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| 17 Jan 2012, Issue 3300 · USD: 1.54379 EUR: 1.95583 · Sofia: min -7°, max -3° Varna: min -5°, max 2° · |
| BUSINESS POLITICS WORLD SOCIETY SPORTS FORUM |
Novinite.com Readers Vote Kuneva 'Personality in the News' 2011 in Politics
 Former EU Commissioner Meglena Kuneva has been selected by the readers of Novinite.read |
Deloitte's Raychev Triumphs as Novinite.com Business 'Personality in the News' 2011
 Deloitte Bulgaria Chairman Vasko Raychev has been picked by the readers of Novinite.read |
M-Tel CEO Mayerhofer Voted Expat 'Personality in the News' 2011 by Novinite Readers
 Andreas Mayerhofer, the Austrian CEO of Bulgaria's largest mobile operator M-Tel, has been selected by the readers of Novinite.read |
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BULGARIA'S RULING PARTY ADOPTS TEMPORARY BAN ON SHALE GAS EXPLORATION
Bulgaria's Parliamentary Energy Committee - dominated by the ruling center-right party GERB - has approved a temporary ban on the exploration and extraction of shale gas a day after mass protest rallies took place in 12 Bulgarian cities over the issue. However, GERB's move has been immediately slammed by eco-activists who were quick to react that the temporary moratorium was only designed to shut them up, and carried little actual weight with respect to the problems posed by potential shale gas extraction. The draft legislation for a temporary moratorium was adopted by the Energy Committee in the Bulgarian Parliament late Monday night after four hours of debate. Essentially, the Parliamentary Group of the GERB party accepted the proposal of the opposition the marginal conservative party RZS ("Order, Law, Justice") for a temporary ban on shale exploration with amendments made by Valentin Nikolov, deputy head of the GERB group and of the Energy Committee. Before that, however, the ruling party rejected the more comprehensive shale gas moratorium proposals presented by the Bulgarian Socialist Party, and the nationalist party Ataka. Key ruling party MP Valentin Nikolov himself explained that the moratorium will have only a temporary character, as cited by Darik Radio. In his words, the ban will be in place until the Ministry of Economy, Energy, and Tourism, and the Ministry of Environment and Waters come up with amendments of the Bulgarian legislation that "guarantee" that the hydraulic fracking method used for shale gas exploration and extraction "will not hurt the environment". "The moratorium will be in place until the two ministers write the amendments which will them have to be adopted by the Parliament," stated the key MP, while saying that the GERB party made no commitment as to when the ban will be adopted. The Energy Committee of the Bulgarian Parliament convened at an emergency meeting Monday night in response to the mass protests against shale gas exploration and extraction that took place of the weekend all across Bulgaria. The sitting of the Bulgarian Parliament Committee on Energy continued late into the night on Monday. The decision made in favor of a temporary shale gas ban is expected to be adopted by the Bulgarian Parliament on Wednesday. Environmentalists and representatives of civic NGOs stated immediately after the Parliamentary Energy Committee sitting that they feel cheated by Bulgaria's ruling party GERB, and that they will keep up their protests against the exploration and extraction of shale gas in Bulgaria until an all-out ban is in place. The anti-shale gas movement is rapidly gaining momentum, with its Facebook group featuring 55 000 members as of mid January 2012. The people in Bulgaria are mostly concerned with the effects of the extraction and exploration method known as hydraulic fracking, which is said to be poisoning underground waters as a result of the use of chemicals. Shale gas exploration became an issue in Bulgaria after in the spring of 2011 the government of the GERB party and Prime Minister Boyko Borisov decided in favor of awarding Chevron Corporation shale gas exploration rights for a vast region in Northeastern Bulgaria, after Chevron won a government tender offering the whopping payment of EUR 30 M for the exploration rights. 
BULGARIA GOT EUR 740 M FDI IN JAN-NOV 2011 Bulgaria's total foreign direct investment in Bulgaria for January – November 2011 amounted to EUR 740.3 million (1.9% of GDP), according to preliminary data of the Bulgarian National Bank published Monday. This is an almost 50% slump compared to Bulgaria's total FDI of EUR 1.432 B (4% of GDP) for January – November 2010. Bulgaria's attracted Equity Capital (acquisition/disposal of shares and equities in cash and contributions in kind by non-residents in/from the capital and reserves of Bulgarian enterprises and receipts/payments from/for real estate deals in the country) for January – November 2011 amounted to EUR 850.1 M. It decreased by EUR 523 M compared to that attracted in the same period of 2010 (EUR 1.373 B). Bulgaria's receipts from real estate investments of non-residents amounted to EUR 224.5 M, a slight increase compared to EUR 204.8 M attracted in January – November 2010. The other capital, net (the change in the net liabilities of the direct investment enterprise to the direct investor on financial loans, suppliers' credits and debt securities) was negative, amounting to EUR 194 M in January – November 2011, compared to a negative other capital, net of EUR 30.3 M in January – November 2010. Based on preliminary data on profit/loss, Bulgaria's reinvested Earnings (the share of non-residents in the undistributed earnings/ loss of the enterprise) in January – November 2011 were estimated at EUR 84.2 M, compared with EUR 88.6 M in the same period of 2010. By country, the largest direct investments in Bulgaria for the period January – November 2011 were those of the Austria (EUR 327.3 M), the Netherlands (EUR 313.1 M) and Russia (EUR 168.1 M). The largest negative flows for the period were towards Germany (EUR -174.1 M) and the United Kingdom (EUR -203.3 M) mainly due to net payments on intercompany credits in accordance with the loan repayment schedules of enterprises. According to preliminary data in January – November 2011 Bulgarian direct investment abroad amounted to EUR 130.9 M, compared to EUR 181 million in January – November 2010. STRIKE AT BULGARIAN MARITSA IZTOK MINES ENTERS DAY 2 The effective strike of miners at Bulgaria's State-owned Maritsa Iztok Mines is continuing Monday, after being launched at 8 pm Sunday evening. The joint Strike Committee of Bulgaria's two main labor unions – the Confederation of Independent Syndicates in Bulgaria, KNSB, and Podkrepa Labor Confederation (Support) reported Monday morning that 93% of miners from the night shift – 603 from a total of 652 – went on strike. The effective strike, announced Sunday, is taking place in all three coal mines. On Saturday the miners launched a symbolic protest, warning that effective strike was in store, after talks failed Friday - workers just signed upon going to work that they support the future strike and are against what they have labeled "the irresponsible behavior of the company's management." The main subject of argument is a better payment, and in particular a request for a cash bonus workers were promised in the summer. The argument between the management of Maritsa Iztok Mines AD and the syndicates at the state-owned company has been going on for a month, but the talks have failed to bring a resolution. The trade unions insist that the employer comply with the agreement signed on July 12, 2011 regulating the relative share of the wage costs in relation to the company's revenues. They claim the Maritsa Iztok CEO, Evgeni Stoykov had withdrawn his signature from the document despite the anticipated BGN 500 M in revenues of the company, thereby leaving the miners without year-end bonuses. Damages from the strike are estimated at BGN 2-3 M a day over not extracted coal and failure to fulfill contracts with the Thermal Power Plants. Economy and Energy Minister, Traicho Traikov, vowed Sunday that staged interruptions of electric power supply would not be imposed over the strike, but warned it could lead to a hike of prices, along with a possible bankruptcy of the company. He reiterated that the claims of the labor unions are groundless and nothing had been written on paper. The Minister stressed that the class labor contract of miners did not include bonuses and for this reason the management had increased the salaries' fund. He advised the syndicates in the mines to begin negotiations to change the contract. Traikov showed for the TV camera a chart indicating that in the last 14 years, the