Influenza update: GP's in Plovdiv protest against 'mandatory home visits'

Medical authorities say that in the next 28 days, the virus will lose steam in the regions that are currently most affected in the country.

Wet road conditions and reduced visibility across Bulgaria

Traffic police KAT has announced that the road situation across the country was precarious because of wet road conditions and reduced visibility, requesting that all drivers remain alert and drive responsibly, Dnevnik daily reported on November 9 2009.

H1N1 epidemic declared in two more Bulgarian cities

Bulgarian authorities are undertaking extreme measures as the influenza secures a greater stranglehold over the country

Unemployment in Bulgaria surpasses eight per cent in September

In total, 297 515 people applied for work in September alone, as unemployment in Bulgaria continues to rise.

Cabinet cancels Turgovishte airport deal

The deal was given the green light by the Sergei Stanishev government and made headlines in August, when Bulgarian media focused on the fact that the owner of the company that bought the airport was only 20 years old.

Borissov Cabinet replaces all 28 regional governors

After replacing 18 regional governors on August 13, a Cabinet meeting a week later completed the process, choosing new regional governors mostly from among municipal councillors and MP candidates from Boiko Borissov’s party who did not make it into Parliament.

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.

Paramedic units will be deployed in danger zones

Ambulances will be positioned at danger points throughout the country during the summer in a bid to expedite medical assistance

Weather conditions, road conditions, temperatures and mountain conditions for Christmas 2008

All intercity road are accessable under normal winter conditions, the National Agency Road Infrastructure said. Temperatures in different parts of the country are said to vary from -18 degrees to 1 degree Celsius with temperatures in Musala reaching -20. Average highs for the country are expected to be between 2 and 4 degrees.

National briefs

Celebrate Bulgaria's independence on September 22

Though it be 100 years since Bulgaria received its freedom from the Ottoman Empire, talk to any Bulgarian about relations with Turkey, and it is as if the two countries only yesterday went separate ways. In any case, on September 22, Bulgaria celebrates the Day of Liberation, which, in 2008, falls on a Monday, which also means that it is a public holiday. The accent of this year's commemorations will be modern Bulgaria,

Property Briefs

40M euro retail park to open in north-east Bulgaria

Real estate investment company Greenfield Bulgaria, operating in Bulgaria and Romania, plans to invest 40 million euro in building a commercial park in Turgovishte, investor.bg reported. The planned park is 100km north-east of Veliko Turnovo. According to the company's executives, the park will occupy a 92 000 sq m land plot, strategically situated near Turgovishte's ring-road and the highway connecting Sofia and Varna.

National briefs

Bulgaria's angry farmers block key mountain pass

Nearly 700 dairy producers and livestock-breeders from all over the country gathered on August 21 at the Shipka mountain pass to demand their state subsidies for April to July 2008 to be paid. Although they did not have authorities' permission, the protesters blocked the pass for 10 minutes and clashed with nearly 200 policemen and gendarmes, who were guarding the road, website mediapool.bg said. According to

Back to school: 5000 teachers to be laid off

The demographic crisis in Bulgaria that started decades ago has begun to manifest itself in secondary schools. For the new school year, which is to begin on September 15, 5000 high school teachers will be laid off, according to Bulgarian Teachers Union leader Yanka Takeva, as quoted by Focus news agency. Takeva also said that the demographic crisis was expected to reach its peak in the period 2008/2009, when the

National Briefs

Environment Ministry earmarks 41.3M leva for refuse utilisation projects

Bulgaria's Ministry of Environment and Water Affairs (MOEW) has earmarked 41.3 million leva for investment projects in the field of refuse utilisation under the environment operational programme of the European Union. The call for projects expired on June 6, MOEW said in a statement. Fifty-nine projects from 58 Bulgarian municipalities have applied for technical assistance funding. The biggest citiies to apply are Sofia, Varna, Rousse, Haskovo, Turgovishte and Yambol.

