https://www.bta.bg/en/rss/free Sun, 26 Apr 2026 19:18:23 +0300 en hourly 1 https://www.bta.bg/en/news/bulgaria/1114174-bulgarian-navy-specialized-teams-inspect-transport-drone-debris-found-along-bla https://www.bta.bg/en/news/bulgaria/1114174-bulgarian-navy-specialized-teams-inspect-transport-drone-debris-found-along-bla Sun, 26 Apr 2026 18:20:22 +0300 Specialized teams from the naval bases in Varna and Burgas, part of the Bulgarian Navy, Sunday inspected and transported drone debris discovered near Karadere and Ahtopol, the Defence Ministry said. During the inspection in the northern part of Karadere, located between the town of Byala and the village of Goritsa, the debris was identified as part of a drone that contained no explosives and posed no danger. The specialized team transported it to the naval base in Varna. Later, a team from the naval base in Burgas was deployed to inspect a site in the town of Ahtopol, on the southern Black Sea coast. The servicepersons located a fragment of a drone, confirmed it was not a threat, and transported it to the naval base in Burgas. The servicepersons acted at the request of the regional administrations of Varna and Burgas, following approval from the Chief of Defence. The specialized units for reconnaissance, marking, extraction, and transportation of unexploded ordnance were activated by order of the Commander of the Navy. On April 23, teams from the naval base in Burgas also discovered the engine of an air defence missile and a drone. Both were assessed as non-hazardous and taken to the base. Bulgaria Yoana Vodenicharova Konstantin Kostov https://www.bta.bg/en/news/archives/1114152-post-chernobyl-bulgaria-40-years-ago-cover-up-for-most-precautions-for-chosen- https://www.bta.bg/en/news/archives/1114152-post-chernobyl-bulgaria-40-years-ago-cover-up-for-most-precautions-for-chosen- Sun, 26 Apr 2026 17:47:00 +0300 Bulgaria learnt about the April 26, 1986 accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant two days after the fact. At 9:20 p.m. local time on April 28, BTA published the following brief news item from the Soviet TASS news agency in its International News Desk bulletin: "Moscow, April 28 (TASS). An accident has occurred at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. One of the atomic reactors has been damaged. Measures are being taken to liquidate the consequences of the accident. Those affected are being given aid. A government commission has been formed." On April 29, in the same non-confidential bulletin the Agency relayed a more detailed TASS report that quoted the USSR Council of Ministers as admitting that "there has been a certain release of radioactive substances" but insisting that "the radiation situation in the power plant and its environs is now stabilized" and "is constantly monitored". On the same date, BTA's S-2B Special Confidential Supplement Bulletin said that, according to Western news, "Western experts are unanimous that the accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant probably caused the death of many people". The radiation cloud from Chernobyl reached Bulgaria on May 1. On that date, BTA's Home News Desk Bulletin reported briefly that background radiation levels in the country were normal. It added that "monitoring continues to be performed regularly" without giving a reason. Also on May 1, the S-2 Confidential Supplement carried a huge wire-service news feed tracking the cloud on its way across Europe at large and in the Balkans in particular. On the same date, Vladimir Kostov commented on the Bulgarian Service of Radio Free Europe (transcribed in BTA's confidential bulletin titled Foreign Propaganda against Bulgaria) that the Bulgarian mass media have not provided any locally sourced information about radiation levels in the country and any precautionary advice. "A rudimentary sense of responsibility for the fate of every citizen is clearly completely foreign to the Bulgarian leadership. It takes care not to deviate in any way from the line of Soviet propaganda," Kostov observed. News about the disaster was blacked out throughout the Eastern bloc, but the censorship was particularly severe in Bulgaria. Yet another reassuring announcement was made public on May 3, saying that radiation levels were safe for the population and the environment. A castigating comment came from Vladimir Kostov on Radio Free Europe (May 4): "The Bulgarian [Communist] party and State leadership obviously refuses to admit that a nuclear disaster has occurred at the Soviet power plant near the city of Chernobyl. [. . .] The Bulgarian party and state leadership authorized the publication of only the truncated Soviet communiqués on the matter and ordered the media to remain silent about everything that was being written, commented on, and discussed in the international press, as well as by government officials and scientists in all civilized countries. [. . .] The Bulgarian media did not inform the Bulgarian public about the measures taken in Poland, Romania, Yugoslavia, Austria, Sweden, and West Germany to protect the population from potential consequences. [. . .] Perhaps, as is often the case with so many other important matters, such safety advice was given only to the activists, to those in positions of responsibility and, one might say, the more valuable comrades." While Agence France-Presse, Tanjug and Radio Athens, covered in BTA's confidential bulletin, reported a radiation hazard in Bulgaria, the first announcement about abnormal levels in this country appeared in the Home News Desk Bulletin as late as on May 5. Here is the original English-language version of this item, as published by the BTA External Service: "BTA 109 ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE COMMITTEE FOR THE PEACEFUL USES OF NUCLEAR ENERGY Sofia, May 5 (BTA) --- The Committee for the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy with the Council of Ministers announces: Readings of the radiation level continue to be taken regularly. The network of measuring points has been reinforced and expanded, and it provides continuous information about the entire territory of the country. In most counties there are no deviations from the normal average radiation levels, which range from 0.015 to 0.025 milliroentgens per hour for this country. Radiation levels up to three times higher than normal have been measured in certain counties, but this increase is not dangerous for the population. Radiation is already dropping in the points where the increases have been observed. All water sources in the country have been checked for radiation, and the water in them has yielding normal readings. The overall radiation level indicates that public health is not endangered. - 0 -" Meanwhile, Denmark, West Germany, Austria and later on the entire European Economic Community banned the import of animals, fish, dairy products, milk and fresh fruits and vegetables from countries within 1,000 km from Chernobyl, including Bulgaria. Again, news of these developments can only be found in BTA's confidential bulletins. To make up for it, on May 14 the Home News Desk bulletin reported a "strong protest" voiced by Bulgaria's government against the EEC decision. On May 7, Prof. Lyubomir Shindarov, First Deputy Minister of Public Health and Chief Health Inspector, appeared on National Television and said that "systematic monitoring has shown so far lowering radiation levels and that there is a tendency towards their normalization" and that "no threat at all was posed to public health. Nobody in Bulgaria was exposed to significant doses of radiation, and the slightly increased levels, all the more only in separate areas, do not endanger the health of children, mothers, pregnant women or elderly people." (BTA External Service 112, May 7, 1986). As late as May 18, a non-confidential announcement from the Standing Governmental Commission on Combating Natural Disasters and Large Industrial Accidents admitted that background radiation in the country had started to increase above its natural level on May 2 but added that it has now decreased to nearly the normal level. The Commission reported that the consumption of early leaf vegetables had been temporarily banned as a preventive measure but stressed that cow's milk, meat, meat preparations, butter, eggs, fish and water were safe to use, as was ambient air and seawater. "All tests show that the situation is normalizing. There is no cause for concern and any measures other than the recommended ones are unnecessary," the announcement said. Nevertheless, all precautions were lifted by the Standing Commission less than a week later, on May 23: "The regular monitoring and analyses of the radiological situation show that background radiation in the country has returned to its normal levels. Therefore, the restrictions which have been imposed are hereby cancelled. The special readings taken of the sea water and along the coast, including recreation facilities, holiday houses and children's camps, indicate that they are uncontaminated and can be used without restrictions." (BTA External Service 107, May 23, 1986) What Really Happened In reality, the Chernobyl accident produced severe radiation and health effects in Bulgaria. In 