increase of wages in the company was 475%, while the increase of productivity, during the same period, was 73%, Also on Sunday, Stoykov issued a special address to miners, alerting them that their planned effective strike is illegal. In the declaration, he states that he is valuing highly the effort to execute and exceed production tasks for 2011, stressing that during talks with the labor unions, the management of the mines had voiced readiness to pay additional compensations to those directly involved in production, Stoykov says that for the fourth quarter of 2011, 10.35% in compensations, calculated in the base of the net quarterly wage, will be paid with the December salary, insisting that it is impossible for the company to fulfill any additional requests, warning this would lead to an aggravated financial and economic situation. He assures the management had applied all effort to declare good intentions and is ready to continue negotiations. "I am convinced that you all know that the legality of the planned strike is doubtful, and is being challenged in Court. If the latter declares the strike illegal, all participants will endure disciplinary and monetary responsibility. According to the law, at times of strike, the employer does not pay wages. I appeal to your common sense to manage, through joint effort, to resolve the issue, without threatening the future of the Maritsa Iztok mines," the declaration concludes. Bulgaria's PM Boyko Borisov sided with the company's governing body, falsely claiming that the miners were better paid than the Finance Minister. Traikov noted that he appreciated the work of the miners, who had doubled the output of the company, but added that the 15% pay rise they had been given had been an adequate reward. SOFIA CITY HALL LAUNCHES AMBITIOUS SIDEWALKS PROJECT The Sofia City Hall will repair a total of 25 km of sidewalks with BGN 2 M slated in its budget, according to Mayor, Yordanka Fandakova. The program for the repairs is in preparation stage. In addition, the City Hall will build 12 km of bicycle paths – one of them will be an extension of the existing path from "Lomsko Shosse" boulevard to "Lavov Most;" the other – an extension of the one on "Bulgaria" boulevard to the National Palace of Culture, NDK, and there will be new ones in the "Luylin" district. Fandakova says that the Sofia 2012 budget is based on achieved revenues and priorities in spending, calling it a "budget of stable growth." She further reminded that the launch of the second subway line and the new segment of the beltway between the "Simeonovo" and "Mladost" districts are also scheduled for 2012. The buildings of 14 schools and 10 kindergartens will be renovated on measures to improve energy efficiency. BULGARIA'S CUSTOMS AGENCY DECLARES LUKOIL REFINERY LEGALLY COMPLIANT The Lukoil Neftochim refinery in the Black Sea city of Burgas was awarded Monday protocols certifying the compliance of its measuring equipment with the statutory requirements. Starting Monday, the operations of the oil refinery are in line with the provisions of the Excise Duties and Tax Warehouses Act, according to a statement of the customs authority's press office. The protocols stating the conclusions of the inspection at Lukoil's Rosenets oil terminal, where the installation process has not been completed, will be handed by the end of next week. Lukoil's tax warehouse operator permits for the Neftochim refinery and the Rosenets oil terminal were revoked by the Customs Agency on Jul 22 after it failed to observe the June 26, 2011 statutory deadline for the installation of electronic devices reporting incoming and outgoing volumes to the National Revenue Agency (NRA). After lodging an appeal against the preliminary execution of the individual administrative acts issued by the Customs Agency head, the Neftochim refinery was allowed to stay in operation until the case was resolved with a verdict on the grounds that a disrupted production process would result in "substantial or hard to repair damages" for the company. The temporary production halt at Lukoil Neftochim caused Bulgaria to tap state reserves for jet fuel for the airports in Varna, Burgas and Sofia. Rosenets' partial compliance with the statutory requirements was made possible by amendments to an ordinance allowing the Customs Agency head to extend the deadline for the mandatory installation by 2 years. In the beginning of January, Tanov insisted that the postponement would not create problems because the ordinance had been modified so as to provide guarantees that the level gauges at all reservoirs and the existing software ensured real-time submission of fuel volumes' data to the customs administration. He clarified that the Rosenets oil terminal would be operating on a suspended license in the next two years, the main condition being that it cannot receive and release fuel supplies on the market simultaneously. The lawsuit opened by the refinery against the Customs Agency over the revoked license is still underway. BULGARIAN ENERGY MINISTER ATTRIBUTES SHALE GAS WORRIES TO LACK OF INFORMATION Energy Minister Traicho Traikov has attributed public anxiety about shale gas development to the serious scarcity of information on the topic. On Monday Traikov told journalists that 79% of the people made up their minds on the issue from TV reports, adding that "you all know what they see there". The Energy Minister argued that 64% of the respondents of a recent poll had said that they would approve of shale gas production in Bulgaria as long as it could be proved that it entailed minimal environmental risks and substantial economic benefits. He added, however, that the safety and the profitability of the activity could not be proved without a draft project and a contract with US Chevron, the company that won the tender for shale gas exploration activities in northeastern Bulgaria. Traikov noted that at the current stage Bulgaria could only theoretically ask the US firm to present its plans for an environmental impact assessment (EIA). He further vowed that the government would abide by any decision adopted by the Parliament. His comments came after thousands of Bulgarians in eleven cities rallied against shale gas activities in the country. Traikov based his remarks on a poll conducted by the ESTAT agency in the period January 06-12 among 1000 respondents aged 18+. The survey published by the Ministry of Economy, Energy and Tourism on Monday showed that that 64.8 of of Bulgarians approve of shale gas exploration if the government can guarantee that it is environmentally safe. Some 9.6% say that shale gas exploration must be conducted by all means, while 18.3% are against the activity even in the case of a positive environmental impact assessment. 7.4% cannot make up their mind on the issue. As regards shale gas production, 57.9% of the polled approve of the activity if it is environmentally safe. Another 10.8% say the economic benefits of the process are the decisive factor, while 22.2% oppose shale gas production even if it is proved that it does not entail environmental risks. Bulgarians' attitudes on shale gas development are largely based on the anticipated concrete profits, according to the ESTAT poll. The most important impact of the process is expected to be the creation of well-paid jobs (33%), the reduction of gas prices through domestic output (23%) and the decreased dependence on foreign suppliers of gas (21%). BURGAS NAMED BULGARIA'S MOST DYNAMIC TOURIST CITY The Southern Bulgarian Black Sea city of Burgas is the country's highest-ranked tourist city, according to Euromonitor International's latest Top City Destinations Ranking. Burgas has been placed 84th in the ranking designed to cover 100 of the world's leading and most dynamic cities in terms of international tourist arrivals in 2010. Some 1.54 million tourists visited Burgas in 2010, according to Euromonitor International. One more Bulgarian city, the country's "Black Sea capital" Varna, has been included in the ranking, occupying the 86th position with approximately 1.5 million visitors. Burgas and Varna both registered drops in the volume of tourist visits in 2010, by 1.8% and 0.2% respectively. In 2010, Hong Kong, Singapore and London were the most popular city destinations worldwide. Hong Kong topped the ranking with almost 20 million arrivals in 2010, an 18% increase compared to 2009. Singapore attracted 18 million tourists in 2010, while London followed closely with 15 million arrivals. After recording a decline in 2009, international arrivals to countries regained growth in 2010, positively impacting results for the top 100 cities, which saw arrivals increase by 7%. 
