"Simeon Out!", Holler 20,000
The protests against the government of Simeon II intensify. More and more people are protesting on the streets against the worsening social and political conditions in Bulgaria. Although the country is on the right path to the European Union membership, the social welfare is far from being in a good conditionЕ
Sofia Airport to Compete with Heathrow
The new Sofia airport will be ready in about two years. A plane of the Boeing 747 class will be able to land on the runaway. The new passenger terminal will be able to service more than 2 million people a yearЕ
Finance Minister Lowered Taxes
Last week, the tax rates were lowered. The minimum payment that is not to be subjected to taxation will increase from 110 levs to 120 levs ($1 = 1.65 levs). All the percentages for the other tax brackets were also lowered. Lower tax revenues would be compensated by decreasing the government spending for the budget of the different ministers.
It Is Costly to Criticize Poutin
It seems as if the power of censorship is growing in Russia. Not too long ago NTV authorities did not allow to air a material about Elena Tregubova's book "Tales of the Kremlin Digger", planned to be featured in Leonid Parfenov's "Namedni". One of the materials of the book was an interview of the author with FSB chief Putin. It also has information about the election campaign and some facts about Putin that were never shown to general public. The feature was announced many times and people already have seen the announcements, nevertheless the directors of the studio decided to cancel it. As the NTV chief Nikolay Senkevitch put it: “"NTV is not a place for rudeness platitude. The channel and highly respected program of Leonid Parfenov are too refined and too well-thought to fall into such a platitude." However as the proverb states: “the truth hurts” and it is not the job of the news directors to decide what the public is ought to know.
Moscow, the most expensive city in Europe
An international company "Mercer Human Resource Consulting LLC" conducted an annual rating of living expenses in the largest cities of the world. Two hundred of the most popular goods and services are compared in price around the globe, between them: accommodation rent, food, clothes, transport and entertainment. It turned out that Moscow is the most expensive city in Europe, the second being Geneva. To find out the rating of other cities, read the article:
Recipe for Happiness
“Noone has ever died from an excessive relaxation.” Read this and other fun advises on happiness on the following...
Guten Tag,
What happened with Mr. Hohmann?
Finally he was expelled from CDU Group in the parliament.
What else happened?
Well Michael Moore found his way to Germany and held several speeches, about his not very Bush-friendly thinking of the US. His book “Stupid White Man” sold about 1.1 million copies in Germany, twice as much as in the US. So it seems that we really like this guy, but see what German newspapers wrote about his visit.
And now something really sad, we lost against France in soccer. It was supposed to be a just-for-fun-game, but of course in something so important like soccer, and against one of our biggest enemies that is not possible.
Simeon: We close NPP in Kozloduy
Bulgaria's Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg announced his decision to close the third and fourth block of the nuclear plant Kozloduy. He justified his decision by saying that if the two nuclear blocks keep on operating, our joining the European Union will be put off with years. This news has faced fierce opposition as EU experts testified that the two blocks meets all required safety standards.
UK Expert: Bulgaria is Potential Target to Terrorist Attacks
A Cambridge expert said that Bulgaria is potential target to terrorist attacks. He explained that Bulgaria, as a host of several military bases and a US ally bears a greater threat of becoming future goal for terrorist actions.
Vassil Ivanov Lodged a Complaint to IOC for the Bulgarian Weightlifters
Three Bulgarian weightlifters have been banned from the World Weightlifting Championship in Vancouver, Canada. They were accused of manipulating their doping tests by supplying urine the same urine that belonged to neither of them. The Sports Minister Vassil Ivanov sent a letter of protest to the president of the International Olympic Committee.
In this article, China has had an increase in the amount of trade. The
interesting point that this article stresses is that China Imports grew
more than its exports. From the US stand point this is very good because
the US has a large trade deficit with China. The article also shows that
the Chinese economy is expanding. A good economic report from China.
China's 17th largest clothing company, "French-Style Suit Company," wants former president Bill Clinton to represent their product. Wang Zhen, a
company official, claimed that "our suits match Clinton's character and
personality." Repeated e-mails to the White House, offering Clinton $2
million to represent the company, have not been returned. It is unknown
whether the Bush administration will forward the e-mails to Clinton, and a
Clinton aide claimed to have no knowledge of any impending deal between
Clinton and the company.
Another political crisis in Ecuador
A new scandal: the President of Ecuador, Lucio Gutierrez, is associated with drug trafficking. Cesar Fernandez, ex- governor of Manabí now detained by alleged traffic of drugs, supported economically in the electoral campaign of Gutiérrez. This scandal has debilitated still more to the Regime that after its distance of the indigenous movement doesn’t have a political project. Since 1995, corruption has been a common element of the different governments. It looks like it is still present which does not allow the country to achieve a certain degree of stability.
'Made in China' strikes fear in Mexico
Millions of street vendors live in apalling poverty, depending on inexpensive chinese imports to fuel their trade. After restricting importation from china, these people are finding it extremely hard to make a living in what were already extenuating conditions.
'Black waters' measure crisis in Mexico City
A city with over 20 million people, forced to pump its wastewater out of a "cup" formed by surrounding mountains. Most of the city has no sewage treatment whatsoever.
Peace Corps on a Hi-Tech mission to Mexico
Mexico has taken to the internet with surprising vigor. Internet cafes for under a dollar an hour can be found everywhere from hi-tech Mexico City to indian villages throughout the countryside. The Peace Corps moves in to work with & investigate the phenomenon.
Hotel Apologizes for slamming door on Hansen’s sufferers
A hotel in Kumamoto prefecture refused accommodation to former patients and workers at national sanitarium for Hansen’s disease suffers. The 18 patients and four workers had planned to stay at hotel on November 17th, Tuesday, but when the hotel found out that many of them are Hansen’s disease patients, they decided to refuse them entry. The Kumamoto Prefecture government started an investigation into in to the decision of hotel, citing a violation of human right and a possible violation of hotel industry laws. On Thursday, the facility offer and apology to them.
Japan’s youngest criminal defendant gets jail for tape
The youngest Japanese criminal defendant at the age of 15 was sentenced to an unspecified prison sentence for his part in the savage gang rape of young woman on November 20th, Thursday. This is first time a criminal is under age 16 and punished. He committed with other two men who are 35 and 17. They invaded a young woman’s house, violate robbed money and raped her. It is very serious problem for younger people in Japan, because the Juvenile Law has changed in April 2001, and there will be more younger people can be punished.
Penniless parents pinched for ordering son to steal
A father and mother were arrested on suspicion of theft after they helped their 14-year-old son steal from a friend in Ehime Prefecture on last July. The parents wouldn’t make dinner for us, and finally they told him that if he wants to eat, he had better steel something. And he went to his friend’s house with his mother and stole about 1.3 million yen in cash and other goods, and his mother collected a portion of the stolen cash on the spot. The parents used these money on living expenses and Pachinko (Japanese gamble).