2006 the International Atomic Energy Agency ranked Bulgaria eighth in Europe in terms of radiation contamination of its territory following Chernobyl. For its part, the UN Scientific Committee on the Study of the Effects of Atomic Radiation said that Bulgaria topped the rankings of infant thyroid dose equivalents and effective dose equivalents received by individuals (adults) during the first post-Chernobyl year. The higher average effective dose equivalent received by Bulgarians (despite relatively lower environmental contamination) was due to the absence and/or ineffectiveness of the protective measures taken by the authorities. The exposure was aggravated by the festive demonstrations held under radioactive rain on May 1, despite a 10,000-fold increase of radioactive air pollution compared to the pre-Chernobyl levels. Work in the open air by pupils and students as Youth Brigade members during the summer, massive-scale "runs for health", and children spending a couple of weeks at seaside camps had a similarly harmful effect. To make things even worse, contaminated feed was given to livestock in Bulgaria, which resulted in a secondary surge of radiation in milk and meat in 1987. The communist authorities deliberately kept the general public in the dark about the hazard and did not take adequate measures for radiation protection because such measures would have cost them the loss of certain economic privileges and they wanted to preserve their own political control unchallenged (by preventing panic and protests), says Prof. Dimitar Vatsov, who has spent years researching the aftermath of the disaster in this country. Another overriding consideration was to safeguard Soviet interests in downplaying the disaster, all the more so that Moscow had not deemed it necessary to inform Sofia through official channels. The Soviet Ambassador even chastised the Bulgarian leadership for "making too much fuss" about the issue. In stark contrast to the lax, incomplete or even absent precautions for the population, very strict and urgent measures were taken to protect the most senior party functionaries: excluding contaminated food products and water from use for eating, drinking, washing and bathing, rigorous testing of all products, and importing clean food from Australia, Egypt and Israel. So Vladimir Kostov's assumption about the "more valuable comrades" was proved right. The only exception to the communist regime's deliberate failure to protect ordinary Bulgarians from the Chernobyl radiation was then Defence Minister Dobri Djourov, who ordered strict testing of the food and water used for the armed forces and other measures to minimize their exposure. Notably, this order and related instructions were not at all classified, which made it possible to spread the real news about the situation to the general public, along with rumours and "enemy" radio station broadcasts. * * * In 1990, Grigor Stoichkov, who was deputy prime minister and chairman of the State Governmental Commission in 1986, and Lyubomir Shindarov were charged with criminal negligence in connection with the Chernobyl cover-up. In 1992 the two were found guilty and sentenced to imprisonment: three years (Stoichkov) and two years (Shindarov). On appeal, Stoichkov's sentence was reduced to two years, while Shindarov's was commuted to two years' conditional and four years' probation. BTA's Archives Lyubomir Gigov Irina Simeonova https://www.bta.bg/en/news/bulgaria/1114162-supreme-judicial-council-prosecutors-chamber-to-consider-justice-minister-s-prop https://www.bta.bg/en/news/bulgaria/1114162-supreme-judicial-council-prosecutors-chamber-to-consider-justice-minister-s-prop Sun, 26 Apr 2026 17:42:00 +0300 The Prosecutors Chamber of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) will hold a meeting on Wednesday to review a proposal by caretaker Justice Minister Andrey Yankulov to initiate disciplinary proceedings aimed at imposing a disciplinary penalty on Borislav Sarafov, who was serving as acting Prosecutor General at the time the proposal was submitted, according to the agenda published on the Chamber's webpage.  The Minister’s proposal was put forward at the end of March and is based on five specific circumstances. Yankulov said that the actions and inactions of the de facto acting Prosecutor General constituted serious disciplinary violations, demanding the imposition of the most severe disciplinary penalty, namely dismissal from office. According to Evgeni Ivanov, chair of the disciplinary committee under the SJC Prosecutors Chamber, the proposal is admissible. He noted that it had been submitted by a minister, regardless of Sarafov’s current status, concerns a magistrate, and there is no reason for it not to be considered. On April 22, Sarafov resigned as acting Prosecutor General in a statement published on the prosecution service's website. Later in the day, the SJC Prosecutors Chamber decided to designate deputy prosecutor general Vanya Stefanova acting prosecutor general. The decision may be appealed within 14 days. Bulgaria Yoana Vodenicharova Konstantin Kostov https://www.bta.bg/en/news/economy/1114133-kyustendil-s-strimon-garden-hotel-to-expand-its-wellness-programmes-with-stress- https://www.bta.bg/en/news/economy/1114133-kyustendil-s-strimon-garden-hotel-to-expand-its-wellness-programmes-with-stress- Sun, 26 Apr 2026 16:56:31 +0300 Strimon Garden Medical Spa Hotel in Kyustendil is planning to expand its wellness programmes with new activities focused on stress management, meditation, and outdoor experiences. The initiative is part of a broader effort to develop a concept centered on the overall recovery of guests’ physical and mental well-being, the hotel's management told the Bulgarian News Agency. The new activities will include relaxation practices, meditation, and outdoor sessions held in the hotel’s garden areas. The team added that the goal is to create a relaxing environment where visitors can combine their stay with programmes aimed at recovery and reducing everyday stress. The complex also offers medical spa services based on Kyustendil’s mineral water. In the hotel’s medical spa zone, covering about 1,100 square metres, the water is used in indoor and outdoor pools, a jacuzzi, a plunge pool, and specialized treatments such as underwater massage and hydrogalvanic baths. Its temperature ranges between 31C and 45C, and its sulfide and hydrogen sulfide content makes it suitable as a supportive therapy for musculoskeletal diseases, peripheral nervous system disorders, and certain skin conditions. Among the most popular services are the therapeutic packages that combine balneotherapy, rehabilitation, and relaxing treatments. Programmes focused on anti-stress and recovery and packages designed for guests over the age of 55 are also popular. The hotel also offers various cultural and themed initiatives, including art events and special weekend getaway programmes. The hotel is located near historical landmarks such as the Roman Therms in Kyustendil and the Hisarlaka Fortress, and is part of ongoing efforts to establish Kyustendil as a SPA destination. The hotel collaborates with local producers and partners, using seasonal regional products in its restaurant. Its programme includes events featuring local artists, as well as themed initiatives such as yoga retreats. BTA presents news from certified spa, wellness, and medical spa centres in Bulgaria in its BG SPA: Salus per aquam, Health Through Water feature. Their total number exceeds 200. The initiative, organized in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism and the Bulgarian Union of Balneology and SPA Tourism, is linked to Europe's leading health tourism event, the HEALTHXCHANGE SUMMIT, which will be held from May 11 to 13, 2026, in Varna, Sts. Constantine and Helena, Golden Sands, and Albena. BTA will be the event's main media partner. Economy Yoana Vodenicharova BTA correspondent Maya Kostadinova https://www.bta.bg/en/bg-world/1114131-dance-ensemble-bulgari-based-in-cyprus-to-perform-at-munich-gathering-in-may https://www.bta.bg/en/bg-world/1114131-dance-ensemble-bulgari-based-in-cyprus-to-perform-at-munich-gathering-in-may Sun, 26 Apr 2026 16:48:39 +0300 Dance ensemble Bulgari based in Cyprus will perform at the 11th Expats Join Hands in Worldwide Dance travelling folklore festival. The festival will take place in BMW Park in Munich, Germany, from May 15 to 17. Head of the ensemble, Todor Zdravkov, and Chair of Culture Club Bulgarche - Larnaca, Aneliya Hristova, told BTA that this will be the ensemble's first performance as an independent group, since previously, it was part of a group that represented the Bulgarian community in Cyprus. Bulgari will stage a dance entitled Trakiyski Zadyavki [Thracian teasing/flirting]. Zdravkov shared: "Trakiyski Zadyavki is not merely a dance, but a story about the journey of young lovers, from childhood games and falling in love, through the gossip of the neighbours in the village square, to the love between a young man and a young woman. All of this is viewed through the lens of Thracian tradition, which has been preserved over the centuries. A story of faithful, true, and pure love, told through the language of Bulgarian dance and