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Forum Crossfire Bulgaria's Levski to Face Anderlecht or BATE Borisov in Third Qualifying Round Author: LarzBGR BATE Borisov...this name definitely reminds me of someone... | read |

The Week in Pictures Bulgaria Nationalists Demand Dismissal of Policemen over MEP Arrest Eco Activists Stage New Protests against Tsarevo Sea Resort Development Plan Bulgaria's Milk Producers Continue Protests Bulgarian MEP Released Minutes after Arrest over Insulting Police Officers Freed Bulgarian Nurse: Only France Cares about Us Animal Rights Activists Stage Naked Protest over UK Royal Guards' Caps Love and Revolution Thrill 18,000 Fans at Lenny Kravitz's Sofia Show

Eight New SAPARD Violations Have Been Discovered by Agriculture Fund

The management of State Fund "Agriculture" has discovered eight new violations and cases of fraud related to projects from the EU SAPARD program, as announced by the Agency.

The management had discovered the violations after carefully checking all projects beginning with the year 2006 until now.

The Fund had already stopped subsidies payments to three of the problem projects while letters for voluntarily repayment have been prepared for the remaining five.

BGN 2,933,000 have already been deposited in the State Fund "Agriculture", which have been repaid by "Eurofrigo."

The Agency points out that the new measures are only part of its action plan, which they would continue to execute.

Since the beginning of the SAPARD program, a total of 3509 projects have been approved while violations have been discovered in 109 of them for a total value of BGN 29 M.

In the mean time, the new Fund Director Angel Kunchev has had talks with the Bank Association to restructure the credit obligations of the SAPARD beneficiaries due to the blocking of the funds by the European Commission.

Politics Sofia Mayor to Back National Boycott of Government Sofia Mayor Boyko Borisov and unofficial leader of the GERB party declared he is to back the proposition of the rightist Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB) for organizing a Day of National Boycott against the current Cabinet. | read |

Politics Bulgaria Agriculture Minister to Meet with Protesting Framers Valeri Tsvetanov, Bulgarian Agriculture Minister is going to meet with representatives of protesting Bulgarian farmers Friday. | read |

· Bulgaria President: Wednesday No-Confidence Vote Was Boring and Unprepared · Bulgaria MPs Impose Moratorium over Green Spots Construction

· Interpol Wanted Macedonian among Finalists at Bulgaria Song Contest · Bulgarian MPs: Investigation on the Bonchev Case Must Continue

Bulgaria Registers 18% More Foreign Tourists

The number of visits of foreign tourists in Bulgaria has increased by 18% during the first half of 2008, compared to the same period of last year, according to preliminary data from the National Statistics Institute.

The total number of foreign visits in the firs six months of the year has reached 3,193,235 with 1,803,415 of them coming on vacation.

The visits of Macedonians have gone up by nearly 70% while does those from Malta by over 63%.

Visits from Russia have increased by 30%, those from Germany - by 11% and from Great Britain - by 5%.

Visitors from Luxembourg show the least interest in travel in Bulgaria.

Among visitors from countries that are not members of the EU, Russians are the ones coming to Bulgaria on vacation the most, followed by Serbians and Macedonians.

Israelis are also among those visiting Bulgaria often.

Bulgaria TV Channel Nova Televizia Acquired by Swedish Modern Times

The Swedish Media Company Modern Times has announced that they have signed a contract for the purchase of the Bulgarian TV channel Nova Televizia (New Television) for EUR 620 M, according to Thursday media publications.

The new owners expect that the deal would be finalized in the next three months.

The company had purchase the Bulgarian TV channel in connection to its plans to expand their activities in Eastern Europe as they deem the region very dynamic in its media development.

Modern Times explained that the Greek Antenna Group Television owns over 32% of the advertising market in Bulgaria valued at EUR 125 M.

The Swedish company also owns the Bulgarian cable channel Diema as well as TV channels in Russia, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, and the Baltic Republics.

Just one day earlier, on Wednesday, it became known that another company - Central European Media Enterprises had purchased 80% of the shares of two other Bulgarian TV channels - TV2 and RingTV for USD 172 M.

Dundee Gets Bulgarian Approval for Chelopech Mine Expansion

Dundee Precious Metals Inc have announced its Chelopech mine expansion has been approved by the Bulgarian Ministry of Environment and Waters.

"With the approval of the environmental impact assessment and signing of the memorandum of understanding with the Bulgarian government, we look forward to advancing the expansion of our Chelopech operation," president and CEO Jonathan Goodman said.

The green light comes after Dundee agreed to pay a much higher annual fee to Bulgaria for exploring Chelopech and allowed the government to take a 25-percent stake in a planned USD 155 million gold and copper processing plant.

The company has agreed to pay between 2 and 8 percent annual fee depending on its profitability as the previous fee ranged between 0.75 and 4 percent.

The approved Environmental Impact Assessment allows Dundee to expand the Chelopech Mine to an annual processing rate of up to 2.0 million tonnes per year.

Bulgaria Parliament Adopts Prohibition of More Than Four Pharmacies per Owner

The Bulgarian Parliament prohibited Thursday big chains of pharmacy stores by adopting a limitation of four pharmacies per owner.

The proposal for such limitations was submitted by the rightist Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB) Party with the argument that many European countries do not have entirely free rules in this area.

The adoption of the proposal at second read, meaning changes in the Law for Medications and Humanitarian Medicine came as a surprise to many.

The Parliament Members (MP's), however, believe that the change would not interfere with the monopoly of the biggest pharmacy owners since they would continue through different managers to own more than four pharmacies.

At the same time, the Parliament eliminated the rule that only licensed pharmacists with Master Degrees in Pharmacy can open drug stores, with which the MP's adhered to the Constitutional Court's decision declaring the rule illegal.

The pharmacy owner, however, would need a mandatory labor or management contract with a licensed pharmacists in order to be able to sell retail medications.

Medical specialists become prohibited to advertise directly medical products in the electronic media and on the Internet. The fine for violators of this prohibition would be between BGN 1000 and 5000.

Turkey Transportation Ministry Strikes Back at Bulgaria

The Turkish Transportation Ministry is going to undertake strong measures against Bulgaria, according to the Turkish daily newspaper Zaman, cited by lev.bg.

The measures are a response to the fee of EUR 83, introduced by Bulgaria for all Turkish trucks transiting through Bulgarian territory.

