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3 May 2012, Issue 3378
by Novinite.com
Bulgaria's Daily Newspaper since 2001
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10139 subscribers of Novinite.com
121855 articles
590 interviews
7322 pictures
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| BUSINESS POLITICS WORLD SOCIETY SPORTS FORUM |
Pilot's Mistake Caused Bulgarian MiG 29 Fighter Jet Crash - Minister
 A pilot's mistake has caused the crash of the Bulgarian Air Force MiG 29, which went down on April 26, 2012, during the Thracian Star 2012 joint military drills with the US, Bulgaria's Defense Minister Anyu Angelov announced. read |
Bulgaria to Move 20 Govt Agencies Away form Capital
 Bulgaria will move around 20 government agencies away from the capital Sofia by the summer of 2013, the country's Finance Minister Simeon Djankov said Wednesday, elaborating on a move already announced by the cabinet. read |
Bulgaria Ranked 78th in Global Media Freedom
 Bulgaria is placed 78th among 196 countries in Freedom House's 2011 global press freedom ranking. The Balkan country was placed 76 in last year's survey.read |
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BULGARIA'S VIVACOM SALE FAILS - REPORT
The planned sale of Bulgaria's incumbent telco BTC has failed after its creditors rejected the offers of all three bidders, including Turkcell, the biggest Turkish mobile-phone company, media reports say. Turkcell emerged a month ago as the most likely buyer of the Bulgarian telco, but the deal collapsed after the Turkish operator demanded that a huge part of the price (from EUR 100 M to EUR 200 M) is deposited in an escrow account until the state settles its scores with BTC previous buyers, Capital weekly reported, citing insiders. read more 
CZECHS TO BE 1ST PASSENGERS AT BULGARIA'S NEW BLACK SEA AIRPORT IN BALCHIK Bulgaria's brand-new Black Sea airport in the northeastern town of Balchik is set to welcome its first passengers after being transformed from a military into civilian airport, its director announced. On May 3, Thursday, Balchik Airport will receive a 9-seat passenger jet from the Prague Airport Ruzyne in the Czech Republic, according to Krasimir Kostov, chief of the newest Bulgarian airport. read more CREDITORS TO PUT BULGARIA'S VIVACOM FOR SALE AGAIN IN 1-2 YEARS - REPORT The creditors of Bulgaria's incumbent telco BTC, which operates under the brand name Vivacom, may be expected to put the company up for sale again no earlier than in one or two years, according to insiders. "The collapse of talks for BTC sale means lenders will have to seek restructuring options for the debt-laden company and manage it themselves," Capital Daily reported, citing insiders. read more BRITISH BULGARIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE MARKS UK RELAUNCH IN LONDON The British Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce (BBCC) has marked its UK relaunch with a unique lunch meeting in London, the organization announced. Thirty members and friends of the BBCC assembled for a lunch meeting at the Royal Garden Hotel, Kensington High Street, in London on Wednesday, April 25, to mark the UK relaunch of the Chamber following its high-profile series of events in Sofia over the past winter. read more BULGARIA HOPES TO ABSORB EUR 2 B IN EU TRANSPORT FUNDS BY 2013 Bulgaria's authorities are striving to absorb up to EUR 2 B for transport and infrastructure from the EU funding slated for the country for the 2007-2013 financial programming period, Transport Minister Ivaylo Moskovski has stated. Moskovski told students at the Sofia University of Architecture, Construction, and Geodesy on Wednesday that 1/3 of the total funding for Bulgaria under EU Operational Program "Transport" have already reached the end beneficiaries. read more GREECE COULD STILL QUIT EURO ZONE, VENIZELOS ALARMS The Greek Socialists' leader Evangelos Venizelos has warned that Greece still faces the risk of exiting the euro zone. "The danger of the drachma still exists," he said, speaking at a news conference in Athens, but added that the overwhelming majority of Greeks support the euro. read more BULGARIANS HURRY TO PAY OFF DEBTS AMID JOBLESS FEARS - BANKER Bulgarian bankers are seeing an unprecedented rush of clients, who want to pay off their loans in advance, prompted by uncertainty about their job and incomes in the coming months. "People and companies, who have had a good credit history, do not hesitate to tighten their belts further in order to pay off their mortgage or loan early. We have never seen before this phenomenon on such a massive scale," Petar Andronov, CEO of Cibank, said in an interview for Stantard daiy. read more 
