BULGARIA ESTABLISHES SPECIAL TRIBUNAL FOR MAFIA BOSSES
Bulgaria's most dangerous criminals, ringleaders, and corrupt individuals at high-ranking positions are to receive verdicts by a special Tribunal.
The tribunal will be established in the next 12 months as part of the Bill to create separate “Anti-mafia” courts to try the cases against organized crime and corruption, Interior Minister, Tsvetan Tsvetanov, informs.
According to Tsvetanov, the drastic measure will finally eliminate criticism about the lengthy trial process, the low efficiency and the inadequate rules of the courts.
The current project provides for 100 judges and prosecutors from the teams probing the most serious crime groups in Bulgaria to become members of the Tribunal.
Wednesday, 28 April 2010
Saturday, 24 April 2010
The skies re open
Well the crisis has ended, at least temporarily, but it has left alot of people stranded her in Bulgaria, as everywhere else.The resourceful minibus drivers came to a rescue, at a price, and people have been paying to be transported back to England etc by road.The only problem has been trying to get on a ferry in France !.
Tuesday, 20 April 2010
Airports Update
It has been announced that flights will recommence from Bulgaria's airports but only east and south.All flights west are suspended till maybe Thursday but the situation is officialy described as 'dynamic' and further delays could be expected.10,500 passengers are stranded at Sofia airport and the backlog gets bigger everyday.A particularly tragic case was reported on CNN regarding an American woman who has just adopted a downs syndrome child and has been told to report to the Sofia airport every morning at 4am to get on a waiting list for flights.
Sunday, 18 April 2010
Property in Bulgaria
As summer is coming here is a link to my company website for those of you interested in the Bulgarian property market !.Just click on the title.
UK Election 2010
Well May sees the UK elections.My background is in politics and the Labour Party and, moreover, in Barking where the BNP has high, or in their case low, hopes.
Barking is my home town and the fact that these monstrosities have made ground there makes me nauseaous.
The mathematics and the sheer number of candidates make any predictions futile, but I wish all friends standing for election the best of luck. Further information can be obtained on www.lbbd.gov.uk. I have a sneaking suspicion that the good guys will win the day and normal politics will return there.Anybody who wants to help the anti bnp cause can go to the hope not hate website or to barking labour party.
Barking is my home town and the fact that these monstrosities have made ground there makes me nauseaous.
The mathematics and the sheer number of candidates make any predictions futile, but I wish all friends standing for election the best of luck. Further information can be obtained on www.lbbd.gov.uk. I have a sneaking suspicion that the good guys will win the day and normal politics will return there.Anybody who wants to help the anti bnp cause can go to the hope not hate website or to barking labour party.
Airports
As with everywhere else in Europe the airports in Bulgaria are closed.Its interesting to observe the sheer power of nature.I think we are just lucky that it did not happen in the tourist season.However CNN informs me that the volcano situation could go on for a long time and the world is paralysed.
Sunday, 11 April 2010
Easy Hotel, Sofia
Time for a quick mention of the hotel I stayed in in Sofia.The Easy Hotel is located between Slivnitsa and Alexander Stombiliiski Boulevard, about 10 minutes from the main railway and bus stations.It is part of the Easyjet franchise and, in winter, a standard room starts at 10 Euros a night (if reserved in advance, otherwise it is 19 Euros).Summer rates are 29 Euros a night.There are over 50 rooms, most are the 'standard' size which means that they are sea cabin style.There is a double bed, a tv, a bathroom and a small area to hang things. The rooms are small but functional, and the hotel is only 10-15 minutes walk from the centre.Close by there is a pizzeria and a chinese restaurant.
The hotel itself has some vending machines but no bar or restaurant, most things such as access to the tv or wi-fi internet are extras.
For a european capitol city this hotel is great value.Thoroughly recommended.
The hotel itself has some vending machines but no bar or restaurant, most things such as access to the tv or wi-fi internet are extras.
For a european capitol city this hotel is great value.Thoroughly recommended.
The smoking gun....
Having told everybody that it was a model of financial probity the Bulgarian government has revealed that the outgoing Socialist government authorised contracts worth billions in its final days in office.This has pushed the percentage of debt as GDP way over the limit for application to the Euro 'waiting room'. There is now absolutely no chance of Bulgarian adopting the Euro in 2013.This is a major blow to the stability of the Bulgarian economy.