According to Zaman, beginning September 1, all Bulgarian vehicles entering Turkey would also have to pay a fee, while Turkish trucks would no longer pass through Bulgaria. They would deposit the goods they transport for other European countries at the Bulgarian border and would receive their import goods at the border as well.

Dimitar Hadzhinikolov, Chair of the Confederation of Automobile Carriers in Bulgaria, stated before Darik radio that if these measures became reality, the Turkish business would loose much more than the Bulgarian one since Turkish automobiles transiting through Bulgaria were hundred times more than the Bulgarian vehicles entering Turkey.

"Why are they undertaking measures against Bulgaria - if they can go around our country, then they do not have a problem? Why did the Turks become so angry at Bulgaria about these EUR 83 that they have decided to impose fees on us, not only on our trucks, but on the cars as well? Aren't such measures too radical?", the Confederation Chair stated.

"They have no right to be upset since the fees imposed by Bulgaria are the lowest they must pay in any EU country. True, it was free for them until now, and this was the problem - 1500 Turkish trucks used to pass through Bulgaria every day, free of charge. We already pay to use Turkey's highways. For sure what Bulgarian vehicles pay in Turkey is not less than what they pay us. If we decide to escalate the problem, no one would gain anything," Hadzhinikolov concluded.

Euro Area Registers New Inflation Record

Euro area1 annual inflation is expected to be 4.1% in July 2008 according to a flash estimate issued by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities.

This is a new inflation record for the Euro area since its establishment in 1999.

The rate is still lower that the experts' predictions of 4,2%, according to a poll conducted by Dow Jones.

The previous inflation record in the Euro area was registered in June, 2008 when the annual inflation was 4%.

Bulgaria Energy Minister: Kremikovtsi Will Continue to Receive Gas Supply

The gas supply for the steel mill "Kremikovtsi" would not be lowered under the ctiritcal minimum as promised by Bulgarian Energy and Economy Minister Petar Dimitrov Thursday.

Wednesday the company "Bulgargaz" warned the steel mill that if they did not receive the amount of BGN 7,5 M from Kremikovtsi by 4:00 pm Thursday, they would terminate the gas supply to the mill. The above amount is the mill's dept towards "Bulgargaz" for the month of July.

At the moment, the gas supply company is still waiting to receive an offer from "Kremikovtsi's" management proposing a solution of the problem.

From "Bulgaragaz" have been firm that they do not wish to stop the gas supply to the mill since "Kremikovtsi" was their biggest customer.

At the same time, the trade unions from "Kremikovtsi" have informed that there was no payment to "Bulgargaz" yet, but they believed that the gas company was serious enough to keep the gas supply at the critical minimum and to negotiate installment payments.

Liyudmil Pavlov, leader of the "Podkrepa" trade union at the mill further explained before Darik radio that "Kremikovtsi's" management was still awaiting a meeting with Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev. It is expected that at the meeting Stanishev would announce the State's decision regarding the mill's future.

The trade unions at the mill have stated once again that they supported declaring the mill insolvent and executing a rehabilitation plan, offered so far only by the Ukrainian company "Vorskla Steel" owned by Konstantin Zhevago.

The Indian businessman Lakshmi Mittal and the Ukrainian Konstantin Zhevago have been competing for months with offers to purchase the steel mill.

The insolvency claim has been filed by one of Zhevago's companies along with several other businesses while the Sofia District Court announced Tuesday that they would make the decision about the insolvency of Bulgaria's infamous steel mill in 14 days.

South Stream Gas Pipeline Project to Require USA 20 B

The project for the construction of the gas pipeline "South Stream" is going to require investments of over USD 20 B, instead of USD 10 M as it was previously calculated from estimates in the beginning of 2008.

This was announced by the Russian Energy Minister Sergey Shmatko cited by Russian press publications.

According to experts, this double increase of the necessary investment amount was possibly going to add additional obstacles for the realization of the gas pipeline project. They have stated that the competitor "Nabucco" project was going to be with 30% to 40% cheaper, which would make it more feasible.

Bulgarians' Financial Wealth Up by 23%

The total financial wealth of the households in Bulgaria has gone up with 23% during the last year, according to a report published by the analyst's section of the consulting company Industry Watch.

Industry Watch specializes in monitoring and providing analysis on overall economic dynamics, political risks and the business environment in Bulgaria.

The financial wealth is composed of the cash amounts, bank deposits, different types of bonds, deposits in mutual funds and others.

According to Industry Watch's data, the total financial wealth of the Bulgarian households in the middle of 2008 is BGN 32 M while the households' debts with different financial institutions amount to BGN 10 B.

The research further shows that 57% of Bulgarians do not have any savings while the majority of those who save prefer to have their savings in bank accounts or in cash instead of using more complicated ways to invest.

40% of those who have stated that they are saving money, keep it in bank accounts or in cash, 7% invest in real estate and 11% to 12% invest in retirement funds, stocks and bonds.

According to Georgi Angelov, expert from the Open Society Institute in Sofia two of the economy's sectors - construction and tourism were concealing about BGN 2 B per year from undeclared salaries.

Open Society Institute - Sofia is a non-governmental organization, acting for the benefit of the public to defend the values of the open society in Bulgaria and to support the integration of the country to the European Union.

Decision About Kremikovtsi Insolvency to Be Made By Court in Two Weeks

The Sofia District Court announced Tuesday that they would make the decision about the insolvency case of Bulgaria's infamous steel mill "Kremikotvsi" in 14 days.

During the Court's session one of the lawyers of the side that has requested declaring the mill insolvent stated that "Kremikovtsi" had debts in the amount of over BGN 1 000 600 000.

In addition, last week "Kremikovtsi's" shareholders won their case in London and with that the mill's loan of EUR 325 M plus interest becomes immediately due, making "Kremikovtsi's" total debt over BGN 2 B.

The insolvency claim has been filed with the Court by one of the companies of the Ukrainian businessman Konstatin Zhevago along with several other businesses.

The steel mill on their side have submitted an opinion declaring that the mill was solvent.

Bulgaria's Economy Minister had stated Monday that he was expecting approval of the mill's insolvency by the Court, which will finally make the sale of 71% of the mill to an strategic investor possible.

At the same time the trade unions at the mill have once again declared that they supported the insolvency as the better solution for the future of the mill.

According to trade union representatives the postponing of the insolvency case would lead to the closure of the mill because such postponement would further delay the issuing of a complex environmental permit for "Kremikovtsi". The deadline for the permit is October 23.

Another possible solution would be the liquidation of the mill, which will lead to social pressure and unrest as the trade unions believe..