folklore." Zdravkov reported that Bulgari's rehearsals have been "extreme" and added: "Just a month and a half ago, we had finalized the choreography we had originally announced, but over the past month, we found out that some of our colleagues were staging the same choreography. So, we decided to change our concept and created a new dance and music. On top of that, many of our lead dancers cannot make it to Munich, so at the Expats Join Hands in Worldwide Dance festival, we will be performing with our folk dance group. For them, this is their first time performing on stage with choreography, and it is a big challenge, and for me, as the director, even more so. But, as our ensemble's motto goes, 'Despite all the vicissitudes, we can do it – we Bulgarians can stand the test of time!' I am convinced that this time, too, we will withstand the pressure and deliver a top-notch performance." Dance ensemble Bulgari was founded by Zdravkov in 2008. In 2020, it merged with Culture Club Bulgarche - Larnaca, chaired by Aneliya Hristova. The travelling festival Expats Join Hands in Worldwide Dance is organized by and for amateur folklore ensembles performing outside Bulgaria. The initiative was launched by the Ot Izvora group in Lyon, France, which hosted both the first edition in 2015 and the tenth edition in 2025. More than 100 dance ensembles and over 4,000 guests are expected at the 11th edition in Munich in May. The Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) is the official media partner of the event and will present all participants. BG World Nikolay Zabov Yoana Krasteva https://www.bta.bg/en/news/sport/1114119-bulgaria-s-sasha-vezenkov-named-euroleague-mvp-for-second-time-in-his-career https://www.bta.bg/en/news/sport/1114119-bulgaria-s-sasha-vezenkov-named-euroleague-mvp-for-second-time-in-his-career Sun, 26 Apr 2026 16:28:39 +0300 Bulgarian basketball player Aleksandar "Sasha" Vezenkov is the recipient of the 2025-2026 EuroLeague Most Valuable Player award. He earned the league’s top individual honour after leading Olympiacos Piraeus to the best regular‑season record and delivering one of the most complete campaigns of his career. The award, determined by votes from EuroLeague team captains and head coaches (35% each), accredited media (20%) and fans (10%), placed 30-year-old Vezenkov ahead of Zalgiris Kaunas guard Sylvain Francisco, who came second, and Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv’s Elijah Bryant, who finished in third position. This marks Vezenkov’s second MVP honour as he also won the award in 2022-2023, making him just the second player to claim it twice, joining Anthony Parker, who won in 2004-2005 and 2005-2006. The Bulgarian led the league in scoring with 19.4 points per game, topped the PIR rankings at 23.1, finished fifth in rebounds (6.6 rpg.), and ranked third in two‑point field goals made (4.9). Vezenkov scored in double figures in 33 of his 34 appearances and reached 20 points or more 19 times. He recorded four double‑doubles and anchored Olympiacos’ 26-12 finish – the club’s third time topping the regular‑season standings in the last four years. January was the stretch that crystallized his MVP case, according to EuroLeague. Vezenkov averaged 23.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and a PIR of 29.0 as Olympiacos went 6-1, earning him the EuroLeague MVP of the Month award. He collected three MVP of the Round awards – in Round 3 against Dubai Basketball (PIR of 34), Round 5 against Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv (31), and Round 21 against FC Bayern Munich (35) – and posted a PIR of 30 or higher eight times. Between Rounds 20 and 23, he became the first player since 2000-2001 to record a PIR of 32 or more in four consecutive games. The Bulgarian also earned a place on the All‑EuroLeague First Team for the fourth time in his career, matching Dimitris Diamantidis and trailing only Juan Carlos Navarro, who made the first team five times. He becomes the third Olympiacos player to win the EuroLeague MVP, joining Milos Teodosic (2009-2010) and Vassilis Spanoulis (2012-2013). Sport Iva Krasteva Yoana Vodenicharova https://www.bta.bg/en/news/economy/1114117-tourists-from-uk-benelux-among-attendees-of-starosel-wine-and-spa-centre-in-sum https://www.bta.bg/en/news/economy/1114117-tourists-from-uk-benelux-among-attendees-of-starosel-wine-and-spa-centre-in-sum Sun, 26 Apr 2026 16:20:25 +0300 Tourists from Germany, Turkiye, Romania, the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg are among the guests of the Starosel Wine and Spa Centre during the summer. The main point of attraction is the local healing mineral water, Videlin Piskov, manager of the centre, told BTA. Bulgarians represent the largest share of visitors through the rest of the year. In 2024, a large-scale project to renovate and expand the spa centre was completed. Three new outdoor mineral pools and new indoor spaces were built. The mineral water used in the centre has a temperature of up to 54C at the source and relieves muscle and joint pain, improves blood circulation, and has a detoxifying effect on the body. The Starosel SPA Centre features outdoor mineral pools that offer a view of the Sredna Gora Mountains. These pools are open year-round and have a water temperature of up to 38C. The panoramic indoor pool is 25 metres long. The indoor section of the centre also features a relaxation pool with hydro-massage zones, hydro-massage loungers, and water jets, as well as a "water volcano" for muscle stimulation. The hotel boasts a conference centre with 10 halls, making it suitable for events of any scale, Piskov said. The largest hall has a capacity of up to 1,000 people in a theatre-style layout. Wine tours at the centre take place in a tasting room with architecture inspired by ancient Thracian temples.  Guests have the opportunity to tour the production facilities and the aging cellars where the wine matures in oak barrels. The tastings are led by professionals who explain the characteristics of each variety, as well as the aromas and flavour profiles. The tour also includes a discussion on the history of wine and Thracian traditions. BTA presents news from certified spa, wellness, and medical spa centres in Bulgaria in its BG SPA: Salus per aquam, Health Through Water feature. Their total number exceeds 200. The initiative, organized in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism and the Bulgarian Union of Balneology and SPA Tourism, is linked to Europe's leading health tourism event, the HEALTHXCHANGE SUMMIT, which will be held from May 11 to 13, 2026, in Varna, Sts. Constantine and Helena, Golden Sands, and Albena. BTA will be the event's main media partner. Economy Nikolay Zabov BTA correspondent Irina Shopova https://www.bta.bg/en/news/bulgaria/1114104-president-to-attend-commemorative-assembly-marking-150th-anniversary-of-april-up https://www.bta.bg/en/news/bulgaria/1114104-president-to-attend-commemorative-assembly-marking-150th-anniversary-of-april-up Sun, 26 Apr 2026 15:48:00 +0300 President Iliana Iotova will attend the opening of the National Commemorative Assembly that will mark the 150th anniversary of the April Uprising on Monday, the presidential press secretariat said on Sunday. The event, organized by the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS), will take place at the BAS headquarters in Sofia. The President will also attend a prayer for the souls of the victims of the April Uprising. The prayer will be led by Patriarch Daniil at Sofia's St Alexander Nevsky Memorial Cathedral. Iotova and Daniil will then march to the BAS headquarters and will be joined by members of the academic community. The assembly will be opened by BAS President Evelina Slavcheva. Bulgaria Nikolay Zabov https://www.bta.bg/en/news/economy/1114066-caretaker-pm-gurov-says-budget-legacy-leaves-hard-choices-ahead https://www.bta.bg/en/news/economy/1114066-caretaker-pm-gurov-says-budget-legacy-leaves-hard-choices-ahead Sun, 26 Apr 2026 14:11:00 +0300 Budget challenges are complex and reflect the previous government's legacy, caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gurov said in an interview for the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) on Sunday. Speaking to reporters after his interview, Gurov recalled that Bulgaria is operating under an extended budget and that the current results are a consequence of the previous cabinet's governance. He said the new government and Parliament should adopt a new regular budget containing measures that prevent an increase in the budget deficit. The situation is difficult not only in Bulgaria but worldwide, Gurov told BNR. "We reacted quickly. The measures taken by the caretaker government are cited as an example of how to respond to the crisis: on time, targeted at the most affected groups, and aimed at businesses and households," he recalled. "From now on, as the Fiscal Council also says, there are several scenarios for development: realistic, pessimistic and strongly pessimistic. Our approach is to be prepared for each of these scenarios. We have to be honest: there will be a price, and we will all pay it. The question is how to distribute that price," he added. Regarding the proposal