two years ago when this percentage stood at 64.
Similarly to previous years only young people, people with college education and the residents of the capital Sofia are more inclined to travel for leisure during the summer season - about 60% from all three groups plan a summer holiday.
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| Bulgarian Ethnic Turkish Party Approaches EP over Police BrutalityBulgarian ethnic Turkish party DPS has announced it will inform the European Parliament for the incident in the city of Kardzhali where police officers have broken in and beaten a family "by mistake".
DPS have been unsatisfied with the explanation by Bulgaria's Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov in the Parliament Wednesday.
Tsvetanov has explained that the son of the beaten family has been involved in the procure activities by the real police's target, the pimp Dzhem Mustafa.
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| Wife of Sentenced Sofia Heating Utility Head Charged with FraudThe wife of the notorious former director of the state-owned heating utility Toplofikatsia Sofia will be charged with large-scale fraud.
The information was announced Wednesday by the Sofia City Prosecutor, Nikolay Kokinov, following earlier reports that the woman has been arrested in a police operation targeting blackmailers.
The tip-off was sent by a business lady, whom the suspects pressed to pay BGN 30 000 so that the contract between her company and the Sofia heating utility is not suspended.... |
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| Bulgaria Troubled Steel Behemoth Assets Put on SaleThe site and assets of Bulgaria's largest steelmaker Kremikovtzi will be offered for sale in the middle of September, four months after the behemoth was sent into liquidation.
The closed-bid auction will start at BGN 565 517 510, which according to trade unions and analysts is far below the market price.
It was not immediately clear whether investors have declared interest in the sale.
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| Bulgaria's July Business Climate Shows Signs of RecoveryThe business climate in Bulgaria is showing some signs of recovery in July with an increase of 1,4 points compared to June, according to the latest figures from the National Statistical Institute (NSI).
The industrial business climate index growth of 2.3 point in July was mainly due to improved assessment of industrial managers about the enterprises' current state and moderate optimism regarding upcoming months.
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| Romanian Companies Mull Over Moving to BulgariaRomanian companies have announced their intentions of moving their businesses to Bulgaria due to the tax policies in Bucharest, the Romanian "Ziarull Financiar" reports.
"The new measures, taken on a daily basis by the government, do not surprise me. I want to move Interagro's headquarters to Bulgaria in September.... |
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| No Survivors in Pakistan Plane CrashA plane has crashed in hills north of the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, killing all 152 people on board.
The plane, an Airblue flight flying from Karachi to Islamabad, came down in the Margalla Hills.
Officials said the plane lost contact with the control tower minutes before landing.
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| Trial Against Alleged Bulgarian Double Murderer to Resume OctoberA DNA expertise on the case of the double murder outside "Solo" club in Sofia in April 2009 has proved that there has not been found any biological material on the knife, allegedly used in the murder.
The 23-year-old Iliyan Todorov has been accused of double homicide by hooligan motive of 21-year-old Kiril Vazharov, who was a national ice hockey player, and 24-year-old Vasil Alexandrov. The two got involved in a fight between two allegedly drunk groups of young people in front of "Solo" club in downtown Sofia on April 18, 2009.
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| Jurgen Roth: Bulgaria Is on Right TrackGerman journalist Jurgen Roth, who is on trial for slander in Bulgaria for the publishing of his book about organized crime, "The New Bulgarian Demons," has something good to say about the Balkan nation's fight against corruption and organized crime.
"Prime Minister Boyko Borisov has definitely brought positive change to Bulgaria," Roth told Deutsche Welle, but added that the government still lacks the political will to change in many spheres.
Roth stressed that one of the most serious problems in Bulgaria is the lack of freedom of speech and the press, an opinion shared by most of the Bulgarian colleagues with whom he has spoken.... |
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| Bulgaria's PM Opens Road Junction in Veliko TarnovoBulgaria's PM Boyko Borisov has participated in the opening ceremony of the road junction "Kachitza" in the city of Veliko Tarnovo.
The Bulgarian Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov and the Minister for Regional Development Rosen Plevneliev have also participated in the ceremony Wednesday.
The facility is a system of two roadabouts, which will help overcome the conflict situation, created by the crossing of the main road Sofia-Varna and one of the main streets in the city, crossed by more than 30 000 people daily.
