Bulgarian Scrapbook

Quite a Simple Answer - Pay More Wages and Pensions!

noreply@blogger.com (Martin in Bulgaria) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 08:06:20 PDT

The less you earn the less tax you pay, so the answer to the problem is quite simply to increase earnings and pensions. Of course it is never as easy as that with competition for jobs in this current world economic climate.

Bulgaria's average taxable income stood at 583.56 leva in June, down by nine leva compared to May and by 15 leva compared to April, the National Statistics Institute (NSI) said.
According to NSI's reports for previous years, the country's taxable income traditionally declines in June, July and August. Statistical data for May and June 2011 also showed a drop in the average salary in the country, mainly due to the growth in the grey economy and the recruitment of low-paid workers in hotels, restaurants, agriculture and other seasonal industries. As a result, employment growth has led to a reduction in the average income of the population.According to Government estimates, the average taxable income should reach 610 leva this year to allow the country meet its insurance revenue targets. Otherwise, the state will seen an additional deficit, which will need to be filled up with the money from all taxpayers, including pensioners.

Source: http://www.sofiaecho.com/2011/08/16/1139592_bulgarias-average-taxable-income-declines-in-june

Gas Prices Up in Bulgaria - Again!

noreply@blogger.com (Martin in Bulgaria) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 01:10:30 PDT

More misery for Bulgarians coming as this increase is implemented. who suffers the most? The old who need heat in the winter the most! Pity there isn't contingency plans for the poorest people.

Bulgaria's state-run gas monopoly Bulgargas plans to propose a 19.98 per cent increase in natural gas prices from October, according to the company's preliminary estimates published on August 12 2011.

In view of the current market environment, Bulgargas will ask that natural gas prices be increased to 668.59 leva a 1000 cu m from 557.22 leva currently.

"The reasons for the spike are the higher prices of alternative oil products in the past months, the appreciation of the Bulgarian currency against the US dollar and the increased gas imports in the fourth quarter of 2011," Bulgargas said.

The company is to submit its proposal to the State Energy and Water Regulatory Commission (SEWRC) on September 10, while the regulator will set the new gas tariffs at the end of September.

Bulgargas boosted its revenue by 235 million leva to 848 million leva in the first half of 2011, while its net profit stood at 17.4 million leva. Its net result, however, was negative, at 3.76 million leva, due to currency differences.

Source: http://www.sofiaecho.com/2011/08/14/1138890_bulgargas-to-seek-20per-cent-increase-in-gas-prices

Holidays Booming in Bulgaria

noreply@blogger.com (Martin in Bulgaria) — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 01:13:57 PDT

Good news for overseas holiday makers and Bulgarian business as figures indicate that this year tourist shows the best results in 10 years. Let's hope that the money invested is ploughed back into the industry to improve the resorts even further.

Bulgaria's 2011 summer tourist season will most likely end up being the most successful in terms of revenues in the past ten years, various data indicates.

The Institute for Analysis and Assessment in Tourism, a think-tank, estimated that 6.6 million tourists will have visited the Bulgarian Black Sea by the end of the season in August 2011. This means a growth of the number of tourists by some 14% with respect to their numbers in 2010.

According to estimates of the Varna Tourism Chamber, this summer Bulgaria is seeing 20% more tourists from Russia, as well as smaller increases in the number of tourists from Germany, Romania, Ukraine, Moldova, Poland, and Israel. Only the Polish tourists already account for 15% of all bookings.

There is a predicted a rise in the numbers of tourists from Arab nations such as Iraq, Syria, and Jordan.

Source: http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=131118

Bulgarian Gypsies Sentenced To Jail - Unusual!

noreply@blogger.com (Martin in Bulgaria) — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 14:22:35 PDT

I find this quite strange. Most crimes committed by Gypsies go by the board; they never get rounded up and punished. But this particular crime hit a nerve with Bulgarians hence the media coverage and resulting sentences.

Nine Roma cherry thieves have been sentenced to 92 years in prison for the gruesome killing of an orchard farmer two years ago, an appeals court ruled on Friday.