BULGARIA'S OUTGOING PRESIDENT SLAMS PM, GOVT Bulgaria has a weak Prime Minister and a weak and inefficient government, the country's President Georgi Parvanov stated several days before leaving office. The fact that Prime Minister Boyko Borisov's centrist-right GERB is in power will contribute nothing to the country's efforts to cope with the crisis, Parvanov reckons. "Borisov is moving away from the core of politics. He was insulted when I once told him that he is a weak Prime Minister. Unfortunately, as I am looking back now, I should say that my assessment has been confirmed," the outgoing President told bTV on Sunday. Parvanov once again reprimanded Borisov for what he perceived as a series of "rude statements" on behalf of the Prime Minister. He referred to Borisov's infamous comments that followed the death of a young girl in the city of Pernik. During his interview on Sunday, Parvanov confirmed that he will remain active in the sphere of politics and will renew his membership in the Bulgarian Socialist Party which he once headed. Upon asked whether he will try to take over the leadership of the left-wing party, he pointed out that he has always been nominated by others for the key positions in his political career. Parvanov further addressed his successor, GERB's former Regional Development Minister Rosen Plevneliev, wishing him to be a "better President than him." Georgi Parvanov's second and last term in office ends on January 22. POLICE ACTIVITIES HAVE MADE MANY JUDGES RICH â�� BULGARIAN INTERIOR MINISTER Asked to comment on the quality of evidence presented in court, Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov, who is famous for his clashes with the judiciary, has suggested that there is a common perception in society that the actions of the police have made many judges rich. In a Monday interview for the morning broadcast of the Bulgarian National Television (BNT), Tsvetanov said that the verdicts that would be handed down in the trial against "the Impudent" kidnappers gang, which is deemed responsible for at least 13 high-profile abductions in Bulgaria in 2008-2009, would be of crucial importance as regards crime prevention. "The Impudent" crime group involved in ransom kidnappings was busted in December 2009, when some 25 people were arrested, following a special police operation of the same name. "If people planning to engage in such activity know what harsh penalties they will get, this will give a strong boost to the Interior's preventive function," Tsvetanov stated. Regarding "the Impudent" case, he said that the judges had been presented with information about the rooms where the abducted had been held and with the testimony of two protected witnesses. "I would not like to get into an argument on this, but what I can tell you is that there is a widespread perception in Bulgarian society that the actions of the police have made many judges and representatives of the judiciary rich. This is the answer to what you are asking me - the evidence is obviously always insufficient and there is always a mechanism to release from custody or to change the measure of remand of certain people who have been arrested on suspicion of serious crimes," Tsvetanov reasoned, without going into details. "I am telling you what I have heard during the numerous meetings I attend on a daily basis," the Interior Minister declared, emphasizing that the authorities had an obligation to always listen to "the voice of the people". As regards the case of 17-year-old Moiroslava Niklolova, whose dead body was discovered last week, Tsvetanov vowed penalties for the "one or two" police officers who had behaved inappropriately after the murder had been established, as well as for the policemen who had failed to prevent the suicide of one of the suspects, 25-year-old Mario Lyubenov. BULGARIA STANDS DIVIDED IN APPROVAL OF RULING GERB - POLL Bulgarians remain divided in their approval or disapproval of the ruling, center-right Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria party, GERB, according to a freshly released poll of the Sova Harris agency. 5% of the people in voting age describe GERB's policies as completely successful, 33% - as overall successful, despite some failures, or a total of 38% are satisfied with GERB's rule. According to the January poll, 30% of those in voting age say the cabinet has some successes, but the rule is overall unsuccessful, while 19% see it as completely unsuccessful, or a total of 40% are dissatisfied with GERB. The poll was conducted between January 3 and 10, and involved 1 000 Bulgarian citizens in voting age. 68% of the polled disapprove of the cabinet's retirement reform providing for a gradual increase of retirement age, which is going up by one year for both males and females in 2012. Those disapproving come from all age groups. About 38% disapprove of the reform at the State-owned and heavily indebted railways BDZ Holding, which includes mass layoffs, cancelation of a number of trains, and increased fares – of those disapproving – 37% are State servants, 27% work for the private sector, 27% have college degrees, and every second is a supporter or follower of the opposition, left-wing Bulgarian Socialist Party, BSP. 23% approve of the BDZ reform – mainly people from the private business and supporters of GERB. Those who support the cabinet see GERB's actions as decisive though unpopular and believe reforms are a must. Among the members of the cabinet, Foreign Affairs Minister, Nikolay Mladenov, enjoys the highest approval rating (39%) or about 2/5 of the polled. Mladenov is closely followed by Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister, Tsvetan Tsvetanov with 35%. The Ministers, rated as "doing a good job on average," are: Agriculture Minister, Miroslav Naydenov (28%), Culture Minister, Vezhdi Rashidov (27%), Education Minister, Sergey Ignatov (26%), Sports Minister, Svilen Neykov (26%), Economy and Energy Minister, Traicho Traikov (26%), and Defense Minister, Anyu Angelov with 24%. The efforts of Deputy PM and Finance Minister, Simeon Djankov, for fiscal discipline and stability are deemed successful by 20% of the respondents, compared to 18% one year ago, in December 2010, again in a Sova Harris poll. The Minister of Social Policy and Labor, Totyu Mladenov, also has 20% approval. Part of those polled sees the unpopular reforms he must implement as unavoidable and gives him a confidence vote there. DEBTS OF BULGARIAN MUNICIPALITIES DOWN BY BGN 50 M IN 2011 Bulgarian municipalities are expected to close 2011 with a total of BGN 150 M in unpaid debts and close to BGN 100 M in uncollected revenues, according to Teodora Dacheva, deputy executive director of the National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria (NAMRB). In Dacheva's words, if the preliminary figures about the municipalities' liabilities by end-2011 are confirmed, this will mean a BGN 50 M drop from previous periods, when the debts persistently amounted to BGN 200 M. During a regional session of NAMRB held in the northeastern town of Dobrich, Dacheva explained that there were many local administrations in substantial arrears, but the situation was under control due to deferred payment agreements and other measures, meaning that no emergencies such as power supply cuts were expected. The non-profit association urged Bulgarian municipalities to concentrate efforts on collecting their uncollected taxes and fees owed by natural and legal persons. NAMRB further advised mayors to be extremely cautious when planning the revenues under the 2012 budget and to stick to pessimistic rather than optimistic forecasts so as not to run into new debts at the end of the year. In 2012, the association will prepare a new draft Local Taxes and Fees Act and will propose it to the authorities. The new provisions will aim at providing municipalities with a secure source of revenue like income tax. NAMRB will also prepare a draft law on local finances which will regulate the relations between the state coffers and the municipalities' budgets on the basis of objective criteria. Dacheva concluded by reminding that European experts in the sphere had reminded that the system of financing of Bulgarian municipalities was outdated and had to be changed. BULGARIAN PRESIDENT-ELECT TO TAKE OATH OF OFFICE JAN 19 Bulgaria's President-elect and Vice President-elect, Rosen Plevneliev and Margarita Popova, will take the oath of office before the National Assembly on Thursday, January 19. The news was reported Monday by the press center of the Parliament. The ceremony will start at 10:00 am. Officials will walk on a red carpet, which will be placed in front of the official entrance of the National Assembly. They will be greeted by the Guard of Honor. The ceremony will be attended by President Georgi Parvanov, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, cabinet ministers, representatives of the diplomatic corps, institutions, and media editors-in-chief. His Holiness, Bulgarian Patriarch Maxim, is also invited. The Speaker of the Parliament, Tsetska Tsacheva will read the decision of the Central Electoral Commission, CEC, which declared Rosen Plevneliev and Margarita Popova the elected President and Vice President of Bulgaria. Then they will be sworn in before the Parliament. Rosen Plevneliev will deliver his first address as Head of State, in which he is expected to announce its priorities. Tsacheva will also address the Parliament. The ceremony will end with a photo at the front entrance of Parliament. The oath of office of the new President and Vice President will be the only item on the agenda of the plenary Thursday. The official ceremony for the inauguration of the new President of Bulgaria will be held on Sunday, January 22. Plevneliev and Popova were elected in runoff, on October 30, on the ticket of the ruling, center-right Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria