Derailed Train Claims at Least 49 Lives in Argentina

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:10:16 +0000

A suburban train derailed in central Buenos Aires, killing at least 49 people and injuring more than 600, authorities have informed. The death toll from the tragedy may rise because several of the injured are in critical condition and being treated in city hospitals, Alberto Crescenti, head of the city's emergency health services, told reporters more than four hours after the accident. The train had entered Once station at 26 kilometres per hour, Argentine Transport Minister Juan Pablo Schiavi said, as cited by DPA. ...

Fitch Downgrades Greece, Investors Nervous

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:50:09 +0000

Fitch rating agency has expectedly downgraded Greece's long-term ratings to its lowest rating above a default, the first of a serious of cuts the country can expect after the bond exchange plan to ease its massive debt. Fitch lowered Greece's credit grade by two levels to C from CCC, saying a default is "highly likely in the near term." ...

Norwegian Tourists Complain of 'Too Many Bulgarians in Bulgaria'

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:34:28 +0000

A Norwegian family on vacation to Bulgaria has complained that too many Bulgarians and other Eastern Europeans are staying in their hotel. The peculiar complaint has been filed by a family that wanted to spend its holiday with other Scandinavians and contended that tour operator Apollo should have informed them that most of the guests at the Bulgarian hotel were either Bulgarian or from other Eastern European countries. "We never would have chosen this hotel if we had known that beforehand," the family wrote, arguing that their 12-year-old daughter had no one to play with, according to newsinenglish....

Spain Faces High Budget Deficit, Pleads for EU Mercy

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:34:26 +0000

Spain plans to ask the European Union to allow its 2012 budget deficit to exceed 5% of gross domestic product, well above the limit of 3% of the GDP permitted by EU rules, the online edition of El Pais reported. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and Finance Minister Luis de Guindos will approach Brussels with that request in ten days, the report said, citing sources close to the government. Spain fears that its economy cannot handle lowering the debt-to-GDP from 8% in 2011 to 4....

Bulgarians Warned of 'Deadly' Icicles

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:31:44 +0000

The Sofia City Hall reminded Wednesday that cleaning of snow and icicles from buildings is the duty of their owners and warned of steep fines for those who fail to do so. The fines range between BGN 700 to BGN 2 000 and injured persons can take the owners to Court after being given a certificate from a medical professional. The City Hall had issued 40 citations for non-removed icicles and snow, while there are over 4 000 fines amounting to up to BGN 50. ...

EC Gives Green Light to Bulgaria's Maritsa Hwy

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:04:30 +0000

The EU Commissioner on Regional Policy, Johannes Hahn, signed Wednesday the EC approval of Bulgaria's application form for co-financing of the construction of the Maritsa highway. The co-financing will be provided through the Cohesion Fund of the Operational Transport Program, the Bulgarian Regional Ministry's press office informs. The total value of the highway's construction is close to EUR 204 M....

2 Prominent Western Journalists Killed in Syria

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:43:29 +0000

American Sunday Times reporter Marie Colvin and award-winning French photographer Remi Ochlik have died in the Syrian city of Homs. Colvin and Ochlik were reportedly staying in a house in Baba Amr that was being used by activists as a media center when it was hit by a shell on Wednesday morning, BBC has informed. At least two other foreign journalists were wounded, according to activists....

Bonus Scandal Emerges at Bulgarian Agriculture Bodies

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:35:14 +0000

The Bulgarian State Fund Agriculture has distributed BGN 1 M in bonuses to employees while BGN 800 000 have been given to those working for the Agriculture Ministry. The news was reported Wednesday during a special press conference by the Member of the Parliament from the opposition, left-wing Bulgarian Socialist Party, BSP, and former Minister for the Management of the EU Funds, Meglena Plugchieva. "This unacceptable cynics in times of economic crisis and the wide-spread poverty Bulgarians have been condemned to....

ACTA Now Suspended in Austria, Too

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:18:43 +0000

Austria has halted its ratification of the controversial ACTA agreement until the European parliament has ruled on it, the country's Interior Ministry has announced. Earlier on Wednesday, European Trade Commissioner Karel de Gucht announced that the European Court of Justice, EU's highest court, has been asked to determine the validity of the agreement. Austrian Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner also welcomed the commission's decision, her spokesman said. ...

OMV, Exxon Stumble Upon Huge Gas Find in Romania

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:33:39 +0000

ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Romania Ltd. and OMV Petrom SA have made a potentially significant gas discovery in the Black Sea, offshore of Romania. "The exploration well encountered 70....

Dutch Govt Should Condemn Xenophobic Site - Council of Europe

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:03:05 +0000

The Council of Europe has demanded that the Dutch government distance itself from the notorious anti-immigration website created by the far-right PVV party of Geert Wilders. The website is widely regarded as xenophobic because it solicits and disseminates negative reports about citizens of central and eastern European countries working in the Netherlands, the Council of Europe believes. "I am concerned because (the Internet site) is hosted by a political party which is linked to the governing coalition," Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland pointed out in a letter addressed to Dutch Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal. ...

Bulgaria MPs Swallow the Bitter Pill of Frozen Pay

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:49:42 +0000

Bulgaria's members of parliament have agreed, though reluctantly, to extend the freeze on their salaries that expired at the beginning of 2012. The motion, tabled by the ruling GERB party, was approved by 133 MPs, three voted against and one abstained. It did not pass without a bit of drama, however. ...

Controversial ACTA Goes to European Court of Justice

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:27:46 +0000

The European Court of Justice, EU's highest court, has been asked to determine the validity of the controversial ACTA agreement, EU Trade Commissioner Karel de Gucht has announced. De Gucht revealed that the ratification process for the treaty will now be suspended until the court has given its advise. The European Commissioner claimed he shared people's concern over the freedom of Internet. ...

