Latest News from Bulgaria
Russia's Patriarch Kiril to Visit Sofia Early Next Year
Russian Patriarch Kiril is due to travel to Bulgaria's capital Sofia in February of next year, Russian church officials have said.
The Bulgarian National Radio quotes him as saying that an invitation has already been extended to Kiril by his Bulgarian counterpart, Neofit.
Overgas Denies Receiving Warning Letter from Gazprom on Halt of Supplies
Bulgarian-Russian company Overgas has denied receiving a letter from Russian energy giant Gazprom calling on it to prepared for a halt in supplies from January 1.
A statement on the company's website [BG] reads that the gas supply contract with Gazprom is in force until 2017, and Overgas abides by all of its commitments, with no overdue payment.
Some Public Transport Lines, Sofia Metro to Run All Night on January 1
A number of buses will remain in service in Bulgaria's capital Sofia both late on New Year's eve and in the small hours of January 1 to help people celebrating the New Year move around the city.
Trains will be available every 20 minutes between Mladost 1 and Obelia stations (most of the Red line) and all along the Blue line going from the neighborhood of Lozenets to Obelia.
Bulgaria's End-November Budget Gap Shrinks to 0.5%
Bulgaria's ran a consolidated budget deficit of BGN 406.4 M equivalent to 0.5% of the projected 2015 GDP at the end of November, the Finance Ministry said on Wednesday.
Compared with end-November 2014, the budget gap has improved by 1.4 percentage points. The consolidated budget deficit at the end of November last year was BGN 1.6 B, which was equivalent to 1.9% of GDP.
Bulgaria's Overgas Faces Possible Halt in Supplies from Gazprom Export
Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boyko Borisov has instructed state-owned Bulgargaz and Bulgartransgaz to prepare to supply natural gas to Overgas in case Russia's Gazprom Export halted deliveries to the Bulgarian-Russian joint stock company.
Bulgaria's Business Climate Worsens in December
Bulgaria's total business climate index has dropped by 0.7 percentage points in December in comparison with the previous month due to the worsening expectations of entrepreneurs in construction, retail trade and services, the national statictical office NSI said on Wednesday.
Bulgaria Appoints Werner Jostmeier Honorary Consul in Germany
Bulgaria's government has appointed Werner Jostmeier as the country's Honorary Consul in Germany with consular district the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Werner Jostmeier is member of the provincial parliament (Landtag) of North Rhine-Westphalia. He will be headquartered in Münster.
Bulgaria Moves Closer to Online Issuing of ID Documents to Nationals Abroad
Bulgaria's government has introduced changes to regulations to facilitate the issuing online of identity documents to the country's nationals residing abroad.
Bulgaria's Govt Adopts Anti-terrorism Strategy 2015-2020
Bulgaria's government has adopted a five-year strategy for combating radicalisation and terrorism focusing on preventive measures.
Bulgaria's Energy Regulator to Lower Gas Price by 2.32% from January 1
The Energy and Water Regulatory Commission (KEVR) of Bulgaria has adopted a decision to cut price of natural gas for consumers.
State-owned gas supplier Bulgargaz earlier in December proposed the price should be slashed by 2.1%.
KEVR itself, however, believes the decrease should amount to 2.3%.
Bulgaria PM Downplays Impact of DPS Scandal on Ties with Turkey, Russia
Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boyko Borisov on Wednesday dismissed comments that the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) party, the second-largest opposition, is being used to start a dispute about relations with Russia and Turkey.
Bulgaria Ranks 45th in Forbes' Best Countries for Business Report
Bulgaria is ranked 45th by the the Best Countries for Business report of Forbes magazine.
Performing among the world's "top 10" (9th) in "Trade Freedom", the country is also doing well in Investor Protection (14th) and Monetary Freedom (15th) and moderately in Technology (38th) and Personal Freedom (41th).
Divisions Deepen in Bulgaria's DPS as More MPs Quit Parliament Group
Two lawmakers of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) party have announced they would join other fellow MPs in leaving the party's group in Parliament.
The development comes after the DPS expelled its former Leaver Lyutvi Mestan, removing him from the chairman's office over the "pro-Turkish" shift the party has allegedly made since he took over in 2013.
Code Yellow Warning Issued in 12 Bulgarian Regions over Bad Weather
Strong winds and sub-zero temperatures are expected in 12 of Bulgaria's 28 regions, with a Code Yellow alert issued by the National Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (NIMH).
The regions included in the warning are Ruse, Razgrad, Silistra, Targovishte, Shumen, Dobrich, Varna, Burgas, Sliven, Yambol, Haskovo, and Kardzhali.
Nearly 19 000 People Sought Asylum in Bulgaria Between January-November
From the beginning of the year until the end of November, nearly 19 000 people sought asylum in Bulgaria.
This becomes evident from the latest statistics of the State Agency for Refugees (DAB), daily Dnevnik informs.
For comparison, the total number of asylum-seekers in 2014 was 11 000.