party, GERB. NOVINITE.COM READERS VOTE KUNEVA 'PERSONALITY IN THE NEWS' 2011 IN POLITICS Former EU Commissioner Meglena Kuneva has been selected by the readers of Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) as Bulgaria's 2011 "Personalities in the News" in the Politics category! Congratulations! In a close race Kuneva beat Bulgaria's President-elect Rosen Plevneliev in the annual "Personality in the News" poll of Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) for 2011, the final tally shows, according to the votes cast by you, our readers from around the world! Between December 6, 2011, and January 15, 2012, you had the chance to vote to help pick Bulgaria's most deserving individuals in the Novinite.com poll in three different categories: Politics, Business, Expats. A more detailed breakdown of the results shows that Kuneva was in a tough neck-in-neck race for the top spot in the Politics category: "Personality in the News" 2011: Politics - Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency): Meglena Kuneva, ex EU Commissioner, candidate for the Bulgarian Presidency in 2011 – 45.40% (1 040 votes) Rosen Plevneliev, Bulgaria's President-elect, GERB party – 31.21% (715 votes) Sergey Stanishev, leader of the Bulgarian Socialist Party and President of the Party of European Socialists – 8.51% (195 votes) Antonia Parvanova, Member of the European Parliament – 7.86% (180 votes) Tomislav Donchev, Government Minister in charge of absorption of EU Funds – 7.03% (161 votes) The winners in all three categories in the "Personality in the News" 2011 polls are to be awarded at a special ceremony! Thank you for voting in the "Personality in the News" 2011 polls of Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency), thus helping pick Bulgaria's most deserving individuals for last year! Stay with us for more exciting coverage of Bulgaria's events, developments, and top personalities! DELOITTE'S RAYCHEV TRIUMPHS AS NOVINITE.COM BUSINESS 'PERSONALITY IN THE NEWS' 2011 Deloitte Bulgaria Chairman Vasko Raychev has been picked by the readers of Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) as Bulgaria's 2011 "Personalities in the News" in the Business category! Congratulations! Raychev has managed to come ahead of the close second, OMV Bulgaria Managing Director Teodora Georgieva in the annual "Personality in the News" poll of Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) for 2011, the final tally shows, according to the votes cast by you, our readers from around the world! Between December 6, 2011, and January 15, 2012, you had the chance to vote to help pick Bulgaria's most deserving individuals in the Novinite.com poll in three different categories: Politics, Business, Expats. A more detailed breakdown of the results indicates that Raychev and Georgieva were almost tied for the first spot, followed by UniCredit Bulbank CEO Levon Hampartzoumian, who came in third: "Personality in the News" 2011: Business - Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) Vasko Raychev, Chairman, Deloitte Bulgaria EOOD – 41.07% (802 votes) Teodora Georgieva, Managing Director, OMV Bulgaria OOD – 35.69% (697 votes) Levon Hampartzoumian, CEO, UniCredit Bulbank – 12.08% (236 votes) Iravan Hira, General Manager, HP Bulgaria – 6.66% (130 votes) Emiliyan Abadzhiev, General Manager, Metro Cash & Carry Bulgaria – 4.51% (88 votes) The winners in all three categories in the "Personality in the News" 2011 polls are to be awarded at a special ceremony! Thank you for voting in the "Personality in the News" 2011 polls of Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency), thus helping pick Bulgaria's most deserving individuals for last year! Stay with us for more exciting coverage of Bulgaria's events, developments, and top personalities! M-TEL CEO MAYERHOFER VOTED EXPAT 'PERSONALITY IN THE NEWS' 2011 BY NOVINITE READERS Andreas Mayerhofer, the Austrian CEO of Bulgaria's largest mobile operator M-Tel, has been selected by the readers of Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) as Bulgaria's 2011 "Personality in the News" in the Expats category! Congratulations! In what was an extremely tough and close race Mayerhofer managed to beat Czech Petr Dokladal, the Chairman and Regional Manager of power utility CEZ Bulgaria, in the annual "Personality in the News" poll of Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) for 2011, according to the votes cast by you, our readers from around the world! Between December 6, 2011, and January 15, 2012, you had the chance to vote to help pick Bulgaria's most deserving individuals in the Novinite.com poll in three different categories: Politics, Business, Expats. CEZ Manager Petr Dokladal was in the lead during almost the entire voting period, with the supporters of M-Tel CEO Mayerhofer managing to turn the vote around only in the last week of the voting campaign. The contest in the Expats category of the "Personality in the News" 2011 polls was the most competitive, as it saw more than twice as many votes as did each of the other two categories – for Bulgarian politicians and executives – which seems to be due to the overwhelmingly international readership of Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency). A more detailed breakdown of the results shows how close Mayerhofer and Dokladal were to being tied for the first spot, with Heineken-Zagorka General Manager Ruud van den Eijnden coming in third: "Personality in the News" 2011: Expats - Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) Andreas Mayerhofer, CEO, M-Tel – 44.20% (2 555 votes) Petr Dokladal, Chairman of the Management Board, CEZ Bulgaria EAD – 40.05% (2 315 votes) Ruud van den Eijnden, General Manager, Heineken Zagorka Brewery – 10.19% (589 votes) Peter Lithgow, Country Manager, AES Bulgaria – 3.48% (201 votes) Gerasimos Perdikaris, General Manager, Sheraton Sofia Hotel Balkan – 2.08% (120 votes) The winners in all three categories in the "Personality in the News" 2011 polls are to be awarded at a special ceremony! Thank you for voting in the "Personality in the News" 2011 polls of Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency), thus helping pick Bulgaria's most deserving individuals for last year! Stay with us for more exciting coverage of Bulgaria's events, developments, and top personalities! NOVINITE.BG READERS FAVOR PLEVNELIEV, RAYCHEV AS 2011 'PERSONALITIES IN THE NEWS' The readers of Novinite.bg, the Bulgarian-language news site of Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency), have selected President-elect Rosen Plevneliev and Deloitte Bulgaria Chairman Vasko Raychev as 2011 "Personalities in the News". Congratulations! For the first time the annual poll of Novinite.com for picking Bulgaria's most deserving personalities was available to the Bulgarian-language readers through the newest Bulgarian news website Novinite.bg – in two categories – Politics and Business. The Novinite.bg readers had the chance to vote in the "Personality in the News" 2011 polls between December 6, 2011, and January 15, 2012, just as the readers of the largest Bulgarian English-language media Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency). The readers of Novinite.com and Novinite.bg voted in separate polls, and a comparison between their choices yields interesting results. In the Novinite.bg poll, Bulgaria's President-elect beat ex EU Commissioner Meglena Kuneva and EU Funds Minister Tomislav Donchev: "Personality in the News" 2011: Politics – Novinite.bg Rosen Plevneliev, Bulgaria's President-elect, GERB party – 33.23% (635 votes) Meglena Kuneva, ex EU Commissioner, candidate for the Bulgarian Presidency in 2011 – 26.37% (504 votes) Tomislav Donchev, Government Minister in charge of absorption of EU Funds – 25.9% (495 votes) Sergey Stanishev, leader of the Bulgarian Socialist Party and President of the Party of European Socialists – 11.77 % (225 votes) Antonia Parvanova, Member of the European Parliament – 2.72 % (52 votes) In the Business category of the Novinite.bg, the winner is the same – Deloitte Bulgaria Chairman Vasko Raychev. He is followed by UniCredit Bulbank CEO Levon Hampartzoumian and OMV Bulgaria Managing Director Teodora Georgieva (whose spots are switched in the Bulgarian-language edition of the poll): "Personality in the News" 2011: Business - Novinite.bg Vasko Raychev, Chairman, Deloitte Bulgaria EOOD – 42.29% (1 029 votes) Levon Hampartzoumian, CEO, UniCredit Bulbank – 30.46% (741 votes) Teodora Georgieva, Managing Director, OMV Bulgaria OOD – 13.32% (324 votes) Iravan Hira, General Manager, HP Bulgaria – 7.60% (186 votes) Emiliyan Abadzhiev, General Manager, Metro Cash & Carry Bulgaria – 6.33% (154 votes) The winners in all categories in the "Personality in the News" 2011 polls of Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) and Novinite.bg are to be awarded at a special ceremony! The Team of Novinite.com and Novinite.bg thanks our readers from Bulgaria and around the world for voting in the "Personality in the News" 2011 polls, thus helping pick Bulgaria's most deserving individuals for last year! Stay with us for more exciting coverage of Bulgaria's events, developments, and top personalities! BULGARIAN ON COSTA CONCORDIA TELLS ABOUT HARROWING ORDEAL People on the Costa Concordia cruise liner, which capsized off the coast of Tuscany in Italy Saturday, were pushing like animals, shouting, screaming and crying, according to Bulgarian Donka Todorova, who was among the passengers. She says she managed to survive the icy cold waters due to her girlfriend, who had already been once in a similar ship incident. "With her wee took off the high heels we were wearing for dinner, put our winter jackets on, took some lifejackets and went to the deck where we waited for an hour. I had only one small purse on me with my cell phone and my camera. Nothing else. Even my ID papers were back in the cabin. We