Bulgarian Sumo Gets Success Again

Kaloyan has yet again made a big impression in the land of sumo. Having a great following from Bulgarian folk he is regarded as a sporting hero here and will no doubt become one of the Bulgarian sporting greats even though the sport of sumo is rather obscure. Bulgarians have the build for strength sports such as sumo, many bodyguards here could easily make the same impression if they took the bait in Japan.

Bulgarian sumo wrestler Kotooshu won a crucial match against grand champion, the Yokozuna Asashoryu late Friday.
Kaloyan Mahlyanov aka Kotooshu handed the Mongolian his first defeat during the 14th round of the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament in Fukuoka. There is only one round remaining before the winners are announced.
The victory is a sweet revenge for the Bulgarian who suffered a crushing defeat during his playoff with the Ulan Bator champion in September
Currently, Kotooshu ranks 6th in the tournament, with 10 wins and 4 losses.
In the last round the Bulgarian will face the Ozeki Harumafuji with 8 wins and 6 losses.

Source: www.novinite.com

Metro -The New Anti-Christ In Bulgaria

This is a very sad time for Bulgaria who has now given in to commercialism brought home by western European owned companies operating in their sly way here. The whole ethics of the Christmas season is down the drain in one fell swoop as this Anti-Christ Metro company set the ball rolling for the evil of commercialism to spread. I can’t hide my hate for companies such as these, with business far outweighing importance than a day of family bonding and reflection on the birth of Christianity at home.

Metro Cash & Carry announced its chain of stores would work non-stop over the Christmas and New Years holiday period in Bulgaria.

The company said in a media statement that its goal was to serve its professional hotel and restaurant customers better.

Metro has 11 shops in nine cities across the country, including two apiece in Sofia and Plovdiv.

Source: www.sofiaecho.com

Aliens In Bulgaria

An interesting post to say the least, almost sci-fi in nature. Whether you choose to believe such report is entirely at your own discretion. Aliens in Bulgaria however I can believe, I see them everyday, they are called politician and they of course are responsible for the demise of the planet as a whole. This apart the fact that a prominent figure has admitted this brings about some credibility to the story.

A boffin at the Bulgarian national Space Research Institute has stated that not only are aliens living among us, but that they object strongly to "immoral behaviour" by humanity - such as causing global warming. "Unnatural" acts such as use of cosmetics and "artificial insemination" are also frowned upon by the extraterrestrial visitors.
Luchezar Filipov, deputy head of the space institute at the government's Bulgarian Academy of Science, made these startling assertions to Bulgarian media earlier this week.
The Sofia Echo, referencing other local media, quotes the eminent space brainbox as stating that "they [aliens] are here right now, among us" and that the extraterrestrials are "conducting surveillance" and - chillingly - "research" on humanity.
“They are currently all around us, and are watching us all the time. They are not hostile towards us; rather, they want to help us but we have not grown enough in order to establish direct contact with them," said the Bulgarian boffin, according to Sofia news agency novinite.com.
Reportedly Filipov and unnamed colleagues have elicited this information by decrypting messages hidden within crop circles. The crop-circle "pictograms" were said to have been a response to questions posed by the Academy scientists.
Crop-circle comms being unreliable, Filipov apparently feels that future direct contact will come through the medium of "mental power and telepathy". However, some basic themes have apparently been made clear.
"The aliens are very critical of our immoral behaviour and our destruction of the environment," says Filipov, according to the Echo. "They say that global warming is attributed mainly to infrastructural engineering."
Presumably the star-travelling aliens have long ago graduated to advanced energy sources such as nuclear fusion or antimatter, and sneer at our pathetic fossil-fuelled civilisation.
Filipov stated that the alien spies in our midst have other objections to our lifestyle, too.
"They are very skeptical of our use of cosmetics, and artificial insemination because this is unnatural," he reportedly said.
There was no word on the aliens' views on gang-probing of humans abducted as part of their "research" programme.

Source: www.theregister.co.uk
Image by Redgum via Flickr

Now A 15% Hike On Gambling Tax

I’ve said before that gambling is an evil occupation and that there should be a curb on encouraging it so it is with a slight joy I see this tax being decided. This goes against the vote against 10% tax on gambling a few days ago that I posted on. Things change so quickly in politics!

All gambling activities will have a 15 per cent unified tax rate as of 2010, Bulgaria's Parliament decided on November 26 2009, approving the second reading of amendments to the Corporate Income Act.