The earliest they can adopt the european currency is 2014.This what happen when losing politicians loot the Treasury.
The earliest they can adopt the european currency is 2014.This what happen when losing politicians loot the Treasury.
Summer is coming !
Lovely weather in my corner of North East Bulgaria today.Officially it is 15C but feels a lot warmer than that.I spent the morning cleaning up the garden, there is still a lot of builders rubble left over from the new roof and the pool.I borrowed a wheelbarrow (kolichka) off a friend and spent an hour and a half labouring away.All the rubble will make good hardstanding for some car parking I thinking of putting in.
Its quite amazing how much damage the very cold winter can do, I have a few snapped and fallen off tiles on the verandah and patio and the pool has turned a very interesting shade of green.Next step is to pump it out clean the walls and floor and pump a fresh lot of water in.I could not have imagined years ago in England that I would be talking about swimming pools, it's a luxury that most normal people would never envisage in my homeland.
Its quite amazing how much damage the very cold winter can do, I have a few snapped and fallen off tiles on the verandah and patio and the pool has turned a very interesting shade of green.Next step is to pump it out clean the walls and floor and pump a fresh lot of water in.I could not have imagined years ago in England that I would be talking about swimming pools, it's a luxury that most normal people would never envisage in my homeland.
Thursday, 8 April 2010
On the train to Sofia
I have not travelled on a train to Bulgaria in a few years so it was with interest that I accepted a friends idea to go on the train (Vlak) to Sofia.
We duly arrived at Varna railway station and purchased out tickets for the 10.56 train.We settled in a bar which had internet access and the station was clean and well laid out.We had decided to so first class as it was Easter Monday and I anticipated that the train would be crowded with people returning home after the holidays.The first class fare was 33 leva the second class 22 leva.The carriages were a little better in first class and next to the buffet car.
We set off on time and the journey was pleasant.The scenery was nice to behold and you could move around quite easily and there was access to toilet facilities (on the buses the toilet is usually locked if they have one).
By the time we got as far as Levski and Pleven the train was VERY crowded, people were standing in the corridor in dozens.The buffet car started to run out of things, especially beer !.
We arrived at Sofia railway station at 6.48pm, total journey time 7 hours 49 minutes.In comparison an express coach stopping only at Veliko Turnovo takes 6 hours 30 minutes.
As a footnote, during the journey we passed through the picturesque Iskar Gorge, and I noticed one village was called 'Thompson'.I remembered that I knew the story behind this very english surname.
Major William Thompson was parachuted into the Balkans in 1944 to assess the impact that Bulgarian partisans were having in the fight against the Bulgarian pro-German regime.Unfortunately the group of three OAS agents discovered they had a broken radio and lost contact with the British authorities.Thompson was a committed Marxist (he was the younger brother of the historian EP Thompson) and joined the partisans in fighting with the goverment.In one engagement he was wounded, captured and, after a show trial, he was executed..he was only 24 years old !.
We duly arrived at Varna railway station and purchased out tickets for the 10.56 train.We settled in a bar which had internet access and the station was clean and well laid out.We had decided to so first class as it was Easter Monday and I anticipated that the train would be crowded with people returning home after the holidays.The first class fare was 33 leva the second class 22 leva.The carriages were a little better in first class and next to the buffet car.
We set off on time and the journey was pleasant.The scenery was nice to behold and you could move around quite easily and there was access to toilet facilities (on the buses the toilet is usually locked if they have one).
By the time we got as far as Levski and Pleven the train was VERY crowded, people were standing in the corridor in dozens.The buffet car started to run out of things, especially beer !.
We arrived at Sofia railway station at 6.48pm, total journey time 7 hours 49 minutes.In comparison an express coach stopping only at Veliko Turnovo takes 6 hours 30 minutes.
As a footnote, during the journey we passed through the picturesque Iskar Gorge, and I noticed one village was called 'Thompson'.I remembered that I knew the story behind this very english surname.
Major William Thompson was parachuted into the Balkans in 1944 to assess the impact that Bulgarian partisans were having in the fight against the Bulgarian pro-German regime.Unfortunately the group of three OAS agents discovered they had a broken radio and lost contact with the British authorities.Thompson was a committed Marxist (he was the younger brother of the historian EP Thompson) and joined the partisans in fighting with the goverment.In one engagement he was wounded, captured and, after a show trial, he was executed..he was only 24 years old !.