to reduce the capital of the Bulgarian Development Bank (BDB) by EUR 1.445 billion, Gurov said this was an anti-corruption move. "This is not money being taken from municipalities or from energy-efficiency renovation," he said. He added that it was also a measure that would return the money to the regular government, which would decide how best to use it. "If the bank was working properly, would its former head be hiding from the authorities?" Gurov asked. He added that the BDB was not operating as originally intended. "It has to do with connected companies and political influence. We are protecting the money from flowing into someone's pockets," he noted. Gurov said the bank's capital adequacy was not at risk. On the contract with BOTAS, Gurov explained that payments by the Bulgarian State had been suspended for some time but remained due. He said it was strange that, until now, the contract had been described either as unfavourable or as good but unused, while no proposals had been made. "We say that there is a problem with this contract because it is for capacity greater than the State's needs and at prices two to three times above market levels. There is readiness on the Turkish side for the dialogue to continue," Gurov said. Regarding the security agreement with Ukraine signed by the caretaker cabinet, Gurov explained that it was not a treaty but a political declaration that Bulgaria and Ukraine could work together in future in the defence industry and the economy. "There are no obligations in it. It was prepared in 2024 and has been passed back and forth between the National Assembly and the government," Gurov reported. He said the decision had been taken because the agreement was good, did not bind the State in any way, and created opportunities. Whether and how those opportunities would be used is a question for the next government, Gurov said. He added that Bulgaria is not in a good position either in terms of energy security or defence. "Our defence is not prepared to protect our own national security, and we have to rely on NATO partners," Gurov said. "If we are not at the table, then we are on the menu. We want Bulgaria to be secure and well protected," he added. Asked about relations with the United States and the war in Iran, Gurov said that there is no support for this war. He said that Iran's note about American aircraft had arrived before the caretaker government was appointed. "We have repeatedly said that there are no actions on Bulgarian territory or in Bulgarian airspace that are connected in any way with the war," Gurov stated. Economy Kaloyan Kirilov Nikolay Zabov https://www.bta.bg/en/news/bulgaria/1114048-caretaker-cabinet-left-good-legacy-that-should-be-example-for-future-cabinets- https://www.bta.bg/en/news/bulgaria/1114048-caretaker-cabinet-left-good-legacy-that-should-be-example-for-future-cabinets- Sun, 26 Apr 2026 13:42:57 +0300 Caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gurov told reporters on Sunday that his Cabinet is leaving behind a positive legacy, an example of how the government can operate transparently and responsibly toward the Bulgarian people. He was hopeful that this example can be used as a standard that will be followed by future administrations. The Prime Minister said that his Cabinet prepared a clear package of measures that have been submitted to Parliament and will be handed over to the new government. He said that these measures should be adopted not only to support the Recovery and Resilience Plan but also to ensure the State functions in the way citizens expect. Gurov added that he hopes a decision will be reached in the coming weeks on the proposed amendments to the Judicial System Act and the new anti-corruption commission. Earlier Sunday, Gurov told the Bulgarian National Radio: "We have already begun preparing for the handover of power this week so that the new politicians can step in and take over without any delay, so that Bulgarian citizens do not lose out." He added: "Everything will be handed over in a way that clearly distinguishes between what has been accomplished and the critical issues. We will identify where the critical points are and what needs to be done to resolve them as quickly as possible." Gurov praised caretaker Deputy Prime Minister for European Funding Maria Nedina for her efforts that led to a high probability of recovering a significant portion of funds that would otherwise have been "squandered as a result of delayed legislative changes and of the closure of the anti-corruption commission in an attempt to cover tracks". He reported that further details will be provided in the coming days. Commenting on the investigation launched by the prosecution service against him, other ministers, and acting Interior Ministry Secretary General Georgi Kandev, Gurov said that he had not yet been summoned for questioning. "Everyone can see how biased the prosecution service is. The most logical connection is that those who are trying to manipulate the elections and the prosecution service in its current form are acting jointly," he added. He stated that he is unafraid and will not be arrested. Gurov reported that according to various domestic and international assessments, the latest parliamentary elections in Bulgaria were among the best-organized and fairest elections. When asked if he would run for president, Gurov reported that various groups had contacted him. "This is a serious matter that requires a serious approach. The caretaker cabinet was focused on the elections. There will be time for a little rest and reflection, and all questions will be answered, but decisions are made calmly," he said. Bulgaria Nikolay Zabov https://www.bta.bg/en/bg-world/1114022-singer-gabriela-ivanova-to-perform-bulgarian-folk-songs-at-munich-gathering-in-m https://www.bta.bg/en/bg-world/1114022-singer-gabriela-ivanova-to-perform-bulgarian-folk-songs-at-munich-gathering-in-m Sun, 26 Apr 2026 12:48:25 +0300 Sixteen-year-old Bulgarian singer Gabriela Ivanova, who is based in Dublin, will perform a medley of two songs from the Shopluk region at the 11th Expats Join Hands in Worldwide Dance travelling folklore festival. The festival will take place in BMW Park in Munich, Germany, from May 15 to 17. Liliyana Dancheva, Ivanova's mother, told BTA that her daughter started singing when she was six. Since then, Ivanova has accumulated numerous honours and accolades. The Dimitar Berbatov Foundation chose her as one of the talented kids of Bulgaria for four years. Georgi Andreev, head of the Philip Koutev Ensemble, invited her to perform with The Mystery Of The Bulgarian Voices during a concert with the Dublin Philharmonic Orchestra in Ireland.  Dancheva shared: "Her most recent performance took place at the Bulgarian Embassy in Dublin at the invitation of Ambassador Vanya Andreeva-Malakova to mark Easter, where she sang before Metropolitan Antony, as well as before the directors of [the Bulgarian National Television, Bulgarian News Agency, Bulgarian National Radio], and the Svetoglas Quartet." When asked what message the young performer wanted to convey to the audience, Dancheva said: "It is always better to be surrounded by beautiful music and dance, love, and kindness." She added that the performance will feature a folk dance that will give the audience a chance to join in on stage. The travelling festival Expats Join Hands in Worldwide Dance is organized by and for amateur folklore ensembles performing outside Bulgaria. The initiative was launched by the Ot Izvora group in Lyon, France, which hosted both the first edition in 2015 and the tenth edition in 2025. More than 100 dance ensembles and over 4,000 guests are expected at the 11th edition in Munich in May. The Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) is the official media partner of the event and will present all participants. BG World Valeria Skorich Nikolay Zabov https://www.bta.bg/en/news/bulgaria/1114030-movement-for-rights-and-freedoms-chair-peevski-white-house-dinner-shooting-show https://www.bta.bg/en/news/bulgaria/1114030-movement-for-rights-and-freedoms-chair-peevski-white-house-dinner-shooting-show Sun, 26 Apr 2026 12:18:00 +0300 Political tensions in the United States are entering a dangerous phase after a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, MRF Chair and MRF–New Beginning Floor Leader Delyan Peevski said on Sunday. “I condemn in the strongest possible terms this ugly act of political violence against US President Donald Trump,” Peevski said. “Because when trust in the State authority of a leading world power is attacked, the consequences are not only domestic, they are global,” he added. “Violence has no place in our democracies,” Peevski said and added that any action that calls into question the security of the head of State and the stability of the institutions is unacceptable. “Democracy is not defended through chaos, but through order, rules and responsibility,” he said. US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump were evacuated by US Secret Service agents from the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday night after loud gunshots were heard in the hall, Reuters said. About an hour after Trump was rushed out of the event, the