National briefs

Another 4.3 Richter-scale tremor shakes Bulgaria

An earth tremor measuring 4.3 on the Richter scale shook northern Bulgaria soon after 1pm on May 12 2008, the Geophysical Institute at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences said. The epicenter was in Bulgaria, some 270km to the northeast of the capital of Sofia, near the town of Strazhitsa, Focus news agency said. The town has a sad fame because of the 1986 earthquake, which measured 7.2 on the Richter scale and

Ancient Thrace represents modern Europe in naming the best sommelier 2008

A golden phiale replicating an item from the Panagyurishte treasures of Ancient Thrace will, from this year on, be the trophy awarded in the annual Best Sommelier competitions of the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale. In 2008, the contest for Best European Sommelier is being held in Bulgaria from May 15 to 20; it is the first time in the 20 years of its existence that the competition will be held outside of France.

A message from Siderov

A year ahead of the next parliamentary elections, Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev said that the elections campaign had already started. On April 17, Volen Siderov, leader of the ultra-nationalist Ataka party, stated his willingness to change the party's public image and called for a debate on Bulgaria's future.

On April 17, ultra-nationalist Ataka party leader Volen Siderov made one of the most significant statements of his political career. At a conference to mark Ataka's third birthday, Siderov dwelt on the subject of Ahmed Dogan, leader of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF), which has had a share of power since 2001 as part of a succession of ruling coalitions.

Bulgaria trims number of deputy ministers from 72 to 59

In the next step of the Cabinet reshuffle, Bulgaria's Government decided to trim the 72-member deputy ministerial staff to 59, Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev told reporters after the May 1 Government meeting, as quoted by Dnevnik daily. The PM noted that the decision aimed to improve efficiency and not the result of a negative assessment of any of the deputy ministers made redundant. It was also due to cut down administrative spending, he added.

Passengers start paying for extra luggage

Starting from April 30, Bulgarian State Railways (BDZ) passengers travelling in sleeping or couchette carriages will have to pay for extra luggage that exceeds the 30 kg limit. BDZ has introduced new technology to register and control personal luggage transportation in sleeping or couchette train carriages, the company said in a media statement on April 26. This is one of the measures introduced by BDZ to increase safety and minimise risks to passengers.

Economy briefs

Earthquake felt in northern Bulgaria

An earthquake measuring 4.3 on the Richter scale was felt in the region of Veliko Turnovo in northern Bulgaria in the morning of April 15 2008. The epicentre was between the towns of Gabrovo and Dryanovo, some 10 km norht-east from Gabrovo, Focus news agency said.

Illegal alcohol sales cause 120M leva in budget losses

Bulgaria's budget is incurring around 120 million leva in losses from illegal sale of alcohol every year, former Bulgarian deputy finance minister Georgi Kadiev told private broadcaster bTV on April 10. The statement comes a day after Customs Agency head Assen Assenov told the parliamentary budget committee that illegal vendors were mainly small distilleries that used counterfeit excise stamps.

Annual Forest Week tree-planting campaign starts

On April 6, Bulgarian President Georgi Purvanov planted a magnolia in the town of Bankya near Sofia to mark the beginning of the Forest Week tree planting campaign, Bulgarian private broadcaster bTV reported. Meanwhile, in north-eastern city of Shoumen, volunteers can receive free saplings for planting throughout the week. The Forest Week starts on April 7 and ends on April 14. The motto of this year's events is "Let's plant a tree, let's give hope". This is the 83rd time the Forest Week is celebrated, Bulgarian news agency BTA reported.

Turkish glass production to expand

Despite threatening to freeze plans to double investment as recently as May 2007, on March 27 Turkish glass giant Sise ve Cam Fabrikalari (Sisecam) broke ground of its new factory in Turgovishte. The plant is the first of four new production facilities that will be built in the vicinity of the north-eastern Bulgarian town with a population of about 40 000. The four new factories will allow Sisecam to start exporting automobile

Flourishing

Trade between Bulgaria and Turkey has grown lately and should reach $10 billion annually within a few years, Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, front, told a forum attended by 240 Bulgarian and Turkish businesspeople in Sofia on March 27. The forum was part of the events scheduled for Erdogan's two-day visit to the country. Erdogan, together with Bulgaria's Economy and Energy Minister Petar Dimitrov,