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☆ Weary Bulgarians go to polls for fifth time in two years
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( Stoyan Nenov | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SOFIA, April 2 (Reuters) - Bulgarians vote in their fifth parliamentary election in two years on Sunday amid rising resentment towards political elites who many see as unwilling to tackle graft and economic reforms. Voting starts at 7 a.m. local time (0400 GMT) and ends at 8 p.m. The two coalitions are neck and neck in opinion polls, with the latest by Exacta Research Group showing them at 26.2% and 25.6%, respectively, and the nationalist Revival party at 12.8%. Once an ally of President Vladimir Putin, Sofia has supported Kyiv since Moscow launched what it calls its special military operation in Ukraine. Writing by Justyna Pawlak; Editing by Alexander SmithOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ A police raid uncovered a previously unknown Jackson Pollock painting worth an estimated $54 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Grace Mayer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A previously unknown painting by Jackson Pollock was discovered last week, per officials. Authorities found the painting in an art-trafficking bust, Bulgarian National Radio first reported. Experts estimated the painting could rack up to $54 million at an auction, according to BNR. A photo of part of the painting can be viewed at Bulgarian National Radio's website. Previously, Pollock's most expensive painting sold for $61,161,000, in 2021, according to the art market website Mutual Art.

☆ Unknown Pollock painting found in Bulgaria police raid
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 22 (Reuters) - A previously unknown painting by famed U.S. artist Jackson Pollock has been discovered in Bulgaria by police investigating international art smugglers, officials said. The work could be worth up to 50 million euros ($54 million), Bulgarian National Radio reported, citing experts. Several people, including Bulgarian citizens, were arrested in the international operation, state news agency BTA reported on Tuesday. The report did not give a description of the painting or any other details on the work. "This is an international operation with the participation of Europol, Greece and other countries," Petar Todorov, Bulgaria's Chief Secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, said, according to the Novinite news agency.

☆ WTA roundup: Top seeds roll in Dubai
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

February 22 - The top two seeds in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships lost a combined three games while cruising to second-round wins on Tuesday in the United Arab Emirates. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland, the reigning French Open and U.S. Open champion, routed Canada's Leylah Fernandez 6-1, 6-1, and No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, the reigning Australian Open champion, demolished the United States' Lauren Davis 6-0, 6-1. Third-seeded Jessica Pegula of the United States, who lost to Swiatek in the Doha final, got past Bulgaria's Viktoriya Tomova 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 in the second round at Dubai. Stephens, the 2017 U.S. Open champion, had lost her first-round matches at Auckland, New Zealand; Hobart, Australia; and the Australian Open to begin the year.

☆ Former Bulgaria energy minister charged with mismanagement of gas deals
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SOFIA, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Bulgarian investigators charged former energy minister Alexander Nikolov on Wednesday with mismanagement that led to losses of more than 88 million levs ($48.36 million) at state gas firm Bulgargaz, related to Russia cutting off gas supplies to the country. Russia cut the gas supplies on which Bulgaria was almost fully reliant at the end of April 2022 after the European Union country refused to pay for deliveries in roubles. Former deputy energy minister Danail Nikolov has been charged with malfeasance as part of the same probe. The centre-right GERB party has accused the former government of reformist Kiril Petkov of paying higher prices to secure alternative gas supplies after it refused to pay for Russian gas in roubles. Petkov's coalition government, where Nikolov was energy minister, was toppled in a no-confidence vote six months after taking office in December 2021.

☆ Bulgaria gears for its fifth election in two years on April 2
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SOFIA, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Bulgarian President Rumen Radev on Tuesday said he would set April 2 as the date for the country's fifth parliamentary election within two years after inconclusive October polls failed to produce a working government. Radev has to dissolve the parliament after the Socialists became the third political party to refuse to form a regular government in a deadlocked parliament. Bulgaria, European Union's poorest and one of its most corrupt member states, has been rocked by political instability since anti-graft protests in 2020. "I will issue a decree to dissolve the National Assembly on Feb. 3 and will appoint the parliamentary election on April 2," Radev told reporters. The political crisis is likely to delay much needed reforms to combat high-level graft and hamper Bulgaria's ability to use efficiently EU funds.