head of State wrote on Truth Social that “the shooter has been detained”. Peevski was designated by the United States under the Global Magnitsky Act in 2021 for corruption and influence peddling. The US authorities described him as an oligarch who had “regularly engaged in corruption”, including through influence peddling and bribes to shield himself from public scrutiny and exert control over key institutions and sectors in Bulgaria. Peevski is challenging the designation in a US court, with his lawyers arguing that there is no evidence of wrongdoing by their client. In 2023, the United Kingdom also sanctioned Peevski over alleged attempts to exert control over key institutions and sectors through bribery and the use of his media empire. Bulgaria Kaloyan Kirilov https://www.bta.bg/en/news/economy/1114000-food-safety-agency-to-destroy-2-tonnes-of-yoghurt-4-200-litres-of-ayran-over-fa https://www.bta.bg/en/news/economy/1114000-food-safety-agency-to-destroy-2-tonnes-of-yoghurt-4-200-litres-of-ayran-over-fa Sun, 26 Apr 2026 10:53:00 +0300 More than 2 tonnes of yoghurt and over 4,200 litres of ayran from a dairy in Silistra Region will be destroyed, the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency said on Sunday. Inspectors found missing markings and future production dates. Yoghurt was found in a cold storage room without identification markings certifying the batch and expiry date. Inspectors also found yoghurt cups with a total weight of 750 kg and nearly 17,000 bottles of ayran marked with future production dates and, as a result, a manipulated shelf life. The inspection was carried out on April 24, while the production date marked on the ayran was April 25. The date on the yoghurt lids showed it was produced on May 3 this year. The violations at the dairy in Silistra Region were found by inspectors from Dobrich. BFSA continues to apply the principle of so-called cross-checks, in which staff from one region work in another region of the country. This avoids local dependencies and attempts to put pressure on control bodies. More than 3.5 tonnes of food of animal origin were banned from sale and will be destroyed after an inspection by Bulgarian Food Safety Agency inspectors at a meat production and processing plant in Dulovo, Silistra Region. Economy Kaloyan Kirilov https://www.bta.bg/en/bg-world/1113996-bulgarian-film-brunch-for-beginners-screens-in-saarbrucken https://www.bta.bg/en/bg-world/1113996-bulgarian-film-brunch-for-beginners-screens-in-saarbrucken Sun, 26 Apr 2026 10:34:00 +0300 A screening of the Bulgarian film Brunch for Beginners will take place at Passage-Kinos in Saarbrucken, Germany, Art Theater Berlin said Sunday. The event is part of the Evenings of Bulgarian Cinema in Europe initiative. Art Theater Berlin is organizing the screening in partnership with BG Schule Saarbrucken-Kaiserslautern. Bulgarian audiences and fans of Bulgarian cinema in Saarbrucken can see the family comedy Brunch for Beginners, directed by Yana Titova. “Bring the people you love sharing unforgettable moments with and join us for an unforgettable evening,” the organizers said. Art Theater Berlin said the film shows how a perfectly planned brunch can unravel within minutes, turning into a string of absurd situations and culinary disasters. Brunch for Beginners stars Aleksandra Sarchadjieva, Orlin Pavlov, Valentina Karoleva, Stiliyan Stoyanov, Jaklin Docheva, Aya Alexiev and Alina Dancheva, alongside Stoyan Doychev, Stefan Valdobrev, Pavel Kolev, Itsaka and Filip Bukov. The music is by Vladimir Ampov - Grafa. “Expect laugh-out-loud moments, a close encounter with the characters and the special magic that only the big screen can deliver. The big question remains: is chasing the perfect image worth it, or is the recipe for true happiness hidden somewhere else?” the organizers added. BG World Kaloyan Kirilov https://www.bta.bg/en/news/sport/1113982-taekwondo-national-team-wins-three-golds-at-british-open-kyorugi-2026 https://www.bta.bg/en/news/sport/1113982-taekwondo-national-team-wins-three-golds-at-british-open-kyorugi-2026 Sun, 26 Apr 2026 09:42:00 +0300 The Men’s and Women’s National Taekwondo Team won three gold medals at the British Open Kyorugi 2026 in Manchester on Sunday, with Hristiyan Georgiev, Stefan Stamenov and Alexandra Georgieva taking the titles. The team, currently in a training camp in Manchester, competed at the British Open. Three of the six Bulgarian athletes training there entered the event and swept three gold medals. In the men’s 54 kg division, top-ranked Hristiyan Georgiev opened with a 2-0 win over an Italian opponent. He then defeated a Saudi competitor before beating an Indonesian athlete in the semi-finals. In the final, Georgiev showed his class, overcoming a Spanish opponent to claim a gold medal. In the men’s 74 kg division, Stefan Stamenov won four straight bouts. He defeated opponents from the United States, Denmark and Great Britain, then beat another Danish competitor in the final to take gold. In the final team standings, Bulgaria finished third, behind champion Great Britain and runner-up United States. In the women’s 49 kg division, Alexandra Georgieva claimed gold after convincing wins over opponents from Morocco, the United States and Poland. Sport Kaloyan Kirilov https://www.bta.bg/en/news/culture/1113972-genesis-orchestra-marks-10th-anniversary-with-mozart-requiem https://www.bta.bg/en/news/culture/1113972-genesis-orchestra-marks-10th-anniversary-with-mozart-requiem Sun, 26 Apr 2026 08:47:00 +0300 Genesis Orchestra conducted by Yordan Kamdzhalov will perform Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Requiem at Bulgaria Hall on Sunday, the Yordan Kamdzhalov Foundation said. The concert marks the orchestra’s 10th anniversary. The soloists will be Mariya Slavova, soprano, Tamara Kirakosova, mezzo-soprano, Mihail Mihaylov, tenor, and Viktor Krastanov, bass. The Choir of the Music Laboratory for the Human Self will also perform, led by Principal Conductor Maya Vasileva. To mark the orchestra’s anniversary, the foundation is offering tickets at a 50% discount to all specialists and employees working in healthcare. “Over the centuries, doctors have been close to music, and music has been close to them. We are glad that, after so many years, we can express in this way our special attitude, gratitude and appreciation for this strategically important, life-saving part of society,” the organizers said. Culture Kaloyan Kirilov https://www.bta.bg/en/news/archives/1113964-chernobyl-nuclear-disaster-reaches-40-year-mark https://www.bta.bg/en/news/archives/1113964-chernobyl-nuclear-disaster-reaches-40-year-mark Sun, 26 Apr 2026 08:31:00 +0300 Unit 4 of Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded 40 years ago, at 1:23 a.m. local time on April 26, during a planned shutdown at the Soviet plant in what is now Ukraine. The blast in the RBMK-1000 reactor became the world’s worst nuclear power disaster. Two people died in the accident. About 600 plant workers and firefighters received high radiation doses; 28 had died by the end of 1986. More than 200,000 sq km of the then USSR was contaminated by radioactive fallout, mainly in present-day Ukraine but also in Russia and Belarus. Nearly 52,000 sq km was contaminated with the highly radioactive elements caesium-137 and strontium-90, which have half-lives of 30 and 28 years, respectively. More than 600,000 people took part in the cleanup after the accident. About a tenth of them died, and 165,000 were left disabled. Around 115,000 people were evacuated from the 30-km zone around Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The USSR issued a brief notice on the accident two days later, on April 28. Scandinavian countries were the first to sound the alarm after detecting elevated radiation levels. The Soviet Union declined to disclose what was happening on its territory and released information only as a last resort. On June 5, 1986, Nikifor Kovachev, science and technology commentator for Radio Free Europe’s Bulgarian service, reviewed Moscow’s information policy on the nuclear accident: “Wednesday, June 4, 1986. Until then, Moscow had told the people of the Soviet Union and the rest of the world: at first, nothing; on the fourth day, that an accident had occurred in reactor No. 4 at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant; that there were casualties; that a government commission had been appointed and the necessary measures were being taken; in the second week, almost nothing. “On the 18th day, Mikhail Gorbachev said in a televised address that there had been an accident, that two people had died and that others exposed to radiation were receiving treatment. Over the next three weeks, Moscow said all necessary measures had been taken and that outside the established 30-km exclusion zone there was no danger to anyone, had been none and would be none. “In the meantime, the death toll rose to 26. The Soviets continued to insist on calling the worst nuclear reactor disaster in human history an ‘accident’.” Many Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) bulletins from late April and May 1986 carried reports on developments in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (Ukrainian