Currently, gambling on sports is taxed at 10 per cent of revenue, while all other games of chance, such as lottery, casino games and bingo, are levied 12 per cent tax.

The quarterly tax on gambling machines and roulette tables will also be increased as of January 1 2010. Currently gambling machines are taxed 300 leva every three months while the rate for roulette tables is 18 000 leva. This will increase to 500 leva and 22 000 leva due every three months.

The move to increase the tax on gambling has been widely criticised by Bulgaria's gambling industry associations and Bulgaria’s largest bookmaker, Eurofootball.

The company said that the increased tax would have a negative effect on the industry, which employed about 80 000 people, and would not lead to more revenue to the Budget, given that the industry’s revenue was already down 40 per cent. According to a company statement, the 12 per cent tax rate would bring about 30 million leva in losses for the sector in 2010.

According to Finance Ministry calculations, the two percentage point increase would bring a further 12 million leva to the Budget every year. Legislators should raise revenue collection from the gambling industry by concentrating on better regulation of the online gambling business, which could bring as much as 160 million leva more to the Budget annually, Eurofootball said.

The bookmaker has long lobbied for government regulation of online gambling, which, Eurofootball argues, is illegal because none of the major international betting websites is licensed as a bookmaker in Bulgaria.

Source: www.sofiaecho.com

EU Commisioner On Another Fee VIP Holiday

This is a complete and utter waste of money – AGAIN. I had already stated my case as to why on a previous post, (more-eu-money-wasted-on-bulgarian-vip) All this guy is going to do is have a VIP tour of Bulgaria paid by the EU taxpayers and he will be told what he wants to hear. And we wonder where the money goes…..

Pawel Samecki, EU Commissioner for Regional Policy, will again visit Bulgaria to inspect EU-funded projects on Thursday and Friday.
The Commissioner will visit the north east and south east regions of the country, to view at first hand how the EU’s cohesion policy is helping to improve citizens’ way of life, and providing support for local businesses.
He will visit the Black Sea cities of Burgas and Varna, to inspect a number of EU-funded projects, including educational, environmental and social developments.
Samecki will be accompanied by Bulgaria’s Minister for Regional Developments and Public Works, Rosen Plevneliev, and Nona Karadzhova, Minister of Environment and Water..
This is the second visit by Pawel Samecki in just over a month. In late October, he visited the south west and north central regions of Bulgaria, where he toured the Sofia Metro and inspected the construction of the Lyulin Highway, before visiting businesses and schools in the Gabrovo region.
Explaining his reasons for visiting Bulgaria, Regional Commissioner Samecki said: “I am looking forward to seeing what has already been achieved on the ground and to finding out more about planned and new developments.”

Source: http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=110399

No 10% Tax On Gambling In Bulgaria

In my opinion it is a pity that the extra 10% of tax didn’t go through and get approved and put more people off from gambling. It is said that you should only gamble what you can afford to lose, but this isn’t the case to the poor who do it just with hope in mind. Gambling of course is an addiction to many just like smoking. Pity the government are just looking for way to get funds from the poor and gullible rather than the riches made from organised crime. In fact taxing the poor is a kind of organised crime in itself!

Fears that the recently proposed 10 percent Bulgarian gambling tax would by further boosted to 15 percent faded in the National Assembly Friday as the Budget Commission rejected a motion by conservative politicians to raise the tax by another 5 percent.
The conservative party “Law, Order, Justice” (RZS) and members of the Blue Coalition had proposed that the gambling tax be raised from 10 percent to 15 percent, arguing that this should be calculated on a profit basis, reports the Novinite news agency.
But although the 15 percent increase motion failed, a proposal to increase the tax to 12 percent based on turnover passed the Council of Ministers.
Other taxation moves passed included a quarterly levy on gambling and betting machines.
The new taxes come into force in January 2010 as part of an amended Corporate Income Tax Act.
The Bulgarian Association for Entertainment and Gambling Games, which had earlier warned that tax increases could be the final blow to battling gambling companies reiterated its warning that the increased taxation could cause the collapse of the industry, risking 40 000 jobs and government revenues.

Source: www.recentpoker.com
Image by incurable_hippie via Flickr

Solar Power In Bulgaria - The Sensible Energy Source Here

I have always said that the potential for solar power in Bulgaria is great and makes total practical sense. There is already one up and running a few kilometres from my home here and I'm sure it is wel on its way to paying for its instalation. Renewable energy with almost no running costs has to the be future of energy here. Once again though I will say that this will not indice lower electricity bills as the greed factor from energy companies with onlyh profits in mind will curtail.

