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The ambassadors of 10 Central and Eastern European countries, Bulgaria included, have sent an open letter to political party leaders in the Netherlands protesting against a website set up by the Dutch far-right Freedom Party of Geert Wilders. The anti-immigration Freedom Party (PVV) launched the notorious website last week to collect complaints about Eastern Europeans from among the Dutch population. In the meantime, Wilders himself has described the website initiative of his party as a "hit". ...

The prosecution has taken steps to amend the structure of the Supreme Prosecutor's Office of Cassation (VKP) to ensure compliance with recommendations of the European Commission, according to Deputy Chief Prosecutor Galina Toneva. In a Monday interview for Darik Radio, she explained that the structural changes envisaging the establishment of new specialized units at VKP had been conclusively approved on Friday with an order signed by Chief Prosecutor Boris Velchev. The four new subdivisions had been set up to implement the recommendations listed in the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) Report of the European Commission from July 2011, Toneva stated. ...

Bulgaria's government, trade unions, and business associations have agreed that retirement pensions should be raised as of January 1, 2013. On Monday, Bulgaria's so called Council for Tripartite Cooperation shook on several measures, which are supposed to bring about social improvements, including by introducing a mechanism to increase all retirement pensions by a certain percentage depending on the national budget. However, the nature of this mechanism remains unclear for the time being, and it is unknown how much of a raise pensioners in Bulgaria will get next year. ...

The fifth edition of the exhibit Bulgarian Archeology 2011 dedicated to the last year archeology season in the country was opened at the National Archeology Institute at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, BAS. The exhibit includes the most significant sites and finds from all over the country for 2011. 332 items are on display, coming from a total of 305 researched sites and include all periods – from the early Paleolithic to the late Renaissance. ...

The left-wing Bulgarian Socialist Party, BSP, will join other opposition formations in consultations for a no-confidence vote against the cabinet. The announcement was made Monday by the BSP leader and former Prime Minister, Sergey Stanishev, speaking in an interview for the largest private TV channel bTV. He said that the Socialists will back the idea for no-confidence vote of the ethnic Turkish party Movement for Rights and Freedoms, DPS, over the failure of the ruling, center-right Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria party, GERB, to deal with the emergency situation created by large floods in southern Bulgaria. ...

Bulgarian archaeologists surveying the route of the future Nabucco gas transit pipeline have uncovered about 130 archaeological sites, Bulgaria's National Archaeological Institute has announced. The surveying of the 420 km Bulgarian section of Nabucco has been carried out under a special GIS (Geographical Information System) technology, announced Monday the Institute Director Prof. Lyudmil Vagalinski on the occasion of the fifth annual exhibition "Bulgarian Archaeology" 2011. ...

Relatives of late pop icon Whitney Houston have reportedly been told by coroner officials that the singer died from what appears to be a combination of Xanax and other prescription drugs mixed with alcohol rather than drowning. Los Angeles County Coroner officials told relatives there was not enough water in Houston's lungs to conclude she drowned, Fox News and TMZ.com, citing family sources, reported Monday....

Bulgaria's official tourism portal, bulgariatravel.org, has launched the first of a series of entertaining interactive games aimed at boosting the country's popularity abroad. "Do the dance, don't miss the chance! Win a magic vacation in Bulgaria" was released several weeks ago and aims to promote the colorful and attractive Bulgarian folk dances. ...

Bulgaria's Foreign Affairs Minister, Nikolay Mladenov, has become the proud father of a baby girl, named Sara. Sara was born overnight Sunday into Monday in the First Obstetrician Hospital in the capital Sofia, the largest private TV channel bTV reports Monday. This is Mladenov's first child....

Israeli officials say their diplomats in India and Georgia have been targeted in apparent bomb attacks. An explosion hit an embassy car in New Delhi, injuring one diplomat. Police said there had been an "incident" but could not confirm an attack, the BBC reported. ...

China Ming Yang Wind Power Group Ltd., a Guangdong-based wind turbine manufacturer, has agreed to supply machines on 125 MW of projects in Bulgaria. Ming Yang Wind Power (International) Co....

The global hacker group Anonymous has sent a message and a warning to the Bulgarian authorities in connection with them signing the international ACTA agreement. The message comes in the aftermath of mass protest rallies against the controversial international Anti-counterfeiting Trade Agreement, ACTA, which were organized in 15-16 Bulgarian cities and in 150 cities across Europe Saturday. The video message stresses that the contract cannot be signed with reservations. ...

Central and Eastern Europe's top e-marketing expo and conference, Webit, is leaving Bulgaria and moving to Turkey, its organizers have announced. The biggest event for digital business and marketing in Central and Eastern Europe was founded in Sofia three years ago, and has been attracting a growing number of participants, including top executives from global and regional online giants such as Facebook, Yahoo, Google, eBay, Yandex, Grey, Monster, Microsoft. In 2011, the Webit Congress in Sofia attracted over 5 300 companies and investors from the digital industry coming from 45 different countries. ...

Authorities in Bulgaria's Haskovo region have started a controlled draining of the Elena reservoir, which suffered a fault during heavy precipitation in the beginning of last week. Heavy rain and snow near Haskovo town of Harmanly last Monday provoked the tragic turn of events, in which the wall of nearby Ivanovo dam broke, flooding the Biser village, and causing the deaths of 10 persons. At that time, the wall of Elena dam also suffered a crack, which provoked fears that a second flood might be in store for people in the area. ...

