Category: Bulgaria

At Least 45 Dead, Including Children, After Bus Catches Fire in Bulgaria

At least 45 people have been killed, including children, after a bus caught fire on a highway in western Bulgaria early on Tuesday, officials have said. The incident occurred on the Struma highway about 45 kilometers (28 miles) west of Sofia, near the village of Bosnek, at around 2 a.m. local time, as per local reports….


Bulgaria Sees Economic Growth, Inflation Picking Up This Year

SOFIA—Bulgaria’s economy is expected to rebound with growth of 4 percent this year and accelerating to 4.9 percent in 2022, the finance ministry said in its autumn macroeconomic forecast on Wednesday. The small and open economy contracted by 4.2 percent in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic hit jobs and businesses. The ministry said strong domestic…


Bulgaria’s GERB Party Fails to Form Government, New Election Likely

SOFIA, Bulgaria—Bulgaria’s center-right GERB party on Friday became the second political party to give up trying to form a new government since last month’s inconclusive parliamentary poll, bringing the Balkan country closer to a third election this year. President Rumen Radev had asked GERB, the party of former long-serving premier Boyko Borissov, to try and lead…


Russian Rhythmic Dynasty Topples, Bulgaria Gets the Gold

TOKYO—The Russian rhythmic gymnastics juggernaut collapsed at the Tokyo Olympics, with dramatic back-to-back losses that sparked allegations of injustice in a sport famous for twinkling costumes, techno remixes, and hoops looping through the air. Russia had won every gold medal in rhythmic gymnastics since 2000. But it’s total defeat this year began Saturday, when Linoy…


No Clear Winner in Bulgaria’s General Elections

SOFIA, Bulgaria—Bulgaria’s early election ended without a clear winner, the central electoral commission said on Monday with 95 percent of the ballots counted. The center-right GERB party of former prime minister Boyko Borissov has a razor-thin majority over its main contender, the anti-elite There is Such a People party of popular TV entertainer Slavi Trifonov….


Bulgaria Charges Six People Over Alleged Russian Spy Ring

SOFIA—Bulgarian prosecutors said on Friday they had charged six Bulgarians, including senior officials from the defense ministry and military intelligence, with spying for Russia. The Russian embassy in Sofia said in a comment on its website it expected that until a court ruled on the case that all speculation about Russia’s alleged involvement in intelligence…


Air France Flight Made Emergency Landing in Bulgaria Over Disruptive Passenger

SOFIA—An Air France flight en route from Paris to New Delhi made an emergency landing at Sofia Airport in Bulgaria on Friday at about 5 p.m. because of a disruptive passenger, Bulgarian officials said on Saturday. The passenger, an Indian citizen, began to act up soon after take-off, quarreling with other passengers, assaulting a flight…