BULGARIA EXPECTS 11% GROWTH IN ROMANIAN TOURISTS THIS SUMMER Some 1.5 million Romanian tourists are expected to visit Bulgaria's Black Sea summer resorts this season, according to Rumen Draganov, head of the Institute for Analysis and Estimates in Tourism. "The year on year increase is expected to be around 11%," Draganov has told the Monitor daily. According to the expert, the number of Romanian tourists visiting the country's summer resorts will reach pre-crisis levels. read more QATARI DELEGATION TO ARRIVE IN SOFIA MAY 3 An 18-member delegation from Qatar headed by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Khalid Al Attiyah will arrive in Bulgaria on May 3. Sofia will welcome high-ranking officials from a number of ministries, as well as representatives of investment companies based in Qatar. read more ROMANIA THANKS BULGARIAN MAYOR AFTER BUS FIRE INCIDENT Romania has expressed special thanks for Hristo Yanev, Mayor of the Bulgarian Black Sea resort of Obzor, for his assistance after a bus with Romanian tourists caught on fire on the spot overnight. Yanev received thanks by Romania's Honorary Consul, Evgenia Popescu on Wednesday, the Obzor Municipality said in a statement. read more PILOT'S MISTAKE CAUSED BULGARIAN MIG 29 FIGHTER JET CRASH - MINISTER A pilot's mistake has caused the crash of the Bulgarian Air Force MiG 29, which went down on April 26, 2012, during the Thracian Star 2012 joint military drills with the US, Bulgaria's Defense Minister Anyu Angelov announced. The conclusion about the cause of the incident is based on a preliminary report of the special commission of Bulgarian Air Force and Military Police experts appointed to investigate the MiG 29 crash, Angelov said, as cited by the press service of the Defense Ministry. read more BULGARIAN AIR FORCE COMMANDER FLEW CRASHED MIG 29 JET DAY EALIER Maj. Gen. Konstantin Popov, Commander-in-Chief of the Bulgarian Air Force, flew the very same MiG 29 fighter jet which went down of April 26, 2012, during joint drills with the US Air Force. This has been confirmed by Popov himself on Wednesday, almost a week after the incident which took place during the Thracian Star 2012 exercises, as cited by Darik Radio. read more EC PRESSURES BULGARIA OVER DIRECT ELECTION OF TOP MAGISTRATES - REPORT The European Commission has insisted for the third time in two months that Bulgaria's top judicial body, the Supreme Judicial Council (VSS) be elected directly, a report says. According to a report of the Capital Daily, EC Secretary-General Catherine Day has sent letter to the Bulgarian authorities, as represented by Justice Minister Diana Kovacheva, that they need to introduce a direct election of the VSS members by the end of 2012 for those members of the Council that are elected by the judiciary, i.e. the so called magistrate quota. read more EURO AREA UNEMPLOYMENT RECORD HIGH, BULGARIA'S ALMOST AVERAGE The Euro Area (EU 17) had a seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate of 10.9% in March 2012, compared with 10.8% in February, according to the latest figures released Wednesday by Eurostat. The unemployment rate in the EU 17 was 9.9% in March 2011, with the March 2012 figure marking the highest unemployment in the euro zone member states since the spring of 1997. read more BULGARIA TO DEVELOP 35 PROJECTS UNDER JASPERS ACTION PLAN 2012 Bulgaria's Jaspers Action Plan 2012, which has already been approved by the government, includes 35 projects. Of the 35 projects, eight are in the Environment sector, ten in Transport, two in Integrated Urban Transport, one in Economic Development and 14 are horizontal measures. read more BULGARIA MUST PARTICIPATE IN SCHENGEN UPGRADE � BULGARIAN VICE PRESIDENT A working meeting between Bulgarian Vice President Margarita Popova and Pozzo di Borgo, Chair of the France-Bulgaria Friendship Group at the French Senate, stressed the need for