Bulgaria's revenues from foreign visitors in winter resorts are down 15% compared to January 2011. The data was reported Monday by the Bulgarian business portal Investor.bg, citing representatives of the tourist sector. ...

All strategic investors who were initially interested in the privatization of BDZ Freight Services, the only profit-making unit of the financially ailing Bulgarian State Railways (BDZ) company, have reportedly withdrawn. According to an article published in Monday's edition of Trud daily, German Deutsche Bahn and Austrian Schenker have both given up on the deal. Romanian railway company Grup Feroviar Roman (GFR) has also been counted out because, as Trud daily has it, will not be admitted to the privatization procedure. ...

The Bulgarian State-owned railways BDZ schedule is experiencing disruptions and delays Monday over the new snowfall. At some locations in the country there are no trains because tracks are covered with snow and train compositions have sustained technical failures. Four passenger trains are cancelled on the Pleven-Levski-Svishtov-Cherkovitsa line in northern Bulgaria; there no trains between Levski and Lovech either and between Samuil and Silistra. ...

Consumers doubt that the Bulgarian economy will escape European trends, and expectations for recovery have hit a record low, according to a GfK study. The research announced that consumer confidence in Bulgaria's economy for the last quarter of 2011 was at -25.5 pts, which is its lowest value since May 2009. ...

The Bulgarian presidential office is facing serious problems with the legacy of former President, Georgi Parvanov, related to 600 award decrees. The information was reported Monday by the Bulgarian "Trud" (Labor) daily, writing that there are 600 outstanding decrees for orders, left by Parvanov. 600 people must receive orders, but the budget of the presidential institution of about BGN 4....

Bulgaria's Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, is most likely to withdraw the country's signature under the controversial international ACTA agreement. The leader of the marginal conservative Law, Order and Justice (RZS) party, ?ane Yanev, held a phone conversation with Borisov in which the two have discussed ACTA and the serious public outcry against it. On Sunday, RZS declared it will not support the potential ratification of the trade agreement in the country's Parliament. ...

Environmentalists have launched a campaign for the certification of the north-western village of Lyubenovo, Nikopol municipality, as the first bio-village in Bulgaria. According to Albena Simeonova, Chair of the Foundation for Environment and Agriculture, as cited by news portal investor.bg, applications will be sent to the respective state authorities to certify all private yards in the village, as well as a small workshops for bio-products like juice, wine and lyutenitsa (a Bulgarian national relish made of tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, onion, garlic and spices). ...

Former EU Commissioner on Consumer Rights, Meglena Kuneva, has firmly denied recent reports that she had participated in ACTA negotiations and has involved Bulgaria in it. Mass protest rallies against the controversial international Anti-counterfeiting Trade Agreement, ACTA, were organized in 15-16 Bulgarian cities and in 150 cities across Europe Saturday. Kuneva, who also chairs her recently launched civic movement, dubbed "Bulgaria for Citizens," has written the following on her Facebook page: ...

Bulgarian snowboard racer Alexandra Jekova finished fourth, after taking the lead for most of the race, at the US Grand Prix snowboard cross championship in Park City, Utah. The Bulgarian was leading, but then made a serious error in the semi-final, and lost to winner, Canadian Dominique Maltais. American Faye Gulini came out second, while Austrian Maria Ramberger finished third in the US Grand Prix race, which is not part of the World Cup. ...

If equality and non-discrimination are prerequisites for modern democracy and the rule of law, then the Netherlands seem to be losing it. The "Complaints about East Europeans" website by Dutch anti-immigrant, ruling coalition partner Freedom Party (VVP) has been online for close to a week now, keenly defended by controversial Islam-bashing VVP leader Geert Wilders. The irony that precisely the government which is blocking Bulgaria and Romania's Schengen accession on grounds of alleged problems with the rule of law should partake in a campaign of stereotyping and hate mongering. ...

The Sofia City Court sentenced Monday alleged Bulgarian top crime boss, Zlatomir Ivanov aka Baretata (The Beret, The Barret) to 8 years behind bars. On February 7, the prosecution asked for a jail sentence of 17 years in what is considered one of the most emblematic and high-profile organized crime cases in Bulgaria. Ivanov and 20 other people were charged with participating in an organized crime group, illegal drugs trade, and with plotting the murder of Rumen Stefanov AKA Alf....

Bulgarian CSKA Sofia's Brazilian forward Michel Platini Mesquita is to be transfered to Romanian Dinamo Bucuresti, according to reports from the Romanian press. According to ProSport, CSKA and Dinamo have already reached an agreement to transfer the Brazilian for EUR 0.5 M. ...

A new heavy snowfall has gripped Bulgaria at the start of the week, accompanied by strong winds in western and northern Bulgaria. The mercury is expected to go up briefly on Monday with the maximum temperatures from minus 4 degrees C in northwestern Bulgaria to plus 5 C in the southeastern regions. In Sofia, the maximum will be minus 5 C. ...

The website launched by Dutch rightist Freedom Party led by controversial Geert Wilders was condemned by EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding. "The website is an open call to intolerance," said Reding as reported by the Irish Times. "In Europe we support freedom....

Schools on almost the entire territory of Bulgaria have opened for classes Monday, after being closed for the better part of last week due to extreme winter weather. Schools in parts of the north-eastern Silistra region nevertheless remain closed through Wednesday, as the weather there has remained cold, and roads partially blocked by snow. Classes in Bulgaria were suspended Wednesday-Friday last week, after heavy snowfall in the beginning of the week caused major road blocks across the country. ...