Costly Equipment Stolen from Insolvent Brewery in Northern Bulgaria

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:10:57 +0000

Equipment worth approximately BGN 60 000 has been stolen from the currently non-operational Ledenika & MM brewery in the northwestern Bulgarian town of Mezdra. The facility is owned by BG Drinks, the company of the controversial businessman Mihail Mihov, who died from a heart attack in a hotel room in Pravets on March 30, 2011. The police inspection of the site, which was conducted after a tip-off to the 112 emergency hotline, yielded that the raid had been carried out in the period February 11-21, the District Police Directorate in Vratsa reported. ...

Strandzha Boxing Tournament Kicks off in Bulgaria

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 12:46:51 +0000

One hundred sixty-four competitors from thirty countries will take part in the Bulgarian edition of the Strandzha Tournament, which starts on Wednesday. Boxing starts on Wednesday and the finals will take place on Saturday. This is the first time that the tournament will be held in the Bulgaria's capital Sofia after a fourteen-year absence. ...

Bulgarian Probe with Final Tally of 12 Unsafe Dams

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 12:42:26 +0000

Twelve from a total of 607 dams in Bulgaria are unsafe, according to the Minister of Economy and Energy, Traicho Traikov. Traikov spoke for the media Wednesday, after the regularly scheduled meeting of the Council of Ministers. The probe of the dams, which has now concluded, began after devastating floods in southeastern Bulgaria, which took ten victims....

No Bonuses in My Ministry, Bulgarian Top Cop Says

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 12:41:42 +0000

No bonuses have been distributed among the employees of Bulgaria's Interior Ministry, according to the country's Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov. Tsvetanov clarified that awards have been received by Interior Ministry employees from the Ministry's award fund, as well as financial aid for those with health problems. Some BGN 20 000 has been distributed as award money after special operations tackling organized crime, according to the Interior Minister....

Many of Bulgaria's Children in Institutions Live in Substandard Conditions - CE Commissioner

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 12:07:49 +0000

Thomas Hammarberg, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, has warned that the conditions of children living in institutions and the protection of minorities continue to be a cause for concern in Bulgaria. In a media statement published Wednesday, he acknowledges the progress achieved so far, but draws attention to the fact that the situation of children living in some institutions remains seriously substandard. "There have been allegations of cases in which children with disabilities were subjected to practices of malnourishment, violence, physical restraint and incapacitating drugs in the institutions where they lived....

Embattled Sopharma Head Said to Eye Bulgaria's PM Office

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 12:04:21 +0000

The boss of pharmaceutical company Sopharma, an alleged monopolist on the Bulgarian market, is aspiring to become one day the country's prime minister, according to local journalists. "You should be careful what you say [about us] because very soon you will be living in a country, whose prime minister's name is Ognyan Donev," Nikolay Barekov said on Wednesday in his broadcast on TV channel 7, retelling a conversation he had with Donev's partner Lyubomir Pavlov. Two days earlier Bulgaria's parliamentary health commission said it is about to launch a probe into local pharmaceutical company Sopharma over suspicions of monopoly. ...

Bulgarian Left: Ministers' Heads Must Roll over Reshuffles

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:56:22 +0000

Bulgaria's left-wing Coalition for Bulgaria demands the resignations of Health Minister, Stefan Konstantinov, and of Agriculture Minister, Miroslav Naydenov over the "staff policy failure of the ruling GERB." The position of Coalition for Bulgaria was read by the Member of the Parliament of the Bulgarian Socialist Party, BSP, and Deputy Chairman of the Socialists Parliamentary Group, Angel Naydenov. ...

Notorious Bulgarian Lobbyist Gets Suspended Sentence

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:21:25 +0000

Notorious Bulgarian businessman and alleged court lobbyist Krasimir Georgiev, aka Krasio the Black, was punished by a 2-year suspended sentence. A panel from the Sofia District Court found Georgiev guilty of perjury in lying that he had not known any magistrates, despite collected evidence to the opposite. The prosecution commented they were satisfied with the rule even though they had asked for a 2....

Deputy Takes over Bulgaria's Child Protection Agency

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:12:32 +0000

Bulgaria's government has accepted the resignation of the head of the Child Protection Agency and appointed her deputy to take over the post. Kalin Kamenov will replace Nadya Shabani, who quit office, citing personal reasons. According to local media reports Shabani had informed the Minister of Labour and Social Policy Totyu Mladenov about her decision as early as last year and took the step after ironing out the amendments to the Law on Child Protection. ...

Bulgarian MPs Back Sacking of Notorious Health Fund Chief

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:47:16 +0000

The Members of the Bulgarian Parliament accepted Wednesday the resignation of the discredited Bulgarian National Health Insurance Fund (NZOK) Director, Neli Nesheva. The decision followed a 2-hour-long debate. 127 MPs voted – of them 116 for, 3 against and 8 abstained. ...

Bulgarian Finance Minister Speaks Up For Discredited Healthcare Officials

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:37:24 +0000

Finance Minister Simeon Djankov has defended the scandal embroiled Director of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) and the Deputy Health Minister by saying that both had been good at their jobs but had fallen prey to political populism. In an interview for Wednesday's morning broadcast of the Bulgarian National Television (BNT), Djankov noted that the turmoil had been stirred by political speculations and a war between media groups. He defended Deputy Health Minister Gergana Pavlova, who was dismissed on Tuesday, by pointing out that she had achieved a lot while in office. ...

Croatia, Cyprus Up VAT to Combat Crisis

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:28:48 +0000

Croatia and Cyprus are about to increase their value added tax as the beginning of next month in a bid to cope with the crisis and rake in more revenues in the budget. The planned value added tax hike in Croatia will push it from 23 to 25% and make it one of the countries in Europe with the highest VAT rate, alongside Denmark, Sweden and Norway. In Croatia, VAT was imposed on 1 January 1998 at the rate of 22%....

