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| 7 Feb 2012, Issue 3315 · USD: 1.49964 EUR: 1.95583 · Sofia: min -14°, max -8° Varna: min -2°, max 3° · |
| BUSINESS POLITICS WORLD SOCIETY SPORTS FORUM |
Bulgarian Dam Collapsed over Unrepaired Crack since 2003
 The
wall of the Ivanovo dam, which collapsed Monday morning and killed
eight people in the southern Bulgarian village of Biser, has had cracks
which stayed unrepaired for six years.
read |
Bulgaria Closes Turkish Border Crossing over Flooding
 The
Bulgarian Border Police has shut down for traffic the Kapitan Andreevo
crossing on the Bulgarian-Turkish border as a result of the floods that
struck Southeastern Bulgaria on Monday.
read |
Hillary Clinton's Bulgaria Visit Was Routine - Foreign Minister
 US
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's Sunday visit to Bulgaria was not
urgent but routine, according to Bulgaria's Foreign Minister Nikolay
Mladenov.
read |
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BROKEN DAM FLOODING KILLS 9 IN SOUTHEAST BULGARIA
Nine people have lost their lives in Southeastern Bulgaria in Monday's flooding caused by the breaking of local dams. A total of nine persons have drowned in Southeastern Bulgaria as a result of the collapse of local water reservoir dams, the Interior Ministry has confirmed. The death toll continued to rise throughout Monday, with three casualties reported initially. The highest number of casualties was registered in the village of Biser, Haskovo District, where at least 200 houses have been flooded. A total of five persons, of whom three are confirmed to be adult males, have perished in the village of Biser. Local media in the city of Haskovo have reported two more casualties in the nearby village of Madzharovo, plus two casualties – a husband and a wife – who perished after their car got stuck on a nearby road, and was then hit by the wave caused by the breaking of a dike at the Ivanovo water reservoir. Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and Deputy PM and Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov visited the area of the floods, promising emergency aid and supplies to the locals, including warm food and clothing as well as vans for temporary housing. "We are restoring the bridges that have been wiped out by the water. We are identifying the casualties. We are working with the electricity supplier to fix the damages as soon as the water recedes," Bulgaria Prime Minister said early Monday evening. In his words, the military helicopter evacuation has saved 60 people from the flooded area. Borisov added that unfortunately many locals failed to believe the flood warnings issued by the village mayor. 
ANONYMOUS HACK BULGARIA'S PROPHON OVER ACTA SUPPORT The official website of Prophon, a Bulgarian music licensing company, was hacked by Anonymous on Sunday due to its recently declared support of the controversial ACTA agreement. "This is Anonymous. It has come to our attention that YOU and another twelve greedy organisations have signed a open letter, supporting the so-called "Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement"," prophon.org said on Sunday. "Not only your letter is full of false statements, but you are also essentially calling people's concerns about their FREEDOM "groundless suggestions and manipulations". This is unacceptable, this is where you made us rage. You are the first, but not the last. This should be a lession for the other ACTA supporters," the Anonymous message warned. "We are Anonymous. We are legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us." On Friday, Prophon, together with 12 other copyright organizations and companies, sent an open letter to Parliamentary Chair Tsetska Tsacheva, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and several cabinet members, declaring their firm support for the implementation of ACTA in the country. Prophon.org was back to normal late on Sunday. Prophon represents the biggest music catalogue in Bulgaria, including the repertoire of the four major record companies (Sony, UMG, WMG, EMI). On January 26, the Bulgarian government signed in Tokyo the international ACTA agreement, vowing to make downloading content similar to forgery of brands. The agreement was sealed by Bulgarian ambassador to Japan Lyubomir Todorov, based on a decision by the Bulgarian cabinet taken hastily on January 11. 