SSR). The dispatches appeared in the open and service bulletin International Information, as well as in BTA’s confidential bulletins S-1, S-2 and S-3, which reached a very small circle of Bulgarian readers, probably several hundred people. In the first days after the disaster, the most extensive coverage appeared in the confidential bulletin S-2. It carried dispatches on the movement of the radioactive cloud around the world, measures taken in various countries, and reactions. BTA’s confidential bulletin S-2 shows what happened in the first days after the Chernobyl accident. Reports from Western news agencies said the first suspicions of a possible incident at a nuclear power plant came from Sweden, where radiation levels were measured at five times the norm. Other Northern European countries, including Finland, Denmark and Norway, later also reported elevated radiation. The S-2 dispatch was dated April 29, 1986. That same day, the bulletin also carried a report from Moscow: Moscow, April 29, 1986 (Agence France-Presse, AFP): “Life is normal” in Kyiv, about 150 km south of Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, where an accident occurred in one of the reactors, a journalist from the local newspaper Pravda Ukrainy said by telephone. “I cannot tell you anything,” the journalist told AFP, refusing to provide any information about the incident. Telephone links from Moscow to Kyiv were patchy, and it took hours to get through to the city. No information was available about possible safety measures being taken in Kyiv. Flights from Moscow to Kyiv were operating as usual this morning, Moscow airport said. *** Sofia, April 29, 1986 (BTA): (...) Intourist in Moscow said no tourist groups to or in Kyiv had been cancelled. A Western source in Moscow told AFP that “a security zone” had been set up within a radius of about 30 km around the plant and that tens of thousands of people had been evacuated. (...) The Associated Press (AP) reported concern among residents of Copenhagen, where local pharmacies were flooded with customers seeking iodine tablets as protection against possible radiation from the cloud moving toward Scandinavia. On the last day of April, as it became clear that the Chernobyl incident was serious, the USSR declared Kyiv a closed city: Moscow, April 30, 1986 (AFP): The USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared Kyiv a closed city after the accident at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Diplomats and foreign journalists were not allowed into the area. The first reaction from the United States came from Bali: Bali, April 30, 1986 (BTA): The White House called on the USSR “to fulfil its international obligations” by informing the world about the consequences of the accident at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, Western news agencies reported. President Ronald Reagan sent a message to Mikhail Gorbachev expressing concern about the incident, spokesman Larry Speakes said. The message was handed to the Soviet chargé d’affaires in Washington, Oleg Sokolov. Speakes added that the United States had offered assistance to the USSR, but Moscow had not yet made a request. Western experts also began speculating about what was happening at Chernobyl: After the accident at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Stockholm, April 30, 1986 (Reuters): Soviet technicians risked fatal exposure while trying to cool and bring the damaged reactor in Ukraine under control, a Swedish specialist said yesterday. “The advice we gave the Russians was to shut down the other reactors and cool the core of the damaged one... The problem, however, is that it is deadly dangerous to get close to it,” Frigyes Reisch of the Swedish Nuclear Power Inspectorate said. In his view, it was clear that the core of one of the reactors had melted down “partly or entirely”. (...) And while Kyiv was declared off-limits to foreign media, the Ukrainian health minister, who was in the United States, said everything was fine: Atlanta, April 30, 1986 (AP): Reports of many casualties after the incident at a nuclear power plant in the Soviet Union were largely the product of the Western press’s “imagination”, Ukrainian Health Minister Anatoly Romanenko said yesterday in Atlanta. Romanenko stressed that the fact that he was continuing to attend a healthcare conference in Atlanta, United States, “is a good indication” that the Chernobyl incident was not as serious as was being claimed in the West. At the same time, information from the disaster area was coming through unofficial channels or from foreigners who were there at the time: Amsterdam, April 30, 1986 (AP): A Dutch ham radio operator said he had tuned in last night to a transmission by a Soviet ham radio operator who spoke of “many hundreds dead and injured” in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant incident. Anis Kofman, a ham radio operator, said he had picked up a transmission apparently from the area around Chernobyl, near Kyiv, in which a person speaking English with a strong Russian accent said: “Not one but two reactors melted down, exploded and are burning.” *** Moscow, April 30, 1986 (United Press International, UPI): The accident at the nuclear power plant in Ukraine killed about 2,000 people, and many others were hospitalized with radiation sickness, while the evacuation of thousands of residents in the area continued, a Kyiv resident said yesterday. “Eighty people died immediately, and about 2,000 on the way to hospitals,” the Soviet citizen, who was linked to hospital authorities and rescue teams, said in a telephone interview with UPI. *** New York, April 30, 1986 (AP): A college lecturer who was in Kyiv with a group of students said today that guides had told her 300 people had died in the Chernobyl incident and that the city had been connected to backup water supplies. There were no signs of anything unusual in Kyiv, said Karen Black, a literature lecturer at Bates College in Maine. Interviewed by telephone by NBC, she said Intourist guides had informed them about the incident. “They told us there had been an accident at a nuclear power plant, they told us where it was located and that, according to their information, there were about 300 victims,” Black added. The Soviet Union’s “silence” worried the world: Bali, May 1, 1986 (AP): US President Ronald Reagan said today that the Soviet Union had maintained “complete silence” about the nuclear accident in Ukraine and that the message from Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev provided no more information than was already known. “We are trying to monitor what is happening there,” Reagan said before a meeting with Indonesian President Suharto. “We are limited in our information.” Reagan said he had received a notification from the Soviet leader about the accident at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, but the message contained no more information than was generally known. “It would be useful,” Reagan said, “if Gorbachev gave more details.” (...) Asked whether the Soviets had provided the necessary information to the United States, Reagan said: “As usual, they are silent on these matters, and this is no exception.” (...) *** Warsaw, May 1, 1986 (German Press Agency, dpa): Poland’s population was alarmed yesterday by the lack of specific information about the true scale of the accident at the Soviet nuclear power plant in Chernobyl and its consequences. Long queues formed early yesterday morning outside state health centres where iodine tablets were being handed out. Everywhere, people were asking what had actually happened and how they could protect themselves. Highly contradictory rumours were spreading. Yesterday afternoon, the Polish Interpress Agency said a news conference with representatives of the government commission studying the consequences of the accident had been scheduled for today. Powdered milk and some other dairy products were bought up from shops. The authorities warned against consuming milk from cows kept outdoors. In schools, all children under 16 received iodine tablets. The measure was intended to saturate pupils’ bodies with stable iodine and prevent the absorption of radioactive iodine. School doctors in Warsaw also told children not to spend long outdoors, to wash their hair daily and to change their underwear. Meanwhile, Western nuclear experts were seeking information about what was happening in the Soviet Union from space: Stockholm, May 1, 1986 (Reuters): Michael Stern of Satellitbild, which analysed images of Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant taken by the US Landsat satellite at 08:00 GMT on Thursday, said: “Two bright red spots can be seen under a cloud of bluish smoke. Judging by the comments of nuclear energy specialists, it seems likely that these are two separate reactors.” Despite the USSR’s official silence, the situation was clearly spinning out of control, and local experts were seeking advice around the world on how to deal with the consequences of the disaster: Rome, May 1, 1986 (Reuters): Soviet scientists asked Italy for help in dealing with the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, officials in Prime Minister Bettino Craxi’s office