Image by Thai Jasmine via Flickr

.....Bulgaria can pass the Czech Republic as Eastern Europe's most lucrative solar energy market if the government removes legal pitfalls blocking investment in the country's strong sun potential, experts say.

Investors are looking for new opportunities in central and southeastern Europe after Spain and Germany, the global industry leaders in photovoltaics (PV) that turn sunlight into energy, have cut or plan to curtail incentives.

The Czech Republic has attracted the lion's share of investment in Eastern Europe due to generous subsidies. But Prague is expected to reduce the feed-in tariffs from 2010, a move that could make Bulgaria a more promising market in the medium to long-term, analysts say.

The Balkan country has already attracted applications for 1,000 megawatts of new solar parks thanks to its incentives.

Source: www.solarplaza.com
Image by Thai Jasmine via Flickr

What a Waste From The EC

The European Commission is just bullying Bulgaria and using tactics that just are not in line of sensible action. Instead of giving out financial penalties they should support the action on waste with financial help. The problem in Sofia lies plainly with finance to deal with the problem of waste. This will be exaggerated if ill afforded funds are demanded from sueing. Just another example of the EC creating more problems for Bulgaria.

The European Commission (EC) is pursuing court action against Bulgaria for failing to properly implement European Union waste disposal law, the EC said in a November 20 2009 media statement.

The case concerns inadequate waste disposal facilities in Sofia. Bulgaria should have had an adequate network of waste disposal installations in place by the time it joined the EU on January 1 2007 but no solution is in place.

Sofia continues to rely on the old sub-standard Sudohol landfill.

"Community funding is available to upgrade the capital's waste infrastructure. However, while the Bulgarian authorities have been working towards making important new investments, a solution remains some years away," the EC said.

This is a breach of EU waste law which establishes basic waste management requirements that member states must meet to ensure a high level of protection for the environment and human health.

Article 228 of the treaty gives the EC power to act against a Member State that does not comply with a previous judgement of the European Court of Justice. The article also allows the EC to ask the court to impose a financial penalty on the member state.

Source: www.sofiaecho.com

Tax Increases In Alcohol and Tobacco Planned - No Problem To Resourceful Bulgarians

Rules on tax increases may be made on paper but at ground level Bulgarians invariable will get around the increase by using loop-holes and ways and means to avoid it. Growing their own tobacco and making illegal rakia in their own out houses at 2 o’clock in the morning to avoid detection will take course.

The Members of the Bulgarian Parliament offered Thursday the latest surprise regarding the alcohol and cigarettes tax increase.
The new excise duties were changed and increased on second read during the Budget Committee meeting from their values approved on first read. The move makes the Parliamentary Hall voting crucial for the final decision.
The hard liquor tax, according to the latest stakes, would increase by BGN 0,72 per liter. The increase also includes the traditional homemade grape and fruit brandy - “rakia” where just the first 30 liters would be free of taxation. Only beer tax remains unchanged.
The cigarette tax will be BGN 100 for 1 000 cigarettes plus 23% of the sales prices. This will reduce the price difference between cheaper and more expensive cigarettes, but all cigarettes will be sold for over BGN 4 for a pack.
The opposition voiced once again their opinion the price hike would lead to an increase of cigarette and alcohol contraband while tobacco makers believe the move would not lower the staggering number of smokers in the country and would rather lead to people rolling tobacco, smoking cheaper cigarettes, or buying them on the black market.

Source: http://www.novinite.com

Martin Petrov To Spurs? Don't Do It Martin

Don’t do it Martin, Tottenham are a losers’ side, ask any Arsenal fan, stay with Manchester City and the excellent pay packet they give you. You can retire with the whole of your family back in Bulgaria in a couple of years. Martin Petrov is Bulgarian who has done well in the UK. I can’t see him staying there when his football career is over though. He’s only there for the money and high profile football of course.

Manchester City are interested in Tottenham winger David Bentley and could bid GBP 8 M for the 25-year-old in a deal that will include Bulgarian Martin Petrov, British media reported.
Winger Martin Petrov was agonisingly close to becoming a Spurs player in the summer after being consistenyly left on the substitutes' bench by Mark Hughes. The two clubs started negotiations on the last day of the transfer window, but failed to reach an agreement.
Now the Bulgarian is believed to be used as a sweetener for the deal, which is widely viewed as a good one for both clubs as it will be a chance to freshen up the two players who have fallen out of favour at their current homes.
The reports come a week after Manchester City boss Mark Hughes confirmed the club is in talks with Martin Petrov about a new deal, with the Bulgaria winger's current contract expiring at the end of this season.
"We've sat down and talked about a new deal. Martin's in the last year of his contract and I'm sure we're going to do something there," Hughes said.
The manager is expected to offer the new contract at the beginning of January.