cooperation among Schengen member states for the transformation of the area. Popova is on a two-day work visit to Paris to take part in the Academy of European Law (ERA) conference 'Ne bis in idem as a general principle of EU law' in Paris. read more BULGARIA TO MOVE 20 GOVT AGENCIES AWAY FORM CAPITAL Bulgaria will move around 20 government agencies away from the capital Sofia by the summer of 2013, the country's Finance Minister Simeon Djankov said Wednesday, elaborating on a move already announced by the cabinet. Djankov pointed out that the measure would "bring life" to big cities other than Sofia. read more BULGARIAN TRADE UNIONISTS WELCOME FINANCE MINISTER WITH BOOS Finance Minister Simeon Djankov has argued that an increase in pensions and salaries in the public sector in 2013 is achievable, provided that all efforts are concentrated on the task. However, the mention of Djankov's name among the participants of a congress of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) drew boos from the audience, while the name of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov was enthusiastically applauded. read more STANISHEV AHEAD OF PARVANOV IN BULGARIAN SOCIALISTS' LEADERSHIP BATTLE Ex Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev appears to be in a stronger position to retain the leadership of the Bulgarian Socialist Party vis-a-vis former President Georgi Parvanov. Stanishev, who has chaired the Socialists since 2002, and is the acting interim President of the Party of European Socialists, is to face Parvanov in the BSP leadership battle on May 19-20, 2012. read more BULGARIA RANKED 78TH IN GLOBAL MEDIA FREEDOM Bulgaria is placed 78th among 196 countries in Freedom House's 2011 global press freedom ranking. The Balkan country was placed 76 in last year's survey. The status of Bulgaria's press freedom is described as "partly free." read more ROMANIAN BUS CATCHES FIRE IN BULGARIA A bus carrying Romanian tourists caught fire in motion near Bulgaria's Black Sea town of Nesebar early on Wednesday. The accident took place around 5:00 am EET, Darik radio has informed. Fortunately, no people have been injured. read more WIDOW OF CONTROVERSIAL BULGARIAN BUSINESSMAN DIES Eva Mihova, the widow of controversial businessman Mihail Mihov, has died of abrupt bleeding following an operation in a Sofia-based hospital. According to unconfirmed reports cited by news portal dnevnik.bg, the news about Mihova's death surfaced on Wednesday with a one-day delay. read more BULGARIA'S NEW NATIONAL STADIUM TO SEAT UP TO 25 000 PEOPLE Bulgaria's new national stadium will be able to seat between 20 000 and 25 000 spectators, the country's Sports Minister Simeon Neykov has stated. Neykov has hinted that the stadium's capacity may be increased to 35 000 if it is selected to host a Europa League final in the future. read more BERBATOV URGES MAN UTD FANS TO KEEP HOPE ALIVE Manchester United's Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov has urged the team's fans to keep believing in its title bid. Berbatov, who is set to leave Old Trafford during this summer's transfer window, is determined to win one more title with the club. read more BULGARIAN COURT ORDERS PERMANENT DETENTION FOR BRITISH PEDOPHILE A Bulgarian court has ordered permanent detention of a 63-year-old alleged British pedophile who was nabbed in Bulgaria on Sunday. The man is suspected of sexually abusing two Roma brothers aged 10 and 11. The children's family allegedly knew of the Brit's doings and received financial support from him. read more HIV-INFECTED BULGARIAN PROSTITUTE FOUND IN GREECE A HIV positive Bulgarian prostitute has been detected in downtown Athens, according to Bulgarian media. The Bulgarian, as well as two Greek prostitutes, was found to be HIV positive during Greek Center for Disease Control and Prevention searches in Athens brothels, the Bulgarian 24 Chasa daily says. read more BULGARIA'S HIGH-PROFILE CRIMINAL TRIAL 'OCTOPUS' BACK IN COURT Sofia City Court will convene on May 2 to resume the hearings in a high profile criminal case, known as "Octopus", following a two-month suspension over the broken leg of a defendant. Alexey Petrov is the main defendant in the case some have labeled the criminal trial of the post-Communist period. read more SERBIAN