Friday, 2 April 2010
Bulgarian footie hits new low !
Controversy, scandals, forfeit defeats, potential relegation to Bulgaria’s third division. The tumult surrounding CSKA Sofia seemed endless, and the latest one for the books came in the form of Romanian coach Ioan Andone parting ways with the Reds on March 30 2010, less than three months after taking the job.
The incident in Mezdra has left a bitter taste in the mouth of many Reds supporters. While it appears that the majority of CSKA faithful condemned the pitch invasion and subsequent attack on players and staff, a group of fans remained proud of their actions and insisted that they had done the club a favour.
In online forums, some supporters claim that Andone’s departure is to be welcomed and that a Bulgarian manager should take the helm. Whether it should be Stoicho Mladenov or Lyuboslav Penev returning, the fans are split, and others are yet undecided.
But it was a CSKA fan shoving Andone in the chest that angered the coach and made him feel concerned for his own safety, ultimately leading him to believe that the job was not worth it.
The incident was clearly seen on television. According to Andone, as quoted by website sportal.bg, "he punched me in the chest. He was arrested afterwards, but those are not the real CSKA supporters."
The club’s financial woes, resulting in delays in players’ wages and what has been described as the "degenerating atmosphere" could have contributed to Andone’s decision. It certainly did not hurt that Andone was being offered the job of taking over Rapid Bucharest, one of the traditional powerhouses of Romanian football, now in danger of missing European qualification for a second straight year.
The days before the announcement saw the Romanian perpetually insisting that he was not going anywhere, that he was in Bulgaria for the long-haul and that he desired to "create something with a lasting legacy".
But hours after claiming that the alleged move to Rapid was "nonsense and sheer media fabrications" and that his future was in Sofia, the club called a news conference to announce the split.
Upon arrival in Bucharest, Andone met Rapid owner George Copos and agreed to take charge of the club until the end of the season. According to reports in Romanian media, the contract has an option for a three-year extension at the end of the season if Andone succeeds in qualifying Rapid for European competitions next season.
His task will be considerable considering Rapid are on 38 points, eight behind leaders CFR Cluj with 46. Perched in seventh place, they trail four points behind the coveted fifth, which offers a spot in the Europa League qualifying rounds, now occupied by Dinamo Bucharest.
In Andone’s defence, it is rather apparent that the decision to ditch CSKA was not financially motivated, his salary in Sofia being higher than the terms offered by Rapid. Andone signed for the Reds in January 2010 for 25 000 euro a month, replacing the out-of-favour Penev, while at Rapid his salary will be 45 000 euro until the end of the season.
However, it was apparent that CSKA never really enjoyed their football once the domestic championship resumed following the winter break. The team spilled points with Pirin Blagoevgrad, drew with Beroe 0-0, and could not manage to beat Levski Sofia in the "eternal derby" despite the fact that the Blues fielded a severely-depleted side featuring six youth players in the starting line-up.
The man Andone replaced, Penev, pipped in from Spain, where he will attend a match between two of his former clubs, Valencia and Atletico Madrid, in the Uefa Europa League.
"As a Red, this is painful for me, and it hurts to see the team losing so much ground in the Bulgarian championship. CSKA is losing sight of the title. And did you see what Andone did? He just left, and I knew this would happen because I follow closely what is going on with the team," Penev told sportal.bg.
The club will now be led by Adalbert Zafirov until the end of the season, according to club president Dimitar Borissov. What will follow, only time will tell. One thing is certain, however. CSKA are staring at yet another title slowly slipping away.
The incident in Mezdra has left a bitter taste in the mouth of many Reds supporters. While it appears that the majority of CSKA faithful condemned the pitch invasion and subsequent attack on players and staff, a group of fans remained proud of their actions and insisted that they had done the club a favour.
In online forums, some supporters claim that Andone’s departure is to be welcomed and that a Bulgarian manager should take the helm. Whether it should be Stoicho Mladenov or Lyuboslav Penev returning, the fans are split, and others are yet undecided.
But it was a CSKA fan shoving Andone in the chest that angered the coach and made him feel concerned for his own safety, ultimately leading him to believe that the job was not worth it.
The incident was clearly seen on television. According to Andone, as quoted by website sportal.bg, "he punched me in the chest. He was arrested afterwards, but those are not the real CSKA supporters."