The third possible outcome, which is the one supported by them is declaring insolvency and execution of a rehabilitation plan, offered so far only by the Ukrainian company "Vorskla Steel" owned by Konstantin Zhevago.

According to the leader of the "Podkrepa" trade union, the organization had not made any political commitments to participate in national protest actions, as it has been reported by some political circles.

The Indian businessman Lakshmi Mittal and the Ukrainian Konstantin Zhevago have been competing for months with offers to purchase the steel mill.

Estee Lauder Buys Two Bulgarian TV Channels for USD 172 M

Central European Media Enterprises, which is part of the US cosmetics giant Estee Lauder has purchased 80% of two Bulgarian cable TV channels - TV2 and Ring TV - for the sum of USD 172 M.

The news was announced by U.S.Newswire on Tuesday, which points out that the American media company was continuing its expansion in Eastern Europe.

The deal for the purchase of TV2, a national cable network launched in November 2007, and Ring TV, a sports cable channel, from the Bulgarian Top Tone Media Holdings Limited is expected to be finalized in two weeks.

The Central European Media Enterprises is also going to sign a contract with the Bulgarian media and advertising consultant Krasimir Gergovm, who is the alleged informal owner of the two TV channels on sale.

"This acquisition is an important next step in the continuing expansion of our free-to-air broadcasting operations in Central and Eastern Europe. Our entrance into the Bulgarian market represents the first new CME territory in three years... We look forward to entering Bulgaria, which has a dynamic economy and a rapidly growing television advertising market", the CEO of Central European Media Enterprises Michael Garin is quoted as saying.

U.S.Newswire points out that the Bulgarian net television advertising market was approximately USD 168 M in 2007 and was predicted to grow 20% per year between 2008 and 2012.

The CME owns TV channels in six Central and Eastern European countries reaching approximately 90 million people. The Company's television stations are located in Croatia (Nova TV), Czech Republic (TV Nova, Galaxie Sport, Nova Cinema), Romania (PRO TV, Acasa, PRO Cinema, Sport.ro, MTV Romania, PRO TV International), Slovakia (TV Markiza), Slovenia (POP TV, Kanal A) and Ukraine (Studio 1+1, Studio 1+1 International, Kino and Citi).

Bulgaria Issues Licenses to Three New Railway Freight Carriers

Bulgaria's Ministry of Transport announced Tuesday that by the end of September it was going to issue licenses to three new railway freight carriers.

The three companies are the Bulgarian Gastrade and Unitranscom, and the Austrian Rail Cargo.

The Sofia firm Gastrade specializes in the transportation and sale of natural gas, whereas Unitranscom is a subsidiary of the Burgas company for the production of railway carriages Transwagon.

The fourth candidate for a freight license Global Rail Trans Jsc, which is owned by the trouble steel-maker Kremikovtzi, was rejected because it did not meet the financial stability requirements.

The railway freights in Bulgaria at the moment are carried out by the state carrier Bulgarian State Railways Jsc, and by two private companies - the Bulgarian Railway Company and Bulmarket DM.

All freight carriers pay fees to the National Railway Infrastructure Company. For 2007 the Bulgarian State Railways paid about BGN 150 M, whereas the private Bulgarian Railway Company (BRC) paid BGN 9 M.

The BRC currently has about 10% of the freight market in Bulgaria. In 2007 it transported 1,35 million tons of goods compared to 440 000 million tons in 2006. Its main clients are Kumerio, Lukoil, KCM, Agropolichym, Holsim.

The other licensed freight carrier Bulmarket DM owns a multi-modal terminal for railway, river, and auto transport in the city of Ruse. It has a smaller market share.

The Bulgarian State Railways transported 21,2 million tons of goods in 2006, which is an increase from the 20,3 million tons in 2005. The revenue from the transportation activity, however, is usually used to compensate the losses from the passenger transportation.

The passenger railway transport in Bulgaria is still fully owned by the state monopoly Bulgarian State Railways. It will be liberalized after 2012 in accordance with the requirements of the EU.

UK Owners Start Selling Real Estate on Bulgaria Black Sea Coast

A number of UK investors are already selling the real estate properties on Bulgaria's southern Black Sea coast that they just bought two or three years ago.

The news was announced Tuesday by the Bulgarian business newspaper Pari, which cites the manager of the Lux Real Estate Agency Nikola Stoyanov.

Most of the UK owners are registering losses as they bought property in the Sunny Beach resort for EUR 1100 per square meter, and are now selling it for EUR 850-900 per square meter.

According to Stoyanov, only the weak pound saved them from losing a lot of money, because they somewhat compensate the difference when they converted the euros into the British currency, which was now weaker than at the time purchase deals were made.

Stoyanov also predicted that abandoned construction sites would be seen in Sunny Beach within a couple of years because the re-sale of real estate property was hurting the prices of the newly constructed apartments.

Bulgaria with Special Large-Scale Strategy to Boost Exports in 2008-2013

Bulgaria's Minister of Economy Petar Dimitrov and his Deputy Yavor Kuyumdzhiev presented Monday the government's export strategy for the period 2008-2013.

According to Dimitrov, the export strategy was approved by the Council of the governing coalition during its meeting in Bansko over the weekend, and was to be submitted for approval to the Parliament.

The aim of the new strategy is to make Bulgaria's trade balance positive by 2014. Currently the country's trade deficit is 25,5% of its GDP.

The plan envisages that in 2018 Bulgaria's exports will amount to EUR 75 B. In 2007 the country exported goods and services for under EUR 30 B.

Dimitrov said the GDP was expected to grow about 7% per year, the foreign investments were expected to maintain at least their current level, whereas the country's exports was supposed to grow 18% per year.

According to the new strategy, Bulgaria is also going to build 100 new industrial zones with attractive terrains for foreign investors. About BGN 100 M will be set aside from the state budget for the development of these zones every year.

The Bulgarian government is also going to be more selective with respect to the foreign investors allowed in the country, and will throw its support behind the manufacturing businesses.

The exports strategy points to the high-tech manufacturing, products from ferrous metals, pharmaceutical production, chemical industry, and research and development as the main exports priorities.

The government also plans to open information centers in at least 30 countries in order to attract more investors. They will be managed by a special agency, which will be named Bultrade. A consultative council of the government, and a special exports council at the Economy Ministry will also be set up.

Foreign Investments in Bulgaria down EUR 500 in January-June 2008

Bulgaria's Economy and Energy Minister Petar Dimitrov announced Monday the foreign investments in the country in the first six months of 2008 had decreased by EUR 500 M compared to the same period of 2007.