22 out of the 27 EU member states have signed ACTA, along with countries such as the USA, Japan, Canada, Australia, South Korea and Switzerland. Among EU Member States, Germany, Cyprus, Estonia, Slovakia and the Netherlands have postponed their signing. ACTA, abbreviation for Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, mandates that signatory countries implement legislation to criminalize certain types of downloading content such as music and movies, from sites not sanctioned by rights owners, such as torrent trackers. According to the agreement, such actions will be classified as similar to counterfeiting, and will carry heavier sanctions, including confiscation. The treaty also will require Internet providers to provide information about the traffic of their users. In order to become effective in Bulgaria, ACTA must first be ratified by the European Parliament and then by the Bulgarian Parliament, which is expected to happen no earlier than June. US RESPECTS BULGARIA'S STANCE ON SHALE GAS - ENVOY US Secretary of State Hillary Cinton has agreed with Bulgarian PM Boyko Borisov that environmental safety should be the highest priority as far as shale gas research and exploration are concerned, US Ambassador to Bulgaria James Warlick said. In an interview for the Bulgarian National Television early on Monday, Warlick stated that the US has a beautiful nature, just like Bulgaria, but it has come a long way towards safe shale gas exploration, as new technologies and appropriate regulations have been implemented. The US will not try to pressure Bulgaria by any means, and the Balkan country should objectively consider the issue, since there are always risks when it comes to energy production, the US Ambassador added. He further pointed out that gas prices in the US have dropped significantly courtesy of shale gas extraction, while Bulgaria's prices are still four times higher. "It is up to the Bulgarian government to decide and we will respect any decision," Warlick declared. He referred to the recent moratorium that Bulgaria imposed on the use of hydraulic fracturing technology in oil and gas research and extraction. The US envoy also admitted that US energy giant Chevron has shown signs of an unorganized approach by believing that everything was ready for their Bulgarian operations. On January 17, the Bulgarian government revoked a shale gas exploration permit granted to Chevron for deposits in Northeastern Bulgaria, citing the insufficient proof of the environmental safety of hydraulic fracturing. On January 18, the Cabinet imposed an indefinite ban on hydraulic fracturing, a method which involves injecting a mix of water, sand and chemicals at very high pressure deep underground to crack rock and release oil and gas. In his Monday interview, Warlick also commented on the potential construction of a seventh unit in Bulgaria's Kozloduy nuclear power plant, revealing that Westinghouse would surely be interested in the project. He reminded that the rival nuclear power plant project, Belene, would be situated in a seismically active zone. FLOODS IN SOUTHERN BULGARIA HIT COAL, BRIQUETTE PRODUCTION Briquette production at the Brikel plant in the southern Bulgarian town of Galabovo has stopped due to halted coal supplies from the state-owned Maritsa Iztok Mines. Coal extraction at the mines has been disrupted as a result of the flood caused by the heavy rains and melting snow. The briquette production plant is located near the village of Obruchishte, Galabovo municipality, where more than 200 houses were swamped by the overflowing Sokolitsa River. Civil Protection teams have been dispatched to the spot to help the victims. According to Iliya Iliev, Mayor of Obruchishte, the people's only hope is for the rain to stop. The village has a population of over 1700. The Brikel Thermal Power Plant (TPP) and the briquette plant of the Maritsa Iztok complex are located in the vicinity of the flooded territory. The roads from Galabovo to the town of Topolovgrad, the village of Madrets and the Kontur Globul TPP have also been flooded. The micro-dams located south of Galabovo in the direction of Haskovo were inspected Monday morning and were cleared of ice and are currently overflowing without any danger of the dam walls collapsing. According to reports of news portal dnevnik.bg, the villages of Obruchishte and Troyanovo occasionally struggle with floods due to the lack of an efficient drainage system. HILLARY CLINTON'S BULGARIA VISIT WAS ROUTINE - FOREIGN MINISTER US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's Sunday visit to Bulgaria was not urgent but routine, according to Bulgaria's Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov. "The visit was planned a long time ago. It is a common practice of the US State Department to confirm such visits a week before they take place," Mladenov explained in an interview for the Btv private channel. Mladenov confirmed that the potential abolishment of Bulgaria's US visas has been discussed during Clinton's visit, even though the Balkan country has already missed a major opportunity for that. Bulgaria now has a serious of technical issues to cope with in order to be included in the US Visa Waiver program, the Foreign Minister pointed out. Upon asked about Chevron's potential shale gas research and extraction in northeastern Bulgaria, Mladenov reiterated that an environmentally safe