Plamen Momchilov, 42, was beaten to death by the Roma after he tried to stop them from invading the garden he guarded and steal the valuable cherries.

The crime occurred on June 23, 2009 in a village near the town of Kyustendil, Western Bulgaria.

The Roma, who were armed with sticks and shovel handles, have confessed to the crime. They have been until now free, pending the appeal.

The attack triggered an outrage in the region, prompting authorities to impose tough measures and deploy armed police, equipped with night-vision goggles.

Source: http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=131094

Football Defeat Embarrassing For Bulgaria

noreply@blogger.com (Martin in Bulgaria) — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 04:16:37 PDT

One of the most embarrassing defeats in years took place last night when lowly Belarus won a match against the odds. Bulgaria will have to regroup and take stock of the result to find out where they went wrong for the next match.

Belarus national football squad put to shame Bulgaria and its Germancoach Lothar Matthaeus after defeating it 1:0 in a friendly game late on Wednesday.

The team of Belarus was in control of the game during most of the time thanks to the Bulgarians' weak performance and can only feel sorry for missing the chance to score more goals.

Sergey Kislyak scored the only goal from a rebound in the 33rd minute after Vladislav Stoyanov failed to block Dmitri Verkhovtsov's shot from inside the box.

The home side managed to fend off the Bulgarian attacks and hold on to their lead to claim the victory mainly because of the unimaginative and sluggish game of the Bulgarians.

Source: http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=131029

Harley Davidsons Gather in Bulgaria

noreply@blogger.com (Martin in Bulgaria) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 00:57:28 PDT

Harley Davidson bike owners are widespread in Bulgaria, so it was inevitable that this would happen. Could be an annual event it seems.

The first ever meeting of Bulgarian owners of Harley-Davidson motorcycles has been hosted by Veliko Tarnovo, a tourism center and Bulgaria's medieval capital.
About 150 people in Bulgaria own Harley-Davidson bikes, and half of those were expected to attend the meeting as the organizers sent invitations to Harley-Davidson clubs in Bulgaria and in neighboring countries.
The major driving force of the first Bulgarian Harley-Davidson meeting has beenVeliko Tarnovo businessman Petar Stefanov from the Bed Company Motor Club, Darik Veliko Tarnovo reported.
Stefanov is the owner of a 1600-cubic Harley-Davidson Fatboy that he purchased from the USA 5 years ago, the same model that was show in hit movie Terminator 2.

Source:http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=129859

Wages Up In Bulgaria - A Drop In The Ocean Really

noreply@blogger.com (Martin in Bulgaria) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 15:27:03 PDT

The wages are so low in Bulgaria that even what looks like a hike is just a drop in the ocean in terms of a real increase. Consider inflation and then it would be considered a drop relatively speaking! Worldwide trend you may say!

The average monthly pay in Bulgaria grew 4.2 per cent in quarterly terms to 699 leva in the second quarter of 2011, the National Statistics Institute (NSI) said on August 9.

The average salary in the country stood at 690 leva in June alone, down from 698 leva in May and 710 leva in April.

Source http://www.sofiaecho.com/2011/08/09/1136516_bulgarias-average-salary-grows-42per-cent-qq-in-q2-2011

Bulgaria's Petar Stoychev Swims To Victory Again

noreply@blogger.com (Martin in Bulgaria) — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 00:31:07 PDT

Petar has been mentioned on this site before and I feel is still very much underrated as an athlete. His achievements are now furthered with this win in Canada witha anice touch dedicating it to his fellow country people.

Bulgaria's top swimmer Petar Stoychev triumphed with an unprecedented victory at the Traversée Internationale du Lac Memphrémagog in Magog, Canada on Sunday.
The Bulgarian managed to overtake the frontrunner Ian Van der Hulst of the Netherlands to win his sensational 11th straight Traversée.
"We managed to achieve what we wanted in Canada. I dedicate my victory to all Bulgarians," said Stoychev.

Source: http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=130920Source

Boyko Borisov Has A Worried Look!

noreply@blogger.com (Martin in Bulgaria) — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 06:06:07 PDT

Well Bulgaria's Premier may have a worried look on his face with the current financial crisis escalating, but what he says is a contrast to the look he is giving.