Dimitrov pointed out the country might face a further decline in foreign investments as a result of the negative and highly critical monitoring reports released by the European Commission last week.

The Minister said the decline of foreign investments would have much worse effects on the country than the freezing of the EU pre-accession programs' funding.

Dimitrov and Bulgaria's Deputy PM Meglena Plugchieva have already met with representatives of several Greek banks investing in Bulgaria to discuss the present situation. They have also scheduled talks with Bulgarian-American and Bulgarian-German Business Chambers.

Bulgaria's Minister of Economy and Energy stated he expected that on Tuesday the troubled steel-maker Kremikovtzi would be declared insolvent by the court, which in his words would pave the way for the sale of the plant to a new owner.

Dimitrov also announced the first sod of Bulgaria's second nuclear power plant Belene would be turned in August.

Oxford Business Group: Bulgaria Suffers from Labor Shortage

The latest analysis of the Oxford Business Group concludes that Bulgaria suffers from severe labor shortage, which is caused by the fact that more and more Bulgarians take up better paying jobs abroad.

The British consulting group points out that one unemployed person in Bulgaria could choose between ten different openings.

It also stresses that the unemployment in the capital Sofia was close to zero, and that the total rate for the country was 6%, which was one of the lowest in Europe.

According to the Bulgarian Labor Minister Maslarova, this level was close to the sanitary minimum, and the consequences from the further decrease of unemployment could lead to a growth of inflation, and a slowing economic growth.

The Oxford Business Group cites data of the Bulgarian National Statistical Institute, which found that 17,6% of the companies stated they were short of workers. The data also shows the monthly salaries in Bulgaria grew 20% in 2007.

The analysis points out that despite Bulgaria's relatively cheap labor within the EU, many employees in certain sectors such as IT, telecommunications, and finance receive excessively high remunerations.

The consulting group recommends that the Bulgarian government reform the education system immediately in order to provide students with new skill suitable for the rapidly changing labor market.

Bulgaria Transport Min Demands BGN 2 B for Railways Renovation

Bulgaria's Transport Minister Petar Mutafchiev insisted that a total of BGN 2 B should be allocated to the renovation of the railways from 2009 state budget.

The demand was place during the sitting of the three-way ruling coalition, held in the weekend in the resort town of Bansko.

The centrist NMPS party and the Turkish ethnic formation reacted sharply against the demand, saying it was unrealistic.

The chair of the Transport Parliamentary Commission Yordan Mirchev proposed that the government should undertake a long-term financial strategy for modernization of the rail network.

An official statement released by the governmental press office reads that the rulers have decided they are to prepare a finance framework for renovating the rail infrastructure for the period 2008 - 2013 in accordance with the European requirements.

Buying new carriages and locomotives is one of the steps to be taken in the process of renovation of that kind of transport in Bulgaria.

Bulgaria, Romania to Spend EUR 50 M on Repairs of Danube Bridge

Bulgaria's Minister of Transport Petar Mutafchiev and his Romanian counterpart Ludovic Orban have agreed that the Danube Bridge connecting the two countries had to be rehabilitated.

This became clear Monday after the regular meeting of the two ministers in the Bulgaria Danube city of Ruse.

Mutafchiev announced that Bulgaria was going to allocated about EUR 25 M for the repair works on the so called Danube Bridge I, and that the Romanian side was probably going to spend just as much.

The Bulgarian Minister also said the fees for using the bridge were definitely going to be reduced said that the exact sums would be settled in the next experts' meeting between the two sides.

The two ministers also discussed the situation around the construction of the Danube Bridge II, which is supposed to connect the countries at Vidin-Calafat. According to the Romanian Minister Orban, the first sod for the construction of the auxiliary infrastructure on the Romanian side would be turned in October.

The construction of the second bridge on the Danube is supposed to be completed before December 2010 but is currently delayed by six months. The project is being executed by the Spanish company FCC (Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas).

The transport ministers of Bulgaria and Romania also discussed two other possibilities for the construction of bridges on the Danube connecting the two countries - one option is at Oryahovo-Beket, and the other at Silistra-Calaras.

Bulgaria's Competition Watchdog Fines Foreign Law Firms

Bulgaria's Competition Protection Commission (CPC) has imposed a BGN 150,000 fine to four foreign law firms operating in Bulgaria without being registered in accordance to the country's laws.

CPC also said that the fined companies must stop their work in Bulgaria until they are properly registered as law firms.

CMS Cameron McKenna were slapped BGN 50,000 penalty. The fine for Cerha Hempel Spiegelfeld Hlawati and CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hainz will be BGN 30,000. DLA Piper Weiss-Tessbach were fined BGN 40,000.

The complaint against the law companies was filed by some of the biggest Bulgarian law firms.

The fined firms stated that the decision of the Bulgarian competition watchdog is actually violating EU directives, such as directive 98/5/ЕС, concerning freedom of establishment for lawyers within the bloc. The lawyers also declared that CPC was incompetent in the law sphere.


Sofia Mayor to Back National Boycott of Government

Sofia Mayor Boyko Borisov and unofficial leader of the GERB party declared he is to back the proposition of the rightist Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB) for organizing a Day of National Boycott against the current Cabinet.

Mr Borisov, however, said also that the eventual boycott must be coordinated by the opposition parties' headquarters and not party leaders.

According the leader of DSB, Ivan Kostov, the results of the failed Wednesday sixth consecutive no-confidence vote against the Government were not satisfactory since an anti-European Cabinet is continuing to rule the country in the expense of all Bulgarian people.

"We wish to show Europe that there is a different Bulgaria, that there are people in this country actually ashamed of the latest developments," Kostov stated, adding that his Party understands the need of a new reform and a pro-European initiative.

Bulgaria Agriculture Minister to Meet with Protesting Framers

Valeri Tsvetanov, Bulgarian Agriculture Minister is going to meet with representatives of protesting Bulgarian farmers Friday.

The meeting is to be held in the southern Bulgarian city of Kardzhali.

Cattlemen in Bulgaria are already in their second week of mass protests. Their leader Boyko Sinapov has stated that they would conduct talks with the Minister only if he would offer them clear, concrete and concise solutions.

According to the protesters, the Cabinet had funds for them, but does not want to pay and assist them.

At 11:00 am Friday the cattlemen are once again going to block the road from Kardzhali to Dzhebel and not only for one hour as they have done previously, but for an indefinite time period.