technology is indeed deemed necessary by the government. On Sunday, Bulgarian PM Boyko Borisov and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton agreed to protect the environment in pursuing their energy policies. Energy was high on the agenda in Clinton's meeting with the Bulgarian PM and key cabinet ministers, and Clinton herself made it clear that Bulgaria is a key part of the US's energy strategy. BULGARIA WARNS TURKEY, GREECE ABOUT OVERFLOWING DAMS Bulgaria's Foreign Ministry has sent a note warning the authorities of Turkey and Greece about the overflowing of major water dams on Bulgarian territory. Bulgaria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a note this morning, informed Greek and Turkish authorities that the Ivailovgrad water reservoir and the Studen Kladenetz water reservoir will begin to overflow. The volume of water expected to discharge from the dam is 268 cubic meters per second. According to Bulgaria's National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (NIMH), February 6 2012 will see rain in southern Bulgaria while positive temperatures will cause snow at altitudes of less than 1500 meters to melt. Rain will turn to snow in the eastern regions and wind will increase, in places exceeding 15 to 20 meters a second. During the precipitation period, snow across the country will rise by 20 to 50cm, and in the Rhodope region, rainfall will reach – and in places surpass – 50 to 100 liters a square meter. Over the next few days, minimum temperatures in most areas will be between minus 15 and minus 20 degrees Celsius, in some places even lower. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will give Bulgaria's southern neighbors immediate notice of any change in water status and risk of flooding," Bulgaria's Foreign Ministry says. EU COMMISSIONER GEORGIEVA SETS OUT FOR BULGARIA'S FLOODED REGIONS EU Commissioner for humanitarian aid Kristalina Georgieva has declared readiness to react in aid of the flooded regions of Southeastern Bulgaria that were badly affected by the breaking of local dam early on Monday. The flooding near the southeastern Bulgarian town of Harmanli in the Haskovo District has claimed 9 lives, 5 of those in the village of Biser. "My team is in permanent contact with the Bulgarian crisis centre regarding the Ivanovo dam burst near Biser. I am now in Bulgaria and will visit the affected area," Georgieva announced in a post on her Facebook page. Georgieva and Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov are going to visit the affected regions on Wednesday, the press service of the Bulgarian government said late on Monday; Borisov and several government ministers already visited the village of Biser several hours after the collapse of the Ivanovo water reservoir dam. During their visit on the spot, Georgieva and Borisov will seek to inspect the damages in the area in order to discuss the opportunities for aid that the European Commission can offer. 
BULGARIA EX-VP SAYS HE PARDONED FEWER FELONS THAN PREDECESSOR Bulgaria's former Vice President Angel Marin has pointed out that he pardoned fewer criminals than his predecessor. It recently emerged that Marin pardoned a total of 533 felons during his two terms in office, including many murderers. In an interview for the private bTV channel on Sunday, the former Vice President argued that his predecessor had pardoned more than 1000 criminals during his 5-year term (1997-2002). Marin further stated that the recent attacks against him are a part of the current centrist-right GERB government's efforts to defame all previous governments and all parties that do not support them. On Friday, sixty Bulgarian MPs signed a petition to establish an inquiry committee to probe the pardons and the Bulgarian citizenship granted by the former Vice President. It has been claimed that Angel Marin may have been "illegal" as Vice President during the second term of Bulgaria's President, Georgi Parvanov, who left office a week days ago because Parvanov failed to issue a decree authorizing the mandate of the Vice President from 2007 to 2012. BULGARIAN DAM COLLAPSED OVER UNREPAIRED CRACK SINCE 2003 The wall of the Ivanovo dam, which collapsed Monday morning and killed eight people in the southern Bulgarian village of Biser, has had cracks which stayed unrepaired for six years. The problem remained unsolved due to ownership arguments between the Harmanli municipality, the Haskovo District Governor and the Bulgarian Defence Ministry. "It does not matter whose property the dam was and who was in charge of its maintenance", Prime Minister Boyko Borisov said Monday, as cited by the Bulgarian National Television (BNT). Borisov specified that the dam had undergone an ownership change but said that it would be the task of the prosecuting authority to look into the matter. The Prime Minister also announced that ways were being sought to bring