TURBO-FOLK DIVA BODES PRESIDENCY FOR BULGARIAN PM BORISOV Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boyko Borisov is to become the country's President, Serbian turbo-folk singer Ceca Velickovic has predicted. Velickovic spoke to reporters after arriving in Bulgaria's capital Sofia on her private jet Wednesday in order to prepare for her Sofia concert on May 22, 2012. read more 'LANDMARK' ROMA EVICTION RULING SETS PRECEDENT, RIGHTS GROUP SAYS Click here to read the story: www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=138961 RULING PARTY NOMINEE ADER ELECTED PRESIDENT OF HUNGARY Janos Ader, the nominee of the ruling rightist party Fidesz and Prime Minister Viktor Orban, has been elected by the Hungarian Parliament as the new President of Hungary. Janos Ader, a 24-year ally of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, was nominated to become the country's next president, succeeding Pal Schmitt, who quit after a panel ruled he plagiarized parts of his doctoral thesis. read more ROMANIA'S NEW PM ANNOUNCES CABINET Romania's PM-designate Victor Ponta has unveiled the country's new cabinet, which is expected to be supported by the Parliament on Thursday. The left-winger has explained that portfolios would be evenly split between the two major parties in his Social Liberal Union (USL). read more S&P UPGRADES GREECE OUT OF DEFAULT� Standard & Poor's Corp. said Wednesday it raised Greece's government debt rating out of default after the country completed a massive debt writedown with private creditors. The outlook on the country's long-term rating is stable, the rating firm said. read more EU-KOSOVO COURT ACQUITS MP, EX KLA COMMANDER OF WAR CRIME CHARGES An EU-run Kosovo court has cleared Fatmir Limaj, a senior Kosovo politician and three of his associates of allegations, that they tortured and killed Serb detainees during the 1998-99 Kosovo war. A panel of three judges - two from the European Union and one from Kosovo - dropped the case against Fatmir Limaj, a former commander in the Kosovo Liberation Army that fought a separatist war against Serbia. read more OBAMA VOWS END TO AFGHAN WAR President Barack Obama, speaking early Wednesday in Afghanistan at the tail end of a surprise visit there, discussed how the war will end and promised a steady drawdown of U.S. troops. Obama committed to pulling 23,000 troops out of the country by the end of summer and sticking to the 2014 deadline to turn security fully over to the Afghan government. He said that NATO will set a goal this month for Afghan forces to be in the lead for combat operations next year. read more 5 KILLED IN EGYPT'S POST-ARAB SPRING CLASHES Five people have died and dozens have been injured early Wednesday during riots outside the Defense Ministry in the center of Cairo, Egypt's Health Ministry reported. According to eyewitnesses, the clashes began at dawn. A group of unidentified men attacked the participants in a long-standing protest outside the Egyptian Ministry of Defense. read more LAKESIDE MURDER SUSPECTS TRANSFERRED TO SKOPJE CRIMINAL COURT The alleged radical Islamic militants arrested over the murder of five men in Macedonia last month have been transferred to the Skopje Criminal Court. A total of 20 individuals were arrested on Tuesday by Macedonian authorities in a special operation entitled "Monster." Macedonian authorities suspect they are radical Islamists responsible for the murder of five youngsters and one 45-year-old man near Skopje on April 12. read more LIBYA CLAIMS SARKOZY CAMPAIGN FUNDING LETTER IS FAKE Libya's governing National Transitional Council (NTC) has exposed as a fake a letter pledging funding from the Gaddafi regime for French President Nicolas Sarkozy's 2007 election campaign. "We think that the letter is fake," NTC chief Mustafa Abdel Jalil told journalists in Tripoli. read more DUTCH OFFICIALS MAY BOYCOTT EURO 2012 OVER TYMOSHENKO TREATMENT The Netherlands' caretaker government has threatened to boycott the European Football Championship in Ukraine this summer, if the country doesn't improve the treatment of its prisoners. Dutch Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal says this applies in particular to the treatment of former Prime Minister Julia Tymoshenko, who is currently in prison. read more |