Bulgarian-born Christo Postpones US Colorado River Project

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:14:55 +0000

Famous Bulgarian-born artist Chirsto (Hristo Yavashev) announces that he is postponing for the summer of 2015 his Colorado "Over the River" project. The project includes draping fabric canopies along a stretch of the Arkansas River in Colorado and will now start in August 2015, instead of the initially scheduled August, 2014. The delay will give more time to the public to find out how issues with safety and traffic will be resolved, the announcement reads. ...

Trucks Congest Danube Bridge on Bulgarian-Romanian Border

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 09:19:47 +0000

An 8-kilometer long line of freight trucks had formed Wednesday morning on the Danube Bridge connecting Bulgaria and Romania. The news was reported by the Bulgarian Main Directorate Border Police, saying the reason is the slow processing of all vehicles from the Romanian border authorities. All other cross-border points with Romania – the land ones of Kardam and Durankulak, and the river ones – Vidin, Svishtov, and Oryahovo, are open and function normally....

Ex Bulgarian Irrigation Head: Legal Troubles Are Youth's Fault

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 08:53:24 +0000

I never falsified my criminal record; it is real, claims the former Chairman of the Board of Directors of "Irrigation Systems" Georgi Harizanov. Harizanov spoke Wednesday in an interview for the largest, private Bulgarian TV channel bTV. Georgi Harizanov was removed from the post of Chairman of the Board of Directors of Irrigation Systems late on Monday after reports by Trud daily that he was standing trial for issuing a death threat in 2008 and was also being investigated for embezzling USD 50 000 from a Sofia-based company back in 2001. ...

Bulgaria's Health Insurance Fund Chief Says Bonus Was Legitimate

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 08:39:55 +0000

Neli Nesheva, the Director of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), has termed the decision to file her resignation as an act of political responsibility aimed at reducing social tension created recently on the issue of additional financial incentives at the institution On Tuesday the parliamentary group of center-right ruling party GERB accepted Nesheva's resignation by a unanimous vote and the motion will be put to the vote in Parliament on Wenesday. Last week it was revealed that the NHIF Director had received a bonus of over BGN 12 000 for a period of 15 months. ...

1995 Cases Clog Sofia City Court

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 08:03:14 +0000

Cases filed in 2004-2006 for crimes committed in 1995-1997 are still dragging on and clogging the Sofia City Court. The information is included in the report of the Inspectorate at the Supreme Judicial Council, presented by Chief Inspector, Ana Karaivanova, as an account for the first 4-year term of the institution. Karaivanova stresses that these "obsolete" cases, though a small portion of all cases, create a negative attitude towards the judicial system as a whole and become grounds for Bulgaria to be sentenced by the Human Rights Court in Strasbourg. ...

Bulgarian Mastermind of ATM Scams Sentenced to 41 Months in US Prison

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 07:31:12 +0000

Dimitar Dimitrov, a 59-year-old Bulgarian citizen residing in the United States, has been sentenced to 41 months of imprisonment for ATM scams. According to the indictment, he was the leader of a crime group which used hi-tech methods to to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from bank ATMs in Las Vegas, New York, Miami, San Francisco and Seattle, the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency (BTA) reported, citing the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Charges were pressed against nine other defendants besides Dimitrov. ...

Bulgarian Health Minister to Demand Drug Pricing Audit

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 06:43:34 +0000

Health Minister Stefan Konstantinov is expected to demand an audit of prices of pharmaceuticals in Bulgaria on Wednesday. Konstantinov told journalists on Tuesday that the check had to be conducted by outside-Ministry experts so as to prevent doubts regarding its impartiality. The announcement of the Health Minister came on the heels of the dismissal of Deputy Health Minister Gergana Pavlova on the grounds that she had failed to explain the pharmaceutical pricing policy. ...

Van Rompuy to Get 2nd Term as EU Council President - Report

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 19:07:31 +0000

European Council President Herman Van Rompuy will get a second 2.5-year term at the summit of EU leaders on March 1-2, reports say. The term of European Council President Herman Van Rompuy is due to be extended for two and a half years at the summit of EU leaders on 1 and 2 March as no alternative candidates have come to the fore and no blocking minority has been formed, Europolitics reported citing diplomatic sources. ...

Bulgarian Composers Sue Russian Star Kirkorov over Copyright

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 18:18:30 +0000

Four Bulgarian composers have filed a suit against popular Russian singer Philipp Kirkorov over alleged intellectual property infringements. The four composers in question – Alexander Saveliev, Dimitar Penev, Ivan Peev, and Nayden Andreev – have authorized a NGO, the "European Society for Human Rights Protection – Bulgaria" to represent them in claiming copyright damages from Kirkorov. The NGO announced Tuesday that it has filed a suit with the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office against the star Russian singer. ...

Russian Billionaire Prokhorov Set to Found Own Party

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:59:24 +0000

Russian presidential candidate Mikhail Prokhorov has made it clear he will form his own political party that would be "larger" than the ruling United Russia party. "I have decided to form an independent right party and currently in the course of the pre-election campaign I'm beginning to form a new political force," Prokhorov wrote in his LiveJournal account, as cited by RIA Novosti. Prokhorov, one of Russia's richest businessmen, is the only independent candidate to run in the March 4 presidential election. ...

Bulgaria's Rulers Seal Sacking of Discredited Health Chief

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:26:26 +0000

Bulgaria's ruling center-right party GERB has approved the resignation of discredited Bulgarian National Health Insurance Fund (NZOK) Director, Neli Nesheva The "Nesheva" scandal flared after Members of the Parliament from the right-wing Blue Coalition released for the media documents showing that all while NZOK is in shambles, its employees have received in 2011 over BGN 2 M in bonuses, of which BGN 30 000 went to its Head. Nesheva, who admitted to receiving over BGN 12 000 of bonuses last year and - though claiming the money was well deserved - quit office on Friday under public, opposition, and Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov's pressure. ...

