Blagoevgrad

Blagoevgrad, nestled in Bulgaria's southwest, faces a grim reality as it grapples with the title of having the lowest wages not only in Bulgaria but also across Europe. The region's economic landscape paints a picture of scarcity, with a stark lack of opportunities exacerbating the financial strain on its residents.

One of Bulgaria's top swimmers in recent years, Antani Ivanov, has been detained in Blagoevgrad on Wednesday (February 7). The swimmer and his friend Boris Panayotov were held for 24 hours, according to reports from bTV and Struma.com.

A young woman was shot in the early afternoon in Blagoevgrad. The incident happened in one of the parks in Elenovo district. At that time, there were no mothers with children in the playgrounds.

Metodi Baikushev is the new mayor of Blagoevgrad, according to data with 100% processed protocols in the Regional Central Committee.

• Metodi Baikushev - WCC-DB - 50.21%
• Ilko Stoyanov - initiative committee - 47.24%
• I support no one - 2.56%

Voter turnout is lower compared to the first round.

There are only 7 reports of election violations.

As the polls opened for the election day, initial data on voter turnout in various Bulgarian cities has started to emerge. These figures provide an early glimpse into civic engagement and participation in the ongoing elections. According to exit poll data from the Gallup agency, reported by NOVA, here are the voter turnout percentages in several key cities as of 09:00:

The Bulgarian business will hire staff from India. One of the positions they will occupy is that of bartenders due to the decreasing interest of Bulgarians in the profession and the sector. At the same time, however, the restaurant business complains that hiring staff from third countries (non-EU) does not fully satisfy their requirements.

30% more bookings compared to last year at this time, revenue is up 50%. This is what the figures of the Institute for Analyzes and Evaluations in Tourism show, said the director of the department, Prof. Rumen Draganov. He presented more data: Between 4 and 8% is the average growth compared to 2019. 13 million people are expected to visit Bugaria in 2023.

The Prime Ministers of Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia, Galab Donev and Dimitar Kovachevski, launched the construction of the railway line from Kumanovo to Beljakovce in our southwestern neighbor. The line should reach the border with Bulgaria and is part of the trans-European corridor number 8 - a project more than two decades old.

The business has an urgent need for nearly 240 thousand workers and specialists in various fields. The biggest shortages are of tailors, salespeople, machine operators and cooks. Over 70% of employers in Bulgaria find it difficult to find staff in these areas. The data are from a study by the Employment Agency.

Fifty-four minors were identified during a specialized police operation by teams of the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (ODMVR) in Blagoevgrad, the police announced.