STAVISKI’S SENTENCE
Only in Bulgaria could being famous get you a favourable sentence, Krassimir Gorsov, father of Manuela Gorsova, one of the victims of a car collision caused by two-time ice skating world champion Maxim Staviski, told a news conference on May 12. On May 7 2008, Bourgas’ Court of Appeal rejected an appeal against Staviski’s suspended sentence, a decision that Gorsov says he will challenge in a higher court. Manuela is still in a coma and is to be transported to Israel for medical treatment costing $1000 a day.

ANOTHER TREMOR
An earth tremor measuring 4.3 on the Richter scale shook northern Bulgaria on May 12 2008, the Geophysical Institute at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences said. The epicentre was in Bulgaria, about 270km to the north-east of the capital Sofia, near the town of Strazhitsa, Focus news agency said. A 1977 earthquake, measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale, killed more than 120 people in the town. This week’s tremor was reported to have caused damage in the municipality of Popovo, Turgovishte region. It is the third tremor measuring more than four on the Richter scale in the country since mid-April.

CITY TAXES
Sofia Administrative Court heard an application brought by three residents of the city and Sofia regional governor Todor Modev against the municipality’s tax hike and will rule on the case within 30 days, Bulgarian news agency BTA reported on May 10. Sofia’s municipal council approved several increases of local taxes in March, including the tax on land acquisition, property tax and car taxes, but did so one week after the deadline stipulated by law, which, according to the applicants, means that the increases are illegal.

NEW KINDERGARTEN
On May 13, a new kindergarten opened in Sofia’s Strelbishte neighbourhood. It accommodates 50 children. The city hall paid 850 000 leva from its budget for the new building. Another two sections of the kindergarten will be set up in nearby flats, municipal spokesperson Tsvetanka Krusteva told The Sofia Echo. The children to be accepted in the new kindergarten are between three and seven years old. There is a shortage of about 5000 places in Sofia kindergartens.

IN COURT
The Union for the Protection of Private Proprietors took the Government to court over Natura 2000 environmental network, investor.bg reported on May 12. The union contests a governmental decision including territories, which are part of approved general and territorial master plans, to the protected areas. The decision saw entire settlements, all on the northern seaside, put into Natura 2000. People in the region were concerned that with 87 per cent of the territories falling within Natura 2000, the region was practically deprived of opportunities for economic development.

BABY STEPS
Former defence minister Nikolai Svinarov was elected chairman of Bulgarian New Democracy (BND) party on May 11 2008 at the founding congress in the National Palace of Culture, which created Bulgaria’s newest political party. According to Svinarov, BND was ready to join a wide right-wing coalition that would be ready to rule the country after next years’ general elections. Delegates decided that BND was going to work for raising the living standard of Bulgarians, strengthening the role of the civil society, individual freedom, equal opportunities, tolerance and national identity in a unified Europe.

DISMISSED
Ivan Ivanov, the deputy head of Interior Ministry’s Chief Directorate for Combating Organised Crime (CDCOC), had no place in the ministry and would be dismissed, Interior Minister Mihail Mikov told private broadcaster bTV on May 12 2008. Currently, Ivanov is suspended following his arrest on March 17 2008 on charges of malfeasance in office and leaking sensitive information. Later on, information about the investigation against Ivanov was leaked to the media.

AUDITORS
Between May 19 and the end of June 2008, almost 30 experts from auditing company Grant Thornton will probe Bulgaria’s implementation of European Union operational programmes, the country’s Finance Ministry said in a statement, as quoted by Bulgarian news agency BTA. The auditors will be expected to check the compliance of management and control systems with the requirements of EU regulations. Grant Thornton was commissioned at the request of the Finance Ministry and after a tender called under the Public Procurement Act.

BEING BULGARIAN
About 100 000 foreign citizens applied for Bulgarian citizenship in 2001/07, official data showed. Bulgarian authorities planned to draft programmes to issue green cards and for the repatriation of Bulgarians living abroad, Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev said on May 13, at the presentation of the Government’s new strategy on Bulgarians abroad.