all dams under the authority of the Irrigation Systems Company so as to ensure better control of their activity and to prevent uncontrolled release and emergency situations. The Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) reported Monday afternoon that the dam wall cracking had stayed unrepaired for six years as a result of institutions shirking duties. Harmanli Mayor Mihail Lisichkov told journalists of dnevnik.bg that the dam was state property and the municipality had been notified about the problem years ago. He asserted that the maintenance of the dam was not the responsibility of the Harmanli municipality but of the Defense Ministry. Lisichkov further emphasized that the crack had stayed in place since 2007. Meanwhile, Defense Minister Anyu Angelov explicitly refuted allegations that the Defense Ministry should be held liable for the collapsed dam wall. Angelov claimed that it was the Harmanli municipality that was in charge of the facility. Later on Monday, the Defense Ministry came up with a statement disowning responsibility for the Ivanovo dam. At the same time, Civil Protection officers explained that the existence of a crack would have to be proved. BULGARIA CLOSES TURKISH BORDER CROSSING OVER FLOODING The Bulgarian Border Police has shut down for traffic the Kapitan Andreevo crossing on the Bulgarian-Turkish border as a result of the floods that struck Southeastern Bulgaria on Monday. As of 6 pm on February 6, 2012, the Kapitan Andreevo crossing was closed for any vehicles because of the flooding of the E-80 road leading to from Bulgaria's Sofia to Turkey's Istanbul by the Kalamitsa River. The small river, which is a tributary of the larger Maritsa River, has flooded a 700-meter road section, leaving the road under 60 cm of water. Bulgaria's authorities have started to redirect all traffic to Turkey to the Lesovo border crossing, which is located to the northeast of Kapitan Andrevo. Bulgaria's government has notified Turkey's authorities to redirect all traffic to the Hamzabeili crossing, which is on the Turkish side of the border at Lesovo. The Maritsa River has reached its maximum level to a river flow rate of 1200 cubic meters per second. The mayor of Svilengrad declared a state of emergency after streets running along Maritsa's riverbanks were flooded. A total of eight persons have drowned in Southeastern Bulgaria as a result of flooding caused by the breaking of local water reservoir dams, the Interior Ministry has confirmed. The death toll continued to rise throughout Monday, with three casualties reported initially. The highest number of casualties was registered in the village of Biser, Haskovo District, where at least 200 houses have been flooded. OVERFLOWING RIVER CLOSES ROAD TO BULGARIAN-TURKISH BORDER The overflowing Kalamitsa River, a tributary of the Maritsa River, has flooded a 300-meter stretch of international road E 80 between the village of Kapitan Andreevo and the Kapitan Andreevo border crossing point. According to reports of Boder Police, the river level is currently 20 cm and is rising rapidly. Motor vehicles traveling on E-80 are being redirected to the Lesovo border crossing point. The Maritsa River has reached its maximum level to a river flow rate of 1200 cubic meters per second. The mayor of Svilengrad declared a state of emergency after streets running along Maritsa's riverbanks were flooded. River levels are subsiding or remaining steady in northern Bulgaria and the Black Sea rivers. HELICOPTERS EVACUATE PEOPLE IN FLOODED BULGARIAN VILLAGE The rescue operation for the population of the flood-hit Haskovo municipality in southern Bulgaria continues despite the fact that the Cougar rescue helicopters are highly unsuitable for severe winter conditions. In a Monday interview for the morning broadcast of the Bulgarian National Television (BNT), Prime Minister Boyko Borisov explained that Cougar helicopters were not fit to use in winter conditions because they had no anti-icing and de-icing system, meaning that it was quite possible for them to crash after takeoff. "I wish the people courage! The problem is that Cougar helicopters, on which we have spent so much money, are not equipped with any form of anti-icing or de-icing system, which means that there is a huge risk of an engine failure after takeoff. The machines can reach an altitude of no more than 60 meters and cannot fly fast. At altitudes of over 60 meters the temperature is too low and the helicopters could freeze and plummet to the ground," Borisov stated. He specified that the risk had nevertheless been taken and the helicopters had already headed for the crisis spot. "We were also about to hit the ground at a certain point" Borisov noted, confirming that he was also flying to the flood-hit region. "We have spent over BGN 500 000 on helicopters that can only fly in deserts and we can only use them to go to the beach