Latest News from Bulgaria
Bulgaria-Greece Checkpoints Open to All Vehicles as of Sunday Morning
All crossing points on the border between Bulgaria and Greece are open to traffic both ways as of Sunday morning, Bulgarian police say.
Protesting Greek Farmers Said to Be Abandoning Roadblocks
Greek farmers protesting at pension and tax reforms proposed by the government have started to abandon the roadblocks they had manned for more than a month, Kathimerini reported in its online English-language edition on Saturday.
Ousted Leader of Bulgaria's DPS Lyutvi Mestan Launches DOST Political Project
Lyutvi Mestan, the expelled leader of Bulgaria's predominantly ethnic Turk Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS), said on Saturday that his new political project, DOST, will be 'a radical, pro-NATO and pro-EU party'.
'No Good Will Come' of Parliament's Ad-Hoc Committee on Russia, Turkey - Bulgarian PM
The ad-hoc parliamentary committee set up to probe alleged interference of Russia and Turkey into Bulgaria's domestic affairs could only worsen Sofia's relationship with both Moscow and Ankara, Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boyko Borisov has said.
Setting up Ad-hoc Committee on Russia, Turkey Was 'Blunder', Bulgarian MP Says
It was a blunder to set up an ad-hoc committee in parliament to probe alleged interference of Russia and Turkey into Bulgaria's domestic affairs, a lawmaker from the main party in the governing coalition has opined.
Bulgaria's Gross Foreign Debt Drops 13% Y/Y in December 2015
Bulgaria's gross foreign debt totalled EUR 34.14 B at the end of 2015, down 13.2% from a year earlier, the central bank has announced.
Gross foreign debt was equivalent to 76.5% of the 2015 GDP forecast at the end of December, compared with 92.1% of GDP at the end of December 2014, the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) said in a monthly debt report.
The Globe and Mail: Russia, Turkey Waging 'Proxy Battle' in Bulgaria
Russia and Turkey are fighting for control over Bulgaria's Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) political party "in a proxy battle in their wider conflict", Victor Kotsev writes in an article for Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail published on Friday.
"The fight threatens to destabilize further the European Union's southern border," the author says.
Death of Palestinian Man in Sofia Remains Shrouded in Mystery
Palestinian officials have claimed that a Palestinian man found dead in the garden of the Palestinian embassy in Sofia had been assassinated by Israel, Palestinian news agency Ma'an reported on Friday.
EC: Corruption, Low Trust in Judicial System Hamper Private Investment in Bulgaria
An unstable legal framework and low trust in the judicial system hinder private investment in Bulgaria, the European Commission said on Friday.
Bulgaria Sees as 'Inappropriate' Russia's Comments on Parliamentary Inquiry Committee
Moscow's reaction to the formation of an ad-hoc committee in Bulgaria's parliament to look into alleged interference of Russia and Turkey into Bulgaria's internal affairs is "a disregard for good manners", the Foreign Ministry in Sofia has said.
Palestinian Sought by Israel Dies in Bulgaria
Bulgarian authorities are investigating the death of a Palestinian citizen, Omar Nayef Zayed, who was found in a critical condition in the grounds of the Palestinian embassy in Sofia on Friday.
He died at the scene before the paramedics could take him to hospital, the Secretary-General of the Interior Ministry, Georgi Kostov, said. This was later confirmed by the embassy.
Jewish Group Seeks Nobel Prize for Bulgarian Church
The Bulgarian Jewish community in Israel has proposed nominating the Bulgarian Orthodox Church for a Nobel Peace Prize for its role in rescuing Jews from the Nazi Holocaust.
Those behind the initiative have already begun the formal procedure for the Nobel Prize Nomination and will seek international support, Bulgarian National Radio said on Thursday.
Rifts Widen at Migration Summit in Brussels
Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos told a meeting of interior ministers from the EU, Turkey and the Balkans in Brussels that the EU's migration strategy faced collapse, as differences over ways to deal with the crisis surfaced once again.
Russia Criticises Bulgarian MPs over Ad Hoc Inquiry Committee
Russian foreign ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, harshly criticized Bulgarian MPs for the recently established ad-hoc inquiry parliamentary committee that is to investigate alleged Russian and Turkish interference in Bulgaria's internal affairs.
Bulgarian Energy Minister Foresees Decrease in Electricity Prices
Bulgarian Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova is predicting a possible decrease in the prices of electricity due to the falling prices of natural gas.
In an interview for the Bulgarian National Television (BNT) on Friday, Petkova said that the expected decrease in the price of natural gas is slightly above 20 %.