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| Bulgaria's Chief Prosecutor Snubs PM's Request over Alleged 'Killer'Bulgaria's Chief Prosecutor Boris Velchev has declared there was no way he could punish a prosecutor for making a deal with a defendant detained recently in police operation "Killers".
On Tuesday, Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boyko Borisov urged Velchev to inspect the case Metodi Ivanov, known as the "armorer" of the "Killers", a recently busted group of paid assassins suspected for the June murder of football club president Yuriy Galev.
Two years ago Ivanov was offered a deal by the prosecution, and was sentenced to 2.... |
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| Bulgarian Police Arrests 8 Drug Dealers, ProstitutesBulgaria's Unit for Combating Organized Crime has arrested eight people during a special operation against drug dealing and prostitution.
The police have announced that the operation was conducted late Tuesday in Sofia.
A 36-year-old dealer and his 37-year-old client have been detected in the Sofia district "Dragalevtzi" and were arrested at the moment of the drug sale.... |
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| Bulgaria State TV New Head Election Challenged in CourtA failed runner for the office of director-general of the Bulgarian state-owned national television channel BNT has appealed the contest outcome, citing technical irregularities and corruption allegations.
Svetlana Bozhilova argues that the competition was launched before the end of the term of the previous BNT head in breach of the procedure. Besides she accuses the winner Vyara Ankova of being involved in corruption schemes.
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| AES Plans to Construct USD 400 M Solar Power Plant in BulgariaAES Corp., the U.S.... |
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| Spain's Grupo Ortiz, Electra Set Up JV for Bulgaria MarketSpain's energy group Electra Holding announced it has joined forces with Madrid-based construction firm Grupo Ortiz to work on infrastructure projects in Bulgaria and other countries in Eastern Europe.
The construction company will hold a majority stake in the newly formed joint venture company, which is called Ortiz Electra and plans to run in tenders for the construction of railways and purifying stations.
In April energy holding Electra announced it plans to build a 100 MW wind power park in the central part of Bulgaria and has already bought 5000 decares of land.
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| Son of Beaten Bulgarian Family Works with Police's TargetThe son of Mustafovi, in whose home the police have broken in, has been working as a pimp with the police's target, Dzhem Mustafa, Bulgaria's interior minister has announced.
Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov explained Wednesday in the Parliament the details for the incident in the southern town of Kardzhali, in which plainclothes police officers beat up by mistake a family during operation.
According to the minister's explanations, on May 18 the police received tip-off alleging Dzhem Mustafa of involvement in prostitution rings.... |
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| Passenger Plane Crashes near Pakistan CapitalAn Airblue plane has crashed in hills north of the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, with more than 150 people on board.
Police said it was an flight to Islamabad from Karachi.
It crashed in the Margalla Hills to the north of the city, and Pakistani television showed images of smoke and flames on a foggy hillside, with helicopters flying overhead.
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| Lufthansa Technik Expands in BulgariaLufthansa Technik Sofia, a joint venture between Germany's Lufthansa Technik and the Bulgarian Aviation Group, announced it will invest in the construction of new facilities for aircraft overhaul and maintenance near Sofia Airport.
The company, which has served so far 40 planes of more than 20 airlines in Europe, the Middle East and Northern Africa, said it has been flooded by orders and will accept no more by the end of 2011.
Another 35 aircraft will be serviced over the next 17 months.
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| CME Q2 Revenue Up Thanks to Bulgarian AcquisitionCentral European Media Enterprises Ltd., which bought Bulgaria's first national private television bTV earlier this year, said its revenues rose 10.3% to USD 201.... |
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| Bulgarian OdysseyBy Tyler Guthrie
The Washington Post
The hard cider has proved to be unpalatable, and the rocket stove cracked after the first use.... |
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| Wife of Sentenced Sofia Heating Utility Head Arrested for BlackmailThe wife of the notorious former director of the state-owned heating utility Toplofikatsia Sofia has been arrested in a police operation targeting blackmailers.
The tip-off was sent by a business lady, whom the suspects pressed to pay BGN 30 000 so that the contract between her company and Sofia heating utility is not suspended. Stanislava Dimitrova, 25, and another three men were detained as they were handed BGN 10 000, the first installment of the requirement sum.