Hushed-Up Indictment Triggers Reshuffle at Bulgaria's Irrigation Co

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 15:58:40 +0000

Radoslav Cheglayski has been elected as the new Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bulgaria's state-owned company Irrigation Systems. He was elected Tuesday by a unanimous vote at an open session of the three-member Board of Directors at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food attended by Agriculture Minister Miroslav Naydenov. Lyudmil Denev, Chief Engineer of the company, was appointed member of the Board of Directors. ...

UN Warns of Potential Devastating Floods in Bulgaria

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 15:19:21 +0000

Parts of Central and Eastern Europe, particularly Bulgaria and Serbia, are under the serious threat of destruction and casualties over forthcoming floods caused by mass snowmelt, according to the UN. The warning was issued Tuesday by The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, UNISDR. The full UNISDR alert reads as follows: ...

Bulgarian Right Wing Demands Ousting of Health Minister

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 14:50:26 +0000

Bulgaria's right-wing Union of Democratic Forces, UDF, demands the resignation of Health Minister, Stefan Konstantinov, over the scandalous bonuses within the system of his institution. The news was reported Tuesday by UDF Member of the Parliament, Vanio Sharkov. According to the party, Konstantinov had lied that 90% of the bonuses for 2011 went to people from ER care and thus mislead all Bulgarians in an attempt to conceal the truth about the real destribution of the BGN 2....

Lukoil Bulgaria to Present Detailed Report on Fuel Pricing Policy

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 14:22:53 +0000

Triggered by numerous queries, fuel distributor Lukoil Bulgaria has vowed to present a report with detailed information about the fluctuation of fuel prices over the past 5 years, the pricing principles and the factors influencing fuel prices on the local and international markets. According to a Tuesday statement of Lukoil Bulgaria's press office, the report is to be ready by February 23. The fuel retailer says it will contact the media to specify the manner of distribuition of the materials. ...

Bulgaria's GERB Vows Support of Probe of Communist Era Files

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 14:01:02 +0000

The ruling Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria party, GERB, is endorsing the Chairman of the so-called Files Commission, Evtim Kostadinov, for a second term. The information was reported by Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister, Tsvetan Tsvetanov, during a conference where the Commission accounted for its work in their first 5-year term. GERB is also supporting Ekaterina Boncheva for another five years as member of the Commission. ...

Bulgaria Opens Great Wall Car Plant, Hopes for Great Chinese Investments

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 13:56:42 +0000

Bulgaria has formally launched of mass production of cars under the Chinese Great Wall badge by Litex Motors near the northern city of Lovech. The car manufacturing plant near Lovech comes to life seventeen years after Bulgaria's last failed attempt to revive its automobile industry. The first car of the Chinese company Great Wall assembled near Bulgaria's Lovech was rolled out in the middle of November 2011. ...

Barroso: 2nd Bailout Prevents Uncontrolled Greek Default

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 13:46:11 +0000

EC President Jose Manuel Barroso has praised the agreement in the Eurogroup on the second financial assistance program for Greece, which is worth EUR 130 B, and was reached late on Monday. "The agreement reached in the Eurogroup on a second financial assistance program for Greece is an essential step forward for the country and for the euro area as a whole, Barroso declared Tuesday, at a press point following his meeting with Edmund Stoiber, Chairman of the High-Level Group on Administrative Burden Reduction. "Together with the agreement reached with the private sector for a bond exchange offer, in which I am very confident a high number of private sector bondholders will participate, this overall package opens the way for Greece to construct a new and more sustainable economy, better able to generate growth and jobs....

Bulgaria's Road Killers Get Plea Bargains over Crowded Prisons - Prosecutor

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 13:36:22 +0000

Prosecutors are not seeking harsher penalties for road killers and agree to plea bargains because Bulgarian prisons are overcrowded, Deputy Chief Prosecutor Valeri Parvanov said Tuesday in an interview for the Bulgarian National Television (BNT). "How can I make this clear? The current capacity of Bulgarian prisons is 4000, while the offenders serving prison terms are 11 000. How many inmates do you believe there should be?," he said in a phone call during the morning broadcast of BNT. ...

Bulgarian Health Insurance Head Donates Scandalous Bonus

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 13:19:38 +0000

The discredited Bulgarian National Health Insurance Fund, NZOK, Director, Neli Nesheva, had fulfilled her promise to donate her scandalous bonus for charity. The information was reported by NZOK's press office Tuesday. The "Nesheva" scandal flared after Members of the Parliament from the right-wing Blue Coalition released for the media documents showing that all while NZOK is in shambles, its employees have received in 2011 over BGN 2 M in bonuses, of which BGN 30 000 went to its Head. ...

Top Cop Confirms: Bulgarian Health Insurance Head Has to Go

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 12:46:27 +0000

A political decision has been made for the Bulgarian GERB to accept the resignation of Neli Nesheva, head of the country's National Health Insurance Fund, Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov stated. Tsvetanov's comment was provoked by the support declared by various health organizations for Nesheva after she resigned on Friday. Her resignation is to be voted later on Tuesday by ruling centrist-right GERB's parliamentary group. ...

EC Finally 'Satisfied' with Sofia Waste Disposal Project

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 12:41:22 +0000

The European Commission had been satisfied with the final bid for the Bulgarian capital Sofia waste disposal project. The EC had examined the bid in detail and had approved it, their press center informs Tuesday. The latest project is based on a better concept, which, first and foremost, will allow an increase of the volume of recycled waste over its more effective treatment at a bio-processing plant. ...