The club’s financial woes, resulting in delays in players’ wages and what has been described as the "degenerating atmosphere" could have contributed to Andone’s decision. It certainly did not hurt that Andone was being offered the job of taking over Rapid Bucharest, one of the traditional powerhouses of Romanian football, now in danger of missing European qualification for a second straight year.
The days before the announcement saw the Romanian perpetually insisting that he was not going anywhere, that he was in Bulgaria for the long-haul and that he desired to "create something with a lasting legacy".
But hours after claiming that the alleged move to Rapid was "nonsense and sheer media fabrications" and that his future was in Sofia, the club called a news conference to announce the split.
Upon arrival in Bucharest, Andone met Rapid owner George Copos and agreed to take charge of the club until the end of the season. According to reports in Romanian media, the contract has an option for a three-year extension at the end of the season if Andone succeeds in qualifying Rapid for European competitions next season.
His task will be considerable considering Rapid are on 38 points, eight behind leaders CFR Cluj with 46. Perched in seventh place, they trail four points behind the coveted fifth, which offers a spot in the Europa League qualifying rounds, now occupied by Dinamo Bucharest.
In Andone’s defence, it is rather apparent that the decision to ditch CSKA was not financially motivated, his salary in Sofia being higher than the terms offered by Rapid. Andone signed for the Reds in January 2010 for 25 000 euro a month, replacing the out-of-favour Penev, while at Rapid his salary will be 45 000 euro until the end of the season.
However, it was apparent that CSKA never really enjoyed their football once the domestic championship resumed following the winter break. The team spilled points with Pirin Blagoevgrad, drew with Beroe 0-0, and could not manage to beat Levski Sofia in the "eternal derby" despite the fact that the Blues fielded a severely-depleted side featuring six youth players in the starting line-up.
The man Andone replaced, Penev, pipped in from Spain, where he will attend a match between two of his former clubs, Valencia and Atletico Madrid, in the Uefa Europa League.
"As a Red, this is painful for me, and it hurts to see the team losing so much ground in the Bulgarian championship. CSKA is losing sight of the title. And did you see what Andone did? He just left, and I knew this would happen because I follow closely what is going on with the team," Penev told sportal.bg.
The club will now be led by Adalbert Zafirov until the end of the season, according to club president Dimitar Borissov. What will follow, only time will tell. One thing is certain, however. CSKA are staring at yet another title slowly slipping away.
Friday, 26 March 2010
er we go er we go er we go !
BULGARIA KICK OFF EURO 2012 CAMPAIGN AT WEMBLEY
Bulgaria are set to start their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign at Wembley against England on September 3.
The random fixture draw for the Group G qualifying group was made Thursday in Tel Aviv after the managements of the different countries recently failed to come to an agreement over the dates.
Euro 2012 finals will be hosted by Poland and the Ukraine in the summer of 2012.
Group G Fixtures:
3 September 2010: England v BULGARIA
7 September 2010: BULGARIA v Montenegro
8 October 2010: Wales v BULGARIA
26 March 2011: BULGARIA v Switzerland
4 June 2011: Montenegro v BULGARIA
2 September 2011: BULGARIA v England
6 September 2011: Switzerland v BULGARIA
11 October 2011: BULGARIA v Wales
Bulgaria are set to start their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign at Wembley against England on September 3.
The random fixture draw for the Group G qualifying group was made Thursday in Tel Aviv after the managements of the different countries recently failed to come to an agreement over the dates.
Euro 2012 finals will be hosted by Poland and the Ukraine in the summer of 2012.
Group G Fixtures:
3 September 2010: England v BULGARIA
7 September 2010: BULGARIA v Montenegro
8 October 2010: Wales v BULGARIA
26 March 2011: BULGARIA v Switzerland
4 June 2011: Montenegro v BULGARIA
2 September 2011: BULGARIA v England
6 September 2011: Switzerland v BULGARIA
11 October 2011: BULGARIA v Wales
Thursday, 25 March 2010
Come fly with me..
RYANAIR PLANS TAKE-OFF TO BULGARIA'S PLOVDIV CITY
Irish low-cost air carrier Ryanair will hold in April talks with Bulgaria's Plovdiv airport for starting flights, the executive director of the airport announced.
