Latest News from Bulgaria
Bulgaria's Poverty Line Set to Increase to BGN 300 in 2016
The official poverty line in Bulgaria is set to increase to BGN 300 in 2016.
The government is expected to approve the change at its regular meeting on Wednesday, Darik radio informs.
In his last statement, Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov, said that Christmas bonuses will be allocated to pensions below BGN 300.
1128 Bulgarian Settlements to Elect Mayors in Run-offs - Election Commission
A total of 1128 Bulgarian settlements will elect theiry mayors in run-offs after candidates failed to win majority at the first round of the local elections held on Sunday.
This was announced by the spokesperson of the Central Election Commission (CIK), Tsvetozar Tomov, on Tuesday.
Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov to Seek First Victory Against Nadal in Basel
Bulgaria's top ranking male tennis player, Grigor Dimitrov, will be seeking to record his first victory against Rafael Nadal at the Swiss Indoors tournament, which is taking place in Basel.
In the first round played on Tuesday, Dimitrov defeated the Ukrainian Sergiy Stakhovsky with 6:3, 6:4, proceeding to the second round, which will take place on Wednesday.
Serbia Will Keep Borders Open to Migrants, PM Vucic Says
Serbia won't close its borders to migrants, the country's Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic has said.
Instead, Serbia will do its best to help migrants arriving at its borders, Vucic has said in an interview with German daily newspaper Handelsblatt, Serbian news agency Tanjug reported on Tuesday.
Rock Stars Elected to Sofia City Council
Svetoslav (Svetlyo) Vitkov and Ventsislav (Ventsi) Mitsov - these are not just two ordinary names of new municipal councilors in Sofia after local elections were held on Sunday.
Leader of Bulgaria's Ataka Party Refuses to Give Up Immunity
Volen Siderov, the leader of Bulgarian nationalist Ataka party, has said he does not agree to have his immunity lifted upon a request by the Chief Prosecutor's Office.
In an interview with private national NOVA TV station on Tuesday, he said he would not comply with the demand and renounce his immunity on his own to face charges.
Countries Along Western Balkans Migratory Route Nominate Contact Points
Countries along the Western Balkans migratory route have nominated national contact points, as had been agreed at the leaders' meeting in Brussels on Sunday.
At the meeting, the leaders of the eleven participating countries and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, who had convened the summit, agreed to nominate contact points within 24 hours.
Huge Hack Attack on Bulgaria Election Authorities 'Not to Affect Vote Count'
An unprecedented hack attack to which the Central Election Commission of Bulgaria and several ministries were exposed on local elections day last week will not affect voting results, officials say.
Trips of Bulgarians Abroad Register 10.8 % Y/Y Increase in September
In the month of September, Bulgarians completed 450 922 trips abroad, which represented an increase of 10.8 % compared to the same month in 2014.
This is shown by the latest figures of the National Statistical Institute (NSI) released on Tuesday.
Oman Fund Claims against Bulgaria 'Unfounded' - FinMin
Legal action taken against Bulgaria by the State General Reserve Fund of Oman is based on ill-founded claims, the country's Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov said on Tuesday.
He asserted Bulgaria was "prepared to fight this battle" and had already hired a team of lawyers.
Bulgaria's Main Ruling Party Loses Majority in Sofia Municipal Council
With 75 % of the ballot papers processed, it seems that Bulgaria's main ruling party, GERB, will lose the majority it has enjoyed in the municipal council of Sofia.
Prior to the local elections, which were held in Bulgaria on Sunday, GERB had 33 out of 61 municipal councillors in the capital.
Bulgaria's Ruling Coalition Demands Resignation of Central Election Commission
The two parties constituting Bulgaria's ruling coalition demanded the resignation of the Central Election Commission (CIK) over the ballot processing chaos, which has ensued after the local elections held on Sunday.
Omani Sovereign Fund Said to Be Seeking EUR 720 M from Bulgaria over KTB Collapse
The State General Reserve Fund of Oman has taken legal action against Bulgaria, seeking to recover the book value of its investment in collapsed Corporate Commercial Bank, Sofia-based 24 Chasa daily reported on Monday.
Bulgaria's End-August Gross Foreign Debt Falls 10% from End-2014
Bulgaria's gross foreign debt totalled EUR 35.4 B at the end of August, equivalent to 82.2% of the estimated 2015 GDP, the central bank said on Monday.
The external debt figure was 8.2% lower than in August 2014 and 10.1% lower compared with the end of last year, the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) said in a monthly debt report.
Half of Bulgaria's Regional Centers to Elect Mayors in Run-offs
Half of Bulgaria's regional centers will elect their mayors in run-offs on November 1 after the candidates failed to win majority at the first round of the local elections held on October 25.
In Plovdiv, Ivan Totev, the incumbent mayor and candidate of the largest ruling party GERB, will face Slavcho Atanasov, former mayor and candidate of the Patriotic Front (PF).