Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

Saturday 25 February 2012


	25 Feb 2012 \| Issue 283 \| Sofia: min 1°, max 6°; Varna: min 1°, max 11°

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Editorial

The Bulgarian Solution of the Greek Crisis: Why Bulgaria Must Aid Greece!

By Ivan Dikov

The so called Greek crisis has been shaking Europe for the past two years. | read |

Sofia Speaking

Pontius Pilate BG Style

By Milena Hristova

Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boyko Borisov knows he should be more than careful in his staff policy, which has often been a washout with dire consequences. | read |

Sofia Speaking

On Bulgaria's 'Barbaric' Ritual

By Nikola Petrov

A bizarre ritual exists in a tiny and remote southeastern Bulgarian village: | read |

The Week in Pictures

Bulgaria Opens Great Wall Car Plant, Hopes for Great Chinese Investments

Bulgaria's Rulers Seal Sacking of Discredited Health Chief

Google Street View Photographs Bulgaria's Top Landmark

Bulgarian Medication Mogul: Markets Drive Cheaper Sales Abroad

Alleged Bulgarian Mobster Brothers Acquitted of Murder

Controversial ACTA Goes to European Court of Justice

Notorious Bulgarian Lobbyist Gets Suspended Sentence

UNESCO Chief Opens Intangible Cultural Heritage Center in 'Proud' Bulgaria

HOT PHOTO

Murdered Businessman Was Major Fish Trader in Northern Bulgaria
Murdered businessman Yordan Harisimov's car crashed into a traffic light pole in downtown Varna, after a bomb under his seat was detonated in motion. Photo by Darik Radio

Top Story

Bulgarian Businessman Blown Up in Downtown Varna Car Bomb Explosion

52-year-old Bulgarian businessman Yordan Harasimov was blown up in his car in downtown Varna early Friday morning

The man perished in Bulgaria's Black Sea city of Varna when his car exploded in motion. The explosion occurred at a major downtown Varna crossroads near the Varna University of Economics shortly after 8 am on Friday, the BTA agency reported.

After the explosion the car, an Audi with Varna license plates, crashed into a traffic light pole. The driver was rushed to the St. Anna Hospital but later died in the emergency room.

According to Dr. Maya Rasheva, head of the emergency service at the hospital, Harasimov had no chance of survival because of his widely opened stomach wound; in addition, his face was severed damaged.

Harasimov's body has been severely mutilated by the explosion. Source from the Varna police have been quoted as saying that the car blast was most likely caused by a bomb planted under the driver's seat but this is to be confirmed after inspection by DOTI, a police unit specializing on explosives.

The Varna car blast seems like a reminiscence of Bulgaria's mobster wars in the 1990s when former professional wrestlers dominated the powerful Bulgarian underground.

Yordan Harasimov is a former Greco-Roman wrestler and a long-time chair of the Varna Greco-Roman wrestling club "Lokomotiv 93".

Yordan Harasimov was the major trader of fish products on the Northern Bulgarian Black Sea coast, and one of the largest in Bulgaria.

This information has emerged from experts after Harasimov's murder as his car was blown up in motion.

Harasimov's company "Sever Export" trades with fish, fish products, and veined rapa whelk, a species of predatory sea snails abundant in the Black Sea. It is based in Varna's Asparuhovo quarter.

Sever Export owns its own fishing vessels, and exports frozen fish and veined rapa whelk products to Japan, the USA, South Korea, Vietnam, and Turkey.

The company's total staff is about 150 people; the Sever Export office was sealed by the police in Varna shortly after Harasimov's murder.

Sever (i.e. "North") was founded in 1995 by four partners, with Harasimov becoming the president of the firm.

The Varna car blast seems like a reminiscence of Bulgaria's mobster wars in the 1990s when former professional wrestlers dominated the powerful Bulgarian underground.

Bulgaria Presses Assad to Step Down at 'Friends of Syria' Meeting

Bulgaria condemns the repression by the regime of Bashar Al-Assad and calls for the violence in the country to be stopped immediately, stated Bulgarian Foreign Affairs Minister Nikolay Mladenov Friday.

The Bulgarian top diplomat is in Tunis, where an international "Friends of Syria" meeting is taking place, featuring representatives of opposition against long-serving Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad.

"We call for the withdrawal of President Assad from power, for the formation of a government of national unity and for the scheduling of free elections in Syria," said Mladenov in a statement ahead of the conference.

"We will ask the "Friends of Syria" group to take a clear position that unilateral attempts to change the political system that masquerade as reforms are insufficient and intended only as clinging to power, along with continued repression by Assad against his own people," added he.

Mladenov further declared that Bulgaria "considers the Syrian National Council to be the sole legitimate representative of Syrian citizens who want change."

Representatives of other countries participating in the "Friends of Syria" in the capital of Tunisia are also expected to recognize the Syrian National Council.

The conference has also decided to ask the Assad regime to allow a number of humanitarian corridors to supply aid to several violence-stricken Syrian cities.

In the while, Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, has been appointed by the UN and the Arab League as a special envoy to Syria.

Crime

Killed Bulgarian Businessman Had Conflict with Partner - Interior Min

Businessman Yordan Harasimov, who was blown up in his car in Bulgaria's Varna on Friday, had a long-time conflict with a former business partner, Bulgarian Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov announced.
| read |

World

Serbia, Kosovo Sign Groundbreaking Cooperation Treaty

Representatives of Serbia and breakaway Kosovo have signed an important treaty to pursue regional cooperation at the end of talks in Brussels Friday.
| read |

More News

· Bulgarian EconMin Tangled in 'Bonus War'
· Bulgarian Activists Table 52 000 Signatures against Shale Gas Hydrofracking

· Romanian Glitch Halts Trucks on Danube Bridge with Bulgaria
· Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, Serbia Push to Make Danube Top Destination

Finance