Ryanair representatives will visit Bulgaria from April 6-15. They are scheduled to confer also with Transport Minister Alexander Tsvetkov and visit Plovdiv airport to possibly finalize an agreement.
According to Plovdiv airport executive director Doychin Anguelov the attraction of low-fare air companies is part of the airport strategy to increase its passengers and revenues.
Ryanair has been planning to launch flights to Plovdiv airport for several years.
Plovdiv is expected to become even more attractive for air companies as of April 1, when its fees will be sharply reduced and will stand three times lower that the fees at the airport in the capital Sofia.
Irish low-cost air carrier Ryanair will hold in April talks with Bulgaria's Plovdiv airport for starting flights, the executive director of the airport announced.
Ryanair representatives will visit Bulgaria from April 6-15. They are scheduled to confer also with Transport Minister Alexander Tsvetkov and visit Plovdiv airport to possibly finalize an agreement.
According to Plovdiv airport executive director Doychin Anguelov the attraction of low-fare air companies is part of the airport strategy to increase its passengers and revenues.
Ryanair has been planning to launch flights to Plovdiv airport for several years.
Plovdiv is expected to become even more attractive for air companies as of April 1, when its fees will be sharply reduced and will stand three times lower that the fees at the airport in the capital Sofia.
Wednesday, 24 March 2010
Easter Hols
Easter this year falls in the first weekend in April.Some years it is as much as two weeks different to Easter in the West.However it is the same in East and West this year.
Easter traditionally heralds the start of the holiday season and in the past few years it has heralded the arrival of around 10,000 Romanians into the resorts of Albena,Golden Sands and Varna.Romanians are attracted here by the cheap deals available in the hotels and the cheap prices for food and drink.The Romanian resorts are generally more expensive and the service poorer.
Romanians are however an absolute nightmare as drivers, if people thought that Bulgarians are not good drivers they are models by comparison to their northern neighbours.
Easter traditionally heralds the start of the holiday season and in the past few years it has heralded the arrival of around 10,000 Romanians into the resorts of Albena,Golden Sands and Varna.Romanians are attracted here by the cheap deals available in the hotels and the cheap prices for food and drink.The Romanian resorts are generally more expensive and the service poorer.
Romanians are however an absolute nightmare as drivers, if people thought that Bulgarians are not good drivers they are models by comparison to their northern neighbours.
Bansko News
Cheated Brits Protest Bansko Real Estate Fraud
Properties
British homeowners are mounting a peaceful demonstration in the Bulgaria ski resort of Bansko on Wednesday, to protest against being cheated out of their investments.
Scores of British people have, over the past two years, paid out large sums of money - estimated in millions of pounds sterling - on family housing in the Four Seasons complex in the town.
However, they have not been able to take possession of their property, because it has been sold on to a third party.
The investors are accusing the Bulgarian real estate company "Zekom" and its director, Roman Romanov, of illicit dealing. They say that Romanaov lied not only to them, but to the real estate agency involved in the transactions - "Rockarch Estates", a London-based company.
The British contingent had bought up to 70 apartments at a "green" stage, paying out more that GBP 6 M between them, but they still cannot gain access to their properties.
The current problem with the Bansko complex is that the owners, who are business former associates - Nadia Sabeva and Reneta Kachashka - are entrenched in a legal battle.
Nadia Sabeva had sold 70% of the residential area to her partner Roman Romanov without notifying Kachashka, forging company documents and inserting false signatures on them on her behalf.
Both criminal and civil cases have entered Razlog Regional Court and Blagoevgrad District Court, according to Boris Borisov, a lawyer who is representing Reneta Kachashka.
She has argued that her associates Nadia Sabeva and Roman Romanov drained bank accounts large sum of money from the company by forgery of documents and her signature, in order to sell on the luxury apartments in the Four Seasons Hotel to another of their companies.
The British group have already tried mass protests to draw attention to their ongoing problems. They held a similar demonstration outside the complex at the end of February, and attracted considerable attention in the British press.
Properties
British homeowners are mounting a peaceful demonstration in the Bulgaria ski resort of Bansko on Wednesday, to protest against being cheated out of their investments.
Scores of British people have, over the past two years, paid out large sums of money - estimated in millions of pounds sterling - on family housing in the Four Seasons complex in the town.
However, they have not been able to take possession of their property, because it has been sold on to a third party.