Bulgaria currently counts on money from Brussels for large infrastructure projects, restructuring of the economy and social assistance programs.

Borisov says for Standart that the decisions of the European Commission would not be shaken by the American crisis because the countries in the Eurozone and allEU Member States are applying all possible efforts to keep the EUR stable.

"There is no reason to change the amount of the cohesion funding. What is more important for us is to absorb to the max the resources provided by the EU," the PM is quoted saying.

Economy experts in Bulgaria, however, argue about the impact of the US crisis on the country's financial market which has already suffered several blows. Some forecast a recession while others say Bulgaria's business and the stock exchange would not be affected negatively at all or not to the extent of those in the US and western Europe.

Source http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=130908

Batteries Recharged

noreply@blogger.com (Martin in Bulgaria) — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 15:54:56 PDT

I am now geared for more work on this blog very soon.

Thanks for your patience.

St John The Baptist To The Rescue Of Bulgaria's Economy

noreply@blogger.com (Martin in Bulgaria) — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 02:54:43 PDT

Well here is a story and a half and how diverse can you get to get the economy moving in Bulgaria. Finding the bones of John the Baptist? Whatever will they think of next time? Well Bulgarians I suppose are one of the most enterprising of people on how to survive hard times so to many this may not be a surprise.

To help pull Bulgaria out of its worst recession since the collapse of communism here 20 years ago, the government is looking to promote tourism. Touting the relics is part of that plan. Mr. Djankov, the finance minister, says he wants to double government spending on the development of religious tourism so "we can make this history profitable."

Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704216804575423673016971944.html

'Earth Hour' Every Few Weeks In Bulgaria

noreply@blogger.com (Martin in Bulgaria) — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 05:12:40 PDT

This of course happens every few weeks in towns and villages in Bulgaria. Power cuts and electricity switched off are common place here and not must for one hour either. This can last all day or longer. This of course is not in aid of a greener world. So the one hour power cut is not a novelty at all in Bulgaria.

The WWF has announced that 49 Bulgarian cities are set to take part in Earth Hour 2010 on Saturday evening at 20:30.

Bulgaria will take part in Earth Hour 2010, which is the country’s third participation in the event.

The WWF also announced that 125 countries and 4000-5000 cities worldwide will join in by switching off electrical appliances for one hour on Saturday evening, the action being a mainly symbolical global call to action to every individual, business and every community throughout the world to save energy and help prevent the deterioration of the global climate.

The idea behind it is for people to gather, to spend some time with friends in "peace and quiet", and have time to reflect on "themselves and their lives", the WWF continued..

The idea for Earth Hour originated in 2007 in Sydney, Australia, when 2,2 million homes and businesses turned their lights off for one hour to make their stand against climate change.

The Australian initiative proved highly popular around the world and a year later Earth Hour had become a global sustainability movement with more than 50 million people across 35 countries joining in.

Source: http://www.novinite.com

1000's Of Fake Driving Licences In Bulgaria - Accidents Galore the Result

noreply@blogger.com (Martin in Bulgaria) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 11:46:40 PDT

Bulgaria's transport minister said the country's high accident rate is because of tens of thousands of people who obtain drivers licenses on the black market.

Speaking on bTV Tuesday, Alexander Tsvetkov said for as little as $200, citizens can buy a fake license without any exam or road test, the Sofia Echo reported.

He said the estimate of as many as 20,000 people buying fake licenses each year is "very modest" and the real number he is aware of is "truly alarming."

"In the European Union, Bulgaria leads when it comes to fatalities in traffic accidents," the minister said.

Tsvetkov said previous governments had done nothing to combat the corruption.

"As of summer 2009, however, we have initiated radical changes and I can say that in the future this problem will be fixed," he said. "Some amendments to legislation have already been enacted, and the black market will be stopped."