☆ Djokovic dismisses Dimitrov to soldier on at Australian Open
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Shrivathsa Sridhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 21, 2023 Serbia's Novak Djokovic in action during his third round match against Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov REUTERS/Hannah MckayMELBOURNE, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Novak Djokovic continued his charge towards a 10th Australian Open title with a superb 7-6(7) 6-3 6-4 victory over Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov to reach the fourth round on Saturday but fears about the durability of his injured left hamstring only grew. The Serbian, who is eyeing a 22nd major to match Rafa Nadal, looked uncertain in his movement in a roller-coaster opening set where he began with a break, squandered three set points at 5-3 and dropped serve late on before edging a thrilling tiebreak. A heavily-strapped but more aggressive Djokovic emerged from a medical timeout and built pressure with his relentless returns from the back, going up 4-2 as 27th seed Dimitrov hit the net to surrender his serve, and went on to wrap up the second set. A half-fit Djokovic can still be a handful for most players but the fourth seed looked a little more certain of his mobility in the third set and a double break to start helped him subdue the error-prone Dimitrov who failed to make a late comeback. Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Melbourne; Editing by Ken FerrisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Djokovic backs up Murray's concerns over 'gruelling' schedule
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

When asked for his opinion on Murray's comments, nine-times champion Djokovic told reporters: "I think that players' input is always important for tournament organisation. "I would agree with his (Murray's) points... For the crowd, it's entertaining, it's exciting, to have matches (end at) midnight, 1, 2, 3 am. "Even if you go through and win, prevail in these kind of matches, you still have to come back. Yeah, something needs to be addressed I guess in terms of the schedule after what we've seen this year." Djokovic next faces Australian Alex de Minaur in the fourth round on Monday.

☆ Bulgaria clears way to take control of Lukoil oil refinery if needed
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The 196,000 barrel per day refinery, the biggest fuel producer in Bulgaria, has switched to processing only Russian crude after the country was granted an exemption from the European Union's ban on imports of Russian oil over the invasion of Ukraine. Under the exemption to the end of 2024, the refinery cannot export fuels or oil products from Feb. 5 - with exception of deliveries to Ukraine. The refinery can also export by-products that cannot be safely stored in Bulgaria and could pose an environmental hazard. Lukoil Neftochim has previously said it could be forced to shut down if it cannot export its output. A special representative can also be appointed if the refinery breaches competition rules or European Union sanctions.

☆ Four accused in Bulgarian probe of crypto lender Nexo -investigators
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SOFIA, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Investigators looking into crypto lender Nexo on Friday said that four citizens of Bulgaria had been accused of participating in an organised crime group for money laundering as well as tax and computer fraud. Nexo had said after Thursday's operations that the raided office was not customer facing but has only back office functions. Some 35 artworks, including from Salvador Dali, Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso, had been seized from one of the accused, investigators said. According to Bulgarian prosecutors $94 billion has gone through the Nexo platform in the past five years. Crypto lenders act like banks for the crypto world, offering customers interest on cryptocurrencies they deposit with the platform.

☆ Bulgaria summons Russian envoy over Bellingcat journalist Grozev
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SOFIA, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Bulgaria's foreign ministry said it would summon on Thursday the Russian ambassador to Sofia "for explanations" after Moscow put Christo Grozev, a Bulgarian citizen and the executive director of investigative news outlet Bellingcat, on a wanted list. Grozev, Bellingcat's chief investigator on Russia, is "wanted under an article of the Criminal Code," according to information published on Russia's interior ministry website earlier this week. "The Russian ambassador will be summoned for explanations," a foreign ministry spokesperson said, after leading Bulgarian political parties called for official support for Grozev. Grozev "focuses on security threats, extraterritorial clandestine operations, and the weaponisation of information" according to Bellingcat's website. Grozev said he has been offered help by the Netherlands, Sweden, Estonia and Austria, where he has been living in recent years.

☆ Bulgaria in talks with Turkey on long-term gas deal
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SOFIA, Dec 23 (Reuters) - Bulgaria's interim energy minister is in Istanbul on Friday for talks he hopes will lead to a deal this month on long-term access to liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals in neighbouring Turkey and the transit of the gas to its border. The chief executives of Bulgaria's state gas company Bulgargaz and gas network operator Bulgartransgaz are also taking part in the talks as Bulgaria seeks new sources of gas. Russia, which covered over 95% of the Balkan country's gas needs, cut off deliveries to Bulgaria in April after Sofia refused to pay for them in roubles. Bulgaria wants to book capacity at Turkish terminals through 2036 to import 1 bcm of LNG gas a year. Under the energy ministry plans, Bulgaria will cover a third of its gas needs with LNG gas imports through Turkey, one third through the LNG terminal near the Greek city of Alexandroupolis which should become operational in 2024 and one third with Azeri supplies.

Insider has compiled a list of six cities where you can live for $1,000 or less per month. Insider has compiled a list of six cities where you can live for $1,000 a month, using data from the comparison website Numbeo, which provides a crowdsourced summary of the cost of living in major cities across the world. In Rio, you'll need about $940 a month to cover an apartment in the city center and your living expenses. An apartment in the city center and living expenses would set you back around $700 a month. A one-bedroom apartment outside the city center and living expenses would set you back around $940 per month.