The investors are accusing the Bulgarian real estate company "Zekom" and its director, Roman Romanov, of illicit dealing. They say that Romanaov lied not only to them, but to the real estate agency involved in the transactions - "Rockarch Estates", a London-based company.
The British contingent had bought up to 70 apartments at a "green" stage, paying out more that GBP 6 M between them, but they still cannot gain access to their properties.
The current problem with the Bansko complex is that the owners, who are business former associates - Nadia Sabeva and Reneta Kachashka - are entrenched in a legal battle.
Nadia Sabeva had sold 70% of the residential area to her partner Roman Romanov without notifying Kachashka, forging company documents and inserting false signatures on them on her behalf.
Both criminal and civil cases have entered Razlog Regional Court and Blagoevgrad District Court, according to Boris Borisov, a lawyer who is representing Reneta Kachashka.
She has argued that her associates Nadia Sabeva and Roman Romanov drained bank accounts large sum of money from the company by forgery of documents and her signature, in order to sell on the luxury apartments in the Four Seasons Hotel to another of their companies.
The British group have already tried mass protests to draw attention to their ongoing problems. They held a similar demonstration outside the complex at the end of February, and attracted considerable attention in the British press.
Sunday, 21 March 2010
property maps get better
Over 50% of Bulgaria Cadastral Maps Include Errors - Report
Properties
Over half of Bulgaria’s cadastral maps include incorrect and inaccurate data which blocks the correct purchase, sale and partition of property.
This data was revealed at a seminar of the Notary Chamber in Plovdiv with the participation of the Supreme Administrative Court Deputy Chair, Galina Solakova.
The erroneous cadastral maps have produced a large number of lawsuits to remedy the mistakes - there are currently over 200 pending, Solakova reported.
A new electronic system for providing information over the cadastre and the property register in Bulgaria was officially presented on February 2.
Alongside the new law on cadastre and the property register, notaries are also now preparing to receive a system that allows them access to the property boundaries on the register – which will make property fraud much more difficult. Notaries have already been given access to the Interior Ministry database to prevent ID document fraud.
Properties
Over half of Bulgaria’s cadastral maps include incorrect and inaccurate data which blocks the correct purchase, sale and partition of property.
This data was revealed at a seminar of the Notary Chamber in Plovdiv with the participation of the Supreme Administrative Court Deputy Chair, Galina Solakova.
The erroneous cadastral maps have produced a large number of lawsuits to remedy the mistakes - there are currently over 200 pending, Solakova reported.
A new electronic system for providing information over the cadastre and the property register in Bulgaria was officially presented on February 2.
Alongside the new law on cadastre and the property register, notaries are also now preparing to receive a system that allows them access to the property boundaries on the register – which will make property fraud much more difficult. Notaries have already been given access to the Interior Ministry database to prevent ID document fraud.
Saturday, 20 March 2010
Bang !
Bulgaria's Veliko Tarnovo Rocked by Gas Blast
Society
Bulgaria's town of Veliko Tarnovo was rocked on Saturday evening by an explosion.
The blast has occurred in the town’s main street, and is reported as having been caused by a leaking gas tank.
The gas spread through the property, and was ignited by a lit grill, according to a local police official.
Eye-witnesses have spoken of people fleeing the building, a shop, with bloody faces. There have been no reports of severe injuries or of casualties.
Society
Bulgaria's town of Veliko Tarnovo was rocked on Saturday evening by an explosion.
The blast has occurred in the town’s main street, and is reported as having been caused by a leaking gas tank.
The gas spread through the property, and was ignited by a lit grill, according to a local police official.
Eye-witnesses have spoken of people fleeing the building, a shop, with bloody faces. There have been no reports of severe injuries or of casualties.
Down on the farm....
A scandal has erupted in the City Council of Bulgaria’s Plovdiv as several councilors have been caught milking virtual cows on the Facebook application Farmville.
The councilors were first detected playing Farmville two weeks ago during the debates for Plovdiv’s 2010 budget.
The discovery was made by the Chair of the Council, Ilko Iliev, who reacted strongly scolding the eager Internet farmers. However, his reaction was to no avail, as the dedicated councilors continued developing their Facebook farms during the City Council meetings, local media have reported.
They were aided in this laudable endeavor by the wireless Internet network established as part of a recent all-out repair of the City Hall building worth BGN 2 M. The Plovdiv Municipality also recently purchased powerful brand-new laptops for all its 51 councilors.