Source: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/International/2010/03/16/Minister-Bulgaria-awash-in-fake-licenses/UPI-67451268758431/

Bulgarian Doctors Sick For A Change

noreply@blogger.com (Martin in Bulgaria) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 08:52:09 PST

The Doctors in Bulgaria are sick of not being paid what is due to them. The talking is over and the action has started, who suffers? The sick and the needy of course. With the opposition who supports their cause (if they were in power they wouldn't of course!) Is there an end? Or is it to escalate?

Doctors in two Bulgarian towns began a strike Monday that was set to expand nationally over non-payment of fees by the federal health ministry.

The National Association of General Practitioners warned of the strike during the weekend, saying its members hadn't been paid for their work in January, the Sofia Echo reported.

The strike is scheduled to expand to the capital Sofia and other cities by Tuesday, Mediapool.bg reported.

The doctors are also calling for healthcare reform to streamline the process of obtaining permission to refer patients for further treatment, the report said.

The union said anyone requiring medical care should visit a hospital emergency department, but they would have to pay cash for treatment,

Source: http://www.upi.com

If Could Have Been A Bulgarian Winter Olympic Medal

noreply@blogger.com (Martin in Bulgaria) — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 11:50:00 PST

It could have be a very different story is Bulgaria had been the chosen nationality and the medal became Bulgarian. This would have been the first medal in the winter Olympics for 30 years for Bulgaria and another day of celebration would have been made in the already cluttered days of celebration in late winter and spring. But is isn't and Slovakia claim that accolade.

Anastazia Kuzmina won the Olympics 7.5-kilometre biathlon sprint in Vancouver to give Slovakia its first Winter

Games gold, but only a few months ago she had been ready to compete for Bulgaria, said Bulgarian sports chiefs.

Former Bulgarian biathlon's national team coach Boran Hadzhiev said Kuzmina and her husband and coach contacted him to reveal she wanted to apply for Bulgarian citizenship and to compete for the Balkan country.

"It's true," Hadzhiev told Bulgarian media. "They were in Belmeken (southwestern Bulgaria) last summer and they asked me to help and let our federation know about Anastazia's desire to compete for Bulgaria.

"I discussed the situation with our federation's chiefs, but they decided against applying for Kuzmina's Bulgarian citizenship and her inclusion in the national team after all."

The 25-year-old had never won a World Cup event before her surprising victory at Whistler Olympic Park on Feb. 12. The Russian-born Kuzmina, who also works as a police officer as well as an athlete and a coach, switched allegiances to Slovakia in 2008.

"It's a shame because she's a top performer and could have helped the Bulgarian team," said Hadzhiev.

Bulgarian biathlon is going through hard times after the recent retirement of 1998 Olympic champion Ekaterina Dafovska and 2006 European champion Pavlina Filipova.

"In fact, Kuzmina got in touch with me again a few weeks later, but our officials didn't change their mind.," said Hadzhiev.

The Bulgarian Olympic Committee announced it would award enhanced cash bonuses to athletes who win medals in Vancouver, but despite the incentive the country has yet to record a podium finish with the Games finishing on Sunday.

Source: http://www.theprovince.com

An Actor May Be Filming In Bulgaria!?

noreply@blogger.com (Martin in Bulgaria) — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 11:42:00 PST

This may be of interests to film fans and 'Hollywood stars' followers, but to me I haven't the slightest interest where this actor is going to film. I'm sure he's a good actor, but many actors are treated as Gods just because they are cloned in Hollywood. There are many other better actors around who are better than Mickey Rourke but because they don't hell raise outside acting don't get noticed. It's actually called attention seeking.

Hollywood hellraiser Mickey Rourke is apparently in negotiations to play Conan’s father in the upcoming "Conan" movie, due to start filming soon in Bulgaria.

Marcus Nispel is directing the remake, which is being produced by Nu Image/Millenium Films and sees Jason Momoa playing the barbarian warrior created by Robert E. Howard.

Shooting is apparently due to start in the middle of March.

The story sees Conan embark on a quest to avenge the slaughter of his people including his father, Corin.

According to the rumour factory, Rourke, 57, had been offered the role but negotiations broke down at the last minute. Apparently, however, talks have now resumed.

Rourke's star status was revived following his Oscar nomination as best actor for his performance in The Wrestler in 2009. Although he won a BAFTA for his role he was pipped at the post by Sean Penn for Milk.