Bulgarian PM Sacks Deputy Health Minister

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 12:09:37 +0000

Bulgarian Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, had released from her duties Tuesday Deputy Health Minister, Gergana Pavlova. The news was reported by the Council of Ministries press office, saying that the PM's decision was based on his own grounds. Pavlova was in charge of the medications policy of the institution. ...

MEPs Call for Boycott of Dutch Goods over Xenophobic Site

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:52:08 +0000

Romanian MEP Sebastian Bodu and his Polish colleague Jacek Saryusz –Wolski have called for a boycott of Dutch products in Central and Eastern Europe, stating that the Dutch government tolerates the xenophobic website created by the Freedom Party. "We, as citizens of Member States from Eastern Europe, consider that the attitude of the PVV (Dutch Party of Liberty), a supporter of the current government, as insulting and threatening," the MEPs have stated in a letter. Bodu and Saryusz-Wolski have pointed out that Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has refused to distance himself from the anti-immigrants website promoted by the PVV and by the policy of the party in general. ...

Poverty in Bulgaria Up 2% Feb 2011 Y/Y

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:32:01 +0000

Poverty in Bulgaria has increased by 2% in February 2011, compared to February 2010. The unemployment rate hike and slumping income are affecting people leaving in the cities the most, and they become more and more impoverished. The data comes from a joint research of the Open Society Institute and the World Bank, cited Tuesday by the Bulgarian National Radio, BNR. ...

Bulgarian Customs Agency Head Faces Fine for Inadvertent Disclosure of Classified Data

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:13:14 +0000

The Sofia City Prosecutor's Office has submitted a proposal with the Sofia City Court for granting Customs Agency head Vanyo Tanov an exemption from criminal liability and imposing an administrative penalty for the unauthorized disclosure of classified information. The case against Tanov was opened on a tip-off from the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) that the Customs Agency Director had revealed the location of the country's wartime fuel stocks in an interview for the morning broadcast of the Bulgarian National Television (BNT) on September 01, 2011. The socialists sent a letter to Chief Prosecutor Boris Velchev, alerting him to the following words of Tanov: "Speaking about the reserve, it must also be noted that Lukoil Neftochim and Lukoil Bulgaria are under obligation to maintain a certain volume of wartime stocks which is about 8 million liters". ...

Study Finds Majority of Bulgarians 'Health Illiterate'

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:08:03 +0000

The majority of Bulgarians, 61%, are ignorant when it comes to their health, according to a study of the Public Health Department of the Sofia Medical University. Those with higher health culture or the so-called health literate have college degrees and/or reside in the country's largest cities. People aged 55 or over have twice more difficulty to understand what doctors are telling them, compared to young Bulgarians – between the ages of 15 and 24. ...

Marginal Bulgarian Conservative Rises against Iran Nuclear Program

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:59:44 +0000

Yane Yanev, the controversial leader of Bulgaria's marginal conservative Law, Order and Justice party, has filed a declaration condemning Iran's nuclear program. The declaration filed in Bulgaria's Parliament confirms the conclusions made by the European Council and the EU Foreign Affairs Council and describes Iran's nuclear program as "one of the most serious threats for global peace," the BGNES news agency has reported. "With this declaration, Bulgaria has the chance to prove that it is a predictable partner and express its solidarity to the international community's efforts to preserve the established legislative order and the international agreements," the conservative party has said in a statement. ...

Bulgaria Last in EU by Monthly Minimum Wage

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:40:28 +0000

In January 2012, Bulgaria was once again last in the EU by the monthly minimum wage, which stood at EUR 138. The data was published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. On the opposite end of the ranking is Luxemburg with EUR 1 801. ...

Bulgaria's Unemployment Rate at 11.4% in Q4 2011

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:20:27 +0000

In the fourth quarter of 2011 the economically active population in Bulgaria, aged 15 – 64, was 3 292.1 thousand people. Data comes from the results from the Labor Force Survey, carried out and released by the National Statistical Institute, NSI. ...

1st Japanese Player Enters Bulgarian Football

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:12:47 +0000

22-year-old Taisuke Akiyoshi has become the first Japanese player to sign a contract with a Bulgarian A Professional Football League club. After a successful trial period Akiyoshi signed a two-and-a-half year contract at Slavia Sofia, "Good morning," said Akiyoshi in Bulgarian as he was presented to the media....

Sofia Municipality to Prioritize Energy Efficiency Investments

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:08:48 +0000

Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova has highlighted that the capital's energy grid needs investments against the backdrop of affordable prices of electricity for the citizens. Speaking on Tuesday at the opening of a round table titled "Sofia's Critical Energy Infrastructure: Current Condition and Opportunities for Development", she said that the most important task of the Sofia Municipality was to guarantee the security of the citizens. Fandakova noted that the capital's energy infrastructure was outdated and needed investments to avoid lagging behind. ...

Bulgarian Man Critical over Fallen Icicle Injuries

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 09:43:11 +0000

Doctors from the ER of the Neurosurgery Ward of the Sofia emergency hospital "Pirogov" are fighting for the life of 38-year-old man, who had been injured by a fallen icicle. The incident happened in the very heart of downtown Sofia, on "Maria Louisa" boulevard. The man has a broken skull, contusion and bleeding in the brain....

Bulgaria Has Europe's 2nd Highest Share of Females among Senior Executives

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 09:32:03 +0000

Bulgaria has Europe's second highest female representation amongst senior executives – 43%. The Balkan country is second only to Lithuania that has 44%. Mercer has revealed the ratio of senior executives and managers that were female, averages 29% in countries across Europe compared to 71% of men, HR Magazine informs. ...