in summertime," the Prime Minister said with indignation. An emergency situation was declared in the entire Haskovo municipality after the wall of the Ivanovo dam broke and flooded the village of Biser. Boats with divers of the local Civil Protection unit have already reached the village and over 30 people have been rescued. Meanwhile, the citizens of the southern Bulgarian town of Zlatograd are ready to be evacuated, as the municipalities of Zlatograd and Nedelino are in a state of emergency due to heavy rainfalls and melting snow. Over 100 liters of rain per square meter have been registered in the region. The southern Bulgarian municipalities of Kardzhali and Smolyan are under code red, as meteorologists have warned that floods are very likely to occur in the Rhodope region during the day. The whole of western Bulgaria is under Code Orange, while most of the eastern part of the country is under Code yellow, as heavy snowfalls continue. 2ND DAM WALL BURSTS IN BULGARIA A dam wall has burst near the southern Bulgarian village of Elena, located near the town of Haskovo, it emerged on Monday. Earlier on Monday, another dam wall burst and flooded the village of Biser that is situated in the same region. One victim has been reported (a 90-year-old man, according to Darik radio), while some 12 people have been injured. The population of Biser is currently being evacuated. According to the Bulgarian National Radio, there may have been three victims in Biser. Two helicopters have been sent to help the distressed citizens in the Haskovo region. Due to the complicated weather conditions, the helicopters will not try to land and will initially maneuver in the air instead. A lot of communities in the Haskovo region have been flooded, Haskovo Regional Governor Irena Uzunova has informed. All forces able to help the distressed have been mobilized. The people residing in the nearby villages have been advised to move to the upper parts of their buildings. The village of Leshnikovo near Harmanli has been evacuated due to the flood waves. The whole Haskovo region is currently under emergency. Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov is expected to arrive in the disaster-stricken area. The southern Bulgarian municipalities of Kardzhali and Smolyan are under Code Red, as meteorologists have warned that floods are very likely to occur in the Rhodope region during the day because of heavy rainfalls and melting snow. The whole of western Bulgaria is under Code Orange, while most of the eastern part of the country is under Code Yellow, as much of the country is still gripped by heavy snowfalls and low temperatures. BULGARIA REGIONS ALARMED OVER FLOODS, SEVERE COLD The southern Bulgarian town of Zlatograd is ready to be evacuated due to heavy downpours, while other parts of the country remain under Code Orange because of the severe winter conditions. The remote municipalities of Zlatograd and Nedelino in the southern Smolyan Region declared emergency already on Sunday, after rain and melting snow caused overflowing of rivers and reservoirs. The level at the surface of the local Varbitsa river has risen drastically, while dozens of houses in Nedelino have been reported flooded, dnevnik.bg informs. The southern Bulgarian municipalities of Kardzhali and Smolyan are under code red, as meteorologists have warned that floods are very likely to occur in the Rhodope region during the day. The whole of western Bulgaria is under Code Orange, while most of the eastern part of the country is under Code yellow, as heavy snowfalls continue. Extremely low temperatures are to persist until Wednesday. BULGARIAN BUTCHER NICKED IN UK SCARED BY POLICE BACK HOME A brutal Bulgarian gangster, who was caught in London last month on an alert from an investigation of The Sun, claims his human rights will be breached if he is extradited to his home country. Tihomir Georgiev, 43, notorious for slicing off victims' fingers and ears, is fighting extradition from the UK, using legal aid and claiming police in Bulgaria would mistreat him, The Sun reported. The article adds that Georgiev is now being probed over the sickening torture killings of a drug dealer, the supplier's girlfriend and a journalist. Georgiev, who has a reputation for slicing off enemies' ears and fingers, fled here last summer. Two of the latest three murders he is being linked to by cops are those of drugs supplier Emil Kushev, 30, and his lover Billiana Naumova. Both were beaten, tortured with scissors and shot for failing to pay debts in Bulgaria in 2007. The third victim is said to be journalist Boris Tsankov, who was later shot dead in the capital, Sofia, after blaming Georgiev. The brute already faces 18 years' jail for stabbing mafia rival Emil Gerasimov to death in 2007. He is also suspected of involvement in two more mob killings. Georgiev is believed to be a former associate of "Zlatomir