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| Bulgaria's Interior Faces Opposition Ire over Police BrutalityBulgaria's parliament will hear on Wednesday Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov in connection with an incident in the southern town of Kurdzhali, in which plainclothes police officers beat up by mistake a family during an operation.
The hearing will be held at the request of the opposition left-wing Coalition for Bulgaria and the predominantly ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms.
Four policemen broke in the home of Aysel Mustafova in Kardzhali late on Friday night, and thrashed a family of four and a guest from Turkey.
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| Bulgaria's FM Heads for Damascus to Settle Syrian DebtSyria's outstanding debt to Bulgaria will be high on the agenda of the country's foreign minister during his two-day visit to Damascus, starting on Wednesday.
Minister Nikolay Mladenov is scheduled to confer with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Prime Minister Mohammed Atri and Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem.
Syria and Bulgaria signed in April a deal to write off most of Damascus' outstanding debt to the European nation.
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| Ex PM: Borisov Govt Stalls Burgas-Alexandroupolis PipelineBulgaria is going to have to pay penalties of about EUR 0.5 B if it gives up and thus kills the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline project, according to former PM Sergey Stanishev.
Stanishev, whose government approved the oil pipeline agreement with Russia and Greece in 2007, expressed his concerns about the polices of the current Bulgarian Cabinet during a meeting with Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou in Sofia.
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| Victim of Bulgarian Police Mistake: They Crushed My FamilyThe family of Aysel Mustafova, which was thrashed by mistake by plainclothes Bulgarian policemen, is still in shock despite the apology of the Interior Minister.
Speaking before the media in the southern city of Kardzhali on Tuesday, Mustafova revealed that Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov had telephoned her family the previous night.
"I am grateful to the Minister for his apology.... |
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| Ex PM Lauds Fellow Socialists in Greece in Contrast to Bulgarian GovtThe leader of the Bulgarian Socialist Party and former PM Sergey Stanishev has welcomed fellow Socialist, Greek PM George Papandreou with much praise.
In addition to being leaders of the respective socialist parties, the BSP and PASOK, the two politicians met in their capacity as members of the international Socialist movement - Stanishev as the head of the Foreign Policy Network of the Party of European Socialists, and Papandreou - as the President of the Socialist International.
Greece's Prime Minister Papandreou was in Bulgaria Tuesday for the first ever joint sitting of the governments of Bulgaria and Greece.
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| Bulgaria, Greece Set to Open New Border CrossingBulgaria and Greece will be opening a new crossing point on their joint border, announced the state leaders of the two nations.
After the first ever joint sitting of the governments of Bulgaria and Greece took place earlier on Tuesday, the Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov received Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou.
Parvanov and Papandreou confirmed the upcoming opening of the Ivaylovgrad-Kiprinios border crossing point located in the south of Bulgaria and in the very northeast of Greece.
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| Bulgarian Archaeologists Carry Out 'Rescue' Digs Close to Greek BorderFour teams of Bulgarian archaeologists are taking up "rescue excavations" of a large area in the Rhodope Mountains slated for the construction of an international road.
The area of 2 hectares includes four archaeology sites from different time periods, and is in the way of the long-expected road to the Makaza Pass located right on the Bulgarian-Greek border which is going to open the shortest route between from the Danube River to the Aegean Sea.
The excavations will be the largest archaeological campaign ever to take place in the District of Kardzhali, and are funded with BGN 200 000 by the Bulgarian Roads Agency, announced archaeologist Georgi Nehrizov.
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| Julio Iglesias to Stage 2 Concerts in BulgariaThe popular Spanish singer Julio Iglesias will have two concerts in Bulgaria during his "Starry Night" tour, the organizers from ME Music have announced.
On October 11, Iglesias will sing in the Bulgarian Black Sea city of Varna. On October 12, he will have his concert in Sofia.
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| Bulgaria's Population Crisis Worsens Despite Rising Birth RateBulgaria's population growth is not improving despite the rise of its birth rate largely due to migration, according to latest Eurostat data about the population of the EU.