said today. A spokesman said Craxi had been informed yesterday of the request, which had been conveyed through diplomatic channels to the Italian Atomic Energy Agency. *** Bonn, May 1, 1986 (dpa): Cologne nuclear energy specialist Karl-Heinz Lindackers of TÜV Rheinland recommended to Soviet diplomats who had sought advice that the fire at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant be put out with water or wet sand dropped from helicopters. On Tuesday, two officials from the Soviet trade mission in Cologne asked Lindackers about possible ways to solve the problem. The Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs confirmed that Moscow had asked the Swedish Radiation Protection Institute for scientific expertise on how to deal with the fire in the graphite layer of one of the reactors at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Over time, the USSR allowed top international medical experts into the country to help people exposed to radiation: Moscow, May 2, 1986 (UPI): The Soviet Union invited an American doctor, a specialist in the only known method of treating radiation sickness, to help victims of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster and informed the US Congress that “the danger has not yet passed”. In an unprecedented appearance before a congressional committee, Soviet embassy official Vitaly Churkin indicated that the nuclear reactor, one of four at the Chernobyl complex, was still burning. (...) The Soviets granted permission for Dr Robert Gale, head of the International Bone Marrow Transplant Registry (IBMTR), to treat victims of the disaster, and the US Department of State gave its consent. The world continued to rely on satellite images to assess what was happening in the Ukrainian SSR: Stockholm, May 2, 1986 (Reuters): Images taken early yesterday by the French private satellite SPOT showed that the fire in the Chernobyl reactor had gone out, Swedish scientists said. Michael Stern of the communications company Satellitbild told Swedish television that the images showed smoke had stopped billowing from the damaged reactor. “It is also clearly visible that hot water is no longer being pumped from the plant for cooling,” he said after the computer analysis of the images was completed. *** Washington, May 2, 1986 (AP): The damaged nuclear power plant at Chernobyl had probably already released much of its radiation and perhaps only a little more would be released, although its core was still burning, a US official said yesterday. The special government task force handling the disaster said the mysterious second “hot spot” near the fire, captured by the Landsat satellite, was not a second reactor in trouble but more likely an industrial facility of the kind the Soviets often built near their nuclear power plants. US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Director Lee Thomas, who chaired the task force, told journalists that the Soviet message that the initial fire in the reactor had been extinguished could not be confirmed. In the following days, protests over the lack of information began in various countries, including Poland, part of the Eastern Bloc, while many countries offered help to the USSR. Meanwhile, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency left for the country: Vienna, May 5, 1986 (UPI): International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Hans Blix left today for Moscow at the invitation of the Soviet government to discuss the accident at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Blix was accompanied by two nuclear energy specialists, Leonard Konstantinov, deputy director general of the Department of Nuclear Energy and Safety, and Morris Rosen, a director in the same department. Konstantinov was a Soviet citizen and Rosen was American. (...) Blix added that several IAEA member countries had complained about the lack of information from the Soviets in connection with the accident. “Member countries generally believe there is a need for more information, and we will discuss this issue,” he said. Blix was asked whether he would visit the accident site. “I do not know,” he replied. “First we will talk with the Soviet government. That is the essence of our mission.” Boris Yeltsin spoke to Western media about what was happening at Chernobyl: Hamburg, May 5, 1986 (AFP): Boris Yeltsin, first secretary of the Moscow City Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), said this morning in an interview with AFP in Hamburg that the release of radioactive substances from the Chernobyl nuclear plant had been stopped thanks to measures taken after the accident. “The dropping of sand, lead dust and boron from helicopters has ended, a protective layer covers the plant and prevents any release of radioactive substances into the air,” Yeltsin said. “The fire at the plant has been completely extinguished. The radioactive cloud even above the plant is gradually dispersing, and its level of radioactivity is no longer dangerous to humans,” he told AFP. He also said “special remote-controlled vehicles are currently taking pictures inside” the plant. (...) He said Soviet Prime Minister Nikolai Ryzhkov and Yegor Ligachev “are still at the scene of the incident”. Yeltsin ruled out the possibility of demolishing houses in the closed zone and removing the surface layer of soil in the area. “The houses are intact, and they, like the soil, are being treated with special chemicals,” he added. (...) In his words, it had not yet been specified when the evacuees would return to the zone around the plant. “We have never experienced anything like this either in peacetime or during war.” (...) The Soviet leader sharply criticized the “slanderous reports” spread in the West about the accident, “whose specific purpose is clear”. In his view, “there was no delay in transmitting information: from the first minute, the authorities were informed. After information about the disaster had been gathered, Western countries were immediately informed.” He mocked the Western press, explaining that the evacuees from Chernobyl “consume milk and vegetables, that they do not walk around with umbrellas and that if they wash their children every day, they had done so before as well. “It is a pity that some parents from Western countries are doing this only now.” In this way, he alluded to the measures taken in many countries, including the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany), after the rise in radiation. At the time, specialists forecast a large number of illnesses after the disaster: Stockholm, May 5, 1986 (Reuters): Up to 8,000 Europeans may develop cancer as a result of exposure to radiation caused by the accident at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, Swedish scientists said today. Gunnar Bengtsson, director of the Swedish Radiation Protection Institute, told a news conference that initial calculations indicated the number of people who could develop cancer as a result of the April 26 accident at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant would reach up to 8,000. “Our conclusions show that the Chernobyl accident is a thousand times more dangerous than the 1979 accident in the United States in terms of radiation.” (...) He said many people would develop cancer in Ukraine and areas of Eastern Europe near Ukraine. (...) Swedish authorities warned that it was dangerous to travel within a 500 km radius of the accident site. A day later, people in Kyiv were advised not to eat lettuce and not to stay outdoors: Moscow, May 6, 1986 (Reuters): The Ukrainian Ministry of Health advised people in the Kyiv area to avoid buying locally produced leafy vegetables and to spend less time outdoors. A Ukrainian television spokesman said by telephone from Kyiv that the message had been made last night and repeated on radio this morning. The spokesman added that people had been advised to buy food from state shops. Thirty people died in the accident, and nearly 8.4 million people in Belarus, Ukraine and Russia were exposed to radiation. At least 100,000 of them died of cancers, immune system disorders and heart disease. The accident caused radioactive contamination across 17 European countries, covering a total of 207,500 sq km, including nearly 60,000 sq km outside the former USSR. The worst affected were Ukraine, with 37,630 sq km, Belarus, with 43,500 sq km, and the European part of Russia, with 59,300 sq km. On December 15, 2000, Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant was finally shut down. The radiation released into the atmosphere was equivalent to at least 200 nuclear bombs like those dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan on August 6, 1945, and August 9, 1945. On November 30, 1996, Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant’s first reactor was finally shut down. On December 15, 2000, the plant was closed. Since 2017, under UN General Assembly resolution A/RES/71/125 of December 8, 2016, April 26 has been marked as International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day. BTA's Archives Kaloyan Kirilov https://www.bta.bg/en/news/economy/1113958-vegetable-prices-fall-on-wholesale-markets-in-bulgaria