Rourke was previously best known for movies such as 9½ Weeks and Rumble Fish. His career subsequently nosedived and Rourke even became a professional boxer for a while before returning to acting.

Source: http://www.sofiaecho.com

Tax Officials In Bulgaria Are Also Tax Evaders

noreply@blogger.com (Martin in Bulgaria) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 11:09:00 PST

This is not unusual in Bulgaria where is use to be normal to evade taxes up until recently so old habits die hard. It will be a long time before all taxes that are due are paid but it will come with computerised systems that will account for everything from source. It seems that tax is becoming a reality for most but not all Bulgarians now.

There were some embarrassed faces at Bulgaria's tax office on Thursday after an investigation found more than 400 tax inspectors had failed to pay their traffic fines.

The Balkan nation has launched a crackdown on civil servants who don't pay what they owe, as part of plans to stamp out rampant fraud and raise revenues during the recession, the national revenue agency said.

Those tax officials caught will have money deducted from their February salaries to pay the fines.

More than 50,000 civil servants also face being checked for unpaid taxes and fines in March, a sign of the pressure Sofia is under at home and abroad to demonstrate results in its fight against graft and crime.

In July the European Union is due assess the government's record and failure to show progress could threaten access to more EU aid after in 2008 Brussels froze millions in aid over fraud.

Some political analysts and EU diplomats say the center-right government, elected last July on promises to restore the rule of law, has so far spared powerful oligarchs and big tax evaders.

"It's good to see things happening in Bulgaria but so far it has only targeted small fry," one EU diplomat in Sofia said.

The cabinet led by tough-talking Prime Minister Boiko Borisov has also been checking musicians, owners of luxury Bentley cars and football clubs for possible tax evasion. No results have been reported so far.

Sofia has own praise for cutting spending and taking action to curb smuggling in a bid to boost revenues and avoid a big budget deficit. Bulgaria ended 2009 with a budget gap of 0.8 percent of GDP, the lowest in the EU.

The poorest EU nation has been hard hit by the global crisis, which ended 12 years of economic growth.

Source: http://www.reuters.com

noreply@blogger.com (Martin in Bulgaria) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 11:28:00 PST

Politicians are just another form of organised crime in many cases. This is a prime example of another political criminal, the only difference between Emila Maslarova is that she has got caught, how many other have got away with it to date? It doesn't give voters any more confidence in a country that has been disaffected with politicians for many decades.

Emilia Maslarova, labour minister in the previous cabinet, has been charged with abuse of power, authorities announced on Tuesday (February 23rd). She is accused of misappropriating 5.5m euros in state funds. This is the first in a series of indictments that Sofia's chief district prosecutor, Nikolay Kokinov, has promised in the coming days.

Source: http://www.setimes.com

Getting Back To Grass Roots For Bulgarian Football Club Botev Plovdiv?

noreply@blogger.com (Martin in Bulgaria) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 08:28:08 PST

Sign of the times where football clubs cannot be accountable to the contracts that were made with their players. Football is a business like any other and if you can't pay your staff then you shouldn't employ them. It is no wonder that protests were made and action taken. Ironically, many football fans call for football clubs to go back grass roots where player play for the love of the game not money. It may lead to this if the club get demoted even further in the future.

Botev Plovdiv have been expelled from the Bulgarian first division for non-payment of debts and registering insufficient players, the Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) said on Wednesday.

In the last few weeks, the BFU has upheld claims by 19 players that Botev, twice Bulgarian champions, breached their contracts by failing to pay them for several months.

The club, who were bottom of the division, also failed to pay taxes and fines imposed by the football authorities.

The Bulgarian championship resumes on Friday after a winter break of two-and-a-half months. Botev will be marked down as having 3-0 defeats in all their matches until the end of the championship.

Botev, who celebrate their centenary in 2012, will most probably be relegated to the Balkan country's third division.

"It's a pity because Botev are a club with a great history," said BFU vice-president Atanas Furnadzhiev. "However, the BFU has to observe its rules."

