Latest News from Bulgaria

US Delegation Meeting Bulgaria's Energy Minister

A US delegation has arrived at the Bulgarian Energy Ministry for negotiations, the ministry has confirmed.

The "working visit", which will not be followed by a joint conference, comes just a day after Prime Minister Boyko Borisov put into question a joint project with US-based Westinghouse Electric Company.

Debate Arises Among Bulgarian PM, Tourism Association Reps

According to representatives of the Bulgarian Hotel and Restaurant Association, tourism in Bulgaria still maintains the best price to quality ratio.

The statement was made following the appeal Bulgarian PM Boiko Borisov made in Parliament, asking citizens to stay in Bulgaria over the upcoming Easter holidays, as reported by the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR).

Birds in Bulgaria Decreased by One Fifth in Past Eight Years

The number of the most widespread birds in Bulgaria has decreased with 21 % over the past eight years.

However the diversity of birds remains broad, with 70 % of all kinds of birds inhabiting Europe found in Bulgaria, private bTV station reports.

Out of the 420 kinds of birds that can be found in Bulgaria, 26 of them are world endangered species.

Subway Trains to Sofia Airport Start Running at 1 pm on April 2

The subway section to Sofia Airport starts functioning Thursday at 1 pm.

Starting 1 pm on Thursday until midnight, passengers who board a train at one of the new stations will travel free of charge across the entire subway network in Sofia.

Bulgaria to Amend Criminal Code to Counter Threat of Terrorism

Bulgaria's government has proposed to amend the Criminal Code to provide adequate legal response to the threat of terrorism.

The amendments, to be submitted to Parliament for approval, will close gaps in Bulgarian criminal law that potential terrorists could use to escape justice.

Access to Key Bulgarian Government Websites Restored

Access to the websites of Bulgaria's government and the President's office has been restored on Wednesday evening following a short outage, a search by Novinite has shown.

The reason or the reasons for the disruption that started around 6.30 p.m. (1530 GMT) and  lasted about half an hour, were not immediately clear.  

Serres floodwaters submerge thousands of hectares of farmland

Thousands of hectares of farmland in Serres, northern Greece, have been submerged by floodwaters from the Strymonas River, which broke its banks on Sunday, with local officials struggling to avert further damage by erecting new flood barriers as dams and flood defenses have been wrecked.

Key Bulgarian Government Websites Blocked

Access to the websites of Bulgaria's government and President's office was blocked late on Wednesday afternoon.

A search by Novinite has shown that the websites of the Foreign Ministry, the Agriculture Ministry, the Justice Ministry and the Defence Ministry also were inaccessible as of 1830 local time (1530 GMT).

The reason for the disruption wasn't immediately known.

Bulgaria Plans to Keep ADIS State-Owned

Bulgaria plans to keep the Domestic Diplomatic Properties Agency ADIS in state ownership.

The government decided at its weekly meeting on Wednesday to ask Parliament to adopt legislative changes that will put ADIS on the list of companies that must remain state-owned.

108 Dead Pelicans Found in Romanian Section of Danube Delta

The bodies of 108 dead pelicans were discovered in the delta of the river Danube on Romanian territory.

According to Romanian authorities, bird flu was the likely cause for the death of the pelicans, Darik radio reports.

Serbia reaches semifinals of U18 volleyball EC for women

SAMOKOV - Serbia's U18 women's volleyball team beat Italy 3-0 (25-18 25-17 25-16) in the 4th round of Group A of the European championship in Bulgaria on Wednesday and qualified for the semifinals.

This victory puts Serbia at the top of the ladder in its group, but also reserves a spot at the world championship in Peru and the European Youth Olympic Festival in Georgia.

NATO Centre for Excellence in Bulgaria Granted Accreditation

The NATO Crisis Management and Disaster Response Centre for Excellence (CMDR COE) in Bulgaria was granted official accreditation.

The accreditation, which was granted by the North Atlantic Council, enabled CMDR COE as a NATO military body with international status as stipulated under Article XIV of the Paris Protocol.

Bulgaria's Oldest Football Derby Celebrates Centenary

Bulgaria's oldest still surviving football derby between the teams of Slavia and Levski celebrated its centenary on Wednesday.

The two clubs from the capital played for the first time against each other on 1 April 1915 in Sofia, daily Dnevnik reports.

Bulgaria Cannot Uphold Agreement on Kozloduy NPP Unit 7 with US Westinghouse - PM

Bulgaria is only ready to work on the agreement with Westinghouse Electric for unit 7 of the Kozloduy NPP provided that the company participates in the project as an investor, according to Prime Minister Boyko Borisov.

Borisov made clear Wednesday in Parliament that Bulgaria could not afford to implement the project unless US Westinghouse Electric joined the scheme as an investor.

Pages