Magistrate of the Year

On April 16, Justice Minister Miglena Tacheva, right, presided at the justice ministry’s award ceremony which named Ana Karaivanova as Magistrate of the Year and Pavlina Zheleva of Dnevnik as Reporter of the Year.

Sofia-born Laura Chukanov places fourth in Miss USA competition

Chukanov, who has dual US and Bulgarian citizenship, competed as Miss Utah.

Scolari goes mental and attacks ref as Everton hold the Blues to a draw

The drama of the Premiership continues at full swing. With United away and missing games, and a heavily congested programme awaiting them upon their return from Japan, which would almost surely result in point spillage here and there, with Liverpool drawing Arsenal at the Emirates, Chelsea once again upheld the tradition and missed the chance to go top of the Premier League table as they had captain John Terry shown the red card at Goodison.

Croatia and punishment

The murder in Zagreb of lawyer Ivana Hodak leads to the dismissals of the ministers of interior and justice and the chief of police, and highlights questions about Croatia's capacity to fight organised crime.

Finding eligible Americans in the thicket of foreign cities

Voting from abroad is easier than it seems

You know that they are out there: Americans enrolled in year-abroad programmes, on sabbatical or relocated with US-based firms. Many may not know that they are able to vote while away from home. With the absentee ballot registration deadline looming, it's a race against time to find these Americans and tell them that, yes, you can vote from abroad.

READING ROOM: When it comes to filming, Bulgaria means business

A man enters a bar, downs a shot of hot sauce and cool-bloodedly shoots three Bulgarians in the head. Days later, he is somewhere in Central Asia, trying to assassinate an oil minister, also a Bulgarian, while blasts, tanks and machine-gun fire rage around him. Later, he rises to his feet amid the rubble of a bombed out building. No, this is not an anti-Bulgarian conspiracy. Neither is it a declassified file of a

The Sofia Echo 2007 News Quiz

MANAGER PROFILE: Bright young mind

Profile PR was established in 2004 by Nasko Lazarov. Today the company provides public relations services to actors, businessmen and other public figures in Bulgaria. Profile PR is also engaged in representing clients such as night clubs, luxury hotels, restaurants and beauty salons. Among their most notable clients are Sofia Airport, the night club Escape, the fish restaurant eX'use Me, Nail Bar, EXXO and

Gathering under the umbrella in Albena

A wave of interest in growing in the Golden Umbrella Festival - International Media Events being held in the Black Sea resort of Albena next month. The event, the biggest media festival on the Balkans, is being held in Bulgaria for the 12th year in a row. More than 3000 professionals from the media world, including representatives from 30 countries and more than 300 companies, will be attending the festival,

Annual Corporate and Celebrity Charity Ski Event - Bansko 2006

On April 8 2006, an annual corporate and celebrity ski event is being organised for a second year in Bansko by John Hazlewood, CEO of Balkanwood Real Estate and Media and Event Productions and TravelStoreMaker.com, and Phillip Roth, CEO of Bulgarian Unified Film Organisation (BUFO) and Hollywood Tan and Hair. The event will support the efforts of Face to Face Bulgaria and the funds gathered

Sofia faces refuse collection problems again

A HUNDRED days into his term as mayor of Sofia, the period that Boiko Borissov had set to effectively implement a number of measures, he found himself amid another growing Sofia refuse crisis. However, Borissov said that he would not lose his grip on the municipal administration and would continue to successfully deal with other sensitive issues in the capital city, including corruption, infrastructure

Europe partially permits Bulgarian poultry exports

BULGARIA will export about 20 million eggs and nearly 800 tons of goose liver after the ban on the export of birds and bird products from Bulgaria is lifted. This was said by Bulgaria's Agriculture and Forestry Minister Nihat Kabil on February 21 in Plovdiv. The European Commission's Veterinary Committee is allowing Bulgaria to export birds, bird products and eggs originating from industrial complexes after

Bulgaria's NATO efforts

"IT is essential for Bulgaria as a member of NATO to take part in a discussion on a possible NATO attack against Iran," Vesselin Bliznakov, Bulgaria's Defence Minister, said on February 13 in an interview with national private television channel bTV. Asked about a possible US "surprise strike" against Iran he said: "I think that, at this stage, this cannot be assumed, not at this stage.

`Donation drain' accusations spread in Bulgaria

AFTER the release of Hristo Grigorov and Krassimir Petrov in connection with the Bulgarian Red Cross (BRC) `donation-drain' affair, the names of polictical and religious figures were involved in the allegations. Grigorov, who is president of the BRC, and Petrov were released from custody on February 10 and 14, respectively. The court quoted the reason for release as insufficient evidence. The third person involved

Bulgaria's Interior Minister in Washington

THE development of a Balkan law enforcement centre against specific crimes - such as cyber crime, money laundering and trafficking in people - was among the topics discussed in a meeting between Roumen Petkov, Bulgaria's Interior Minister, and John Negroponte, director of national intelligence for the United States, Bulgarian news agency BTA said on February 15. Bulgaria will be responsible for the logistics

Cartoon fever reaches Bulgaria

THE Iranian Foreign Ministry in Tehran summoned Zdravelin Georgiev, Bulgarian ambassador to Iran, on February 7, an Iranian information agency reported the same day. Georgiev had to explain how and why the Bulgarian press had printed cartoons of Prophet Mohammed. At a meeting with a senior Iranian foreign ministry official for Central and North European Affairs, Georgiev expressed his regret over the publication of the offensive caricatures

New companies on Bulgaria's stock exchange index

NEW companies on the list of the BG-40 index helped it rise on Monday (February 6) for the start of the trading week on the Bulgarian Stock Exchange - Sofia (BSE). BG-40, the broader index including the 40-most-traded companies, moved up by 0.3 per cent to 140.17 points, as its new member, Advance Terrafund (a real estate investment trust), increased by 3.01 per cent with more than 20 000 shares changing hands.