☆ LUKOIL's Bulgarian refinery may shut down if it cannot export
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The European Union has agreed to a ban on Russian crude oil imports as part of its sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine in February. The ban takes effect next month, but Bulgaria has been given an exemption and is allowed to import Russian crude until the end of 2024. The Bulgarian caretaker government plans to allow the LUKOIL Neftochim refinery to continue importing Russian crude once the ban takes effect and give it permission to export its output. LUKOIL Neftochim, which has switched to only Russian crude since the spring, expects to process a record high 7.1 million tonnes of crude oil this year, Sharafutdinov said. "The refinery cannot work if the exports are curtailed," Sharafutdinov told a joint news conference with Bulgarian deputy Prime Minister in charge of economic policy, Hristo Alexiev.

"Humanity has a choice: cooperate or perish,” Guterres told delegates gathered in the seaside resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh. And our planet is fast approaching tipping points that will make climate chaos irreversible,” he said. Signatories to the 2015 Paris climate agreement pledged to achieve a long-term goal of keeping global temperatures from rising by more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Guterres said that goal will only stay alive if the world can achieve net zero emissions by 2050. The World Trade Organization, meanwhile, said in a report published on Monday that it should tackle trade barriers for low carbon industries to address the role of global trade in driving climate change.

☆ Bulgarian lawmakers give government month to devise Ukraine military aid plan
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SOFIA, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Bulgaria should send military aid to Ukraine, the parliament decided on Thursday, giving the caretaker government one month to come up with a plan for what weapons the Black Sea country could send to support Kyiv. At present, Bulgaria is one of the few European Union countries not sending military aid to Ukraine, after the Russia-friendly Socialist party, a coalition partner in the previous government, blocked such a decision in May. It was not immediately clear what military aid could be sent or how soon it can happen. Georg Georgiev, a lawmaker from centre-right GERB party, outlined the need to support Ukraine and start giving weapons instead of only selling them. Bulgarian arms exports have more than doubled since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a recent report by the Bulgarian Industrial Association showed.

☆ Alcaraz breezes into Paris quarters, Djokovic also through
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/6] Tennis - ATP Masters 1000 - Paris Masters - Accor Arena, Paris, France - November 3, 2022 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz in action during his round of 16 match against Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov REUTERS/Christian HartmannPARIS, Nov 3 (Reuters) - World number one Carlos Alcaraz swept aside Grigor Dimitrov 6-1 6-3 to book his place in the Paris Masters quarter-finals on Thursday and reigning champion Novak Djokovic advanced with a 6-4 6-1 win over Karen Khachanov. Top seed Alcaraz dominated from the outset and dropped just two points on serve in the opening set before fending off a second-set fightback from Bulgarian Dimitrov to close out the match in one hour 12 minutes. "(Grigor's) level is very much not the level you saw today, but I played very well," said Spaniard Alcaraz, who is chasing a third ATP Masters 1000 title this season. Djokovic, a six-times winner at the ATP Masters 1000 event, delivered a commanding performance in his straight-sets victory over Russia's Khachanov, hitting 18 winners. Musetti, 20, fired 37 winners as he came from a set down to eliminate third-seeded Norwegian Ruud 4-6 6-4 6-4 and advance to his maiden ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final.

☆ Cheaper homes and a strong dollar are driving Americans to move abroad. Here are 6 cities around the world where you can live on $1,000 a month or less.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Pembe Bilir | Nathan Rennolds | Business Insider Deutschland | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

More and more Americans are looking to take advantage of a strong dollar and cheaper homes abroad. An apartment in the city center and living expenses would set you back $670 a month. A one-bedroom apartment outside the city center and living expenses would set you back around $940 per month. If you wanted an apartment in the center, it would cost you around $1,150 a month, including living expenses. Here, you can get a one-bedroom apartment outside of the center and cover living expenses for just over $920 a month, Numbeo said.

☆ NATO is pouring concrete to support new 'battlegroups' in 4 countries amid rising tensions with Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

NATO now has some 40,000 troops under its direct command in Eastern Europe — 30,000 of them in those eight battlegroups. More than a tripwireUS soldiers at a base in Latvia to support NATO's battlegroup there on February 25. Hungary had refused to accept NATO troops, with its foreign minister saying before Russia attacked Ukraine that Hungary's military could defend the country. Following Russia's invasion, Hungary was persuaded to host a few hundred NATO troops in a battlegroup that it would lead. Accommodating and integrating an influx of NATO troops is not easy, even for countries that are eager to counter Russia.

☆ ATP roundup: Maxime Cressy sweeps Sebastian Korda in Tel Aviv
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

September 29 - Fourth-seeded Maxime Cressy racked up 14 aces while posting a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Sebastian Korda in a battle of Americans in the second round of the Tel Aviv Watergen Open in Israel. Second-seeded Croatian Marin Cilic had 15 aces while recording a 6-7 (6), 6-2, 6-4 win over Austrian wild card Dominic Thiem. In another match of note, Constant Lestienne notched a 7-6 (2), 6-4 win over No. Shapovalov will next face Moldova's Radu Albot, who posted a 7-6 (3), 7-6 (3) victory over American Steve Johnson. Japan's Taro Daniel beat Ecuador's Emilio Gomez 6-4, 6-4.

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