A large snowball turned up at a central intersection in the central Bulgarian town of Kazanlak in the small hours Monday. The snowball, some 1.5 m in diameter, was placed at the intersection of Rozova Dolina and Alexander Batenberg streets downtown. ...

Two very minor earthquakes have been registered in the small hours Monday near Bulgarian capital Sofia. No one is reported hurt and no damages have been caused by the tremors. The first quake was of 2....

The Greek Parliament passed by a large majority in the small hours Monday a much-expected austerity package required for the second bailout for the country. 199 out of 300 MPs voted for the austerity legilsation, 74 were against, 5 abstained, and 22 did not vote. Ahead of the vote, Greek PM Lucas Papademos said that a "wrong decision" on the bill could lead to a "catastrophe". ...

Whitney Houston, whose death shocked music celebrities and fans around the world, may have died of a deadly combination between the sedative Xanax and lots of alcohol. Family members of Whitney told celebrity website TMZ that the singer had a prescription for the drug, which is commonly used to treat anxiety and depression. Mixed with alcohol it can cause severe sedation, which could cause someone to fall asleep in a bathtub. ...

Bulgarian lawmakers, who are best known for their infamous habit of playing truant, have increased their salaries, rather on the sly. Prime Minister Boyko Borisov froze last year the salaries of top politicians in Bulgaria at their levels from the end of 2009, despite the cabinet's decision to up the minimum monthly wage in Bulgaria in May, 2012 – from BGN 270 to BGN 290. Borisov backed his belt-tightening stance with the difficult situation globally and in Bulgaria....

The sudden death of singer Whitney Houston at age 48 shocked fans and musicians all over the world. The outpouring of grief was immediate. Nearly all of the trends on Twitter worldwide were shortly associated with the singer's death: R....

Bulgaria still wants to join the eurozone provided the bloc's members obey its rules on limiting debt, Traicho Traikov, Bulgaria's Economy Minister, said in an interview for German media. "Provided all other eurozone states stick to the debt rules in future...entry to the currency union remains a medium-term goal for us," Minister Traikov told German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. ...

Why would Bulgarian pro-Russian interests do such a thing? Could it be that because of a long-term contract, Gazprom delivers more than 90% of the natural gas consumed in Bulgaria? By John C.K....

At least ten people died and another five are missing after an avalanche hit a mountain village in southern Kosovo. A five-year-old girl has been pulled alive from a house hours after it was hit by the avalanche. She was found buried under 10 metres (33 ft) of snow after officers heard her voice and a mobile phone ringing, an official said. ...

France's Dalkia International has confirmed its interest in acquiring Sofia heating utility, which is in tatters after being drained to the brink of bankruptcy. "We stepped on Bulgaria's market with the acquisition of the heating utility in the coastal city of Varna to get acquainted with the situation in this area. But we have never planned to stop there and are keen to develop many projects," said Reno Capris, CEO of Dalkia Bulgaria. ...

Whitney Houston, the iconic American singer, whose death shocked the world on Sunday, have been found in the bathtub of the hotel room with prescription drugs nearby, celebrity website TMZ reported. There were no illegal drugs in the room, but a few bottles of pills, the website said, citing sources from the hotel and cops. Whitney Houston was said to have been found by one of her entourage in the bath and when she showed no signs of life they called the emergency services. ...

Bulgaria's marginal conservative Law, Order and Justice (RZS) party has declared it will not support the potential ratification of the controversial ACTA trade agreement in the country's Parliament. In an official statement, RZS has described the requirement for Internet Service Providers to follow the users' activity as "cynical", predicting that " a net of virtual cops" will be created once the agreement is enforced. According to the party, ACTA has been supported by "individuals who are connected to the big international movie and music industry corporations, including their lobbyists in the state institutions....

Hungary's Malev airlines that stopped flying last week expects a USD 120 M stabilizing credit from the Russian Vnesheconombank (Bank for Foreign Economic Activity). If the Russian bank agrees to provide the credit, Malev could resume its flights from Budapest, ITAR-TASS informs. Vnesheconombank is currently a minority shareholder in the airline, owning 5% of its shares. ...

Bulgaria will invite foreign experts to help it create the project for its new jail, the country's Justice Minister Diana Kovacheva has announced. Little progress has been made in the project, since discussions have been mainly focused on finding the appropriate place where the jail should be built, Kovacheva explained in an interview for the Bulgarian National Radio. The assistance of foreign experts in the project's preparation would be vital, since the last time a jail was constructed in the Balkan country was in during the 60s and "no one remembers how it is done," the Justice Minister stated. ...

One third of the small dams in Bulgaria have defective safety valves, the country's Minister of Economy, Energy and Tourism Traicho Traikov has revealed. The flawed safety valves in question are either covered with concrete or obstructed in other ways, Traikov told reporters, as cited by the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency. However, the bigger dams that contain 55% of the regulated water volume in the country have been very well managed, the Minister has pointed out. ...

Bulgaria's Orthodox Church has joined the efforts to help the distressed citizens in the aftermath of last week's disastrous floods in the country. Donations are gathered in the temples of the Sofia bishopric. The campaign is overseen by Bishop Joan, vicar of the Sofia bishopric,  with the blessing of Patriarch Maxim. ...

