Bulgaria Gears Up for the Euro: Essential Cash Register and Vending Machine Updates (KEY DATES)
With Bulgaria preparing to adopt the euro as its official currency, changes in how retail transactions are processed are on the horizon
Amnesty International published its 2020/2021 Report on the State of the World's Human Rights on Wednesday and the part about Bulgaria reads that media freedom and freedom of association have further deteriorated, as authorities targeted journalists and critics, and cracked down on anti-government protests.
The report further says that the authorities placed some Roma communities under mandatory COVID-19 quarantines and severely restricted their movement, while officials engaged in openly racist rhetoric towards Roma. Domestic violence remained
widespread and resources to support victims were insufficient. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people faced
discrimination and social exclusion.
The part about freedom of expression reads that as part of the COVID-19 emergency measures in March, the Bulgarian government proposed amendments to the Criminal Code that would impose heavy fines and prison sentences for dissemination of false information. However, the President vetoed the proposal before it became law, citing its negative impact on freedom of
expression.
Media freedom continued to deteriorate, Amnesty International says, with journalists investigating organized crime and corruption facing intense political and prosecutorial pressure in the form of threats and intimidation.
The organization highlights a case from last July when investigative reporter Nikolay Staykov was questioned by the Prosecutor's Office and threatened with prosecution after he released a documentary which implicated the Prosecutor's Office in a financial crime.
Several journalists covering the anti-government protests in the capital, Sofia, in September were physically assaulted by
police; one was detained for hours. The Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights called the actions "unacceptable"
and urged the authorities to investigate the attacks, Amnesty International says.
Amnesty International recalls that in its Rule of Law Report in September, the European Commission expressed serious concerns
about the lack of transparency of media ownership and noted that media remained subject to systematic political control. Ranking 111th out of 180 countries on the World Press Freedom Index, Bulgaria remained the EU member state with the lowest standard of media freedom, the NGO says. BTA
A significant weather shift is expected across Bulgaria on Thursday, July 17
Childhood vaccinations against measles, whooping cough, and other diseases in the WHO European Region - comprising 53 countries in Europe and Central Asia
A recent audit by the Bulgarian National Audit Office has uncovered serious deficiencies in the management and construction of the country’s National Repository for Long-Term Storage of Low- and Intermediate-Level Radioactive Waste
A fire that broke out between the villages of Blazhievo and Dzherman on Monday has affected approximately 1,000 acres of dry grassland
Opalchenska Street in Sofia has officially reopened to traffic between Todor Aleksandrov and Slivnitsa Boulevards
On Wednesday, much of the country will see predominantly sunny skies
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