Ivanov (aka Zlatko Baretata - The Beret, The Barret), a ruthless Bulgarian mafia boss who controlled a vast empire based on drug-dealing, prostitution and money-laundering. In Bulgaria, the case against Baretata is in final stage. In addition to illegal drugs trafficking and participation in organized crime, he is charged with plotting the murder of Rumen Stefanov AKA Alf. There are a total of 21 defendants in the trial In February 2009, Ivanov turned himself in, after authorities issued a nation-wide search warrant for him. BULGARIAN DRUG MULE BUSTED AT SALVADOR INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT A Bulgarian carrying cocaine capsules in his stomach has died at a hospital where he was taken after being captured at the Salvador International Airport. Earlier reports had suggested that the man was a Belgian national, but the information was rejected by the Belgian Foreign Ministry, which said in a statement that the detainee had dual (Bulgarian and US) citizenship. The drug mule carrying capsules of cocaine in his stomach was busted by local anti-drug police. In end-October 2011, former Bulgarian weightlifting champion Galabin Boevski was detained at the São Paulo airport in Brazil after police found 9 kg of cocaine in his luggage. Boevski denied any involvement in a drug trafficking scheme and claimed that he had bought three new suitcases in Brazil and did not know how the drugs had ended up there. Charges were officially brought against Boevksi on December 14 and the first court hearing was scheduled for March 06. ROMANIAN PRESIDENT ASSIGNS NEW GOVT TO INTELLIGENCE CHIEF Romania's President Traian Basescu announced late on Monday he had asked Romanian foreign intelligence service head Mihai-Razvan Ungureanu to form a new government and seek parliament's vote of confidence. The nomination came after earlier on Monday Romania's Prime Minister Emil Boc resigned following angry protests by thousands of Romanians who have risen up against sharp austerity measures for weeks. Ungureanu, a 43-year-old historian and former foreign minister, has ten days to form a cabinet and draft a governing program. He is then to ask the Romanian Parliament for a vote of confidence. International commentators have been quick to note that Ungureanu has a good chance to secure a confidence vote from the governing centrist coalition that controls the functioning parliament majority. GREECE STARTS BUILDING NOTORIOUS TURKISH BORDER WALL Greece said on Monday it has begun to construct a 12.5 kilometer fence along its land border with Turkey, intended to curb illegal immigration. The structure in the north-eastern province of Evros - to be completed by late August or early September 2012 - is to consist of two parallel fences, topped with barbed wire and 25 thermal cameras. "The fence is a project which has practical as well as symbolic importance ... it is intended to stop the country from being a transit route for illegal immigrants," said Greek Citizens' Protection Minister Christos Papoutsis, as cited by DPA. The European Union has said that it will not fund the construction of the fence, insisting that it is not an effective form of curbing illegal immigration. The fence is estimated to cost the cash-strapped Greek government EUR 3 M. The executive director of the EU's border monitoring agency Frontex, Ilikka Laitinen, has also said EU states contributing to a Frontex operation along the border were reluctant to continue their efforts, as Greek authorities had failed to set up new migrant detention centres as promised. Some 54 974 undocumented migrants were caught crossing into Greece via its land border with Turkey in 2011. Hundreds of illegal immigrants have frozen to death or drowned while trying to cross the river that marks Greece's northern border with Turkey. ROMANIAN PM QUITS OVER MASSIVE PROTESTS Romania's Prime Minister Emil Boc has resigned after weeks of protests in the Balkan country against the government's austerity measures. On Monday, Boc gave up the government's mandate, explaining that "it is the moment for important political decisions," BBC has informed. He explained that he wanted to to "defuse political and social tension" after the series of protests in the EU newcomer. Although Romania's economy grew last year, the government has been hit by three weeks of demonstrations. Boc has imposed a 25% cut in public sector wages and a freeze on pensions. Mihai Razvan Ungureanu, head of the Romanian Foreign Intelligence Service, is tipped to replace Emil Boc as PM, Adevarul has reported. Romania had to turn to the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the European Union in 2009 for EUR 20 B. The Romanian government took steps to rein in the budget deficit, which was 7.3% of the GDP in 2009. The deficit was cut to 6.9% in 2010 and an estimated 4.2% in 2011, and the economy began to grow again. EX-FINMIN