BABY AWARD
Five families from Sozopol were ‘awarded’ a special allowance for their newborn babies. The sum of 2000 leva was voted by the municipal council a month ago to encourage and support its citizens. The approved families had to meet a number of criteria such as to present a proof of permanent address in Sozopol, and the parents should be at least 18 years of age. Parents received the first 1000 leva when the child was born, the second half will be given in six months after physicians review the baby’s health. Since the beginning of 2008, the newborn in Sozopol municipality totalled 40.

EXPENSIVE BEACHES
The ever expensive beach services could further deter Bulgarian tourists from visiting the Black Sea resorts, some tourist agencies state. In Slunchev Bryag (Sunny Beach) beach umbrellas and chaise-longues each cost seven leva a day, which means that a four-member family have to pay close to 50 leva for some comfort at the beach. This is the price for a night at a three-star hotel. Experts say that German tourists, for example, buy all-inclusive packages and use the hotel’s pool instead of going to the beach. Prices approach those of some prominent French resorts, some say, but the quality of the services provided is not nearly as high.

DISCOVER ORPHEUS
A new film about the Thracian bard Orpheus will reveal his true story, according to its director Stiliyan Ivanov. The half-documentary, half-feature length film is not aiming to work around a concrete historical version, but around facts that will encourage the viewers to see and decide for themselves the truth about Orpheus’ origin and his messages to ordinary people.
The film has been created to remind Bulgarians of their history and their possible relations to the Thracians. Ivanov has said that the last film about Orpheus presented him as a black person, which may mislead the majority of viewers who do not read, but only watch television munching on chips. History could not be twisted in such a way, Ivanov has said.
According to Ivanov, Orpheus had preached the main Christian principles since the seventh century BCE. The screening of the film is scheduled for Friday, August 1 at 19.30 pm in the Festival and Congress Centre in Varna.