Libyan authorities have called for the extradition of Saadi Gaddafi, one of the sons of late strongman Muammar Gaddafi, after his comments that "an uprising" was comning in Libya. On Friday, Saadi told Al Arabiya that he was in regular contact with people in Libya who were unhappy with the authorities who took over the leadership in the country after the ousting of his father. "Niger is currently giving a safe haven to Saadi, who said he has the money to lead an uprising in Libya," Transitional National Council spokesman Mohammed al-Harizy reacted in a statement, as cited by The Tripoli Post. ...

Bulgaria's exceptionally cold and snowy winter weather is expected to continue on Sunday, as a number of regions have been alarmed for potential danger. Code Yellow has been announced for a total of 17 Bulgarian regions, the country's Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology has informed. In Northern Bulgaria, the slight danger is mainly due to the low temperatures....

Prominent pop singer Whitney Houston has been found dead in the Beverly Hills Hotel, shocking the music industry on the eve of the 2012 Grammy Awards. It was Houston's bodyguard that found her body, CNN informs. No obvious signs of criminal intent have been registered by police officials, who are currently investigating to determine the cause of death. ...

Bulgaria's Customs Agency has detained a total of 4.6 kg of cocaine in two separate drug shipments at Sofia International Airport, the institution announced. The first shipment of 4....

Bulgaria's police have arrested four more drug dealers in a special operation codenamed "Hammer", after already nabbing a drug boss suspect, Stefan Bonev, aka Sako. Bonev was arrested at the start of the operation on Friday, together with several other men. Four of his aides aged between 37 and 22 were detained on Saturday, the Interior Ministry announced. ...

The freezing of the Danube River has terminated the operation of several ferry boat lines connecting Bulgaria and Romania, the Bulgarian Interior Ministry announced late Saturday. Earlier on Saturday, the Bulgarian Agency for Exploration and Maintenance of the Danube River announced that the river is 100% frozen from kilometer 386 to kilometer 375, which is near Bulgaria's Silistra. As of 5 pm on Saturday, February 11, 2012, the floating ice reached between 60% and 90% in the rest of the Bulgarian section of the Danube. ...

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has promised that Tehran will soon reveal "major" progress in its disputed nuclear program. "Iran will announce in the next few days some very important and major nuclear achievements," Ahmadinejad said at a rally attended by tens of thousands of people to mark the 33rd anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Ahmadinejad's appearance at the Freedom Square rally was met by sustained cheers from demonstrators holding portraits of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and placards that read "Down With USA" and "Down With Israel....

Nine researches from Bulgaria's 20th Antarctic Expedition have managed to reach South America alive and well after suffering tremendous setbacks on their way back, announced Nikola Petkov, head of the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute. Petkov has revealed that on Friday, after waiting for two days for a calmer ocean and weather, the crew of the Hesperides, Spain's main Antarctic support vessel, decided to pick up the nine Bulgarian scientists from the Livingston Island, where the Antarctic bases of both Bulgaria and Spain are located, in order to transfer them to the King George Island so that the Bulgarians could make it to their flight to South America. The first group of four Bulgarian scientists manages to reach the Spanish ship but the ruffled sea overturned the boat of the second group, which included the head of Bulgarian Antarctic Expedition Dr....

Bulgaria's electricity balance has stabilized since the country stopped exporting electricity as of midnight on February 10, announced Bulgarian Minister of Economy, Energy, and Tourism Traicho Traikov. "By terminating the exports of electricity, Bulgaria benefitted with the stability of its own system," Traikov told Darik Radio Saturday. On February, Bulgaria's government discontinued all electricity exports in order to make up for the increased domestic electricity consumption caused by the freezing temperatures over the past couple of weeks. ...

Student activists held strikes in Egypt on Saturday to mark a year since they toppled long-time Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak, leaving an increasingly unpopular and defiant military in charge. The call for strikes in universities and work places came after a series of protests pressuring the military to transfer power immediately to civilians, rather than wait for presidential elections later this year, international media note. Students from Egypt's main universities began protests at 8 am GMT, and others were expected to head to the iconic Tahrir Square - epicenter of the protests that toppled Mubarak. ...

There are 600 potentially unsafe dams in Bulgaria, according to data of the Ministry of Economy, Energy, and Tourism, made public several days after a Bulgarian dam burst and flooder several villages killing 10 people. This makes about one-fifth of the some 3 000 water reservoir dams all over Bulgaria, government data shows; each of the 27 Bulgarian districts is said to have about 20 potentially unsafe dams. "The results from an all-out inspection of all water reservoir dams in Bulgaria must be ready in 10 days," Bulgarian Economy Minister Traicho Traikov announced Saturday, upon visiting two large reservoirs in Southern Bulgaria, Krichim and Vacha. ...

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has declared the West should cease speaking to Iran "in the language of force" if it wants to resolve the dispute over Tehran's nuclear program. "If you continue to speak to Iran from a position of strength, the Iranian people will never accept this," Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said at an event marking the 33rd anniversary of the Islamic revolution, as cited by RIA Novosti. Ahmadinejad also said that Iran was ready to return to talks with world powers on its disputed nuclear program but said the West must "respect Iran's rights....

Two elderly people have been found dead in the village of Kanchevo, near the town of Kazanlak in central Bulgaria. Maria and Velichko Petkovi were found in the garage of their home Saturday morning by neighbors, who are reported in shock. Police are saying the most probable cause is suicide. ...

An interview for Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) and Novinite.bg with Ina Kileva, CEO of Prophon, a Bulgarian music licensing company, regarding the ACTA trade agreement. ...

An interview for Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) and Novinite.bg with Ivaylo Dinev, one of the organizers of Saturday's protests in Bulgaria against the ACTA trade afreement. ...