New US Ambassador to Bulgaria Has Been Officially Sworn In

On July 25th, 2008 Nancy McEldowney was officially sworn in as the new US ambassador to Bulgaria, replacing John Beyrle.

She was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Bulgaria in January, 2008 by President George W. Bush.

The appointment culminates a diplomatic career with the U.S. State Department.

Nancy McEldowney graduated in 1976 from Clearwater High School in Florida and received her bachelor's degree from New College and her master's degrees from Columbia University and the National Defense University.

Previous posts include: Deputy chief of the United States Mission in Ankara, Turkey; Office of the Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon; and director of European Affairs on the National Security Council at the White House; and overseas posts including Baku, Azerbaijan; Bonn, Germany; and Cairo.

Nancy McEldowney will leave for Bulgaria in a couple of weeks.

Accompanying her will be her husband, Tim Hayes, a retired U.S. Air Force pilot who flew F-5 and F-15 aircraft, and their daughters Jessica, 7, and Alyssa, 2.

You ca read more about Nancy McEldowney's new appointment at http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=95702

Bulgaria Socialists Present New Membership Card

The new Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) membership card is presented Friday at a meeting of the Party's Supreme Council.

For the first time the card will be electronic and will have a chip with personal information about the member as well as his or her professional and party experience.

The first membership cards will be presented personally by the BSP leader and Bulgarian prime minister Sergey Stanishev at the Party's convention on the Buzludzha peak where the 100-years old Party is going to discuss its policy regarding young people and the elderly.

Bulgaria Rightist Party to Organize Day of National Boycott Against Government

The rightist Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB) Party is beginning Thursday negotiations with the rest of the right wing parties in Bulgaria for organizing of a Day of National Boycott against the current Government.

The Party, also known as the "Dark Blue" is going to conduct talks mainly with the political formations that are members of the European People Party.

According to Ivan Kostov, leader of DSB, the results of the failed Wednesday sixth consecutive no-confidence vote against the Government were not satisfactory since an anti-European Cabinet is continuing to rule the country in the expense of all Bulgarian people.

"We wish to show Europe that there is a different Bulgaria, that there are people in this country actually ashamed of the latest developments," Kostov stated, adding that his Party understands the need of a new reform and a pro-European initiative.

"I am not saying that we would succeed, but the European orientation of our country must be reinstated," Kostov said further.

DSB is also going to negotiate with the trade unions to secure their participation in the National Boycott Day.

Bulgaria President: Wednesday No-Confidence Vote Was Boring and Unprepared

The debates during the Wednesday no-confidence vote against the government were qualified by Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov as even more boring than the Friday Parliament control sessions.

Parvanov spoke about the no-confidence vote during a visit to the town of Pernik Thursday.

"The vote missed a great opportunity offered by such parliamentary procedure to define the Government's commitments and responsibilities as well as those of all political fractions regarding fulfillment of requests included in the EC monitoring reports about Bulgaria and solving the latest serious issues," the President stated in Pernik.

Parvanov further pointed out that actions like the unprepared Wednesday vote or street fights and conflicts could not yield any positive results, adding that such actions could be defined as a "farce."

The President expressed his conviction that just in months the country would be able to resolve its current problems due to the strong will demonstrated by the Bulgarian Cabinet.

Parvanov further appealed to the leadership of the opposition GERB (Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria) Party to reread the Constitution in connection to their statements about the President interfering with the Parliament and their request for the appointment of a temporary Cabinet.

Bulgaria MPs Impose Moratorium over Green Spots Construction

Bulgaria's Parliament imposed Thursday a temporary moratorium over building works in the green areas in the big cities.

The MPs banned the construction in parks, playgrounds and the spaces between the residential buildings in cities, whose population exceeds 50,000 people.

The contractors are obliged to follow the urban plans prepared before the newly adopted decision is published.

The moratorium will be into force until a group of experts examines the texts of the Territory Development Law within the autumn session of the Parliament.

Bulgaria President: Interior Min Should Drive Crime Rings to the Wall

Bulgaria's President Georgi Parvanov called on the Interior Ministry for driving the organized crime groups into the corner even in an aggressive way.

The head of state refused to evaluate the work of the ministry, saying only the results obtained are unsatisfactory. As a reason for that Parvanov indicated the poor technical conditions.

"The whole system is rotten and important information concerning organized police actions could leak at any time," the president said.

He added that the legal measures taken so far are necessary but not enough to change the whole system.

Bulgaria Nationalists Demand Dismissal of Policemen over MEP Arrest

The leader of Bulgaria's nationalist Ataka party, Volen Siderov, said Thursday the police officers, who arrested his stepson and MEP Dimitar Stoyanov, should be dismissed and put on trial.

The statement was made during Siderov's conversation with the Chief Prosecutor Boris Velchev, who agreed Stoyanov's detention was act of law violation.

"We are now trying to establish the identities of the policemen, who have arrested the MEP at Wednesday's protest action of the nationalist party in downtown Sofia," the prosecutor said.

"The police detained a group of Ataka supporters without any reasons shortly after they arrived to the capital city to join the unlimited protests staged before the building of the Presidency," Siderov explained.

"Such actions on the part of the police authorities show the ruling coalition is afraid of civil activity demonstration," the nationalist leader added.

Stoyanov presented before the chief prosecutor a medical expertise, proving he was injured 34 times.

He was released minutes after being detained by the police near the building of Parliament in downtown Sofia on Wednesday.

Stoyanov has immediately said he was beaten up by the police.

Officers, however, denied his statement, claiming the MEP was taken to a police station after he insulted them.

Stoyanov made an attempt to defend several Ataka supporters, who were arrested over bringing chains in central Sofia streets.

At the order of the head of the capital's Police Directorate, Nikolay Yanev, the MEP was freed without even being interrogated.

Bulgaria Cabinet Survives Sixth No-Confidence Vote

Bulgaria's Socialist-led government expectedly survived Wednesday a no-confidence vote over its failure to adhere to the rules of the EU for the EU Funds absorption.

The motion, filed by the opposition in cooperation with independents, was rejected by a large margin - 150 to 84 votes. Only one MP abstained from voting.

The vote was officially filed the day when the European Commission published its latest monitoring report on Bulgaria a week ago.

The opposition cited as motives for the move the moral and material damages incurred by country and its citizens because of violations in the absorption of the EU funds.

All opposition parties along with the nationalist Ataka party, the Bulgarian New Democracy party, which earlier dissociated with the governing National Movement for Stability and Progress, and with several independents have a total of 82 MPs.