Source: http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=110111

German Supermarket Creates Jobs - But How Many Will Be Lost In The Long Term

Another supermarket making a spread in Bulgarian towns up and down the country. Good to see employment being created, but this is a fasle economy and as well as the cost of supermarket sterile environments. It will be the demise of personal friendly service from ‘local’ grocer shops that are owned run and employ their own Bulgarian staff. The job losses in this area will far outweigh the jobs created. What a crying shame this is happening in Bulgaria right now.

The German "Plus" chain will officially open its eighth Bulgarian retail outlet on Wednesday evening, in the town of Radnevo, close to Stara Zagora.

The new store will be open to customers on Thursday. The retailer has already opened stores in Bulgarian towns such as Pernik, Sevlievo, Silistra and Vratsa.

The company plans to expand to another 15 Bulgarian towns by the end of 2009. They have already invested BGN 150 M in Bulgaria, and this is set to increase to BGN 210 M, along with the creation of over 300 new jobs.

"Plus" is a chain of discount retail stores, typically of 1 000 – 1 200 square meters, offering a wide range of own-label goods specially produced in Bulgaria and other European countries, and specifically targeted at the fast turnover market sector.

Source: http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=110084

New Sofia Mayor Is A woman But Has A Man Behind Her

An overwhelming vote for this woman from the Education department, event though the turnout for voting for Sofia's Mayor was just over 15%! Boyko Borisov and the popular GERB party I feel had everything to do with her being elected. Time will tell as always with newly elected people in power.

The new Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova has stated that she realizes the responsibility she has taken on and hopes that Sofia’s citizens will be patient as “things do not happen by magic.”

Fandakova, from the ruling center-right party GERB, received exactly 66,23% of the votes in Sunday’s Elections. She stated Monday in an interview for bTV that she already know part of her team and intends to impose her style quickly. She also spoke of her relationship with Bulgaria PM Boyko Borisov; “I will always pick up the phone to the Prime Minister and will call him whenever needed.”

“We will ask for money from the state for specific projects, we will not seek general funds but will concentrate on these projects. I think Sofia will receive all the funds it requires,” Fandakova added.

Regarding the problem areas in Sofia the former Education Minister Fandakova said; “We will be working to open more nurseries and to sort out the problem with stray dogs…we will also make a long-term strategy to sort out traffic congestion in the city.”

Fandakova concluded that the problem of Roma ghettos in Sofia would not be sorted out over 1-2 years but instead required a strategy for overcoming them gradually. She also said that a clear register of Sofia residents would be created but there would be no restrictions on people in the form of ‘Sofia citizenship’.

Source: www.bulgariagazette.com

More Wind Powered Electricity In Bulgaria - Never Cheaper Though

This is good new all round for Bulgaria on an energy source that is plentiful in this country that is a wind tunnel with the plains in the middle of two sets of mountain in the north and south. It makes so much sense to take this route in capturing the renewable energy source. We do hope that is will reduce the massive tariffs on electricity paid by Bulgarians. Currently, (excuse the pun) 25% of my income is taken up paying electric bills in our home. We all know reduce electricity bills will never happen.

Bulgaria will take on an ambitious plan to expand its power capacity from 330 megawatts at present to over 3,000 megawatts by 2020.
According to a European Union directive establishing mandatory targets for renewable energy in member states, Bulgaria is required to increase its renewable energy mix to 16 percent by 2020. Currently, renewable energy makes up 9.4 percent of Bulgaria’s supply.
Kostadinka Todorova, director for energy efficiency and environmental protection at the Bulgarian Ministry of Energy noted that not only is the administration on track to submit their action plan to the European Commission, but they are also working on a new renewable energy law to attract even more investment in the sector.
A workshop on integrating wind power organized by the European Wind Energy Association in cooperation with the Bulgarian Association of Producers of Ecological Energy pooled industry leaders, government representatives and national electricity companies to discuss the potential for wind power development in the country.
Bulgaria is expected to submit a national action plan to boost renewable energy by June 2010.