Bulgaria was the country with the highest death rate of all 27 EU member states in 2009 - 14.2 per 1000 inhabitants.... |
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| Muslims in Bulgaria Cook Another ProtestThe Chief Mufti's Office in Bulgaria is preparing to gather 4 000 Muslims in Sofia for another mass protest on July 29.
The protesters will express their dissatisfaction with the disrespect of their religious rights by the state institutions. They will also demand changes in the Religious Act and the registration of the religious leadership that their community has chosen.
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| 20% of Bulgaria's Top Cops Exposed as Communist Security AgentsOver twenty percent of the leadership of the Bulgarian Interior Ministry between 1990 and 2010 have been exposed Tuesday as former agents of the country's Communist State Security.
The names have been revealed by a special panel, investigating Bulgaria's communist-era police files.
The so-called Files Commission published its 15th and last report including 128 names.... |
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| Bulgaria's Revenue Agency Connects Online to 160 StoresThe National Revenue Agency has established a distant connection to 160 retail stores of 10 companies in Bulgaria.
The online connection is established through an integrated automated system for trade management. The system registers the sales analogically to the cash registers and is in constant Internet connection to the National Revenue Agency (NAP).
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| Bulgarian PM Demands Probe of 'Killer' Plea BargainBulgaria's Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, had requested a probe of the prosecutor, who, in another case, offered a plea bargain to one of the members of the crime group codenamed "Killers."
The man in question is Metodi Ivanov.... |
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| Russian Coast Guard Head Praises Joint Initiative with BulgariaThe existing cooperation between the coast guards of Bulgaria and Russia has sufficient potential to crack down on trans-border crime, according to officials from both countries.
"We have enough resources to fight trans-border crimes such as international terrorism, contraband, drug trafficking, illegal migration - as long as all EU states are united behind this goal," declared Tuesday in Bulgaria's major port Varna Major-General Fedor Cherednichenko, head of the Black Sea-Azov Sea Directorate of the Coast Guard of the Russian Federation.
Cherednichenko was received by the Varna Mayor Kiril Yordanov and Deputy Mayor Hristo Bozov.... |
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| 3 Law Firms to Tackle Ex Bulgarian Tsar PropertiesThe Bulgarian Ministry of Regional Development has hired three top law firms to analyze all documentation related to the properties of former Tsars Ferdinand I, Boris III and their heirs.
The documentation has been collected by the temporary parliamentary committee on the confiscated and later reinstated royal properties.
After conducting a thorough analysis, the legal experts have been assigned the task to collect any additional paperwork and asses the possibility for the Bulgarian State to sue the heirs of the former Tsars in order to protect the country's interests.
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| 2 Bulgarians Set Greek Island on FireTwo Bulgarians have been arrested after setting on fire the forest on the Greek Diaporos Island, Greek media have reported.
The incident happened on Saturday and the fire was extinguished the same night.
The Bulgarians have been detained in the police station in Polygyros, the capital of the Prefecture of Halkidiki.... |
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| Bulgaria, Greece Move to Boost Railroad Cooperation, TrafficThe transport ministries of Bulgaria and Greece have signed a joint declaration for cooperation aiming at facilitating and increasing the railway traffic.
The document was signed in Sofia Tuesday by the Bulgaria's Minister of Transport, IT, and Communications Alexander Tsvetkov, and Greece's Minister of Infrastructure, Transport, and Networks Dimitrios Reppas during the joint sitting of the Cabinets of Bulgaria and Greece.
The joint declaration outlines the priorities on which Bulgaria and Greece will be focusing with respect to their railroad transport cooperation.
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| Italian PM Under Fire for Taking Pic of Leonardo MasterpieceThe Italian public, politicians and media are voicing strong criticism of Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, for taking a picture with Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, in front of Leonardo's "The Last Supper."
The two took the photograph during Medvdev's visit to Milan on July 23 while Berlusconi was showing his guest the monastery Santa Maria delle Grazie where Leonardo Da Vinci painted "The Last Supper.... |
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| Extinct Plant Species to Come Back to BulgariaExtinct and rare plant species will be brought back to four protected areas in Bulgaria, under the framework of a new environmental project of the EK Life+ program.
The project is implemented by the Bulgarian Forest Agency and the international ecological conservation organization WWF.
