Sun, Nov 22 2009
Photo: Assen Tonev
The teams’ main purpose will be to gather evidence which would support prosecutors’ cases in court.
The new destinations for Bulgarian human traffickers are South Africa and the US, while agriculture is the new trend in money laundering, conference told
Annual assessment says Bulgaria 'generally respects' human rights but finds problems in several areas
A round table on the practices and challenges of combating trafficking in human beings in Europe on December 9 presented a general message of the necessity of cross-border co-operation, and of the conviction of the possibility to change the situation in Bulgaria. Organised by the embassy of Finland in Bulgaria, along with the embassy of Norway and the National Commission for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, the meeting at Arena di Serdica Hotel in Sofia came as part of the Finnish rotating chairmanship of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, a globe-encompassing security institution.
Official Bulgarian statistics say that there are 926 Bulgarians with HIV but this is widely regarded by experts as inaccurate and that the figure is somewhere between 3000 and 4000, most of whom are not aware of their HIV status.
Countries in South-Eastern Europe have achieved varying levels of progress against people trafficking, going by the findings of the United States state department 2008 report to congress on people trafficking. While some countries, including Croatia and Macedonia, were classified as having achieved "tier 1" status, meaning that they complied fully with minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, others were classed as tier 2, meaning that while they did not comply, progress was being made.
On October 7, Bulgarian government abruptly reversed its move towards legalising prostitution, part of a broader trend in Europe to make prostitution illegal as a way to combat women trafficking, International Herald Tribune (IHT) said. Bulgaria was a small but key country in the European sex trade where prostitution existed in a legal grey area, IHT said. Bulgarian women were sent abroad by the
Legalising prostitution in Bulgaria might mean that the state would gain income through taxes, but would harm the fight against trafficking of women, the country's Prosecutor-General Boris Velchev has told a conference in Sofia. The conference, on October 5 at the capital city's National Palace of Culture, was entitled Legal and Institutional Mechanisms for Combating Trafficking of Women. It was attended by senior government figures, representatives of NGOs and diplomats.
The European Commission is taking Bulgaria to court for delays in providing Sofia with adequate waste disposal facilities.
James Warlick is the spouse of Mary Warlick, director of the office of Russian affairs at the US state department, who has been nominated to serve as ambassador to Serbia
Bulgaria’s Health Ministry announced on November 20 2009 that the flu epidemic declared two weeks earlier is at an end as rates of infection decline. The announcement coincides with reports of two deaths from A (H1N1) flu in Bulgaria.
Acting on allegations by Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria leader Ivan Kostov, prosecutors and Government officials are to probe deals by which Movement for Rights and Freedoms leader Ahmed Dogan acquired various properties.
Prosecutors allege that a deal agreed by the former defence minister caused losses of 12.9 million leva.
Nice....
Will quite miss the dancing hooker on the corner of the Bistritsa rd and the Ring rd, she always looked happy!!