Retail craze

Despite the economic recession, retail chains are aggressively expanding onto the Bulgarian market

Bulgarian railway staff protest against salary delays

Rail unions and Transport Minister Alexander Tsvetkov will meet on October 1 2009 to discuss the state monopoly's troubled finances.

State financing boosts confectionery profit by 75 per cent

Profits from financing amount to 1.8 million leva in total, while the confectionery industry actually registered a consolidated loss of 420 000 leva, the report says

Vote-buying and other alleged irregularities on election-day - report

Election day 2009 saw countless reports of irregularities with most major parties accusing each other of vote-buying and other attempts to manipulate the election outcome.

Police charge 18 people over internet child pornography

Bulgarian police search 21 homes in the country as part of an international police operation against child pornography on the internet

Bulgarian firms 'losing 500 million leva a day' because of gas crisis

Business associations in Bulgaria have warned of hundreds of millions of leva in losses and forced extensions to seasonal operational shutdowns because of the cutoff of Russian natural gas.

Surgeon and municipal councillor in Veliko Turnovo arrested for bribery

A 56-year-old surgeon in Veliko Turnovo has been arrested on suspicion of demanding and taking bribes. The man is also a municipal councillor for the ultra-nationalist party Ataka.

Another acid attack

Georgi Hadjiivanchev (52) from the central Bulgarian town of Gorna Oryahovitsa has become the latest victim of an acid attack, Bulgarian news website dnes.bg quoted Bulgarian National Radio on November 24 2008. At about 8.30am Hadjiivanchev left home on his way to work when an unidentified assailant threw acid in his face. Hadjiivanchev managed to reach a nearby petrol station where he summoned help. He was admitted to Veliko Turnovo hospital with serious facial burns but his life was not said to be in any danger.

US state dept reports on religious freedom problems in Bulgaria

Some local authorities in Bulgaria are putting up obstacles to religious freedom in the country, according to the annual US state department report on religious freedom. In Bulgaria, where nominally at least about 85 per cent of the population are self-described Orthodox Christians, there were reports of followers of other religions and denominations encountering problems.

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Bus and truck drivers protest throughout Bulgaria

Protests by bus and truck drivers over increasing fuel prices continued throughout Bulgaria on May 30. This was the last day for which the Sofia municipality granted permission to protest on Sofia's ring road, deputy mayor of transport Velizar Stoilov told private broadcaster bTV.

Paying the bill on time

E.ON Bulgaria management reshuffle

E.ON Bulgaria, the German-owned utility operating the Gorna Oryahovitsa and Varna electricity distribution companies in northern and north-eastern Bulgaria, announced plans to reshuffle the top management of the company, Dnevnik daily reported on April 9. The new managerial team will officially be presented next week, when the company will also make public its financial results for 2007 and investment plans for 2008.

Veliko Turnovo Briefs

Plovdiv airport needs to attract low-cost carriers

Plovdiv airport needed more flights from low-cost carriers in order to develop and progress, government officials and experts said at a round table discussion on March 12 2008. Bulgaria's fairly small air travel market, the relatively low purchasing power of its population and Plovdiv's close proximity to Sofia airport, used by all major air companies were singled out as the main obstacles in the way of its development.

Company Briefs

Bulgaria's transport system functioning normally under winter conditions

Bulgaria's transport system was functioning normally under winter conditions, the press office of the Transport and Communications Ministry announced on January 18. All Danube river ports were functioning under normal visibility. There was some ice-break at Silistra, Focus news agency said. Bourgas port is open, but Varna port is closed as from 12.30pm on January 18 because of the fog.

2007 IN REVIEW: A spoonful helps the medicine go down

Bulgaria and energy, 2007

Regrets in the first half of the year and increased prices in the second seem to be the stand-out memories of the sphere of energy in 2008. Everyone knew that the closing down of units 3 and 4 of Kozloduy nuclear power plant had been stipulated for Bulgaria's accession to the European Union. But knowing and doing, or knowing and doing wilfully, are two separate issues.