However, the real scandal erupted during Thursday’s meeting of the City Council when the most persistent Farmville enthusiast, Dimitar Kerin from the nationalist party Ataka, was voted out of the committee he was part of because of his Facebook addiction.
The proposal to remove Kerin from his respective municipal committee came from Todor Hristov, a former member of Kerin’s party, who has argued that Kerin “needs more time for his virtual farm.”
Thus, Kerin was removed from his committee with 20 votes in favor and 19 votes against; as a result, he has lost the additional pay he received as a member of a municipal committee.
The troubled councilor, Dimitar Kerin, has defended himself by saying he was not the only one in the City Hall watering virtual egg plants. He said he had reached only Level 40, whereas Daniela Zhelyazkova, a councilor from the rightist Democrats for Strong Bulgaria party, was already at Level 46.
The councilors were first detected playing Farmville two weeks ago during the debates for Plovdiv’s 2010 budget.
The discovery was made by the Chair of the Council, Ilko Iliev, who reacted strongly scolding the eager Internet farmers. However, his reaction was to no avail, as the dedicated councilors continued developing their Facebook farms during the City Council meetings, local media have reported.
They were aided in this laudable endeavor by the wireless Internet network established as part of a recent all-out repair of the City Hall building worth BGN 2 M. The Plovdiv Municipality also recently purchased powerful brand-new laptops for all its 51 councilors.
However, the real scandal erupted during Thursday’s meeting of the City Council when the most persistent Farmville enthusiast, Dimitar Kerin from the nationalist party Ataka, was voted out of the committee he was part of because of his Facebook addiction.
The proposal to remove Kerin from his respective municipal committee came from Todor Hristov, a former member of Kerin’s party, who has argued that Kerin “needs more time for his virtual farm.”
Thus, Kerin was removed from his committee with 20 votes in favor and 19 votes against; as a result, he has lost the additional pay he received as a member of a municipal committee.
The troubled councilor, Dimitar Kerin, has defended himself by saying he was not the only one in the City Hall watering virtual egg plants. He said he had reached only Level 40, whereas Daniela Zhelyazkova, a councilor from the rightist Democrats for Strong Bulgaria party, was already at Level 46.
Friday, 19 March 2010
Things are looking up !
Positive economic news at last !.Industrial production grew by 4.9% in the fourth quarter and wages by 11.3%.The economy is still contracting but these are good signs, though one wonders how there can be this wage growth when unemployment is 10.26% ..... somewhat confusing.
On a related note there has been a 50% increase in Bulgaria related searches on Primelocation.Let us hope that this translates into sales.
On a related note there has been a 50% increase in Bulgaria related searches on Primelocation.Let us hope that this translates into sales.
Thursday, 18 March 2010
Flight News
BRITISH AIRWAYS TAKES OFF TO BULGARIA'S VARNA
UK airlines British Airways will renew its flights to and from Bulgaria's sea capital Varna as of April 1, representatives of the company announced on Wednesday.
The price of the one-way ticket on a flight from Varna to the airport Gatwick has been set at EUR 35 and EUR 70 for a return ticket, airport fees excluded.
The company said it is testing special ticket prices for flights from Sofia and Varna to the United States and Canada, varying from EUR 281 to 291.
The tickets for Varna – London destination will be on sale from March 28, but only those passengers who travel from April 1 to May 31 can avail themselves of the cheaper prices.
British Airways have also announced a new price of EUR 99, airport fees included, for a one-way ticket from the Bulgarian capital Sofia to Gatwick. There is only one condition - passengers will have to book their flight online.
UK airlines British Airways will renew its flights to and from Bulgaria's sea capital Varna as of April 1, representatives of the company announced on Wednesday.
The price of the one-way ticket on a flight from Varna to the airport Gatwick has been set at EUR 35 and EUR 70 for a return ticket, airport fees excluded.
The company said it is testing special ticket prices for flights from Sofia and Varna to the United States and Canada, varying from EUR 281 to 291.
The tickets for Varna – London destination will be on sale from March 28, but only those passengers who travel from April 1 to May 31 can avail themselves of the cheaper prices.
British Airways have also announced a new price of EUR 99, airport fees included, for a one-way ticket from the Bulgarian capital Sofia to Gatwick. There is only one condition - passengers will have to book their flight online.
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