were so scared that the thought to carry luggage never crossed our mind. We only wanted to survive. Then we boarded the lifeboat," Todorova, who lives in Italy, said, cited by the Bulgarian "Standard" daily. She embarked on the cruise with another 300 Italian hair stylists to take part in a seminar to improve their professional skills in haircuts, hair styling and applying make-up. The first lesson, scheduled for Saturday, never materialized over the incident. "This is my first and last time on a cruise. I hope they will reimburse us not only for the cost of the trip, because everything I had was left behind – luggage, clothes, papers," Todorova pointed out, further saying that a large number of passengers were evacuated in high heels, gowns, and formal jackets. The Bulgarian woman is already back in Civita, Italy, where she lives with her family. She received a large number of phone calls from friends and relatives, worrying about her, because in the ordeal her cell phone battery died, and she managed to only get in touch with the closest family members. Meanwhile, the Head of the Varna-based company Komak, which had worked for years with the Italian Costa, informed that another 2-3 Bulgarian women were likely to have been working on the liner as maids. They have been sent there through a company from Ruse in 2007, before Bulgaria's joining of the EU. The company was later closed, but the Bulgarians stayed there and signed contracts directly with the Italian owners. According to official reports of the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry, eight Bulgarian citizens, were on board of the Costa Concordia cruise ship and all are safe and in good health. Todorova was the only passenger; the other seven were male members of the crew. 3 200 passengers and 1 023 crew members were on board at the time of the incident. The luxury Costa Concordia ship ran aground in shallows some 300 meters away from the Tuscany Giglio Island. This led to a capsizing of the large vessel, after a 70 meter hole formed in the body of the ship, filling it with water. The captain of the ship was arrested and charged with the murder of more than one person. On Monday, the death toll rose to six, while fourteen are still reported missing. YOUNG MOTHER, 2 SMALL CHILDREN DIE IN DOWNTOWN SOFIA FIRE A young mother, 25, and her two small children, a 5-month-old and a 5-year-old, perished in an overnight fire in the Bulgarian capital Sofia. The house, which burned, was old and half of it was in ruins, but the second floor was livable, while the basement housed several small shops. It was located on "Cyril and Methodius" street, in downtown Sofia, near the market known as "Zhenski Pazar" (Women's Market). The call about the fire was placed around 5:45 am Monday morning. Three fire brigades arrived on the scene and extinguished the blaze, but the three bodies were found inside. Ten people were evacuated. The fire erupted on the third floor of the building. Neighbors are quoted saying that the house was occupied and visited by people dealing with cigarette smuggling. Three or four families lived there. The authorities are probing the case. BULGARIAN STARTS NEW PROBE IN 'HOLLYWOOD-HARMED' BATS CASE The Appellate Prosecutor's Office in Bulgaria's central city of Veliko Tarnovo, overturned Monday the decision of the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Lovech to stop the probe of possible legal violations in the Devetashka cave. The appellate prosecutors ordered a new probe in the cave. At the end of November, a Bulgarian zoologist alarmed that the bat population in the Bulgarian Devetashka Cave, a key spot for spending the winter season, has been reduced to 1/4 by the recent filming of the Hollywood blockbuster "Expendables 2." The Devetashka Cave, located in central northern Bulgaria, houses for the winter a key European bat colony, with many endangered species protected in the country and Europe. An excessive number of dead bats were found after the shooting of "The Expendables 2," claimed environmentalists. It was reported that the European Commission has sent a letter to the Bulgarian Ministry of Environment and Waters, inquiring information on the case with the dead bats in the Devetashka cave. Experts of the Ministry and of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, BAS, conducted their own probe and announced that the majority of bats were found to be in hibernation and the dead ones were within the norm of the usual mortality rate. The Veliko Tarnovo Appellate Prosecutor's Office decided Monday that their Lovech colleagues had failed to fulfill their duties to check the cave during the filming of the movie and the issued permit, despite being alerted about possible violations. With this decision, the Veliko Tarnovo prosecutors become the first State authority to side with the environmentalists in their claims the Environmental Ministry had failed to counter the violations. The eco activists remain unwavering in their fight. PIRONKOVA EASES PAST MIRZA TO REACH 2ND ROUND AT AUSTRALIAN OPEN Bulgaria's highest-ranked female tennis player Tsvetana Pironkova defeated Indian Sania Mirza 6-4, 6-2 in 88 minutes to reach the second round at the Australian Open Grand Slam tournament. Even though both players were rather weak in their service games, the Bulgarian was concentrated enough to grab the win against the world No.105 on Monday. In her next game, Pironkova will face No. 62 Galina Voskoboeva of Kazakhstan. On Monday, Voskoboeva succeeded in upsetting No. 28 Yanina Wickmayer. The Bulgarian has never reached the third round at Australian Open in her career. The world No.48 reached the Wimbledon semifinals in 2010 and quarter-finals last year although she struggled at other Grand Slams. TOUGH BATTLE SEES BULGARIA'S DIMITROV ADVANCE AT AUSTRALIAN OPEN Bulgaria's promising tennis youngster Grigor Dimitrov defeated Frenchman Germy Chardy in a dramatic five-set clash to reach the second round of Australian Open. In a game that lasted more than three hours, the Bulgarian succeeded in edging pass his opponent 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. For advancing to the second round, the 20-year-old Bulgarian received 45 ranking points. However, he still needs to defend 70 ranking points from his last year participation at Australian Open. In the second round, No. 78 Grigor Dimitrov will face No. 10 Nicolas Almagro of Spain. Earlier on Monday, Amlagro defeated Pole Lukasz Kubot 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-5. BERBATOV SPOTTED ON PLANE TO GERMANY, SET FOR BAYER RETURN - REPORT Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov has been reportedly spotted on a plane to Germany, intensifying rumors that he may be heading back to Bayer Leverkusen. Berbatov was seen flying to Germany with his agent on Sunday night, The Daily Mail has reported. The unsettled striker is permitted to talk with other clubs, since less than six months remain on his current contract and the Red Devils are yet to offer him an extension deal. Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has already announced that the club will propose Berbatov to renew his deal in March. Bayer Leverkusen has been mentioned on several occasions as a potential option for the 30-year-old forward. However, German giants Bayern Munich have been also reported to eye the prolific Bulgarian. It was in Germany where Dimitar Berbatov's rise to prominence started, as Bayer Lervekusen bought him back in 2001 from Bulgaria's CSKA Sofia. CORRUPT BULGARIAN PROSECUTOR GETS HOUSE ARREST A Bulgarian prosecutor from the northeastern town of Shumen, who was busted with a bribe, will be kept under house arrest, the Sofia City Court ruled Monday night. Rumen Penev from the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Shumen was arrested with a bribe on January 13, 2011. In its house arrest ruling, the Sofia City Court accepted that there is a "reasonable suspicion" that Penev committed the crime that he is accused of. The prosecution has found that Penev demanded a BGN 25 000 bribe, and received BGN 21 000 in order to help terminate an investigation carried out by one of his colleagues, Prosecutor Yanko Zhelezov in Shumen, against a local attorney, Nayden Nikolov. Witness testimonies have confirmed that Penev could influence Zhelezov because the two are known to be friends. The Sofia City Court said, however, that the suspect can hardly escape, and that it could not imagine that he might commit another crime but is ordering his house arrest to prevent him from going to the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Shumen, and trying to influence witnesses. Prosecutor Rumen Penev accepted the bribe in order to influence the investigation of a dispute between attorney Nayden Nikolov, and a former client of his, Dencho Denev, who claims that Nikolov took from him an excessive fee that he was not entitled to, which amounted to BGN 11 000. Nikolov's own lawyer Zhivko Zhechev is revealed to have met with Prosecutor Rumen Penev in October 2011, which is when Penev demanded the BGN 25 000 bribe by writing the sum down on a yellow piece of paper. When Zhechev objected that the demanded bribe was more than twice the sum Nikolov is investigated for, Penev replied that Nikolov has plenty of money. Zhechev and Penev met again several days later but failed to strike a deal on the bribe amount, which is when Nikolov's attorney Zhechev backed out of the "talks". Subsequently, however, Nikolov himself got in touch with Penev, and they met on January 5, 2011. During the conversation, Penev told Nikolov he knows the latter has a valuable arms collection of some 100 items that will be taken away from he if he is charged and loses his permit to bear arms. However, Nikolov alerted Bulgaria's unit for combating organized crime GDBOP about Penev's bribe request a month before that, on December 16, 2011. The