"11 habitat types along rivers and wetlands in ten protected areas are expected to be restored.... |
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| Bulgaria Still Stands Chances to Attract Huge Investment by Austria's VoestalpineThe decision of the Austrian steel giant Voestalpine AG to make a large-scale investment in a new steel plant in the Black Sea region is still up in the air, the company told Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency).
Voestalpine announced in early 2008 that it planned to invest EUR 5 B in the building of a steel plant in either Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey or Ukraine.
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| *Bulgarian Scientist: 'Galaxy is Rich in Earth-Like Planets'DiscoveryNews
Analysis by Ian O'Neill
In a recent presentation, Kepler co-investigator Dimitar Sasselov preempted the official announcement that the exoplanet-hunting Kepler Space Telescope has discovered about 140 candidate worlds orbiting other stars that are "like Earth.... |
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| Czech Power Utility to Invest BGN 2 M in RenovationThe Czech-owned electric power utility CEZ will invest BGN 1 936 000 M in a renovation of the "Metro"subfeeder, which provides electricity to the northwestern region of the Bulgaria's capital.
According to the company, the renovation will increase the safety level and will provide power for the development of new residential and business projects in the area. It will also decrease the number of breakdowns and will cut the repair time by 15 minutes.
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| Bulgaria Unleashes Corruption WatchdogThe Bulgarian cabinet voted Tuesday for the creation of a new governmental agency, the Center for Preventing and Combating Corruption and Organized Crime, in a bid to make even greater progress in the field.
The Center will be an organ of the Council of Ministers and will be managed by a consultative council to be composed of representatives of the legislative, executive and judicial powers. The council will be presided by Minister of Interior and deputy-PM Tsvetan Tsvetanov.
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| Bulgarian Passport Offices to Be Closed on Saturdays in AugustApplications for the issuing of Bulgarian biometric passports and new ID cards in Sofia will not be accepted on Saturdays during the month of August, the Interior Ministry announced.
Some of the passport offices across the country might, however, open on Saturdays in August at the discretion of their directors, who are mandated to notify citizens in a timely manner.
The central office on "Maria Louisa" boulevard, the Office of the Traffic Police in the "Darvenitsa" district and counters at all police precincts in Sofia will be open only on weekdays with regular weekday business hours, the press release informs.
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| Bulgarian Energy Watchdog Joins Coastal Blackout ProbeThe Bulgarian State Commission for Energy and Water Regulation (DKEVR) is joining the probe of the causes of the power outage that left thousands along the country's Black Sea coast without electricity.
The news was announced Tuesday by the DKEVR Head, Angel Semerdzhiev, who said the probe will involve examining both the documentation and the locations of the two electric posts, whose breakdowns left, since Thursday evening until mid-day Saturday, several resorts along the coastline without power, air conditioning and hot water, prompting many tourists to cancel and alter vacation plans. 120 workers were blocked in a coal mine near Burgas.
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| Bulgarian Cabinet Kicks Off Controversial Theater ReformThe Bulgarian government adopted a degree to merge a number of theaters and related institutions at its Tuesday sitting, thus starting its recently announced reform of state-funded theaters and music troupes in the country.
In the most high-profile mergings Salza i Smiah theater will be a part of the National Theater, the Smolyan Theater will be a part of Plovdiv Theater, Arabesuqe Ballet will be part of the State Musical Theater, while the philharmonic societies in Russe, Plovdiv and Burgas will merge into the local opera houses. Three further philharmonic societies - in Shumen, Vratsa and Vidin - will be transformed, and theater mergers are also mandated for Razgrad and Kardzhali.
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| Bulgarian Cabinet Approves 2011 Draft Budget FrameworkThe 2011 draft budget framework, prepared by the Finance Ministry, was discussed and approved Tuesday by the Council of Ministers.
The document now must be coordinated with the Ministries and the Agencies and then submitted with the Parliament. Finance Minister, Simeon Djankov, made the commitment to achieve it by mid-September.
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| European Court of Human Rights Fines Bulgaria EUR 55 000The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that Bulgaria should pay EUR 55 116 over eight different claims.
Bulgaria will have to pay Dimitar Gerdzhikov EUR 6 400 for non-pecuniary damages and EUR 600 for the trial expenses. In 1994 Gerdzhikov started an investigation case over mismanagement, which was suspended 10 years later due to the expiration of the limitation period.