GERB Mull Fate of Notorious Bulgarian Health Insurance Head

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 09:12:08 +0000

The parliamentary group of ruling Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria party, GERB, is going to decide Tuesday on the fate of the discredited National Health Insurance Fund, NZOK, Director, Neli Nesheva. The scandal flared after Members of the Parliament from the right-wing Blue Coalition released for the media documents showing that all while NZOK is in shambles, its employees have received in 2011 over BGN 2 M in bonuses, of which BGN 30 000 went to its Head. Nesheva, who admitted to receiving over BGN 12 000 of bonuses last year and - though claiming the money was well deserved - quit office on Friday under public, opposition, and Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov's pressure. ...

Bulgaria to Appoint New Irrigation Systems Head amid Scandal

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 08:52:33 +0000

The Board of Directors of Bulgaria's state-owned Irrigation Systems will choose a new Chair on Tuesday after Georgi Harizanov was temporarily removed due to a criminal investigation against him. Harizanov is accused of embezzling USD 50 000 from a Sofia-based company back in 2001. "Since this situation would create further tension within Irrigation Systems, we met with the Prime Minister and Harizanov himself proposed to be removed....

Bulgarian Ambassador to US Not Bothered by Chevron Sponsorship

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 08:17:28 +0000

Bulgaria's Ambassador to the US Elena Poptodorova has declared she sees nothing wrong in the fact that Chevron is among the sponsors of a reception on the occasion of Bulgaria's national day, March 3. On Monday, the Bulgarian nationalist VMRO party expressed its outrage with the US company's sponsorship of the event scheduled to take place in Washington DC, pointing out that Chevron has been suspected of trying to make a lobbying impact on Bulgaria's political process. In the summer of 2011, the Bulgarian cabinet granted the US energy giant a permit to explore for shale gas in a large segment of north-eastern Bulgaria....

Yemen Holds Presidential Election with 1 Runner

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 07:36:01 +0000

Yemenis go to the polls Tuesday as the country holds a presidential election for the first time in 33 years, the only candidate being Ali Abdullah Saleh's deputy, Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi. Hadi was selected as the sole candidate by a consensus of President Saleh's ruling party and the opposition coalition. The predetermined outcome of Tuesday's election has triggered predictions for a low voter turnout. ...

Bulgarian Irrigation Systems Head Temporarily Removed

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 07:08:12 +0000

Georgi Harizanov, Chair of the Board of Directors of Bulgaria's state-owned Irrigation Systems, has been temporarily removed from his position due to an investigation that is renewed against him. Harizanov is accused of stealing USD 50 000 from an office of a Sofia-based company back in 2001. According to the Trud daily, Harizanov is also accused of making a death threat to a woman during a protest against high taxes on motorcycles that he organized. ...

Bulgaria Renews Electricity Exports

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 06:30:24 +0000

Bulgaria renewed its electricity exports early on Tuesday after it recently stopped them due to the severe winter conditions in the country and worries of blackouts. Bulgaria started exporting electricity as of 1 am on Tuesday, the Bulgarian Ministry of Economy, Energy and Tourism has announced. The Galabovo Thermal Power Plant that was experiencing difficulties is working properly once again. ...

Eurozone Agrees on 2nd Greek Bailout

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 06:04:48 +0000

Eurozone finance ministers sealed a deal Tuesday morning for a second bailout for Greece, including EUR 130 B in new financing. "It's clear that the Greek economy cannot (continue to be) financed by cheap debt, but needs to lean on new investment both Greek and foreign," Olli Rehn, vice president of the European Commission, commented at a press conference, as cited by CNN. "This should give Greece enough space to improve its competitiveness," added Christine Lagarde, head of the International Monetary Fund. ...

Bulgaria Needs BGN 80 M to Fix Flood Damages - Minister

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 19:00:27 +0000

Bulgaria needs no less than BGN 75 – 80 M to cope with the effects of the floods that hit the southeastern part of the country two weeks ago, according to estimates of EU Funds Minister Tomislav Donchev. Donchev visited the city of Haskovo in the affected area on Monday meeting with local authorities to discuss the options to use EU funding to cope with the effects of the flooding, which resulted from a crack in the Ivanovo water reservoir dam an d cost the lives of 10 locals. The minister did warn, however, that receiving EU funds to cover the flood damage costs will not be easy. ...

China's Great Wall Motors Opens Plant in Bulgaria Tuesday

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 18:38:02 +0000

Seventeen years after Bulgaria's last failed attempt to revive its automobile industry, the country has pinned new hopes on the launch of mass production of cars under the Chinese Great Wall badge, due on Tuesday. The first car assembled here was rolled out in the middle of November last year at a factory near the town of Lovech, Northern Bulgaria. Mass production however will be launched with the official opening of the plant on February 21. ...

Teen Arrested for Sofia's 'Tokuda' Hospital Robbery

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 18:13:00 +0000

A seventeen-year-old boy has been detained on suspicions of robbing the daily turnover of Tokuda hospital in the Bulgarian capital Sofia last month. Around 8 pm on January 23, an unknown assailant entered the building, threatened the female receptionist, and hit her with a rubber club. He then proceeded to take BGN 30 000 from the safety vault and ran away. ...

Bulgaria's Revamped Varna Airport to Reopen Febr 29

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 17:31:35 +0000

Bulgaria's Varna Airport on the Black Sea coast will be reopened on February 29, 2012, after the completion of a massive investment into the rehabilitation of its runway, concessionaire Fraport Twin Star Airport Management has announced. Since the fall of 2011, Fraport Twin Star has invested BGN 40 M to improve the runway of the Varna Airport. In the meantime, the airport was closed for planes and passengers. ...

Greece: Haggling over 2nd Bail-Out Due until Very Last Minute

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 17:04:37 +0000

Eurozone finance ministers having begun talks in Brussels hoping to agree on a second vital bailout for Greece, but haggling would go on "until the very last minute", the country's finance minister has warned. "The Greek people send to Europe the message that they have made, and will make, the necessary sacrifices for our country to regain its position of equality within the European family," Evangelos Venizelos said in a finance ministry statement issued in Brussels on Monday. The statement points out that Greece anticipates to see a long period of uncertainty coming to a close, "a period that benefited neither the Greek economy, nor the Euro Area overall....