Opposition GERB Party: 17 Urgent Measures Needed to Overcome Current Crisis

There is an urgent need of 17 measures to be undertaken in order to stabilize the situation in the country and regain the European Institutions' trust, according to Tsvetan Tsvetanov, leader of the opposition GERB (Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria) Party.

Tsvetanov believes that the measures must be undertaken by the Parliament, the Cabinet, the President, law enforcement authorities, the legal system, the opposition and the public.

The GERB leader further explained that if those measures were not urgently established, a possible outcome in the fall would be a spontaneous mass public unrest.

Some of the proposed measures include mandatory giving up of the summer vacation by all MP's, who must remain in session and actively work for legal and political changes such as changes in the Election Law, which will guarantee early Parliamentary elections.

Tsvetanov has also said that the President must immediately begin consultations for the pro-term termination of the mandate of the 40th Parliament and to issue a decree for the appointment of a temporary Cabinet with a clear short-term plan.

GERB also appealed for guarantees for the maintenance of order and security in the country so that organized crime would be prevented from seizing the opportunity and using the crisis situation.

Bulgarian MEP Released Minutes after Arrest over Insulting Police Officers

The MEP from Bulgaria's nationalist Ataka party, Dimitar Stoyanov, has been released minutes after being detained by the police near the building of Parliament in downtown Sofia on Wednesday.

Stoyanov claimed he was beaten up by the police.

Officers, however, denied his statement, saying the MEP was taken to a police station after he insulted them.

Stoyanov made an attempt to defend several Ataka supporters, who were arrested over bringing chains in central Sofia streets.

At the order of the head of the capital's Police Directorate, Nikolay Yanev, the MEP was freed without even being interrogated.

The other four detainees remain under custody.

The incident occurred near the place, where Ataka party are recently staging rallies against the governing three-way coalition.

Sofia Mayor Boyko Borisov issued an order Monday allowing the formation to organize unlimited protests before the building of the Presidency.

Borisov has signed the request by Ataka's leader Volen Siderov that his sympathizers should protest there "until the day the government resigned".

The Mayor did not allow the nationalists, however, to settle their camp of tents right before the Presidency's building around the fountains there, with the argument that this was a security zone.

About 30 Ataka adherents tried to stage a protest rally on that spot on Sunday but were made to move some 50 meters away from the Presidency by the police.

The nationalists are planning to set up a people's parliament before the Presidency where according to Siderov every Bulgarian would be able to speak their mind "about this corrupt and incompetent government".

The Ataka party decided to leave the Parliament last week in protest against the staying in power of the government, and asked the other rightist opposition parties to do the same. None of them, however, has followed suit.

France Ambassador: Bulgaria Needs Better Investment Image, Diversified Tourism

The French Ambassador to Sofia Etienne de Poncins said in a special interview for Novinite that the Bulgaria needed an improved image in order to attract more French investors.

His Excellency also emphasized the great potential for developing tourism that Bulgaria had, but pointed out that the country had to diversify its tourist services in order to attract more and wealthier tourists.

With respect to the recent international recognition of the newest nation in Europe, Poncins stated that Kosovo's transition to independence had gone better than expected.

His Excellency did not rule out the possibility that in the long run France and the UK might transfer their nuclear arsenals to the EU.

FULL TEXT of Ambassador de Poncins's Interview for Novinite READ HERE

Head of Agriculture Directorate in Bulgaria's Kardzhali Dismissed

The head of the Agriculture Directorate in Bulgaria's town of Kardzhali Radin Uskov was dismissed Wednesday as that was one of the conditions laid down by the protesting farmers in the region.

By the order of the Agriculture Minister Valeri Tsvetanov there has been formed a working group that is to consider all other demands of the protestors.

It members are to meet the farmers and make some check-ups needed.

The minister should receive a report, containing proposals over solving the problems of the citizens on protest until August 4.

More Bulgaria Public Figures to Have Secret Services Records Examined

Bankers, trade union leaders, leaders of religious organizations, editors in chief and well-known journalists will have their employment record files examined in order to find out if they have been affiliated with the Communist State Security Secret Services.

This is included in the changes in the Employment Records Law, which have been submitted in the Bulgarian Parliament by 22 Parliament Members from different political parties.

The current law provides for the examination of the employment records' files of all individuals who have held and are holding public positions after 1989 eliminating the possibility to check up the records of bankrupt banks' owners, sociologists or former journalists who are no longer conducting activities included in the frames of the current law.

Bulgaria Parliament Fixes Summer Holiday

Bulgarian MPs decided Wednesday they are to enjoy their summer holiday in the period between August 1 and September 5.

The proposal was adopted despite the fact that a total of 11 members of the Parliament voted against it.

Ivan Sotirov from the United Democratic Forces party accused the ruling coalition of quietly dissolving the Parliament in an attempt of escaping giving explanations over the latest critical reports of the European Commission on Bulgaria.

"In the framework of the session, the MPs have often left the parliamentary hall earlier than scheduled," Sotirov said.

He added that important drafts have not even been discussed exactly because of the shortened working time of the MPs.

Bulgaria MPs Debate Sixth No-Confidence Vote against Government

Bulgarian Members of the Parliament are debating Tuesday the sixth no-confidence vote against the government, filed by the opposition over its failure to adhere to the rules of the EU for the EU Funds absorption,

The vote was officially filed the day when the European Commission published its latest monitoring report on Bulgaria.

More than 80 MPs have signed the vote demand including representatives of the right-wing parties and 13 independent MP's.

The opposition cites as motives for the vote the moral and material damages incurred by country and its citizens because of violations in the absorption of the EU funds.

Vesselin Metodiev, representative of the Democrats for Strong Bulgaria party asserted that data revealing fraud and abuses of EUfunds will be presented during the no-confidence vote debates.

All opposition parties along with the nationalist Ataka party, the Bulgarian New Democracy party, which earlier dissociated with the governing National Movement for Stability and Progress, and with several independents have a total of 82 MPs.

The three-way governing coalition has 150 MPs in the 240-seat Parliament.

Sofia Mayor Fears Governing Parties Organized His Assassination

The Sofia Mayor and informal leader of the GERB party Boyko Borisov said Tuesday he feared the governing coalition parties might be behind a coming assassination attempt against him.

In an interview before the Bulgarian private TV channel bTV, Borisov said the Interior Minister Mikov was starting to prepare an alibi for the governing parties in case an assassination against him took place.