bribe of BGN 21 000 that he later gave to Prosecutor Penev was provided by him in marked banknotes by GDBOP in Sofia. If found guilty of bribery and malfeasance, Penev could get up to 6 years in jail, and a fine of BGN 5 000. BULGARIAN DRIVER BUSTED IN AUSTRIA WITH 110 KG OF HEROIN Austrian Customs officers have discovered 110 kilos of heroin in a truck driven by a Bulgarian citizen. The news was reported Monday by the largest private TV channel bTV. The Bulgarian man has been arrested. He denied being aware the illegal drug was in his truck. The narcotic is valued at EUR 8 M. Authorities believe the heroin was destined for the Netherlands and had to pass through the so-called "Balkan route." A second truck was supposed to join in to divert attention and serve as cover-up. The heroin was caught last week, but the operation had been kept secret in order to detain possible accomplices. BULGARIAN POLICE BUST CRIME GROUP INVOLVED IN METAL THEFT Police have busted an organized crime group involved in metal theft in Bulgaria's southern city of Kardzhali. According to unconfirmed reports of the BGNES news agency, the raid had been carried out at the Lead and Zinc Complex (OTZK) in the city. An emergency inspection of the warehouse stocks at the Kardzhali-based smelter is underway. Local police arrested a fifth participant in the group on Monday after four arrests on the case made on Sunday. On Sunday, criminologists found 39 bags of silver distillate during an inspection of a VW car owned by a 46-year-old citizen. Police officers arrested the driver and three others and seized the bags. The mastermind of the criminal scheme is still at large. The authorities have seized a total of 600 kg of silver distillate which is used to recover precious metals. The stolen material was found at the premises of one of the arrested. The material was taken out of the plant and was transported on a vehicle owned by one of the suspects. The gang was busted before it could trade the substance. According to preliminary reports, the substance had been earmarked for domestic sale. Pre-trial proceedings have been launched into the matter and the investigation continues. BULGARIA'S PERNIK POLICE CHIEF PROBED OVER TEEN MURDER A disciplinary proceeding has been launched against the Head of the Pernik Unit of the Directorate for Combatting Organized Crime, the Bulgarian Interior Ministry announced Monday. The order has been signed by Deputy Prime Minister, and Interior Minister, Tsvetan Tsvetanov, on grounds of information that the police officer has violated the Interior Ministry Act – behavior irreconcilable with the professional ethics code of police employees in the investigation of the kidnapping and murder of Miroslvava Nikolova, 17, from the western city of Pernik, near Sofia. A commission has been appointed to probe the case and issue a conclusion, on which sanctions will be based. Earlier Monday, Tsvetanov told the Bulgarian National Television that Bulgarian police officers will be punished for their questionable behavior in the aftermath of the murder, explaining that "one or two" police officers will be disciplined for acting improperly towards the family of the victim. The sister of Miroslava Nikolova, whose dead body was discovered last week, has complained that an employee of the local unit for combatting organized crime has told her to "grab a gun and go look for her alone." The police officers who could not prevent one of the murder suspects from committing suicide will also be sanctioned, Tsvetanov announced. However, he pointed out that the employees in question are proven professionals, explaining once again their inadequate actions with "fatigue". The Interior Minister further criticized the Bulgarian judicial system for not keeping behind bars the other key suspect for the recent murder, 25-year-old Mario Lyubenov. Mario Lyubenov was reportedly a classmate of Borislav – boyfriend of Miroslava's sister, Eleonora. The girl was kidnapped because Borislav recently inherited a large amount of money and the perps planned to ask him for ransom. They told police they killed Miroslava because they had no means to take care of her. On Sunday, residents of Bulgaria's of Pernik staged a protest with demands for justice and punishment of the perpetrators of the murder. The parents of the girl, her classmates, friends, mothers of other murdered children, gathered in front of the police precinct building in the city, saying they harbored strong doubts that the killers will be punished. At the rally, the mother of the murdered teen demanded a five-member psychiatry expert panel to examine Mario, saying she did not believe in his diagnosis and that anyone can get a piece of paper, after paying accordingly. Mario is currently listed in a psychiatry ward in Sofia – the so-called "4th Kilometer" hospital. The other suspect arrested for the murder of the teen girl committed suicide as police searched his home in Pernik. After his arrest, the man identified as Stoycho, aka Chocho, was brought home by the police. As the latter searched the apartment, he got hold of a pistol and shot himself in the head. It remains unclear where the suspect was hiding the gun and how the policemen let him kill himself in their presence. The teenager disappeared on November 7, 2011 and was missing ever since. On the fatal day, the girl went to her regular taekwondo training and never went back home. Friends said she was in good spirits while in the sports hall and there were no signs of the tragedy that unfolded later on. Prime Minister Boyko Borisov's controversial remarks on the murder case stirred criticism in the Bulgarian media and in social networks towards the end of the last week. Authorities suspected the girl may have run away from home or had been trafficked aboard as a white slave. Some assumed that she may have fallen in love with someone who is part of a scheme for human trafficking and voluntarily fled the country - speculations her sister has dismissed as "ridiculous". Miroslava left her home without documents or money. It was reported meanwhile that Pernik residents are staging a new rally, demanding answers of who and why failed to carry out their duty; is "crazy Mario" going to escape justice, and how exactly Chocho committed suicide. The rally is going to start at 7 pm Monday, again in front of the police precinct in the city. No officials from law enforcement were present at the Sunday protest. EXPERT: PERNIK MURDER SUSPECT NOT SCHIZOPHRENIC Murder suspect, Mario Lyubenov, 25, AKA Zaeka (The Rabbit) was not listed in a psychiatry ward in Bulgaria's western city of Pernik, near the capital Sofia. Psychiatrist, Dr. Robert Krumov, cited by the Bulgarian news agency BTA, said Monday that between December 2009 and July 2011, Lyubenov had never shown any signs of schizophrenia. Krumov is an expert with the Pernik Regional Court and has monitored the suspect during this period. On Sunday, residents of Bulgaria's of Pernik staged a protest with demands for justice and punishment of the perpetrators of the murder of a local teen girl. The parents of the girl, her classmates, friends, mothers of other murdered children, gathered in front of the police precinct building in the city, saying they harbored strong doubts that the killers of Miroslava Nikolova, 17, will be punished. At the rally, the mother of the murdered teen demanded a five-member psychiatry expert panel to examine Mario, saying she did not believe in his diagnosis and that anyone can get a piece of paper, after paying accordingly. Mario is currently listed in a psychiatry ward in Sofia – the so-called "4th Kilometer" hospital. Krumov said Monday that Lyubenov first visited him in his office at the end of 2009 and brought a folder with documents from the Sofia clinic "St. Naum," containing 12 documents that he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia. The patient had to continue treatment in Pernik. The psychiatrist regularly gave him prescriptions, but found out Mario never took any medications, and all his complains were like they have been taken out of a textbook. In April 2011, during a pre-trail proceeding in a probe of a lab for counterfeit money, Krumov signed an expert report where he concluded that Lyubenov either had to be taken by force back to "St. Naum" for additional proof or revocation of the diagnosis for schizophrenia. "I am the first one to cast a doubt on the diagnosis. Mario found out and stopped visiting me. I think his is in the Sofia hospital due to my report, but I have no idea why the delay," the psychiatrist pointed out. Miroslava Nikolova's dead body was found by the police in the suburbs of the city about 11 am on Thursday after two months of active search, which involved the information systems of Schengen and Interpol. The other suspect arrested for the murder of the teen girl committed suicide as police searched his home in Pernik, near Bulgaria's capital. After his arrest, the man identified as Stoycho, aka Chocho, was brought home by the police. As the latter searched the apartment, he got hold of a pistol and shot himself in the head. It remains unclear where the suspect was hiding the gun and how the policemen let him kill himself in their presence. The teenager disappeared on November 7, 2011 and was missing ever since. On the fatal day, the girl went to her regular taekwondo training and never went back home. Friends said she was in good spirits while in the sports hall and there were no signs of the tragedy that unfolded later on. According to unconfirmed media information, Mario was a classmate of Borislav – boyfriend of Miroslava's sister, Eleonora. The girl was kidnapped because Borislav recently inherited a large amount of money and the perps planned to ask him for ransom. They told police they killed Miroslava because they had no means to take care of her. Recently, Miroslava's sister Eleonora told