First positive bird flu test in Bulgaria

A DEAD swan has tested positive for the H5 bird flu virus, Nihat Kabil Minister of Agriculture and Forestry told a news conference on January 3. The swan was found near the Danube city of Vidin in northwestern Bulgaria. "The H5 virus is not dangerous for people, only for birds, and the good news is that the swan was found in an area where no poultry breeding facilities are located," Kabil said.

Bulgaria's red cross head detained

THE head of the Bulgarian Red Cross Organisation (BRC), Hristo Grigorov, was arrested on February 3 on charges of diverting foreign humanitarian aid deliveries to commercial purposes. On January 6, Sofia city court ordered Grigorov's indefinite custody and he remained under arrest. According to allegations, a circle of companies united by Hristo Grigorov

US, Bulgaria sign visa `road map'

FOREIGN Minister Ivailo Kalfin and US ambassador John Beyrle signed a visa waiver "road map" on January 26. The road map was described in a US embassy statement as "an important step towards a common goal - that Bulgarian tourists be able to travel without visas to the US".

Bulgarian Constitution debated

THE first reading of the constitutional amendments, aimed at improving the work of the judicial system and the fight against organised crime, began on Friday, February 3. Among key debate issues were the immunity of magistrates and MPs and the rights of municipalities to determine the size of local taxes and the type of local fees.

EU probes Bulgaria's action against bird flu

THE European Union has imposed a temporary ban on the imports of poultry, eggs and chicken products from Bulgaria because of the case of pseudo-plague on birds in the region of Petrich in southwestern Bulgaria.

Measures for compensating Bulgarian poultry producers discussed

POULTRY meat and products in Bulgaria are completely safe and people should have no worry about eating them. This was the message after a meeting between four Cabinet ministers and members of poultry breeders' associations held on January 24, Bulgarian news agency BTA reported. Health Minister Radoslav Gaidarski, Finance Minister Plamen Oresharski, Economy and Energy Minister Roumen Ovcharov, and Agriculture and Forestry Minister Nihat Kabil discussed measures aimed at compensating Bulgarian breeders...

Critics slam Bulgarian President's speech

PRESIDENT Georgi Purvanov's speech to Parliament on January 20 to mark his fourth year in office rankled opposition and government members with its demands for more rights and its air of a pre-election campaign. Deputy head of the National Movement Simeon II, Nikolai Svinarov, said that the President was doubtlessly bidding for a second term. Ivan Kostov, leader of the rightist party Democrats for Strong Bulgaria, called Purvanov's speech boastful and tactless.

Controversy over police powers in Bulgaria

THE use of force against children and pregnant women in cases of serious crimes and public disorder was legalised on January 20 after Parliament approved the second reading of changes to the law governing the Interior Ministry. Interior Minister Roumen Petkov said that the use of force was justified as part of the fight against terrorism and was needed for Bulgaria's fight against organised crime.

New Bulgarian laws to be discussed

NEW legislation on a wide range of subjects from civil protection during disasters, consumer loans and credit institutions, and several measures related to European Union accession is scheduled for debate in the next six months. By the end of June, the Cabinet plans to pass 24 new bills, 39 draft amendments, 27 ratification bills and two codes.

Libya talks over Bulgarian medics' fate resume

THE third stage of negotiations between the Bulgarian Civic Association for Promoting Bilateral Relations with Libya and the Association of Parents of Children Infected with HIV is scheduled for January 21. According to a January 18 report by Bulgarian news agency BTA, it was expected that the fund would start operating by January 22.

Sofia municipality in road fees disagreement

A DISPUTE broke out on January 5 between the National Roads Agency and Sofia Municipality about the maintenance of the 86 km of roads in Sofia suburbs situated outside the ring road, such as Bankia, Ivanyane, Dragalevtsi, Simeonovo and others. The problem emerged after the Roads Agency demanded that either the municipality should require the people living in those suburbs to buy vignettes for their cars, or the agency would stop maintaining the roads in the area.

Prominent Bulgarian physician in transplantation controversy

A SCANDAL about illegal transplantations of kidneys erupted on January 7 when Health Ministry officials told the media that St Ekaterina Hospital was used as a black market for kidneys. Prominent surgeon Alexander Chirkov was alleged to be the main culprit because he was head of the hospital at the time of the transplants.

Strategies against Bulgaria's demographic crisis

Action planned against potential labour market crisis

SPECIAL strategies and a dedicated group are being set up to counteract the steady decline in Bulgaria's population numbers, which some say is setting the scene for a labour market crisis in decades to come. President Georgi Purvanov has described the falling numbers of Bulgaria's population as a "national security issue".