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| Bulgarian Economists Call for 'Fiscal Board' on State SpendingBulgarian economists have called for the introduction of standing formal regulatory restrictions on state spending in Bulgaria, reported news agency BGNES.
Some economists have called for the creation of a "fiscal board" that would limit spending from the country's budget.
"Unfortunately we can see that the currency board - which functions as a fiscal board of sorts - is not restrictive enough when the cabinet wants to loosen pockets," said Petar Chobanov, former head of the state Financial Supervision Commission.
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| Bulgarian Businesses to Pay 'Innovation Fee'All Bulgarian companies with over 10 employees might be asked soon to pay an innovation fee, according to the idea of the Economy Ministry to be included in the new National Innovation Fund (NIF) Bill.
The above companies on Bulgarian territory are estimated at 25 000, according to data from the National Statistics Institute (NSI). The Economy Ministry experts say they are still to decide if the fee, which is to finance NIF, would be based on revenue or profits, adding there will be tax deductions for business investing in research and technology.
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| Greek PM Vows Strong Support for Burgas-Alexandroupolis PipeGreek PM George Papandreou, who is on an official visit to Bulgaria, reiterated Greece's strong commitment to the completion of projected Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline.
Papandreou said that Greece cares about the environmental impact of the project and is expecting the assessment, but that does not detract from interest and support from the project.
He was referring to comments made multiple times by Bulgarian PM Boyko Borisov that Bulgaria is ready to give up the joint Russian-Bulgarian-Greek project over certainty that the environmental impact assessment will be negative.
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| Bulgarian MPs Pass Food Safety Agency StrategyThe Members of the Bulgarian Parliament passed Tuesday the strategy for the establishment of a Food Safety Agency.
The proposal was submitted with the Parliament by the Council of Ministers. The Agency will be under the Agriculture Ministry and is to execute coordinated control, according to EU and local laws, on the entire food chain - food products, fodder, health care for farm animals, animal treatment, plant health and more.
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| Bulgarians' Travels Abroad Slump by 35% in JuneThe trips of Bulgarians abroad in June have been 316 900, which is 34.8% less than the data from one year ago, National Statistics Institute announced Tuesday.
Denmark is the only destination, which records a 4.... |
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| Bulgaria's Office Market - Out of the Doldrums?Bargain prices and a good choice of supply are poised to help lift the office property market in Bulgaria out of the doldrums, according to analysts.
Crawling out
Right before its accession to the European Union in 2007 Bulgaria emerged as the new shining star for investors in office facilities development.... |
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| Bulgaria's 'Killers' Executed Elaborate PlansPeople in Bulgaria have died in murders for hire against payment of just BGN 2 000 to the perpetrators, the head prosecutor in the probe codenamed "Killers", Boyko Naydenov, informs.
Naydenov spoke Tuesday in an interview for the Bulgarian National TV, BNT, saying after uncovering the way the killings have been executed, his office and the investigators are now collecting evidence to press charges before the court.
The Prosecutor explained that communication and planning among the members of the crime group have been very complex and elaborate, with the actual killer never knowing who had ordered the murder and vice versa.
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| Bulgarian Court Fines Austrian Utility EVNBulgaria's Supreme Administrative Court has confirmed the decision of the Competition Protection Commission to fine the Austrian utility EVN for an alleged abuse of its dominant position on the electricity market.
In 2009, the Commission has established that one citizen's electric meter with a mechanism for an automatic protection has repeatedly interrupted the power for 1 hour after the appliance registers load over the threshold.
EVN has refused to correct, even from a distance, the duration of the interruption with the argument that this would decrease the life of the electric meter.
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| EU Ministers Call for Faster EU-Accession of SerbiaA number of the EU's foreign ministers called for a speeding-up of Serbia's EU accession in the wake of decision by UN's International Court of Justice that the secession of Kosovo from the Balkan country is not illegal, report EUobserver.com and Beta Press.
Foreign ministers of several member-states spoke out in support of faster EU membership of Serbia Monday at the time of the EU External Affairs Council.
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| Bulgarian Police Brutality Stirs Parliamentary BrawlBulgaria's Interior Minister, Tsvetan Tsvetanov, will appear Wednesday before the Members of the Parliament to give explanations regarding the police brutality incident in the southern city of Kardzhali.