bTV channel that the two had one telephone conversation. Miroslava managed to tell her sister that she was kidnapped and policemen were involved in the crime. The kidnappers however never called to set their conditions. Authorities suspected the girl may have been trafficked aboard as a white slave. Some assumed that she may have fallen in love with someone who is part of a scheme for human trafficking and voluntarily fled the country. Many locals were inclined to believe that the missing girl ran away from home, a speculation her sister has dismissed as "ridiculous". Miroslava left her home without documents or money. BULGARIAN NGO THINKS MURDER SUSPECT WAS KILLED BY POLICE Stoycho Stoev, one of the two suspects for the notorious murder of a young girl in the Bulgarian city of Pernik, was murdered by police officers, the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee NGO believes. The NGO does not subscribe to the official version that Stoev committed suicide during a police search in his apartment. "On a number of occasions, Bulgarian police officers have taken the lives of apprehended individuals, presenting their deaths as suicide," the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee has pointed out in a statement. The suspect for the murder of 17-year-old Miroslava Nikola allegedly shot himself dead last Thursday. However, the NGO has listed a number of suspicious circumstances, including the media reports that the suicide was carried out with a policeman's gun, as well as the statement on behalf of the victim's sister that police officers may have been involved in her abduction. Miroslava Nikolova's dead body was found by the police in the suburbs of the city about 11 am on Thursday after two months of active search, which involved the information systems of Schengen and Interpol. On Sunday, Pernik citizens staged a protest with demands for justice and punishment of the perpetrators of the murder of the local teen girl. The parents of the girl, her classmates, friends, mothers of other murdered children, all gathered in front of the police precinct building in the city, saying they harbored strong doubts that the killers will be punished. BULGARIAN RIGHT-WINGER DEMANDS RESIGNATION OF HIGH POLICE OFFICIAL AFTER MURDER Stanimir Florov, head of the Bulgarian Chief Directorate for Combating Organized Crime, should resign in the aftermath of the murder of a young girl in the city of Pernik, according to right-wing leader Ivan Kostov. In an interview for the bTV private channel on Monday, Kostov, leader of the Democrats for Strong Bulgaria party, stated that the police authorities' "unfair attitude" towards the family of the victim should result in Florov's resignation. The police all but hinted that the murdered girl was blackmailing her parents and claimed that she just escaped abroad, Kostov pointed out, stating that the family has been humiliated by the police. Another reason for seeking Florov's resignation is the fact that the authorities failed to prevent a suspect for the murder from committing suicide during a police search, the right-wing leader said. "He died in the hands of the authorities, do you comprehend that, this is dramatic!" Kostov declared in his interview. Kostov further reiterated his criticism for Prime Minister Boyko Borisov's controversial remarks that followed the discovery of the young girl's body, stating that tens of thousands of people have been humiliated by his remarks. BULGARIAâ��S TOP COP VOWS MEASURES FOR INADEQUATE POLICEMEN IN NOTORIOUS MURDER CASE Bulgarian police officers will be punished for their questionable behavior in the aftermath of the murder of a young girl in the city of Pernik, the country's Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov has revealed. Early on Monday, Tsvetanov told the Bulgarian National Television that "one or two" police officers will be punished for acting improperly towards the family of the victim. The sister of 17-year-old Miroslava Nikolova, whose dead body was discovered last week, has complained that an employee of the local unit for combatting organized crime has told her to "grab a gun and go look for her alone." The police officers who could not prevent one of the murder suspects from committing suicide will also be sanctioned, Tsvetanov announced. However, he pointed out that the employees in question are proven professionals, explaining once again their inadequate actions with "fatigue". The Interior Minister further criticized the Bulgarian judicial system for not keeping behind bars the other key suspect for the recent murder, 25-year-old Mario Lyubenov. Mario Lyubenov was reportedly a classmate of Borislav – boyfriend of Miroslava's sister, Eleonora. The girl was kidnapped because Borislav recently inherited a large amount of money and the perps planned to ask him for ransom. They told police they killed Miroslava because they had no means to take care of her. The other alleged culprit, a man called Stoycho, committed suicide during a police search of his apartment. Prime Minister Boyko Borisov's controversial remarks on the murder case stirred criticism in the Bulgarian media and in social networks towards the end of the last week. 4 CARS TORCHED IN BULGARIA, 2 OWNED BY POLICE EMPLOYEES Two more cars were set on fire Sunday into Monday in Bulgaria's second largest city of Plovdiv. The news was reported by local police. The two cars belong to the same family, where the husband and wife are employed by the Plovdiv police. Both cars have burned partially and arson is suspected in both cases. A car burned in the Black Sea city of Varna as well. Eyewitnesses say that a cocktail Molotov was thrown on the automobile from a nearby school yard. The owners believe this is a case of arson. The authorities are probing the incident. Another car was also set on fire overnight in the Black Sea city Burgas, but police there say the fire had been caused by a short circuit in the computer of the car. The car's front window and the inside of the vehicle have been damaged. There had been over 60 such incidents in Sofia in the last two months and over 30 others outside the capital. Police say that the arsons were committed by several groups with different motives and some have been copycat criminal actions. Others believe the arsons were set on purpose by an unknown, but powerful mastermind in order to destabilize the cabinet of the ruling GERB. Recently, the Sofia District Court ruled to keep Ivan Kamenov, the fourth suspect regarding the recent series of car arsons in Bulgaria's capital Sofia, in custody. The court believes that Kamenov is likely to hide or commit other crimes if he is released. The suspect has had a previous sentence for arson. Kamenov has been accused of torching a vehicle in Sofia's Lyulin residential district. His lawyers have pointed out that the witnesses who have implicated him in the crime have criminal records or have been under the influence of cannabis, which would make their accounts doubtful. Another arson suspect is being held in jail in the Black Sea city of Varna – Georgi Georgiev, an individual with a criminal record, charged with setting on fire two cars in the nearby town of Aksakovo. On December 27, the Sofia Appellate Court released Yuliyan Kovachki , 29, on own recognizance. Kovachki was allegedly responsible for several arsons that took place in the Mladost residential district. Several days earlier, another suspect, 33-year-old Vladislav Nikolov AKA Kukata (The Hook) was also released on own recognizance. On December 20, suspect Radoslav Stoyanov was released on a BGN 1700 bail. MISS BULGARIA 2009 CAUSES NEW SCANDALS BY WEARING FUR The anyway controversial Miss Bulgaria 2009 Antonia Petrova has just caused a new public scandal with the display of a photo session in which she is all dressed in fur. The past couple of days have seen an explosion of outrage in Bulgarian social media and online forums over Petrova's fur-clad photos. However, she has reacted by slamming the slam environmentalists and other citizens expressing outrage at her photo session. "I love animals and this includes not just wearing them, but also eating them," said on the bTV channel Monday the controversial Miss Bulgaria 2009. In her words, she has been attacked so vigorously by eco-activist for personal reasons, and because people felt provoked by the fact that her fur photo sessions was made during a vacation in Switzerland. "Everything is too personal. The problem is that it's me. There are scandals around me all the time because I don't keep quiet and have an active civic position," Petrova explained. "None of these so called environmentalists can face me because my arguments are as firm as steel. I am absolutely certain that I am right. These people write in forums, and then have a nice steak for dinner," she declared, asking why eco-activists do nothing against hunters in Bulgaria. "Do you know how many hunters are there in Bulgaria? Over 300 000. Do you know how many soldiers the Bulgarian army has? 30 000. Is nobody worried by that?" Petrova said. The controversies around Miss Bulgaria 2009 started as soon as she was awarded her title which she won through a SMS Text vote, fueling suspicions that her then boyfriend said to be a wealthy businessman "bought" her the title thanks to the voting rules; others have criticized her for receiving the Miss Bulgaria title with the unfair advantage of having breast implants. NEW BULGARIAN PRESIDENT DISCOVERING SECRET WEAPON Bulgaria's newly elected President Rosen Plevneliev takes over, inspecting a military parade in his capacity as the Commander-in-Chief. He greets all types of armed forces from the Bulgarian military that are parading in downtown Sofia – planes, helicopters, tanks, marching infantry units. At the end, however, there is a detachment of weird-looking nerds in ill-fitting suits carrying briefcases. "Who the heck are