Botev's players have been unable to train this year because of disruptive protests by fans who accused club president Dimitar Hristolov of doing little to pull the club out of financial trouble and of obstructing several candidates interested in buying the club.

Source: http://football.uk.reuters.com

Bulgarian Nuclear Plant Gets Russian Help To Get Reopened

noreply@blogger.com (Martin in Bulgaria) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 11:01:00 PST

This is good news and will be of some comfort to Bulgarians with another source of power that cannot be cut out from outsiders. That is if the funding and support from Russia isn't under conditions of having ownership of the plant. Let's hope that safety has gone up a gear or two with Russian nuclear designers and constructors.

Bulgaria and Russia have agreed to start building a nuclear power plant in the Bulgarian town of Belene this autumn, Russian Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko said on Saturday (February 20th), after a trip to Sofia for talks with Bulgarian counterpart Traycho Traykov. Shmatko added that a series of details were discussed, particularly Russia's readiness to provide financial assistance until a strategic investor is found. Russia will finance construction of the plant through a project company established for this purpose and is ready to invest 1.9 billion euros over a period of two years. Efforts to build the plant have stalled a number of times.

Source: http://www.setimes.com

Smoking - Hard To Give Up In Bulgaria

noreply@blogger.com (Martin in Bulgaria) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 11:12:00 PST

It is more than the pressure of unemployment that causes this U-Turn in EU forced ban on smoking. Everyone knows that smoking is hard to give up and when it is part of the culture in a country it becomes even harder. There might be another motive as the tax from cigarettes is needed in these hard times, even though around 50% of cigarettes are contraband in the Bulgaria. Protests from smokers of course act as a good excuse to relax the ban from a government who want to keep up their popularity, just as they skipped on more rakia tax last year.

The center-right GERB party, which won general elections last July, said its proposed relaxation of a ban on smoking in all public places would avoid hurting the tourist industry during tough economic times.

The proposed changes have the support of the Socialists but some of GERB's rightist allies in parliament said they would vote against them.

According to a draft submitted to parliament, restaurants and cafes smaller than 100 square meters (1,000 sq ft) in size will decide whether to allow smoking while larger establishments would be required to designate separate non-smoking halls.

Similar measures were imposed as part of a partial smoking ban in 2005 but have been widely ignored. Smoking will remain forbidden in all public buildings and on public transport.

The Balkan country of 7.6 million people has the second highest percentage of smokers in the EU after Greece. More than half of men and about a third of women smoke, surveys show.

Source: http://www.reuters.com

Sergey Stanishev Criticises Boyko Borisov Come What May

noreply@blogger.com (Martin in Bulgaria) — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 11:02:00 PST

Sour grapes is all I can think of when this failed Prime Minister Sergey Sytanishev now criticises the current popular PM Boyko Borisov for doing what Prime Ministers do, tell people what to do. I wonder whether there would have been criticism from Sergey Stanishev if Boyko didn't send shots over the Mayors' bow on spending EU funds.

Bulgaria Socialist Party leader, Sergey Stanishev, has slammed PM Boyko Borisov for mocking local mayors by warning them not to abuse EU funds.

Stanishev, speaking at a BSP Todorovden meeting with Chairs of municipal and district council in Plovdiv, said; “I wonder why the mayors endured that mockery. That was ridiculous. Mayors are not subject to the prime minister, nor does he give them enough money to treat them like that.”

Stanishev added that the blame for local mayors not being able to absorb EU funds lies squarely on the shoulders of the government, who he suggested do not give them enough money to be able to co-finance projects

Borisov, issued Thursday a stern warning to all local mayors to not abuse the recently released EU funds.

Stanishev concluded by saying that the membership of BSP remains high and that the rules have been prepared already for BSP elections to choose candidates for the 2011 local elections.

Source: http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=113399

2010 Winter Olympic Medals Look Even Further Away Fro Bulgaria Now

noreply@blogger.com (Martin in Bulgaria) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 08:48:00 PST

What a shame, so many time injuries cause heartache to sportsmen and women who have a good chance of winning. Lets' hope this bad luck is balanced by some good luck in other events where one of the other 18 competitors from Bulgaria are competing.

