Latest News from Bulgaria

Talented Organ Player Cameron Carpenter to Perform in Sofia

Bulgaria will be the only stop in the Eastern European tour of talented organist Cameron Carpenter. He will be performing at the National Palace of Culture in Sofia on June 14. Often called ''the Paganini of our century'' and ''the bad boy of the organ'', Carpenter is young, talented and reasonably eccentric.

InvestBulgaria Agency Head Brags about 3.5-Fold Rise in FDI in Q1, 2015

In the first quarter of 2015 Bulgaria registered a 3.5-fold increase in foreign direct investment, according to Stamen Yanev, Executive Director of the InvestBulgaria Agency (IBA).

In a Tuesday interview for the Bulgarian National Television, Yanev said that in Q1, 2015 FDI stood at EUR 317.3 M, or 0.7% of the GDP, compared to a rate of EUR 89 M in the period January-March 2014.

Plevneliev Welcomes Upgrade of Russia's Lukoil Bulgarian Refinery Neftochim

Bulgaria's President Rosen Plevneliev on Tuesday welcomed the introduction of technological innovations by Russian company Lukoil at its Bulgarian refinery Neftochim Burgas.

Yordan Bakalov Takes Over Bulgaria's Military Intelligence Service

Bulgarian Defense Minister Nikolay Nenchev announced on Tuesday he has appointed Yordan Bakalov, a former interim Interior Minister, as head of the Defense Information Service.

Yordan Bakalov, who has also been an MP in several Bulgarian legislatures throughout the years, has "exceptional" moral qualities and is well-prepared to do the job, the minister has said.

Sofia Heating Utility Fined BGN 125 000 for Abuse of Dominant Position

Bulgaria's Supreme Administrative Court (VAS) has allowed the Commission for Protection of Competition (KZK) to impose a penalty of BGN 125 000 on heating utility Toplofikatsiya Sofia for abuse of dominant position.

Hungary Looking into Prague-Varna Bus Bomb Incident

Hungarian investigators have found a highly inflammable substance in a bag purportedly containing a homemade bomb which was found on a bus traveling from Prague to Varna.

The bus had a majority of Bulgarian passengers and a Bulgarian driver. The suspicious package was found while the vehicle had stopped in Budapest. No-one was injured.

Terror Attack 'Unlikely' in Prague-Varna Bus Incident

A terror attack is the least likely version to explain the incident with a suspected "homemade bomb" found in a bus traveling from Prague (Czech Rep.) to Varna in Bulgaria, a counter-terrorism expert has said.

Damage from Disasters Across Bulgaria Worth BGN 1 B in 2014

Natural disasters that struck Bulgaria last year cost some BGN 990 M, an Interior Ministry official has said.

Bulgaria's Finance Ministry Boasts Successful Placement of 5-Year BGN-Denominated Govt Securities

Bulgaria's Finance Ministry reopened Monday the 5-year issue of Government Securities (GS) issued on February 4, 2015 maturing on February 4, 2020.

At the auction held on May 18 GS to the amount of BGN 50 million were successfully placed, with the average weighted yield being 1,28%, according to a media statement of the Finance Ministry.

Bulgaria's Ex Deputy PM Djankov to Advise Greek Govt on Fight against Corruption

Former Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Simeon Djankov is among the key lecturers at the Emergency Economic Summit for Greece scheduled to take place on May 19 in Athens.

The summit is organized by the US-based NGO the Atlas Network, the Cato Institute, and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom.

Bulgaria's Plovdiv to Be Officially Declared European Capital of Culture 2019

Plovdiv will be officially declared European Capital of Culture for 2019 at a Tuesday meeting of the Council of the European Union.

The issue has been included in the provisional agenda of the meeting on May 19, according to Darik radio.

Plovdiv Mayor Ivan Totev and his deputy Stefan Stoyanov left for Brussels on Monday.