those?!" asks Plevneliev, shocked. "Oh, those are our most fearful and secret weapon," explains the Bulgarian Head of Defense, "These are the bureaucrats of Finance Minister Simeon Djankov. They can destroy any state in no time." MOODYâ��S MAINTAINS FRANCEâ��S FLAWLESS RATING FOR NOW International rating agency Moody's has maintained France's top AAA rating, it was announced on Monday, just three days after rival agency Standard & Poor's downgraded it. However, Moody's announced that it will update its position on the European country later in the first quarter of 2012. In its announcement, Moody's cited the French economy's overall strength but said bleak growth prospects in France and the region present "risks to the French government's fiscal consolidation plans," The Boston Globe has informed. "Over the next three months, Moody's will monitor and assess the stable outlook against the government's progress in implementing necessary economic and fiscal reform measures, while taking into account any adverse economic or financial market developments," Moody's spokesman Francesco Meucci has commented. On Saturday, Standard & Poor's officially downgraded the ratings of nine eurozone member countries, including France. All euro zone states had their outlook also moved to negative, except Germany and Slovakia. TURKEY TO FUND USD 5 B BOSPHORUS BRIDGE WITH OWN MONEY Turkey will carry out an estimated USD 5 B road project that includes building a third bridge over the Bosphorus Strait between Europe and Asia with its own resources, the Turkish government announced. The decision comes after Turkey had to cancel a tender due to the lack of bids. Turkish Transport Minister Binali Yildirim said a tender for the North Marmara Highway project would be issued shortly. "In a short time a tender will be launched. We plan to use our own resources directly," he was reported as saying on the TV8 channel. Turkey canceled the tender on Jan. 10 after builders blamed an international funding crunch for scaring off bids for the scheme, which loops north of Istanbul near the Black Sea. The tender for the 414-km North Marmara Highway project initially drew interest from 18 companies from Japan, Russia, Spain, Austria, Italy and Turkey. The winner would have had operating rights for 25 years. In a press release published by the Hurriyet Daily News Monday, Turkey's Transport Minister Binali Yıldırım clarified the "Plan B" after the failed tender for the Northern Marmara Highway Project, saying that project will be financed from the national budget "The bridge and a 65 to 70-km-long highway will be included in the first tender. Then the remaining highways will be put to tender later on," he explained. The mega transportation project, which spans 414 km from Adapazarı to Tekirdağ, failed to attract any bids from a total of nine Turkish and nine foreign companies Jan. 10. The project, described as Turkey's second-biggest build-operate-transfer scheme, was decided to be put to tender March 9, 2011. Some bidders had asked for a three month or six month delay, said the minister. "We did not think it was reasonable and decided not to extend the time [to hold bidding]," he said, adding that "We will finance it from the national project." The build-operate-transfer scheme was tried, Yıldırım said. "We will put the project to tender very soon. We plan to work with local resources. It takes a long time to get credit financing warranty in build-operate-transfer schemes. ... We are revising the project. We will do it in stages." The project will begin in 2012, the minister said. It is not a project that only Turkey needs, but it is a transit route that will connect Europe to Caucasus, the Middle East and Far East, he said. "It will contribute to inner city traffic of Istanbul, but there will not be many connections to the city center." "A single Turkish firm will not be enough [to handle the entire project] due to its vastness," Yıldırım said. They [Turkish firms] will form groups. Maybe even then that may not be enough. They may have to include a foreign firm as a solution partner." HUNTSMAN BOWS OUT OF GOP RACE, ENDORSES ROMNEY Former Utah governor Jon Huntsman has abandoned his quest for the US Presidency Monday morning with an endorsement of former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney. Huntsman's move comes less than a week after he placed a weak third in the New Hampshire primary. He had staked his entire candidacy on a strong finish there, The Washington Post reminds. Despite the outcome, he had vowed to take his campaign to South Carolina, calling his finish a "ticket to ride" in the upcoming contest, despite the long odds. By Sunday, however, he had concluded that the better course was to bow out of the race, the officials said. Huntsman will make his announcement in Myrtle Beach, and, according to one campaign official, will urge Republicans to rally behind Romney as the GOP's best hope of defeating President Obama in November. "There was no sense standing in the way of Romney," one Huntsman adviser said. "Every vote we took in South Carolina and Florida was from him." Huntsman has further made an unexpectedly sharp condemnation of the "toxic" tone that the Republican primary battle has taken, as cited by The Washington Post. "This race has degenerated into an onslaught of negative and personal attacks not worthy of the American people and not worthy off this critical time in American history," Huntsman said in a news conference in which he was flanked by his wife, children, father and South Carolina supporters. Gingrich, others try to stop RomneyRomney sharpens his brandOn Mormonism, a loosening of the Bible BeltIn Va., an endorsement dearth Huntsman did not name names in aiming criticism at his rivals, but he did take a shot at President Obama for engaging in what Huntsman called "class warfare" and said it contributed to divisiveness in American politics. But Huntsman, who often talked on the campaign trail about rebuilding trust in the political process, made clear that he thinks the GOP race has taken an ugly turn. COSTA CONCORDIA DEATH TOLL RISES TO 6, 14 MISSING The death toll from Italy's stricken cruise liner Costa Concordiahas officially risen to six people, while fourteen are still missing, it has been reported. Early on Monday, the body of a man was found in a corridor in the part of the ship that was still above water, according to Italian media. A honeymooning South Korean couple and one crew member were brought to safety on Sunday, while nine passengers and five crew members remain unaccounted for. The cruise ship's captain, Francesco Schettino, was taken into custody on Saturday after being questioned by investigators trying to determine the cause of the accident. He faces possible charges of multiple manslaughter and of causing a disaster. Schettino reportedly steered the vast vessel close to Giglio to salute tourists gathered on its port. According to Bloomberg, the disaster may cost the ship's several insurers a total of EUR 405 M. THE BORING END OF THE LUKOIL BULGARIA OPERA Bulgaria's Customs Agency awarded Monday to the Lukoil Neftochim refinery in the Black Sea city of Burgas protocols certifying compliance of its measuring equipment with state requirements. Thus, Bulgaria's great Lukoil Opera (or saga if you prefer) came to an end without much fanfare – unlike the way it started in July 2011 when Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and Customs Agency chief Vanyo Tanov played it tough against Lukoil Bulgaria and its CEO Valentin Zlatev, who is said to be Bulgaria's major oil oligarch. The July 2011 Lukoil Bulgaria crisis was so impressive that at one point the Lukoil Neftochim refinery – the largest on the Balkans – seemed doomed to be shut down altogether - or so both Borisov and Zlatev would have had you believe. The problem was the refinery's failure to install new measuring devices, which are required as part of the Bulgarian government's plan to crack down on fuel contraband. Interestingly, only a few days later a court ruling gave Lukoil Neftochim its license back for the duration of the "investigation", and it was much ado about nothing – save for a boost of PM Borisov's ratings since after all he was "taking on" one of the top Bulgarian oligarchs. Meanwhile, the courtroom saga as to whether Lukoil had committed violations dragged on. They did put up a good show – for those who believed them. Because, leaving conspiracy theory aside, there are two major reasons the clash between the Bulgarian government and Lukoil Bulgaria seems 100% fake. First, there is the well-known close friendship between Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and Lukoil Bulgaria CEO Valentin Zlatev. Actually, tons of online publications claim that Zlatev is actually Bulgaria's back-seat ruler. Couldn't have Zlatev and Borisov cooked up the whole thing to give the Cabinet a boost? You answer for yourself. Second, even if this whole backseat ruler thing about Zlatev is untrue, there is an even more compelling reason to believe that the Borisov Cabinet was at least bluffing (if it wasn't part of a backstage game): the Lukoil Neftochim refinery is not only the only oil refinery in Bulgaria – but it is also about the largest taxpayer and makes up 10% of the Bulgarian GDP. Under these circumstances no sane state leadership would have gone for shutting it down regardless of what measuring devices it might be lacking. So, even though the court trial about the refinery's license is technically still dragging on, the Lukoil Bulgaria opera is over with a "boring" end. It might have cost the oil company a few million BGN but it did buy a rating boost for the Borisov Cabinet. And the precious measuring devices got installed with a great delay as they would have been anyway. |
The Boring End of the Lukoil Bulgaria Opera
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