Bulgaria's arguably biggest hope for a medal in the Vancouver Olympics was banked in the ladies snowboarding event. But that is no longer a possibility after Alexandra Zhekova fell in a practice run aggravating an old injury on February 16 2010.

In spite of the pain, she then proceeded with the first run of the actual competition, where matters got from bad to worse. She fell again and barely made it to the final where she requested medical assistance and was stretchered out.

She has been forced to pull out of the Olympics altogether and, according to Bulgarian media, her physicians advised her that she refrains from any further snowboarding activities for a while and takes a prolonged rest until June.

"My fist practice run was great. Why did I even bother to have the second go?" she was quoted as saying by Dnevnik daily. "But this is just the type of person I am, I am a perfectionist."

She was ferried to the hospital in the Olympic Village where it was revealed that she nearly suffered a torn muscle.

"She needs rest and rehabilitation. For the moment it is uncertain if she will require surgery," Victor Zhekov, father and coach of the athlete was quoted as saying.

She will remain under medical treatment in Vancouver until her return to Bulgaria, where her rehabilitation is to continue.

Source: http://www.sofiaecho.com

Contraband Cigarettes Seized In Bulgaria

noreply@blogger.com (Martin in Bulgaria) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 11:38:00 PST

The customs had better get used to finding hauls like this - and why? Because the price of cigarettes will have gone up in retail price by some 43% over the last year. It is a natural progression that Bulgarians will use unlawful ways to avoid being ripped off with excess tax on cigarettes, not with a view of improving their health but pure finance and a slave to EU persuasion. I can't blame the contraband groups that are basically supplying a demand. Ask any Bulgarian if they are worried about smoking contraband cigarettes that are cheaper - you will not get any complaints.

Bulgarian Customs officers detained Tuesday a container shipment with cigarettes at the Port of Varna worth BGN 1,6 M.

The container contains 997 master cases of cigarettes, with 10 boxes of cigarettes each (each box contains 10 packs).

The Customs Agency is about to order laboratory tests in order to discover where the cigarettes were made. The importing firm is registered in Sofia, and the National Revenue Agency and the Interior Ministry are about to stage an all-out inspection of its activities.

Bulgaria’s Finance Minister Simeon Djankov, who has put an emphasis on fighting contraband in order to raise state revenue, visited the Port of Varna Tuesday in order to see the captured shipment of smuggled cigarettes and to inspect the work of the port customs.

He has thanked the customs officers for their works, and vowed to continue to crack down on contraband.

He announced that the Customs Agency had ordered eight new scanners from abroad which would arrive in two months, and would be provided to the customs along the Black Sea coast, and along Bulgaria’s border with Serbia and Greece.

“We are not going to stop our efforts until contraband disappears as a topic for Bulgaria, and until smugglers select other routes circumventing Bulgaria. With respect to the contraband of cigarettes, our aim has always been to bring it from the current 40% down to 5% of the market,” Finance Minister Djankov declared.

Source: http://bulgariadailynews.blogspot.com

More Tapping Proposed For Bulgarian Police

noreply@blogger.com (Martin in Bulgaria) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 11:33:00 PST

If the law changes to give more access to tapping form police to solve crimes that would be great. My main worry here is the the police can't be trusted due to corruption throughout the force and the power they will be given will lead to more corruption, blackmail and extortion.

On February 17 2010, Bulgaria's Parliament approved the second reading of amendments to the Electronic Communications Act, but only after serious concessions.

The version of amendments approved by Parliament's internal security and public order committee on February 3, which left in the possibility for police to use access to communication data for crimes that carry sentences of less than five years, including causing death by negligence, threatening an officer, threat of murder, soliciting prostitution and providing premises for prostitution, acquisition or distribution of pornographic material, vote-buying, illegal border crossings, was not acceptable for a majority in Parliament.

At the proposal of opposition parties and the Blue Coalition, the amendments were revised to include only serious crimes carrying a minimum jail sentence of five years, and computer crimes, Bulgarian-language daily Dnevnik said.

Source: http://www.sofiaecho.com