Serbia, Kosovo to Resume Talks under Renewed EU Pressure

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:52:29 +0000

Serbia and Kosovo are set to resume European Union-brokered talks to Tuesday, days before the bloc is due to deliver its verdict on Belgrade's membership bid. Progress in the talks and implementation of the agreements made over the previous year are a key condition for Serbia to be formally recognized as an EU candidate, DPA reminds. Robert Cooper, the EU diplomat in charge of the talks, told journalists on Monday that the bloc wanted to put an end to Serbia's veto on Kosovan participation in Balkan initiatives, and make sure that previously-agreed border deals were respected. ...

Brussels Frowns at Limits on Bulgarian, Romanian Workers

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:32:01 +0000

EurActiv.com Arguments presented by nine EU countries that have decided to maintain labor restrictions on Bulgarian and Romanian nationals are "unconvincing", said Employment and Social Affairs Commissioner László Andor. ...

Bulgarian, Albanian, Detained in Italy for Felling Eucalyptus Trees

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:04:58 +0000

A Bulgarian and an Albanian have been detained in Italy for felling and stealing century-old eucalyptus trees. Dimitar Dimitrov, 31, and Malibor Hlubcai, 23, were arrested at the crime scene in the region of Calabria, southern Italy. The two had been cutting down eucalyptus trees in a private forest with a chainsaw, when local police noticed the logs. ...

Bulgaria Mulls Imposing Tougher Sanctions on Road Killers

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 15:46:58 +0000

Bulgaria's relevant institutions consider legislative amendments that would introduce tougher sanctions for drivers who have killed people in road accidents. A discussion took place on the issue in Bulgaria's Parliament on Monday, the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency informs. One of the measures discussed foresees drunk or unlicensed drivers to be arrested for a period of 5 to 15 days in case they have not caused an accident. ...

UNESCO Chief Opens Intangible Cultural Heritage Center in 'Proud' Bulgaria

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 15:38:36 +0000

An Intangible Cultural Heritage Center for Southeastern Europe has been opened in Bulgaria's capital Sofia by UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova. UNESCO Director-General, Bulgarian Irina Bokova, inaugurated Monday the Regional Centre for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Southeastern Europe under the auspices of UNESCO This center is one of six around the world that focus on intangible cultural heritage....

Bulgaria Registry Agency Head Dismissed amid Bonus Scandal

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 15:37:00 +0000

Violeta Nikolova, Executive Director of Bulgaria's Registry Agency, has been removed from her post, according to a Monday statement of the Justice Ministry's press office. The move was triggered by the poor results of an audit of the institution which was concluded at the end of last week and yet another scandal with hefty bonus payment awarded to officials of the Registry Agency. In the beginning of February, it was revealed that Nikolova had received BGN 72 000 in additional financial incentives, BGN 24 000 of which had been ordered by former Justice Minister Margarita Popova. ...

Bulgarian Party Outraged with Chevron Sponsorship of National Day Reception

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 14:55:44 +0000

The Bulgarian nationalist VMRO party has expressed its outrage with the fact that US company Chevron is involved in a reception on the occasion of Bulgaria's national holiday, March 3. The party has received an official invitation to the event that is to take place in Washington DC. The logos of three companies can be seen in the invitation, including Chevron, which VMRO deems as scandalous. ...

Bulgarian Counter-Terrorist Accidentally Shoots Himself

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 14:10:32 +0000

Pavel Angelov, the head of the regional unit for combating terrorism in the Bulgarian city of Veliko Tarnovo, has accidentally shot himself with his personal weapon. According to local media, the accident happened as Angelov was getting home from work at approximately 4 am local time on Monday. He reportedly dropped his weapon while undressing. ...

Bulgaria Must Negotiate Gas Price Cut with Gazprom – Right-Wing MP

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 13:42:46 +0000

The right-wing Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria (DSB) party have demanded that the government immediately start talks with Russia's Gazprom to renegotiate the terms of the gas supply contract. The latest increase in retail gasoline and diesel prices caused the MPs to declare that the state had given up its authority over the Lukoil Neftochim refinery. Speaking at a Monday press conference, Dimtar Bachvarov from DSB argued that Bulgaria could seek a gas price reduction of at least 10%, which had already been done by four European countries, including EU Member States. ...

Cuban Boxers Set to Grab Gold in Bulgaria

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 13:31:09 +0000

The Cuban boxing team, who will participate in the Strandzha Tournament in Bulgaria later this month, have set themselves the highest possible goal – to take home the gold medals. "We are on track. Everyone knows we have chances for the Olympic gold and give great joy to our country," world champion Lazaro Alvarez told the Cuban News Agency. ...

Consortium Seeks to Downsize Nabucco Pipeline - Report

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 13:29:12 +0000

The Nabucco consortium is considering downsizing the eponymous natural gas pipeline to roughly the half of its capacity and proposing that it would only run between Bulgaria and Austria, a report says. The new proposal is reportedly due to low gas volumes available at the moment in the region and little interest by investors. However, the the original project is still officially on the table, The Wall Street Journal states, citing its own sources. ...

Football Union Head's Son May Be Named Bulgaria Captain

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 12:31:52 +0000

Twente goalkeeper Nikolay Mihaylov may be named captain of Bulgaria's national football team ahead of the upcoming friendly against Hungary, it has been reported. Mihaylov is the son of Borislav Mihaylov, former Bulgarian goalkeeper who also used to be the captain of the country's national team. Borislav Mihaylov is currently the President of the Bulgarian Football Union. ...