A 20-year-old girl was injured Sunday evening after policemen stormed a house by mistake, and thrashed a family inside.
The announcement about Tsvetanov's forthcoming appearance was made by the Speaker, Tsetska Tsacheva, and came as a response to the request of the opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP).
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| US Ambassador: Bulgaria Is No Police StateThe Ambassador of the United States to Bulgaria, James Warlick, has declared that the accusations that Bulgaria is a police state are wrong.
"The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is a police state, Bulgaria is not. This are wrong statements.... |
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| Bulgarian Telecom Watchdog Forces Vivacom to Lower PricesBulgaria's Communications Regulation Commission, the state watchdog in the telecom field, issued a decision Tuesday demanding from Vivacom, Bulgaria's largest stationary phone operator, to lower its prices for calls to mobile networks.
Vivacom, which unites the Bulgarian Telecommunications Company and Vivatel, will have to offer prices not higher than BGN 0.250 for strong traffic and BGN 0.... |
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| David Cameron Gives Boost to Turkey's EU AccessionBritain's Prime Minsiter David Cameron has expressed "anger" and "frustration" about the slow pace of talks between Turkey and the European Union for the accession to the EU of Bulgaria's great neighbor, reports the BBC.
Cameron vowed to strongly support Turkey's membership before other EU leaders, some of whom have voiced reluctance or even hostility to the accession of the 72-million Muslim country.
Speaking during his visit to Ankara, the UK Prime Minister has expressed hopes that Turkey will become a "great European power.... |
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| Serbian Parliament Upholds 'No' Position on KosovoAfter a more than 11-hours' intensive debate, the Serbian National Assembly voted a resolution Monday night in approval of the government's policy and efforts regarding the status of the breakaway province of Kosovo.
The resolution, adopted with a wide majority of 192 out of the 220 MPs present, declares that "Serbia will never - neither explicitly, nor implicitly - recognize the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo," and strongly calls for peaceful negotiation and reconciliation.
Many key international actors, including the USA and 22 of the EU's 27 member-states have recognized Kosovo as an independent state.... |
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| Bulgarian PM Borisov Content with First Year in OfficeBulgaria's Prime Minister Boyko Borisov has expressed contentment and determination in an interview for the Bulgarian National Radio regarding the first term in office of the cabinet lead by him.
Center-right GERB party's leader Borisov and his Council of Ministers swore before Parliament on July 27, 2009.
In Tuesday's interview, Borisov spoke highly of the cabinet's work, saying that it "achieved a lot for one year," and that it "fulfilled all commitments.... |
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| Iceland Formally Begins Talks for EU MembershipIceland formally begins negotiations to become a member of the EU Tuesday, July 27, as voted by the member-states' foreign ministers Monday.
The Nordic country is a member of the European Economic Area, having been party to the European Free Trade Association from as early as 1970. It has much of its law aligned with the acquis communautaire.
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| Bulgarian, Greek Cabinets to Hold Joint SittingThe Bulgarian and Greek executives are going to get together Tuesday in Sofia for an historic joint sitting to discuss common interests and projects between the two neigboring countries.
The two cabinets will outline priorities and plans for cooperative action.
A number of memoranda on economic matters are expected to be signed.... |
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| Bulgarian Cabinet to Deliberate on Budget 2011, EU AdviceThe Bulgarian cabinet will hold a sitting Tuesday to discuss and adopt the general framework for the State Budget for 2011.
No raises of taxes will be introduced in 2011, said finance minister Simeon Djankov. Growth of 3%, a deficit of 2.... |
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| 5 Bulgarian 'Killers' Kept under Arrest, Most SickSofia District Court decided late Monday evening that the five men who were charged with organizing and executing the murder of controversial Bulgarian figure Yuri Galev must be kept under arrest.
Petar "the Chieftain" Stoyanov, Yanko Popov aka Tutsi, Georgi Petkov aka Damchi, Vasil Kostov and Metodi Ivanov were detained Friday during a special police operation codenamed "the Killers", which targeted an organized crime group engaged in paid killings.
Monday the five had formal charges filed against them by the Sofia Prosecutor's Office.
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