Source: www.ecoseed.org

Bulgarians Not Interested Voting In Sofia's New Major

Less than 15% turn out in the capital to vote for their new mayor! Just shows you how isolated the people feel in Bulgaria with politicians of whom they have no confidence in. ‘Puppets on a string’ is how one of my Bulgarian friends described all politicians in Bulgaria. I think he could draw that tag on politicians worldwide!

Citizens are showing little interest in the six mayoral by-elections, which are held in Bulgaria on Sunday, including the capital Sofia, leading to a record-low turnout, official data shows.
Four hours before the voting day ends at 7 pm, less than 15% of the eligible voters in the capital, have cast a ballot for the race that will pick the successor of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov. The same turnout was registered in the northwestern city of Vratsa.
The village of Beglezh, located close to the northern city of Pleven, currently tops the turnout ranking with 50% of the voters having already cast a ballot. Next comes the southwestern region of Razlog, where the turnout reached 39,52% and the town of Pravetz (30,19%).
Representatives of the Central Electoral Commission have called on the citizens to cast a ballot in the elections, saying time is running out.

Source: www.novinite.com

No F1 Planned In Bulgaria Now - Down To Costs

F1 in Bulgaria, it did have a ring about it. Well after all the excitement and expectation it fails to go ahead. It’s all done to money at the end of the day and there isn’t any in the coffers to fund this. I suppose priorities of the government have to be set right and other matters bear more important funding than car racing round a circuit.

Bulgarian organisers have scrapped plans to host a Formula One race.
The organising body Bulgarian Motorcycling Federation (BMF) had held meetings with Bernie Ecclestone and reportedly even received a race contract for 2011-2015.
But BMF chief Bogdan Nikolov has announced that the plans, as well as the federation, have been suspended. The Bulgarian sports minister had announced this week that only "land for construction" would be provided.
"At the end of what was possibly our most successful season ever, we have to suspend all activities and shut down the federation," Nikolov is quoted as saying by the Sofia Echo newspaper.
"This federation cannot be sustained by the personal loans that I myself provide. I have to pay off debts and loans from banks, I even sold some of my own personal property to keep operations going."
He added that there is "no sign" that the government will change its approach to funding in the future.

Source: www.motorsport.com
Image by DonFrance-photos via Flickr

Bulgarian's Pay Dearly And Unfairly For Smoking

When I read this I wasn’t in the least surprised with the plan. Forget about the next 9 years, the previous five years have seen a regular rise in the price of tobacco products already, so the established trend is just set to continue. Who suffers? It is the poor Bulgarians of course in a country where smoking is part of the culture. I really have a great deal of sympathy for smokers in Bulgaria, even though I don’t’smoke myself. It is a pleasure they get and pleasures are getting few are far between since joining the EU. If a public want to smoke let them and don't exploit them financially, the majority of the country smoke so what happened to a democracy?

Bulgaria's new government plans to raise duties on cigarettes for the next nine years except for 2011, the finance minister announced on Wednesday.
Excise duties on cigarettes will be raised 43% next year, reaching EUR 76 per 1,000 pieces, in a bid to curb smoking, relieve the health care system and redirect more money to it. The current rate is EUR 52 per 1,000 units and the excise hike will bring the prices of most popular brands to BGN 4.50-4.90 a pack.
European Union countries agreed on Tuesday to raise taxes on tobacco products sold in the bloc, in a bid to protect public health and boost government revenue.
Under the deal, starting in 2014, the minimum tax will be raised to EUR 90 per 1 000 cigarettes, and no lower than 60% of their sales price. The current minimum rate is EUR 64 per 1 000 cigarettes and no lower than 57% of the sales price.
“We won't be waiting till the very last moment and will start in 2012 to gradually increase the excise duty so that they reach European levels before 2018,” the minister explained.
Under the adopted rules, after the deal comes into force in 2014 until the excise duties reach the lowest levels in all member states, scheduled for 2018, all foreigners, EU citizens, departing from Bulgaria, will be allowed to carry no more than 300 pieces (15 packs) bought here.

Source: www.novinite.com

Coal Power On Borrowed Time In Bulgaria

This power station can be seen form my home in Skalitsa which is about 25 kilometres away. I see the black smoke that is expelled from the towering chimney. I hear the illegal cleaning of the chimney with blasts of air in the early hours of the morning before dusk. Coal energy is dirty anyway so perhaps it is time to rethink of another cleaner source of energy in this area. It has a great potential for wind and solar power over the Thracian plains so we could see turbines and solar systems in its place soon.