On Monday the Minister stated that the Interior was wasting precious resources to provide security guards to the Sofia Mayor but added he had no idea why Borisov needed such measures - because of his current position or because of something in his past.

"They are preparing the situation - this clique around the Bulgarian Socialist Party and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms - so that if something happens with me, they would be able to attribute it to some conflicts in the past", Borisov stated.

He added that the Bulgarian Interior Ministry had received intelligence information about a possible attempt on his life from foreign secret services.

With respect to the possible motives for his assassination, the Sofia Mayor explained that he had detained tons of narcotics and had helped for the busting of thirty illegal workshops printing fake banknotes during his term as Chief Secretary of the Interior Ministry (2001-2005).

He also said he had initiated dozens of inspections of corruption and criminal activities within the Sofia Municipality since he first became Mayor in 2005.

"If this happens - if the leader of GERB Tzvetan Tzvetanov or the leader of Ataka Volen Siderov became Prime Minister after my assassination - I would really not be so sorry if this happened. This way at least I will be able to look at these nice guys (i.e. the Bulgarian Socialist Party and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms) from above, and to witness their fiasco", Borisov commented with respect to the scenarios for his potential politically motivated murder.

The Sofia Mayor insisted that the BSP and Mikov should say why exactly they dismissed the former Interior Minister Rumen Petkov - whether it was because of incompetence, or because of corruption and connections with organized crime groups.

Belgium Ambassador to Sofia Awarded for Promoting Bulgarian Culture

Bulgaria's Minister of Culture Stefan Danailov awarded Tuesday at a special ceremony the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium to Sofia Philip Beke for his contribution to the development and promotion of Bulgarian culture.

The Representative of the Delegation of Walloon-Brussels to Bulgaria and Romania Daniel Sotio received the same award.

Minister Danailov presented each of the two Belgian diplomats with a Golden Age Plaque and a Certificate of Recognition.

The Bulgarian Minister stressed the active cultural exchange between the two countries reminding of a recent event - the official presentation of the miniature model of the Rila Monastery as part of the Mini Europe Park in Brussels.

His Excellency Ambassador Beke said his first interaction with Bulgarian culture was in 2002 during the Europalia Festival in Brussels, and that he had come to admire the uniqueness of Bulgarian talent ever since.

Bulgaria to Host International Natural Gas Supplies Summit in 2009

Bulgaria's Foreign Minister Ivaylo Kalfin announced Monday that in 2009 the country was going to be the host of an international summit meeting on natural gas supplies, which was going to discuss the gas deliveries for Europe.

Kalfin made this announcement during the opening of the third annual meeting of the Bulgarian diplomatic representatives abroad.

According to the Foreign Minister, the summit would be attended by the leaders of European states and of the natural gas suppliers located to the east of Europe.

Kalfin also stated Bulgaria's foreign policy was primarily economically oriented.

"There is a rigorous competition for the energy supplies, and we exert our efforts to attract as many energy projects as possible", the Foreign Minister said adding that Bulgaria was not affected much by the world economic crisis.

In his words, the foreign direct investments in the country amounted to EUR 13 B in the last three years.

"There are certain circles in the EU which are against its enlargement. They want to turn Bulgaria into the bad example to support their claims. Let us not allow Bulgaria to fit this image", Kalfin called upon the Bulgarian diplomats referring to the recent monitoring reports of the European Commission.

The Foreign Minister also criticized some of the Bulgarian ambassadors for failing to set up and maintain web sites of their missions.

In his speech at the opening of the conference, the Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev stressed Bulgaria's solid position in international affairs.

He pointed out that the country's economic growth was close to 7%, the government was working to reduce inflation, and the country's foreign investments were among the highest in the EU.

Stanishev asked the Bulgarian diplomats to boost their contacts with the Bulgarian diaspora in their countries.

Construction of US Army Housing in Bulgaria to Start in Coming Winter

The US edition Stars and Stripes announced Sunday that the construction of a permanent US military housing facility in Bulgaria is set to start in the coming winter.

The article provides extensive information on the construction of US military facilities in Romania, but does mention the specific location of the US housing base in Bulgaria - close to the Novo Selo ("New Village") Training Ground.

The facility will be able to house up to 2 500 US military personnel. The United States Army is mostly interested in using the Novo Selo Training Area and the Bezmer Air Base as well as the Graf Ignatievo Air Base and a storage facility in Aytos.

According to the US Embassy in Sofia, the US Army is just going to share these military facilities with the Bulgarian Army, which means there are not going to be any typical American military "bases" in the country.

Full Text of The Stars and Stripes Article READ HERE

Sofia Mayor Allows Nationalists' Protests until Government Resigns

The Sofia Mayor Boyko Borisov, who is also the informal leader of the GERB party, issued an order Monday allowing the extreme rightist and nationalist Ataka party to stage unlimited protests against the governing three-way coalition before the building of the Presidency.

Borisov has signed the request by Ataka's leader Volen Siderov that his sympathizers should be allowed to protest "until the day the government resigned".

The Mayor did not allow the nationalists, however, to settle their protest camp of tents right before the Presidency's building around the fountains there, with the argument that this was a security zone.

About 30 Ataka adherents tried to stage a protest rally on that spot on Sunday but were made to move some 50 meters away from the Presidency by the police.

The nationalists are planning to set up a people's parliament before the Presidency where according to Siverov every Bulgarian would be able to speak their mind "about this corrupt and incompetent government".

The Ataka party decided to leave the Parliament last week in protest against the staying in power of the government, and asked the other rightist opposition parties to do the same. None of them, however, has followed suit.


Bulgaria Received Over BGN 1 B from EU in 2008

For the first seven months of the year 2008, Bulgaria has received BGN 1,297 B from the European Funds, according to statements coming from Finance Minister Plamen Oresharski.

At the same time the country had made a deposit of BGN 392 M in those funds. It is expected that by the end of the year Bulgaria would deposit another BGN 650 M.

According to the Finance Minister, Bulgaria cannot yet afford to become a net donor of the European Union (EU).

At the same time, Transportation Minister Petar Mutafchiev once again firmly denied that the funds from the EU operational program "Transportation " have been blocked.

Bulgaria Minister Denies Freezing of EUR 1,6 B from EU Transport Program

Bulgaria's Transport Minister Petar Mutafchiev denied Monday the recent publications in the Bulgarian press that the EC had frozen EUR 1,6 B for Bulgaria under the Transport Operative Program.