The US Ambassador in Sofia, James Warlick, stresses that if he was a Bulgarian, he would want to know if his country has shale gas deposits and of what quality. The diplomat spoke in an interview for TV7, aired Saturday, and just on the heels of the visits of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and of US Energy Envoy for Eurasia Richard Morningstar to Sofia. One of the topics on the agenda of both talks was the recent moratorium on exploration of shale gas by the US company Chevron, imposed by the Bulgarian Parliament. ...

Thousands of people gathered in downtown Sofia Saturday to protest the controversial international Anti-counterfeiting Trade Agreement, ACTA. Anywhere between 4000 and 8000 Bulgarians marched in the Bulgarian capital, led by a black sign reading: "ÀÑÒÀ LA VISTA, BABY!" Most of the demonstrators are young people wearing the mask of Guy Fawkes, symbol of the global protest against ACTA....

Bulgaria's Minister of Economy and Energy, Traicho Traikov, begins Saturday the inspection of dams in the country. Traikov is visiting the Krichim and Vacha dams and the Orpheus Water Power Plant. It was reported meanwhile that 3 dams – Borovitsa in the Rhodoppes, Kamchia in eastern Bulgaria and Yasna Polyana, south of the Black Sea city of Burgas – are overflowing. ...

Prices of gas in the US are 20% from those in Bulgaria, says US Energy Envoy for Eurasia Richard Morningstar, who was on an official visit to Sofia Thursday and Friday. In an exclusive interview for the Bulgarian National Radio, BNR, Morningstar points out that the much lower prices are attributed to the exploration of shale gas and that bonuses from it are huge. "I cannot promise that we will have the same results in Bulgaria, but if we can fully prevent risks for the environment, the issue must be examined in Bulgaria as well, which, as any other country, must know what it possesses and based on it, make a decision on extracting it or not," says he. ...

A unconfirmed rumor that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been assassinated in China has spread across social networks all over the world Friday into Saturday. According to BBC, the story apparently originated on Chinese microblog site Sina Weibo and was later picked up by Twitter users. The reports were also carried on at least two fake BBC Twitter accounts, which have since been closed. ...

The Bulgarian section of the Danube River completely froze over during the course of Friday night into Saturday. The data was reported by the Bulgarian Agency for Study and Maintenance of the Danube River. Saturday morning, the ice cover at the eastern Bulgarian Danube port of Silistra was 100% - the total freeze includes a 11-km-long section, from kilometer 386 to kilometer 375. ...

The soldiers of the monument of the Soviet Army in downtown Bulgaria capital Sofia "woke up" Saturday morning to new roles – as activists of the anti-ACTA movement. The Red Army soldiers have been painted overnight wearing the mask of Guy Fawkes, symbol of the global protest against ACTA. Bulgarian anti-ACTA activists have written in Facebook Saturday morning that "ACTA will impose censorship on both heroes from the present and the future....

Twelve regions in northern Bulgaria remain under code orange over extremely low temperatures, the National Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) has announced. Code orange is effective Saturday for the regions of Vidin, Montana, Vratsa, Pleven, Lovech, Gabrovo, Veliko Tarnovo, Ruse, Targovishte, Razgrad, Silistra and Shumen. Code orange means intense weather situations with potential damage, injuries and casualties. ...

International protests against the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, ACTA, are expected in at least 150 cities across Europe Saturday. In Bulgaria protests, organized through the social network Facebook, will take place in 15 cities, starting at 11 am. Marches will be held in Bulgaria's largest cities of Varna, Plovdiv, Burgas, Gabrovo, Ruse, Haskovo, and Yambol, among others. ...

Business

The ambassadors of 10 Central and Eastern European countries, Bulgaria included, have sent an open letter to political party leaders in the Netherlands protesting against a website set up by the Dutch far-right Freedom Party of Geert Wilders. The anti-immigration Freedom Party (PVV) launched the notorious website last week to collect complaints about Eastern Europeans from among the Dutch population. In the meantime, Wilders himself has described the website initiative of his party as a "hit". ...

Bulgaria's government, trade unions, and business associations have agreed that retirement pensions should be raised as of January 1, 2013. On Monday, Bulgaria's so called Council for Tripartite Cooperation shook on several measures, which are supposed to bring about social improvements, including by introducing a mechanism to increase all retirement pensions by a certain percentage depending on the national budget. However, the nature of this mechanism remains unclear for the time being, and it is unknown how much of a raise pensioners in Bulgaria will get next year. ...

Relatives of late pop icon Whitney Houston have reportedly been told by coroner officials that the singer died from what appears to be a combination of Xanax and other prescription drugs mixed with alcohol rather than drowning. Los Angeles County Coroner officials told relatives there was not enough water in Houston's lungs to conclude she drowned, Fox News and TMZ.com, citing family sources, reported Monday....

Bulgaria's official tourism portal, bulgariatravel.org, has launched the first of a series of entertaining interactive games aimed at boosting the country's popularity abroad. "Do the dance, don't miss the chance! Win a magic vacation in Bulgaria" was released several weeks ago and aims to promote the colorful and attractive Bulgarian folk dances. ...

China Ming Yang Wind Power Group Ltd., a Guangdong-based wind turbine manufacturer, has agreed to supply machines on 125 MW of projects in Bulgaria. Ming Yang Wind Power (International) Co....