https://www.bta.bg/en/news/economy/1113958-vegetable-prices-fall-on-wholesale-markets-in-bulgaria Sun, 26 Apr 2026 08:15:21 +0300 Prices of most vegetables fell on Bulgaria’s wholesale markets this week, data from the State Commission on Commodity Exchanges and Wholesale Markets (SCEWT) showed on Sunday. The market price index dropped by 1.36% to 2.746 points. The index, which tracks wholesale food prices in Bulgaria, stood at 2.784 points a week earlier. Its base level of 1.000 points was set in 2005. Among vegetables, cucumbers posted the steepest decline, down 20.65% to EUR 1.72 per kg, followed by tomatoes, down 19.32% to EUR 2.36 per kg. Courgettes also fell sharply, by 15.1% to EUR 1.56 per kg. Carrots fell 6.45% to EUR 0.58 per kg, cabbage 6.05% to EUR 0.66 per kg, and green peppers 1.75% to EUR 3.79 per kg. Red peppers, by contrast, rose 6.38% to EUR 3.79 per kg. Potatoes rose sharply, up 12.82% to EUR 0.55 per kg. Lettuce gained 9.09% to EUR 0.96 per item, while dry onions edged up 0.45% to EUR 0.56 per kg. Among fruit, apples rose 5.91% to EUR 1.30 per kg, while lemons gained 2.82% to EUR 2.10 per kg. Oranges fell 3.17% to EUR 1.30 per kg, and bananas slipped 1.48% to EUR 1.50 per kg. Cow’s milk white brined cheese fell 1.39% to EUR 6.03 per kg, while Vitosha-type kashkaval cheese rose 2.39% to EUR 9.63 per kg. Yoghurt with 3% or more fat was down 1.81% from a week earlier at EUR 0.68 per 400 g cup, while fresh milk fell 7.32% to EUR 1.14 per litre. Cow’s butter in 125 g packs also eased, down 3.47% to EUR 1.46 per item. Frozen chicken meat rose 3.16% to EUR 3.75 per kg, while size M eggs gained 1.1% to EUR 0.23 per item wholesale. Rice rose 4.32% to EUR 1.69 per kg, and lentils gained 3.29% to EUR 2.12 per kg. Dry beans also rose, up 3.99% to EUR 2.15 per kg, while sugar edged up 0.55% to EUR 0.91 per kg. Sunflower oil fell 1.66% to EUR 1.78 per litre, and type 500 flour declined 1.27% to EUR 0.78 per kg. Data show wholesale food prices in Bulgaria have been volatile but broadly rising since mid-February, when the Wholesale Food Price Index stood at 2.519 points, compared with 2.784 points in the April 14-17 reporting week. The gains were driven mainly by seasonal shifts in fruit and vegetable prices. The 27-item consumer basket reached EUR 58 in February, while SCEWT attributed the increase largely to fruit and vegetable prices and put the euro-adoption effect at below 0.5%. Broader price data also point to continued food-price pressure. Annual inflation reached 4.1% in March, with food and non-alcoholic beverages up 0.5% month on month, while the Bulgarian National Bank identified food as the largest contributor to the Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices growth as of February. Economy Kaloyan Kirilov https://www.bta.bg/en/news/bulgaria/1113924-yes-bulgaria-co-chair-bozhanov-says-cc-db-needs-formal-coalition-agreement https://www.bta.bg/en/news/bulgaria/1113924-yes-bulgaria-co-chair-bozhanov-says-cc-db-needs-formal-coalition-agreement Sat, 25 Apr 2026 21:41:00 +0300 Yes, Bulgaria Co-chair Bozhidar Bozhanov said the functioning of Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) and its parliamentary group should be formally regulated to make them more effective, Yes, Bulgaria's press service said here Saturday. Bozhanov spoke in an interview on Bulgarian National Television and said that despite an increase of more than 60,000 votes, the coalition lost the elections and should draw its conclusions. “We must see what we can do better, avoid the same mistakes and draw up a roadmap towards a single political entity that inspires more confidence. The first step is a coalition agreement,” Bozhanov said. He said the process should take place through dialogue, without ultimatums or fixed deadlines. “It is reasonable to structure the processes at the start of parliamentary work and arrive at a format that allows the most effective joint work possible. Unity is what can bring us more confidence and a better result,” Bozhanov added. Bozhanov said that CC-DB voters are shared voters and expect the coalition to be effective, especially in its role as opposition. “A government is coming that has declared its intention to dismantle the model of the captured State. Any concentration of power, however, entails risks, which is why a strong democratic opposition is needed,” he said. Among the priorities, Bozhanov singled out participation in the election of a new Supreme Judicial Council and amendments to the Judicial System Act. “We have already submitted such proposals, and now the caretaker cabinet has also drafted texts to improve the election rules. We want the Bar and the best law faculties to be able to nominate candidates so that the parliamentary quota becomes a real public quota, rather than a political one,” Bozhanov said. He linked former acting prosecutor general Borislav Sarafov’s resignation to the election result. “This result showed that there are more than 160 votes outside GERB and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF). This makes clear change in the judiciary possible. The question is not when the resignation was submitted, but that the next Prosecutor General should do the work society expects.” Bozhanov also outlined the role of the so-called Sarafov-Cholakov-Peevski triangle, which he said had provided criminal and political protection and corrupt deals in the administrative court. “Key decisions of the executive branch went there, as did public procurement. One example is the Petkov cabinet’s attempt to remove the thugs from Kapitan Andreevo, which was blocked by the administrative court. This top tier must not only leave but also be investigated and sanctioned,” he said. The reference to the Sarafov-Cholakov-Peevski triangle follows recent claims by Yes, Bulgaria that parts of the prosecution service and the judiciary had operated within what the party describes as the [GERB leader Boyko] Borissov - [Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) leader Delyan] Peevski model. After Sarafov resigned as acting Prosecutor General on April 22, Bozhanov said the resignation was only the first step and called for checks into Sarafov’s assets and case files related to election crimes, arguing that the prosecution service had protected vote buyers to preserve a Borissov-Peevski-Sarafov triangle. Yes, Bulgaria later submitted an alert to the prosecution service after a BIRD investigation alleged recordings involving former Supreme Administrative Court chair Georgi Cholakov and an alleged intermediary in arranging court decisions in exchange for bribes; Cholakov denied the allegations and said modern technology could be used to create fake audio content. In conclusion, Bozhanov noted the institutions’ efforts to hold the elections. “[Acting Ministry of Interior Secretary General] Georgi Kandev and [caretaker Minister of the Interior] Emil Dechev did very well in their task of ensuring fair elections. Trust in the election process is more than twice as high as in the previous elections,” he said. Bulgaria Kaloyan Kirilov https://www.bta.bg/en/news/culture/1113916-culinary-contest-for-people-with-disabilities-cupid-s-spoon-draws-nearly-30-entr https://www.bta.bg/en/news/culture/1113916-culinary-contest-for-people-with-disabilities-cupid-s-spoon-draws-nearly-30-entr Sat, 25 Apr 2026 20:51:00 +0300 Nearly 30 people took part in Bulgaria’s national round of Cupid’s Spoon, an international culinary competition for people with disabilities, in Plovdiv on Saturday. The event took place outside the Catholic Cathedral of St Louis under the patronage of Bishop Rumen Stanev of the Sofia-Plovdiv Diocese, Caritas Vitania Humanitarian and Career Centre Head Tatyana Dzhumerkova said. The event was organized by the Croatian association UNUO for the fourth consecutive year, with the Sofia-Plovdiv Diocese of the Catholic Church serving as the main organizer in Bulgaria, Dzhumerkova said. The participants came from Plovdiv, Sofia, Vidin, Troyan, Kazanlak, Kyustendil and Rakovski. They showcased their skills in two categories: cooking and drink preparation as bartenders. Their performances were assessed by a jury comprising Veselina Boteva, Director of the Social Policy Directorate at Plovdiv Municipality; Emil Dimitrov, Logistics Manager; and Yonko Zemyarski, Co-owner of GRIPS-PVC. When presenting the results, the jury said everyone present was a winner because they had shown the courage to take part. The Cook category was won by Teodora from Sofia, representing Social Future – Jamba Foundation, and the Bartender category by Lyubomir from Vidin, representing the Centre for Social Rehabilitation and Integration at the Support for Realization Foundation. Creators of Hope Foundation provided a EUR 1,000 voucher to help cover the finalists’ travel costs. The finalists will represent Bulgaria at the international semi-finals and final in Zagreb, Croatia, and will have the chance to take part in events at the Vatican as part of the international training and mentorship programme. The main goal of the initiative is to create opportunities for people with disabilities to perform, build their self-confidence, and join a global community that supports talent and equal opportunities, Dzhumerkova said. Culture Kaloyan Kirilov