TRIUMPHS AS FINLAND PRESIDENT-ELECT Former Finnish Finance Minister Sauli Niinisto has expectedly triumphed as the country's President-elect, gathering almost 63% of the votes in Sunday's runoff against Pekka Haavisto of the Greens. Niinisto's victory means that the centre-right National Coalition Party will for the first time ever hold the posts of President and Prime Minister at the same time. The historical election also puts an end to a 30-year period in which the Social Democrats held the Nordic country's presidency without a break, The European Voice reminds. Two major Eurosceptics were eliminated in the first round – Paavo Vayrynen, endorsed by the Center Party, as well as former MEP Timo Soini, leader of the Finns (formerly translated as the True Finns). The voter turnout in the election runoff fell by around four points from the first round to hit just 68.8%, the lowest figure for a presidential poll since 1950, the local Helsingin Sanomat has observed. Niinisto beat Haavisto comfortably in all areas of the country with the exception of the Åland Islands, populated mainly by Swedes, and in Helsinki, where the two men were evenly matched. HAS BULGARIA SCARED ITS ENEMIES WITH BROKEN DAMS AND FLOODS? If you are into Bulgarian history and politics, you might have heard of the mythical Cold War plans of Bulgaria's communist regime to blow up the dams of large Bulgarian water reservoirs as a defensive measure in the event of a war with Turkey, back then a NATO enemy. The rationale of these plans – whose existence and efficiency remain dubious but which still get deluded Bulgarian "patriots" ecstatic on online forums – was that the bursting of the dams all over Southern Bulgaria was supposed to flood European Turkey, and thus block any advance of the Cold War enemy. This was supposed to be achieved not only by the impact of the tidal wave down the river beds of Maritsa and Tundzha, but also by the flooding that was supposed to make all of Thrace "muddy" for at least 2-3 weeks. Ironically, on February 6, 2012, however, Bulgaria saw this mythical defense Cold War plan partially come to life. The only difference being that it was Bulgaria's own population which suffered from it, rather than some foreign field army! (Not that nowadays anybody would set out on a conquest with a conventional army dragging heavy armored vehicles and heavy artillery so as to get bogged down on a muddy ground...) A total of nine persons from the village of Biser and Madzharovo near the town of Harmanli in Southeastern Bulgaria perished on Monday in the flooding caused by the cracking of the dam of the Ivanovo water reservoir (which is actually one of the smaller reservoirs in the region). And those who survived and were evacuated are now to be accommodated in trailers – as if the life in their dilapidated, God- and Sofia-forsaken region wasn't wretched enough. At least now they got the attention of the central Bulgarian government in Sofia for a little while. Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov promised them trailers as well as one-time financial aid amounting to BGN 325 per household (which is how much the Bulgarian legislation provides for in cases like this one). Even better - the Bulgarian institutions and the civil society (which is just as much to blame for Monday's tragedy) started arguing over who was supposed to manage what reservoirs and who was to fix which dam... Too little, too late. Now Bulgaria's Prosecutor's Office is going to start an investigation, the courts are going to try a case, and the result will be the same as the result from the investigation of the Sofia-Kardam train fire in 2008, or the trampling to death of the seven kids in the Indigo disco in 2001. That is, there will be no result. It is weird that nobody holding any position of responsibility in Bulgaria actually happens to be in possession of any responsibility. Of the sort that would prevent a water reservoir dam from bursting. By the way, last year Turkish media published numerous articles on how areas near the Bulgarian border suffered floods as a result of the negligence of the Bulgarian authorities. Whether those were propaganda pieces or not, the irresponsibility of all kinds of public and private institutions on the Bulgarian side of the border now appears to be a clear-cut fact. With the flooding in the border villages Bulgaria must now have scared off all sorts of potential conquerors that can spring up from the southeast. They must have gotten pretty scared not because Bulgaria is to blow up its dams and will destroy them with the ensuing tsunami but because it is already doing all of that on its own territory. Who is really going to want to conquer such a recklessly horrific and horrifically reckless enemy as Bulgaria? |
Has Bulgaria Scared Its Enemies with Broken Dams and Floods?
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