Central and Eastern Europe's top e-marketing expo and conference, Webit, is leaving Bulgaria and moving to Turkey, its organizers have announced. The biggest event for digital business and marketing in Central and Eastern Europe was founded in Sofia three years ago, and has been attracting a growing number of participants, including top executives from global and regional online giants such as Facebook, Yahoo, Google, eBay, Yandex, Grey, Monster, Microsoft. In 2011, the Webit Congress in Sofia attracted over 5 300 companies and investors from the digital industry coming from 45 different countries. ...

Bulgaria's revenues from foreign visitors in winter resorts are down 15% compared to January 2011. The data was reported Monday by the Bulgarian business portal Investor.bg, citing representatives of the tourist sector. ...

All strategic investors who were initially interested in the privatization of BDZ Freight Services, the only profit-making unit of the financially ailing Bulgarian State Railways (BDZ) company, have reportedly withdrawn. According to an article published in Monday's edition of Trud daily, German Deutsche Bahn and Austrian Schenker have both given up on the deal. Romanian railway company Grup Feroviar Roman (GFR) has also been counted out because, as Trud daily has it, will not be admitted to the privatization procedure. ...

Consumers doubt that the Bulgarian economy will escape European trends, and expectations for recovery have hit a record low, according to a GfK study. The research announced that consumer confidence in Bulgaria's economy for the last quarter of 2011 was at -25.5 pts, which is its lowest value since May 2009. ...

Bulgaria still wants to join the eurozone provided the bloc's members obey its rules on limiting debt, Traicho Traikov, Bulgaria's Economy Minister, said in an interview for German media. "Provided all other eurozone states stick to the debt rules in future...entry to the currency union remains a medium-term goal for us," Minister Traikov told German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. ...

Politics

The prosecution has taken steps to amend the structure of the Supreme Prosecutor's Office of Cassation (VKP) to ensure compliance with recommendations of the European Commission, according to Deputy Chief Prosecutor Galina Toneva. In a Monday interview for Darik Radio, she explained that the structural changes envisaging the establishment of new specialized units at VKP had been conclusively approved on Friday with an order signed by Chief Prosecutor Boris Velchev. The four new subdivisions had been set up to implement the recommendations listed in the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) Report of the European Commission from July 2011, Toneva stated. ...

The left-wing Bulgarian Socialist Party, BSP, will join other opposition formations in consultations for a no-confidence vote against the cabinet. The announcement was made Monday by the BSP leader and former Prime Minister, Sergey Stanishev, speaking in an interview for the largest private TV channel bTV. He said that the Socialists will back the idea for no-confidence vote of the ethnic Turkish party Movement for Rights and Freedoms, DPS, over the failure of the ruling, center-right Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria party, GERB, to deal with the emergency situation created by large floods in southern Bulgaria. ...

The Bulgarian presidential office is facing serious problems with the legacy of former President, Georgi Parvanov, related to 600 award decrees. The information was reported Monday by the Bulgarian "Trud" (Labor) daily, writing that there are 600 outstanding decrees for orders, left by Parvanov. 600 people must receive orders, but the budget of the presidential institution of about BGN 4....

Bulgaria's Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, is most likely to withdraw the country's signature under the controversial international ACTA agreement. The leader of the marginal conservative Law, Order and Justice (RZS) party, ?ane Yanev, held a phone conversation with Borisov in which the two have discussed ACTA and the serious public outcry against it. On Sunday, RZS declared it will not support the potential ratification of the trade agreement in the country's Parliament. ...

Former EU Commissioner on Consumer Rights, Meglena Kuneva, has firmly denied recent reports that she had participated in ACTA negotiations and has involved Bulgaria in it. Mass protest rallies against the controversial international Anti-counterfeiting Trade Agreement, ACTA, were organized in 15-16 Bulgarian cities and in 150 cities across Europe Saturday. Kuneva, who also chairs her recently launched civic movement, dubbed "Bulgaria for Citizens," has written the following on her Facebook page: ...

The website launched by Dutch rightist Freedom Party led by controversial Geert Wilders was condemned by EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding. "The website is an open call to intolerance," said Reding as reported by the Irish Times. "In Europe we support freedom....

The Greek Parliament passed by a large majority in the small hours Monday a much-expected austerity package required for the second bailout for the country. 199 out of 300 MPs voted for the austerity legilsation, 74 were against, 5 abstained, and 22 did not vote. Ahead of the vote, Greek PM Lucas Papademos said that a "wrong decision" on the bill could lead to a "catastrophe". ...

Bulgarian lawmakers, who are best known for their infamous habit of playing truant, have increased their salaries, rather on the sly. Prime Minister Boyko Borisov froze last year the salaries of top politicians in Bulgaria at their levels from the end of 2009, despite the cabinet's decision to up the minimum monthly wage in Bulgaria in May, 2012 – from BGN 270 to BGN 290. Borisov backed his belt-tightening stance with the difficult situation globally and in Bulgaria....

Bulgaria's marginal conservative Law, Order and Justice (RZS) party has declared it will not support the potential ratification of the controversial ACTA trade agreement in the country's Parliament. In an official statement, RZS has described the requirement for Internet Service Providers to follow the users' activity as "cynical", predicting that " a net of virtual cops" will be created once the agreement is enforced. According to the party, ACTA has been supported by "individuals who are connected to the big international movie and music industry corporations, including their lobbyists in the state institutions....