Mutafchiev was positive that he had not received any letter from the European Commission with information about the blocking of funds.

The Minister explained the last letter he had received from the Commission concerned the ISPA Program projects executed by the former Republican Road Infrastructure Fund, which was dissolved and replaced with a new roads agency last week.

A representative of the EC cited by the Bulgarian National Television, however, pointed out that some funds under the Transport Operative Program had in fact been frozen. These were money, which were supposed to be channeled through the former Republication Infrastructure Fund.

The Commission terminated all payments to the Fund at the end of January, when two of the Fund's top ranking officials were caught with a bribe. Later it was also revealed that the Fund's Director Veselin Georgiev had allegedly awarded road contracts for millions of euros to his brother's firm.

Thus, when the EC terminated the funding for the former roads agency, it suspended payments under both the pre-accession, and the operative programs.

Under the Transport Operative Program Bulgaria is supposed to receive almost EUR 1,6 B for 2007-2013 for the construction and rehabilitation of roads and railways infrastructure.


Bulgaria Hired Killer Has Executed Serbian Drug Boss

A hired Bulgarian killer had executed the Serbian drug dealer Sasha Stoykovic, according to the Belgrade newspaper "Vecernje Novosti', citing sources from the murder investigation.

The murder had happened on July 13, at a pool in the Serbian town of Zaichar.

According to private sources, the killing has been ordered by Bulgarian drug bosses wishing to expand their activity in Serbia.

The killer had managed to escape back to Bulgaria using the unmonitored roads between the border villages of Salash and Novo Korito.

A new Serbian-Bulgarian border checkpoint is planned to be built in the area in 2009.

Bulgaria Convicted by European Human Rights Court

The European Human Rights Court in Strasburg had convicted Bulgaria for the abuse of a detainee by Bulgarian policemen.

Vasil Petrov, a photographer and musician from Sofia has been cuffed and made to stand up all night long.

Petrov is going to receive a compensation for moral damages in the amount of EUR 10, 000 since the judges decided that he has been subjected to inhumane and degrading treatment with "significant degree of gravity."

The Court's decision also notes the too lengthy procedure and lack of effectiveness for over seven years.

Petrov had been taken to the police precinct in February of 1998 due to suspicions that he had been having sex with a model in his photo studio. He spent the entire night cuffed to a pipe and had been beaten by the policemen with batons, fists and kicks.

A physician had examined Petrov after his release and established that Petrov had suffered a hemorrhage.

Petrov filed a complaint against the three policemen on May 29, 1998.

The Prosecutor's Office had decided at the time to not move forward with the case due to lack of evidence while this decision has been later overturned.

In September of 2005, a Sofia court finally terminated the legal procedures citing that they have become void by prescription.

Kidnapped Wife of Bulgarian Football Club President Released

The wife of the Litex Football Club President Angel Bonchev, Kameliya Boncheva, was released 20 days after she was kidnapped.

Boncheva was found by a police patrol early on Wednesday in a suburb of Sofia. The woman is in good health condition, police said.

Angel Bonchev himself was kidnapped on May 22 and released fifty days later.

Boncheva was declared missing on July 11 after she disappeared when attempting to give her husband's abductors the first BGN 500 000 of the total of BGN 3 M that they have demanded as ransom.

The woman was then accompanied by undercover police officers, who botched the operation and failed to protect her.

On Tuesday Angel Bonchev gave an interview for the Bulgarian bTV channel, saying he did not have any information about his wife and is donating the sum of EUR 157,000 to the Tomorrow for Everyone foundation, which fights against breast cancer.

Bonchev said the money is what his friends had collected for him to pay as a ransom for the freedom of his wife.

The chairwoman of the foundation, Rumyana Kozareva, denied speculations that the money is to be given to the kidnappers, saying that Bonchev's move was very surprising to them. Kozareva said the money is to be used for the building of a centre for rehabilitation of people operated for breast cancer.

Bocnheva's Kidnappers Allegedly Asked for More than EUR 157,000

The kidnappers have demanded more than EUR 157,000 in order to release Kameliya Boncheva, the wife of Angel Bonchev, former President of the "Litex" football club, according to Darik radio private sources.

According to the same sources, the kidnappers have been negotiating personally with Bonchev and they had instructed him what to do with the money.

Bonchev had explained to the kidnappers that he was not able to collect more than the EUR 157,000, which, according to his own statements before the television channel bTV, has been collected by friends to pay Kameliya's ransom.

The Darik radio source has also denied rumors that Kameliya Boncheva has been released two days ago. According to an official announcement of the Interior Ministry, Boncheva has been released early Wednesday morning.

Tuesday Angel Bonchev gave an interview for the bTV channel, saying he did not have any information about his wife and was donating the sum of EUR 157,000 to the Tomorrow for Everyone Brest Cancer Foundation.

The Foundation Chairwoman, Rumyana Kozareva, denied speculations that the money was to be given to the kidnappers, saying that Bonchev's move was very surprising to them.

Individuals close to the investigation have stated that it was almost impossible for the EUR 157,000 to reach the kidnappers, adding that the perpetrators' goal was, most likely, to force a rich man to donate money to people in need - in this case breast cancer victims.

The Darik radio sources have further informed that Kameliya has been held captive at the same location as her husband and that the kidnappers have treated her well. Kamleiya, however, was not able to move or to stand up. The family was currently staying together in their apartment in the Sofia "Darvenitsa" quarter.

Boncheva was found in good health condition by a police patrol early Wednesday in a Sofia suburb.

Angel Bonchev himself was kidnapped on May 22 and released fifty days later.

Boncheva was declared missing on July 11 after she disappeared when attempting to give her husband's abductors the first BGN 500 000 of the total of BGN 3 M that they have demanded as ransom.

Interpol Wanted Macedonian among Finalists at Bulgaria Song Contest

A Macedonian citizen, wanted by Interpol and the police in his home country is one of the finalists at the song contest "Burgas and the Sea" to be held in Bulgaria's coastal city.

The announcement was made Friday by Burgas police authorities and the Municipality.

Iliya Tepev, 46, was sentenced by the court in his hometown of Veles over malfeasance in office and robbing a local company with EUR 750,000.

"In order to take part in the music competition, Tepev presented himself as a Bulgarian citizen," said Vessela Yordanova, the head of Culture, Marketing and PR Directorate.

"He has even appeared at the Thursday's rehearsal," Yordanova added.

It is highly probable that Tepev's song will be disqualified before the beginn