B

ulgaria may be forced to shut down two units at its biggest coal-fired power plant of Maritsa East next year for failing to meet European Union environment standards, the environment ministry said on Thursday.
The 1,556-megawatt plant plans to finish the construction of facilities to reduce sulphur emissions and air pollution at the two units, 215 megawatts each, by November 2011 although the deadline set by Brussels was December 2007.
Earlier this year, Bulgaria's new center-right government that won July election, shut down four generators of a total of 68 MW at a coal power plant in the western city of Pernik for failing to upgrade them to EU environmental norms.
"If we face the launch of a legal action (against the country by the European Commission over Maritsa East), we will have no other way out but act the way we did in Pernik," Deputy Environment Minister Evdokia Maneva told a news conference.
A working group from the environment and the economy and energy ministries is analysing how the possible shutdown would affect the Balkan country's energy balance and the possible financial losses.
After numerous delays, Bulgaria's previous Socialist-led government contracted a consortium of Italy's engineering company Idreco and China's Insigma Technology to build desulphurisation installations at the two units.
The six remaining units at Maritsa East Two already have desulphurisation facilities.
Maritsa East Two produces about 17 percent of the power in the country. The plant is located in the Maritsa East lignite coal mining complex in southern Bulgaria, which generates 30 percent of its electricity.
U.S. company AES is now building a new 670 WM plant in the complex, while Italy's Enel, which owns 73 percent in Maritsa East Three, last year finished unit upgrades bringing the plant's capacity to 681 MW.
Bulgaria relies on coal for over 40 percent of its electricity, nuclear energy accounts for about 35 percent and the rest comes from natural gas and hydro power.

Source: http://www.reuters.com
Image via Wikipedia

More Wolves In Bulgaria? Do We Need Imports!?

I think Bulgaria has enough wolves for the moment. They keep me awake at night with their howling, especially during a clear night and full moon. I have been told to take a gun with me if I go out walking in the hills that surround my home, as they have been known to attack humans during the winter months. Wolves are shot here so the protection of wolves in this part of the world is another law that is flaunted in Bulgaria.

Josef Kunz, a member of the far-right Swiss People Party (SVP), also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre (UDC), has said that he wants to expel wolves from his country and ship them over to Bulgaria and Romania, Dnevnik daily reported on November 11 2009.

Kunz told Swiss media that sending wolves to Bulgaria and Romania makes sense because "there is no room for wolves in Switzerland and besides, in Bulgaria and Romania, the animals will face a natural enemy – bears".

An alternative proposal of expelling the wolves over to Italy was apparently dismissed by Kunz and his party, because sending them to Italy would only mean that they "they would return back to Switzerland".

"Between arable land, farms, and urban areas, there is simply no habitat left for the wolves in this country – thus they don't have the right to be here," Dnevnik daily said, citing Swiss media.

The proposal of shipping the carnivores over to the Balkans has come as a debate rages on the status of wolves in Switzerland. The Swiss parliament must decide if they ought to lower the protective status of the animals from "strictly protected species" to "protected species", which will allow the authorities to take swifter measures against the animals should they become a greater nuisance.

The SVP (UDC) is a populist, national conservative political party in Switzerland. It supports increased Swiss political sovereignty.

The party also embodies the principle of self-reliance, and is skeptical toward any expansion of governmental powers. This is most evident in the rejection of Swiss accession into the EU, military actions abroad, and increased state expansion projects in areas such as social welfare and public education.

Source: www.sofiaecho.com

Bulgaria Shun Greedy Bolivian Football Association

Ha, ha, greedy second-rate Bolivian football Association trying it on and got egg on their face. Well done Bulgaria for throwing the egg, I landed and smashed good and proper. Friendly football matches are for the benefit of both teams to try out their teams and are not a money spinning exercise.

The Bolivian FA have decided to scrap their scheduled international against Bulgaria. The friendly was supposed to be played at the Vasil Levski National Stadium on November 14.

The Bolivians suddenly demanded a large sum of money to travel to Sofia, according to an official statement from the Bulgarian Football Union. Bulgaria turned down the demand, and the match has therefore been cancelled.

Bulgaria’s national team is still on schedule to visit Malta on November 18.

It's not yet sure certain whether Bolivia's friendly game against Cyprus, scheduled for 18 November, will be played.

Source: www.goal.com
Image via Wikipedia

The Mafia In Bulgaria Are Untouchable - Proof Again

The are mafia untouchable in Bulgarian and the government turn a blind eye to it, this was expected when Boyko Borisov took over the reins of power. Promises of quelling corruption and organised crime will always be made in manifestoes for elections but actually honouring this is another thing. Too scared to act I feel is the case here as action may well lead to pay backs from the underground and that could be assassinations!