The US Ambassador in Sofia, James Warlick, stresses that if he was a Bulgarian, he would want to know if his country has shale gas deposits and of what quality. The diplomat spoke in an interview for TV7, aired Saturday, and just on the heels of the visits of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and of US Energy Envoy for Eurasia Richard Morningstar to Sofia. One of the topics on the agenda of both talks was the recent moratorium on exploration of shale gas by the US company Chevron, imposed by the Bulgarian Parliament. ...

Bulgaria in EU

The website launched by Dutch rightist Freedom Party led by controversial Geert Wilders was condemned by EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding. "The website is an open call to intolerance," said Reding as reported by the Irish Times. "In Europe we support freedom....

The Greek Parliament passed by a large majority in the small hours Monday a much-expected austerity package required for the second bailout for the country. 199 out of 300 MPs voted for the austerity legilsation, 74 were against, 5 abstained, and 22 did not vote. Ahead of the vote, Greek PM Lucas Papademos said that a "wrong decision" on the bill could lead to a "catastrophe". ...

The European Union has asked New Delhi to use its influence to draw Iran back into talks over its disputed nuclear ambitions, Indian TV channels said on Friday. European Council President Herman Van Rompuy expressed his concern about Iran's nuclear ambitions at an EU-India summit in New Delhi. The call came after New Delhi announced earlier this month it would send a large business delegation to Tehran to exploit trade opportunities created by the United States and European sanctions, RIA Novosti reported. ...

Bulgaria will seek permission from the European Commission to get priority treatment for projects seeking funding under the Rural Development Program on the territory of the flood-hit southern towns of Harmanli and Svilengrad. According to a Friday statement of the Agriculture Ministry, the program sets out measures allowing small municipalities to apply  for funding with projects for the construction and repair of infrastructure, such as water supply and sewerage, road surfaces, public buildings, etc. "The program has been drafted so as not to violate the principles of fair competition, meaning that permission from the EC will be required to prioritize projects in certain rural areas", the press office of the Agriculture Ministry explained. ...

Agriculture Minister Miroslav Naydenov has vowed that Bulgaria will comply with EU hen welfare standards by April 2012. In end-January, the European Commission launched infringement procedures against 13 EU member states, including Bulgaria, over their failure to implement EU legislation concerning the welfare of laying hens. In Friday statement in Parliament, the Agriculture Minister pledged that Bulgaria would manage to implement the ban on the so-called "un-enriched" cages for laying hens before the end-May 2012 deadline. ...

The European People's Party should be pressured to stop the controversial ACTA agreement, according to Sergey Stanishev, interim President of the Party of European Socialists. Stanishev believes that the agreement could lead to the establishment of a Big Brother – type society. "In my opinion, if we have to choose between the interests and opinions of millions of European citizens and the interests of big corporations, the European Socialists should stand on the people's side," Stanishev declared, as cited by BGNES. ...

The Southern Bulgarian Plovdiv municipality plans to build a second rowing canal and a new zoo with funding from JESSICA, a joint EU initiative for financing sustainable urban development. The JESSICA initiative is operated by the European Commission in cooperation with the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB). The plans were reported Friday by the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) following a presentation of the financial instrument before the local administration by Regional Development Minister Lilyana Pavlova. ...

Iliana Ivanova, a Bulgarian MEP from the European People's Party, has approached the European Commission regarding a xenophobic website created by the Dutch populist Freedom Party. The site, titled "Complaints about Central and Eastern Europeans," boasts slogans such as "Do you have problems with people from Central and Eastern Europe?" and "Have you lost your job because of a Pole, a Bulgarian, a Romanian? We want to know." It also displays media headlines reporting how Eastern Europeans commit more and more crime. ...

The Bulgarian cabinet is firm on keeping the course of working together and discussing with the Parliament key issues for the EU. The statement was made Friday in the Parliament by Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, who attended the regularly scheduled session of the so-call "Parliamentary Control," during which ministers in the cabinet answer questions from the Members of the Parliament. Borisov presented a report for the progress of Bulgaria's priorities during the Polish Presidency of the European Union (July-December 2011), and the main ones now – during the Danish Presidency (January-June, 2012). ...

The Dutch government should distance itself from a website created by the anti-immigration Freedom Party that records complaints about Central and Eastern Europeans, employers' organization head Bernard Wientjes has declared. According to Wientjes, the website in question is "'a form of demonisation". "This contributes to a fear of foreigners, which is not what we should have in this open country," the employers' chef has commented, as cited by DutchNews....

Lifestyle

The fifth edition of the exhibit Bulgarian Archeology 2011 dedicated to the last year archeology season in the country was opened at the National Archeology Institute at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, BAS. The exhibit includes the most significant sites and finds from all over the country for 2011. 332 items are on display, coming from a total of 305 researched sites and include all periods – from the early Paleolithic to the late Renaissance. ...

Bulgarian archaeologists surveying the route of the future Nabucco gas transit pipeline have uncovered about 130 archaeological sites, Bulgaria's National Archaeological Institute has announced. The surveying of the 420 km Bulgarian section of Nabucco has been carried out under a special GIS (Geographical Information System) technology, announced Monday the Institute Director Prof. Lyudmil Vagalinski on the occasion of the fifth annual exhibition "Bulgarian Archaeology" 2011. ...

Bulgaria's Foreign Affairs Minister, Nikolay Mladenov, has become the proud father of a baby girl, named Sara. Sara was born overnight Sunday into Monday in the First Obstetrician Hospital in the capital Sofia, the largest private TV channel bTV reports Monday. This is Mladenov's first child....

