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By Sean Carney
The Wall Street Journal
The friction of daily life in European Union member state Bulgaria is tense and shows no signs of waning.
As one cabinet has fallen and another faces daily anti-government marches and calls for the second early elections this year, this week saw an arson attack against a television reporter.
Television anchor and reporter Genka Shikerova found her car burned and destroyed outside of her home on Monday night. Upon completing an investigation of the scene, inspectors said the car was set ablaze intentionally.
Local media speculate that the destruction of the reporter's car was the political elite's way of warning Ms. Shikerova and her peers to tread carefully and not disturb the political status quo.
"As you can suppose it's not a great experience to see your car in fire," she said in a written response to questions. When asked if it could be a politically-motivated threat, she said "If it's true it would be very frightful."
Ms. Shikerova's recent interviews with leaders of the two parties in the Socialist-led coalition government resulted in the Socialists and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms later exchanging barbs over who was responsible for deeply unpopular personnel decisions that sparked protests in June that continue unabated today.
Energy Minister Zhecho Stankov shared encouraging news for Bulgaria’s energy sector, highlighting that financial institutions are prepared to provide funding eight times greater than what is required for the construction
Starting today, toll cameras on Bulgaria’s highways will begin issuing fines to drivers caught using emergency lanes unlawfully
From August, the familiar large digital boards and fuel pumps at gas stations across Bulgaria will not be showing prices simultaneously in both leva and euros
For more than two decades, real estate in Bulgaria has been offered primarily in euros, a practice familiar to both buyers and sellers
Over the course of nearly a month, Bulgarian authorities have uncovered 12 illegal residential facilities, often referred to as "houses of horrors," resulting in the removal of more than 400 individuals
An American company specializing in robotic and minimally invasive surgery has launched a new production facility in the Bulgarian town of Parvomay, marking a key step in its European expansion
Brazen Bulgarian gangs "terrorise the elderly and rob them over their life savings with increasingly aggressive phone scams nettling millions of euros," according to an AFP story.
The prospect of US President Donald Trump's moving closer to Russia has scrambled the strategy of "balancing East and West" used for decades by countries like Bulgaria, the New York Times says.
Bulgarians have benefited a lot from their EU membership, with incomes rising and Brussels overseeing politicians, according to a New York Times piece.
German businesses prefer to trade with Bulgaria rather than invest into the country, an article on DW Bulgaria's website argues.
The truth about Bulgaria and Moldova's presidential elections is "more complicated" and should not be reduced to pro-Russian candidates winning, the Economist says.
President-elect Rumen Radev "struck a chord with voters by attacking the status quo and stressing issues like national security and migration," AFP agency writes after the presidential vote on Sunday.
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