Bulgaria's President has harshly criticized the popular new center-right government for its failure to impose measures to combat crime, saying the mafia bosses in the country remain untouchable.
Talking at a round table with students, President Georgi Parvanov described as “fast” and “radical” the moves that the government took in connection with the missing classified reports on crime that led prosecutors to probe former Socialist Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev.
“Why doesn't the government act as swiftly in combating the bosses of the organized crime, who have turned into one of the symbols of the Bulgarian transition?”, Parvanov said. “I can't shake off the feeling that the big mafia bosses are still untouchable.”
The previous government, led by Stanishev, has been hit by a series of corruption scandals. Former prime minister Sergey Stanishev has been accused of losing classified reports on crime, while ex-farm Minister Valeri Tsvetanov has been charged with abuse of power.
Earlier this week Bulgarian prosecutors asked parliament to strip former Labour Minister Emilia Maslarova of her immunity from prosecution so that they can investigate her for large-scale embezzlement.
Bulgaria's new center-right government, which swept the elections in July, is struggling to shake off the country's reputation for rampant corruption and crime, and has pledged to step up the fight against graft. However, the EU newcomer has yet to convict any senior officials and has put only one criminal boss in jail.
In 2008, Brussels suspended several hundred million euros in aid for the Balkan country's failure to crack down on organised crime and graft.

Source: www.novinite.com

Celebrating 50 Years Of Bulgarian National Television - On Television

This was an interesting weekend of television that I dipped into on quite few occasions. Looking back at the 50 years of broadcasting I obviously saw the cream of BTV and enjoyed it immensely. It was mainly Bulgarian music and concerts that made up the bulk of the viewing, many performers still going strong today. It is a shame that the next 50 years will lose much of the Bulgarian flavour and become a more westernised cosmopolitan affair.

Bulgaria National Television celebrated its 50th anniversary on Saturday, with a special schedule of programs aired nationwide throughout the day and evening.
BNT, the Bulgarian public service broadcaster, offered its viewers a unique day of nostalgic celebration, with a showcase of programs old and new, including archive clips of news and drama, and interviews with pioneering stars such as long-standing TV hosts Anahid Tacheva and Nikola Filipov.
As part of this birthday festivity, they presented a live jubilee evening concert of Bulgarian “golden songs”, at Sofia’s National Place of Culture (NDK).
The many vocal artists included Yordanka Hristova, Orlin Goranov and Maria Ilieva, and the revered singer, Yanka Rupkina.
Culture Minister Vejdi Rashidov was among the guests in the packed concert hall; President Georgi Parvanov sent a congratulatory bouquet of flowers.
BNT began broadcasting on November 7, 1959. The service opened with the words: “Attention! We are broadcasting live!”, and the first transmitted pictures showed Sofia citizens demonstrating in celebration of the Russian Revolution, 52 years before.
The one-time state monopoly channel has, since 1989, undergone many changes. Now a public broadcaster and member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), it competes with several national commercial stations, and – since 1999 – provides a satellite service to the Bulgarian diaspora.

Source: www.novinite.com

Gambling Tax A Gamble On Bulgarian Jobs

Gambling is taboo for many people and a bad habit that leads to financial suicide and the undoing of families so more taxes on this is blessing from many. Casinos are scattered all around Bulgaria in every town and a source of employment of course, this is more of a concern that the gambling public who attend these places. A balancing act must be made in view of this.

Bulgarian lawmakers may find themselves inadvertently harming their own interests by applying a new gambling tax, says a gaming industry organization. According to the Bulgarian Association for Entertainment and Gambling Games, a raise in taxes on the casino industry may result in some companies folding, producing less total revenue to be taxed.

The group says that a proposed raise in gambling tax from the existing 10 percent up to 12 percent could cause an industry collapse, as the recession has already resulted in a loss of 40 percent of gaming business. As many as 40,000 jobs could be affected if casinos are forced to close by unprofitable conditions.

The association figures that any gains made under a heavier tax for the state would be more than offset by losses on closed casinos and jobless persons no longer producing taxable revenue.

The problem is similar to one in Oregon, where lawmakers who have seen video gambling revenue decline are considering taking a larger share of profits from the retailers and bar owners hosting the games.

Oregon bar operators say their profit margin is already razor thin, and any decrease in their small share in gambling operations could force closings and unemployment.