CONCESSION TENDER FOR BULGARIA'S ROUSSE AIRPORT LAUNCHED

A tender for the concession of the Shturkelovo Airport in Rousse was launched on December 21, after publication in the State Gazette. The offers would be opened on April 14 2008, mediapool.bg said. The deadline for application documents purchase was March 21 2008. Applicants should have managed civil airports for at least two years over the past five years and to have served at least 500 000 people

TOURISM BAROMETER: Central Stara Planina tourism

A need to revitalise regional tourism led to the first Best Touristic Sites in the Region of Central Stara Planina awards six years ago. The tradition has continued annually to 2007, with this year's ceremony held at Hotel Balkan in Gabrovo on December 2. Sylvia Hinkova, executive director of Regional Tourist Association (RTA) Stara Planina, which organises the ceremony and confers the awards, and regional political

Varna - the "best" city for living in Bulgaria

The Black Sea city of Varna enjoys the best conditions for living and working in Bulgaria, according to a survey conducted by Darik Radio in association with Bulgarian language daily 24 Chassa. The research, conducted in October and November, ranked 35 Bulgarian cities according to 40 criteria. These included the availability of green areas, the number of kindergartens, road conditions, public access to wireless Internet, climate, investment, unemployment rate, recreational opportunities, cleanliness, signposting, facilities for disabled people, architecture, airport availability, parking and health service as well as the crime rate and various other benchmarks.

ROUSSE AIRPORT TO BE CONCESSIONED - GOVERNMENT

The Bulgarian government decided at its regular session on October 26 to give Rousse Airport under concession, the press office of the government said in a statement the same day. Under the current conditions, the future concessionaire - a private company - would be operating the airport for a 35-year term. Future concession details were to be determined at a later stage, the statement adds.

TOURISM BAROMETER: New horizons for tourism in Bulgaria

The State Agency for Tourism (SAT) of Bulgaria, which is the first and only European country with two parks in the Protected Areas Network (PAN) Parks organisation, officially took part in the 10th conference of the PAN Foundation. The event was held in Bulgaria for the first time, at Razlog in the Rila Mountain. The topic of the conference, which was held from October 9 to 11, was "Days of European Wild Nature".

INSIGHT: Religious freedom in Bulgaria?

Bulgaria's constitution provides for freedom of religion; however, the law prohibits the public practice of religion by unregistered groups. The constitution also designates Eastern Orthodox Christianity as the "traditional" religion. There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom by the Government during the period covered by this report, and government policy contributed to the generally free

BULGARIA'S CABINET SPEEDS UP LARGE INFRASTRUCTURAL PROJECTS IN 2007-MINISTER

Transport Minister's second year in office is characterised by a speeding up of the realisation of some large infrastructural projects according to Transport Minister Petar Moutafchiev. The procedure to choose an execution company for the Danube Bridge II construction features among the Ministry's largest achievements, Moutafchiev said at a news conference on September 3 as quoted by Bulgarian National Radio.

More than 250 emergency centre staff in Bulgaria protest

One of the busiest crossroads in Sofia was closed between 8.30am and 9am every day between June 12 and June 15 with only trams allowed to cross. The reason was not repair work. Every morning the intersection of Tsar Boris III and Pencho Slaveikov boulevards was crowded with people dressed in white. More than 250 Pirogov National Emergency Centre staff protested to demand increased salaries and

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Born but not yet legal

A baby less than a month old, born to foreign parents, is facing the problems of living abroad. Mathew Bryan was born to a family of UK citizens living in Veliko Turnovo. His mother Sarah Pathstown has lived in Bulgaria for some years and has paid her health insurance to the state. She has paid regular visits to her Bulgarian GP, Roumyanka Mihailova. Almost a month ago Sarah gave birth to Mathew in Gorna Oryahovitsa