Pressure Piles on Bulgaria's Sopharma over Alleged Monopoly

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 11:57:54 +0000

Bulgaria's parliamentary health commission is about to launch a probe into local pharmaceutical company Sopharma over suspicions of monopoly, its head announced. The move came following an investigation by TV 7 channel, which showed that Sopharma sells its medicines to Bulgarian patients and hospitals at higher prices than in Turkey or Serbia. A package of ampoules for severe allergy, for example, costs about BGN 70 in Bulgaria, while its price in Turkey is just BGN 25....

Fuel Prices in Bulgaria Hit New Record High

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 11:52:28 +0000

Fuel prices in Bulgaria have climbed to a new record high amid an oil price spike on international markets triggered by the escalation of a dispute over Iran's nuclear program. After at the end of last week crude oil prices hit USD 120 per barrel, a peak not seen since last August, Bulgaria's Lukoil Neftochim refinery increased prices of the most common type of gasoline, A95, by 1.7% and prices of diesel by 1....

International Drug Gang Busted in Bulgaria

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 11:52:13 +0000

Six members of a drug gang engaged in cocaine trafficking have been arrested in Bulgaria by the country's Main Directorate for Combatting Organized Crime. The gang has been involved in cocaine trafficking from South America to the European Union. Its six members have been busted while trying to enter Bulgaria through the Kulata border checkpoint with Greece. ...

Bulgaria Involved in Yet Another Rigged Friendly Scandal - Report

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 11:16:04 +0000

Bulgarians have allegedly tried to "fix" the Romania-Uruguay football friendly scheduled for the end of February. The Bulgarians have called Romanian Football Federation President Mircea Sandu proposing EUR 20 000 in exchange of substituting the referee of the game with "their man", explaining that they needed just one more game to reach FIFA's Elite Category. Sandu, however, became suspicious and decided not to change the referee selected for the friendly match, Hungarian Viktor Kassai, according to Migur Porumbacu, director of the Romanian lower-tier football club Otopeni. ...

Bulgaria May Keep Its Notorious Health Insurance Head

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 10:38:07 +0000

Bulgaria's discredited National Health Insurance Fund director, Neli Nesheva, may very well keep her position, according to local media. Nesheva admitted to receiving over BGN 12 000 of bonuses last year and - though claiming the money was well deserved - quit office on Friday under public and opposition pressure. Her resignation is to be discussed by MPs from the ruling centrist-right GERB on Tuesday. ...

Bulgaria's Socialists: Ax the Flat Tax, Tax the Rich More

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 10:05:03 +0000

Four years after introducing the flat tax in Bulgaria, the country's Socialist party has made a U-turn with calls for scrapping it. "The flat tax, which my government introduced, yielded good results for making the economy more transparent and boosting budget revenues. But at the moment it is not adequate....

Hagia Sophia - Turkey's Most Popular Site among Tourists

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 09:59:52 +0000

Istanbul's Hagia Sophia has been ranked as one of the most frequently visited museums in Turkey. According to data of Turkey's Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the monument was visited by 3.1 million tourists from all over the world in 2011. ...

PVV Solely Responsible for Xenophobic Site, Dutch Govt Says

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 09:56:05 +0000

The xenophobic website that stirred a scandal across Europe is a responsibility of the far-right Freedom Party, Dutch Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal has told Ambassadors and representatives from Eastern European countries. Rosenthal has told the diplomats that the Dutch government has a positive attitude towards the contribution of Central and Eastern European workers to the country's economy. According to the speaker of Poland's Embassy in the Netherlands, Rosenthal and the diplomats have had a very good and constructive discussion. ...

Bulgarian Workers Most Abundant in Spain, Greece

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 09:24:47 +0000

Spain, Greece, the UK and Cyprus are the EU countries with the largest numbers of residing Bulgarian workers, according to Bulgarian media. A total of 172 634 Bulgarians currently live in Spain, according to official data cited by the Bulgarian Monitor daily. The paper has pointed out that Bulgarians are expected to turn to the German labor market, as a number of labor market restrictions were lifted by the German state in the beginning of 2012. ...

PVV Website - Stinging Embarrassment, Irony for Dutch Govt*

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 08:39:33 +0000

By Peter Cluskey The Irish Times In a stinging embarrassment for his coalition government, Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte has been called before the European Parliament to explain his "deafening silence" over a right-wing website inviting complaints about Polish, Romanian and Bulgarian immigrants. ...

Bulgaria Latest Bonus Scandal Backfires on Cancer Sufferers

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 07:41:07 +0000

The resignation of Bulgaria's National Health Insurance Fund director, who quit last week after getting involved in a bonus scandal, has triggered delays in the supply of drugs, used in the basic treatment of cancer cases. "Cancer patients may be left without medication in the coming weeks because the health insurance fund still has not given to the hospitals in the country the codes necessary for the prescription of cancer medicines," Dr. Antoaneta Tomova, head of the chemotherapy ward in Plovdiv cancer hospital, alarmed. ...

Bulgaria's Bokova Opens Intangible Heritage Centre in Sofia

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 06:18:49 +0000

A new Intangible Cultural Heritage Centre in southeastern Europe based in Bulgaria's capital Sofia, will open on Monday, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) announced. UNESCO Director-General, Bulgarian Irina Bokova, is due to inaugurate the Regional Centre for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in South-Eastern Europe under the auspices of UNESCO while she officially visits the country. This center will be one of six around the world that focus on intangible cultural heritage....

Joachim Gauck Named Germany President as Merkel Gives In

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 05:36:17 +0000

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has backed Joachim Gauck, a pastor and former East German rights activist, to be the country's next president, under opposition and public pressure. Merkel opposed Gauck for the presidency in 2010, instead supporting her ally Wulff. Merkel confirmed her backing for Gauck at a news conference in the Chancellery after a meeting with representatives from her centre-right government and the opposition. ...