Source: www.onlinecasinoadvisory.com

WWW To Move Into Bulgarian Libraries

I must admit, I thought they were already in place in Bulgarian libraries so it surprised me when I read this piece of news. It will of course be a popular move and draw the younger Bulgarians into libraries with the new technology installed. Libraries could be a kind of Internet café scenario across the country. I have been in my home town library and do recall no computer based systems there, but I put that down to Yambol being one of the smaller towns in Bulgaria. I’ll have to go there in the New Year and see what changes will have been made.

More than 450 libraries across Bulgaria will be fitted out with computers and linked to the internet, Dnevnik daily reported on November 4 2009.

Computer and educational software will be made available to all library staff, which will constitute part of the first phase of Glob@l Libraries Bulgaria, the report says.

The programme was developed and initiated by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (B&MGF), with the intent of securing information access through the Internet to more than a thousand Bulgarian libraries.

The budget allocated for the Bulgarian operation amounts to about $15 million, while the scheme itself will be implemented in several different phases.

Additionally, Microsoft has earmarked a donation to Bulgarian libraries amounting to about $6 million.

The B&MGF is the largest "transparency private foundation in the world, founded by Bill and Melinda Gates, driven by the interests and passions of the Gates family", it says on the foundation's website.

The primary objectives of the organisation are to improve health care and reduce extreme poverty, and to expand educational opportunities and access to information technology.

To maintain its status as a charitable foundation, it must donate at least five per cent of its assets each year, or amounting to about $1.5 billion.

Source: www.sofiaecho.com

8 Months Prison Sentence For Bulgarian Football Hooligan

This is the same game that was written about a few days ago where mayhem came about. Football attracts people like this because they think they can get away with criminal activities by the cover of a crowd. Not the case here as he has been picked out and proven guilty. I like the idea of not being able to appeal in this case, which would have been the case in the UK. The trouble is he will be let out after 8 months perhaps to return to his antics again. There is no mention of him being banned from attending football matches p- Mmmm!

Magistrates in Plovdiv, Bulgaria's second biggest city, have sentenced a 20-year-old male to serve eight months prison following violence that marred the town's derby between Lokomotiv Plovdiv and Botev Plovdiv on October 31, Bulgarian news agency (BTA) reported on November 4 2009.

Georgi Velichkov was spotted by the police gathering plastic flags discarded on the terrace at the Lokomotiv end and then setting them alight. He then pelted the officers with rocks that he had smuggled into the ground prior to the encounter. Several policemen were struck by a barrage of stones as a consequence.

At the end of the match, Velichkov was apprehended by police outside the ground as he tried to sneak past the cordon. After being identified and arrested, Velichkov admitted to setting the flags on fire and throwing missiles at the officers.

The arrested man has a criminal record connecting him with six other related incidents. Velichkov was sentenced to eight months in prison; the sentence is effective immediately and he cannot appeal.

Source: www.sofiaecho.com

British Home Office Unfair To Working Bulgarians Wanting To Travel

This is so unfair to Bulgaria and Romania after letting countless Polish into the country to work, not to mention non-EU Asians and Africans on a free run to work in the UK, legally and illegally of course. Two years ago when this rule came in my Bulgarian partner wanted to work alongside me for six months but they wouldn’t give her permission and we had to resort to other means of making money in the UK, like countless other who cant’ legally work there. I won’t say more than that other that the UK think they still rule the world. Even more appropriate is the name of the immigration Minister Woolas I have nicknamed him “Cottonpickingbum”

An announcement by the Home Office (British) has confirmed that the current annual limitations for low skilled workers from the European countries of Romania and Bulgaria will stay as they are for at least another two years. However, the officials did say that if the economy improves, these could then be considered again and possibly lifted.
In each of the coming two years, as long as the limitations on the number of workers is the same, the British Government will admit some 25,000 low skilled workers from the said countries to work in the agriculture and the food processing industry under a quota system. The report has been confirmed by Immigration Minister Phil Woolas.
"Given the current labour market situation, it is important that we continue to give weight to the need to protect the interests of the resident workforce", Woolas said. "The restrictions will continue until the end of 2011".
The limit on number of workers was imposed by UK in 2007, when Bulgaria and Romania joined the EU. The number was recently revised in December. The current rising rate of unemployment across England, which has been a cause of much worry for the Government, has forced the country's authority figures to not revise the limits set.
According to rules, EU member can impose on a limit on workers from Bulgaria and Romania till 31 December 2011, and further increase it by two years if revising the number would "cause a serious disturbance to the labour market".

Source: www.topnews.us