The global hacker group Anonymous has sent a message and a warning to the Bulgarian authorities in connection with them signing the international ACTA agreement. The message comes in the aftermath of mass protest rallies against the controversial international Anti-counterfeiting Trade Agreement, ACTA, which were organized in 15-16 Bulgarian cities and in 150 cities across Europe Saturday. The video message stresses that the contract cannot be signed with reservations. ...

Authorities in Bulgaria's Haskovo region have started a controlled draining of the Elena reservoir, which suffered a fault during heavy precipitation in the beginning of last week. Heavy rain and snow near Haskovo town of Harmanly last Monday provoked the tragic turn of events, in which the wall of nearby Ivanovo dam broke, flooding the Biser village, and causing the deaths of 10 persons. At that time, the wall of Elena dam also suffered a crack, which provoked fears that a second flood might be in store for people in the area. ...

The Bulgarian State-owned railways BDZ schedule is experiencing disruptions and delays Monday over the new snowfall. At some locations in the country there are no trains because tracks are covered with snow and train compositions have sustained technical failures. Four passenger trains are cancelled on the Pleven-Levski-Svishtov-Cherkovitsa line in northern Bulgaria; there no trains between Levski and Lovech either and between Samuil and Silistra. ...

Environmentalists have launched a campaign for the certification of the north-western village of Lyubenovo, Nikopol municipality, as the first bio-village in Bulgaria. According to Albena Simeonova, Chair of the Foundation for Environment and Agriculture, as cited by news portal investor.bg, applications will be sent to the respective state authorities to certify all private yards in the village, as well as a small workshops for bio-products like juice, wine and lyutenitsa (a Bulgarian national relish made of tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, onion, garlic and spices). ...

A new heavy snowfall has gripped Bulgaria at the start of the week, accompanied by strong winds in western and northern Bulgaria. The mercury is expected to go up briefly on Monday with the maximum temperatures from minus 4 degrees C in northwestern Bulgaria to plus 5 C in the southeastern regions. In Sofia, the maximum will be minus 5 C. ...

Schools on almost the entire territory of Bulgaria have opened for classes Monday, after being closed for the better part of last week due to extreme winter weather. Schools in parts of the north-eastern Silistra region nevertheless remain closed through Wednesday, as the weather there has remained cold, and roads partially blocked by snow. Classes in Bulgaria were suspended Wednesday-Friday last week, after heavy snowfall in the beginning of the week caused major road blocks across the country. ...

A large snowball turned up at a central intersection in the central Bulgarian town of Kazanlak in the small hours Monday. The snowball, some 1.5 m in diameter, was placed at the intersection of Rozova Dolina and Alexander Batenberg streets downtown. ...

Sports

Bulgarian snowboard racer Alexandra Jekova finished fourth, after taking the lead for most of the race, at the US Grand Prix snowboard cross championship in Park City, Utah. The Bulgarian was leading, but then made a serious error in the semi-final, and lost to winner, Canadian Dominique Maltais. American Faye Gulini came out second, while Austrian Maria Ramberger finished third in the US Grand Prix race, which is not part of the World Cup. ...

Bulgarian CSKA Sofia's Brazilian forward Michel Platini Mesquita is to be transfered to Romanian Dinamo Bucuresti, according to reports from the Romanian press. According to ProSport, CSKA and Dinamo have already reached an agreement to transfer the Brazilian for EUR 0.5 M. ...

Prominent Turkish club Galatasaray is said to plan one more attempt to snap up Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov. If the Bulgarian agrees to sign a contract wit the Turkish side, he will receive an initial fee of EUR 1.5 M and will enjoy a wage of EUR 3....

Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov will return to his home country's national side in its upcoming friendly game against Hungary on February 29, it has been reported. Bulgaria's recently appointed coach Lyuboslav Penev has already sent a call-up to Berbatov, the local "Tema Sport" says, citing anonymous Bulgarian Football Union officials. On Tuesday, the unettled Manchester United forward softened his stance on his country's national team and hinted of a probable return....

Bulgaria's recently appointed national football coach Lyuboslav Penev would welcome striker Dimitar Berbatov's potential return to the squad ahead of the upcoming World Cup qualifiers. On Tuesday, the unettled Manchester United forward softened his stance on his country's national team and hinted of a probable return. Lyuboslav Penev has reacted by revealing that he would hold talks with Berbatov later this week. ...

Bulgaria's national football team may have participated in a fixed friendly game against South Africa ahead of the 2010 World Cup that took place in the African country. The Sunday Times of South Africa has claimed that Bafana Bafana's matches against  Bulgaria, Thailand, Guatemala and Colombia may have been fixed by Singaporean Wilson Raj Perumal, who is serving a two-year jail term in Finland for fixing matches there. The Bulgarian game in question was played on May 24 2010 in Johannesburg and ended in a 1:1 draw. ...

Manchester United Bulgarian forward Dimitar Berbatov said Tuesday he could return to the Bulgarian national football team, if explicitly asked to do so. "I have not talked with Bulgaria manager Lyuboslav Penev regarding taht issue. If I receive an invitation, I could consider things again," said Berbatov in Sofia, as quoted by bTV. ...

Manchester United will give Bulgarian forward Dimitar Berbatov a 1-year extension of his contract, contrary to rumors they are ready to transfer him. According to reports in the UK press, the team is expected to activate a clause in its 2008 contract with Berbatov, which would require the Bulgarian to stay on the team. In the last year, the top-scoring striker played seldom and stayed on the reserve squad, fuelling rumors he would better leave the team. ...