Street Talk - Listening to the vibes of life

"OPEN your ears." "What are your dreams?"

An agenda for growth

EXPECTED changes to the common EU agricultural policy envisage that as of next year member states should provide for subsidies for new agricultural products.

Sounding Board - A response on the Roma

I am quite distressed at the level of journalism that Ms. Alexandrova displays in writing the article you published last week.

The seven who sinned

SEVEN senior Government officials had to explain in writing to Prime Minster Simeon Saxe-Coburg on Monday the circumstances under which they had purchased state-owned apartments in breach of the law, and what they intended to do next.

Identifying friends and foes

ON December 3 last year, the Ministry of Defence launched a procedure for the modernisation of the Mi-17 and Mi-24 helicopters of the Bulgarian air force.

Reading Room - Trading in human lives

Slavery was officially abolished in the 19th century. Yet, slavery-like practices are still with us: thousands of women, including from Bulgaria, are trafficked and sold around the world to be abused and forced to sell their bodies as prostitutes. ALEXANDRA ALEXANDROVA examines the phenomenon.

Reading Room - The NGOs

THE Animus Association is perhaps the most powerful NGO in Bulgaria working with victims of trafficking.

Reading Room - The Victim:

THE subject of trafficking in women has been studied from a number of perspectives by psychologists, social workers, journalists and lawyers.

Reading Room - The Psychologist:

NADJA Kozhuharova is a psychotherapist working with women who have become victims of trafficking and who have sought the help of Animus.

Controversy on Roma payments

BULGARIA will have to solve its problems concerning the integration of minorities. European Union and NATO officials have been chanting this statement as one of the major conditions this country will have to meet on its way to Euro-Atlantic integration.

At the wheel of OSCE

BULGARIA'S chairmanship of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is proving to mean a hectic schedule for Foreign Minister Solomon Passi.

Jazzing it up

FIVE years ago, the name Beloslava would hardly ring a bell. These days, however, it seems to have topped all music charts and conquered the hearts of music fans.

Chopping the chopper project

THE procedure for the implementation of the project for repairing and upgrading Bulgaria's Mi-17 and Mi-24 helicopters has been discredited and should be immediately halted, Angel Naydenov, spokesperson for the Bulgarian Socialist Party and member of the parliamentary committee on international policy, defence and security, said on Tuesday.

Rasbirate li Bulgarski?

THE Government last week approved amendments to the regulations of the Foreigners Act, including a provision that all foreign nationals who want permanent residence in Bulgaria will have to prove to the Bulgarian authorities they have mastered the Bulgarian language.

TV Queen of Love On the Sea of Love

There is one day every year when people in love celebrate the miracle of their love - February 14, St. Valentine's Day. Yet there is a show celebrating love every week. Every Saturday, at 5.30 pm., all those with broken hearts and all those with their hearts overflowing with love tune in to bTV for the hour of love. NATALIA SIMEONOVA, anchor of SEA OF LOVE, one of the most widely watched TV shows in Bulgaria, in conversation with The Sofia Echo's ALEXANDRA ALEXANDROVA

Reading Room - Made in Bulgaria

The Balkans are at war again. This time battle will be waged over the right to produce and export "rakia" in the European Union countries under the name "rakia". This issue might be interpreted by some as firm confirmation of the old Balkan saying: "All Bulgarian roads pass through an inn" meaning all problems find a resolution there.

Bulgarian expertise exported to Iraq

ELECTRON Progress joint-stock company is the first Bulgarian company to be granted a certificate of compliance with the AQAP 2110 standard by the Ministry of Defence.

Striding fast towards NATO

THE Cabinet has put to the National Assembly a formal proposal to ratify the North Atlantic Treaty.

Shell shocks the military

A PIECE of a 120-mm shell was discovered by Bulgarian soldiers under the ruins of the Bulgarian camp in Kerbala, Iraq, in the wake of the attack on December 27.

Bank's forecast on EU bid

BULGARIA has every chance to join the European Union in 2007 and to be among the countries of the second accession wave expected to commence approximately in 2010, according to the latest survey by Bank Austria Creditanstalt's economic analysis and forecasts department.

BIBA assesses business climate

BUSINESS in Bulgaria is suffering the consequences of the inefficiency of the judiciary, reform of which is proceeding at too slow a pace.

Manoeuvres towards bases

Colonel Valeri Ratchev, Deputy Commandant and Dean of the National Security and Defence Department at the G.S. Rakovski Defence and Staff College in Sofia, answers questions from ALEXANDRA ALEXANDROVA.

Q and A with General Nikola Kolev

(this interview was done before the tragic attack in Kerbala

Diverse information keeps coming up as to which will be the Bulgarian bases to host NATO troops. Is it clear now which bases these will be? In fact, will the outcome depend on the Bulgarian side or more on the requirements of the allies as to the infrastructure of the bases, for instance?

Skirmishes and truces

DEPLOYMENTS of Bulgarian troops to Iraq and as part of peacekeeping forces in Kosovo took place this week as debate continued about key issues related to Bulgaria's foreign military missions and the possible establishment of US bases in the country.

Kerbala: the post-mortem

THE deaths and injuries of Bulgarian troops in the Iraqi city of Kerbala have raised many questions and sparked controversy across Bulgarian society.

A nation in mourning

FLAGS flew at half-mast as Bulgarians joined in a national Day of Mourning on Wednesday in honour of the memory of the five Bulgarian servicemen who died after a terrorist attack in the Iraqi town of Kerbala on December 27.

Reading Room - The ABC of Bulgaria's drug trade

As turf wars between crime bosses continue to make headlines, the drug trade that they control continues to flourish. The structure of the business is described in a new report called "The Drugs Market in Bulgaria". Alexandra Alexandrova reports.

Shuleva's Bulgartabac timetable

THE privatisation procedure for Bulgartabac holding will be launched no later than two months from now, most likely in February 2004, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Economy Lidia Shuleva said last week.

Security on the agenda

THE President's Consultative Council on National Security met this week to discuss the readiness of the Interior Ministry and the special services to deal with potential risks to the security of the country.

Reading Room - Soft drugs, harsh life

Three years ago, D.D.* tested LSD. His piece had a tiny spider drawn on it. The person he got it from told D. that the image was also supposed to influence the subconscious. If one seeks bliss, he/she should take a piece with a smiling face on it. Spiders proved a ticket for a "bad trip" - this is how a stage of the LSD experience is called. It is usually during the bad trip that you really see your true self, D. says. But this is also the worst and most awful thing that has ever happened to him. "It