Mail & Guardian
Mail & Guardian
sofialatest news & developments

Bulgaria anti-govt protest turns into riot

Dozens of protesters clashed with police in Bulgaria’s capital on Wednesday when an anti-government rally turned into a riot, police said.

About 60 arrested at Bulgaria’s first gay parade

Bulgarian riot police detained about 60 far-right extremists on Saturday who threw a petrol bomb and tried to break up the country’s first gay parade.

Bulgarian pop diva keeps flame burning for Castro

Yordanka Hristova was once called ”the bride of all Cubans” and was so popular on Fidel Castro’s island that Cuban families named their daughters after her. Forty years on, the…

Bulgaria donates $56m to help Libya HIV victims

Bulgaria donated ,6-million in Soviet-era debt owned by Libya as its contribution to a deal that led to the release of six medics convicted of infecting Libyan children with HIV.…

Bulgarian medics testify against Libyan jailers

Bulgarian nurses on Friday gave testimony against Libyan jailers who the medics said had tortured them to confess they deliberately infected hundreds of Libyan children with HIV.…

Libya slams pardons for HIV medics

Libya accused Bulgaria on Thursday of violating an agreement between the two countries when it pardoned six medical workers convicted of intentionally infecting hundreds of…

Bulgaria may forgive Libya debt in HIV case

Bulgaria is considering writing off Soviet-era debt it is owed by Libya to contribute to a deal that led to the release of six medics convicted of infecting Libyan children with…

Libya sends HIV medics home after deal on aid

Six foreign medics convicted of infecting Libyan children with HIV arrived in Sofia on Tuesday after being freed by Libya under an accord with the European Union. Their release…

Bulgaria asks Libya to transfer HIV medics

Bulgaria asked Libya on Thursday to allow it to take custody of six foreign medics jailed for infecting hundreds of children with HIV after Tripoli commuted their death sentences…

Libya may release convicted medics

Libya is finalising a deal that would pay the families of 426 children with HIV millions of dollars and pave the way for the release of six foreign medics sentenced to death for…

Freedom bought for Bulgaria’s last dancing bears

Bulgaria’s last three dancing bears are being sent to a mountain sanctuary after activists bought their freedom on Friday in an effort to stamp out the centuries-old tradition…

Bush says Libya should free medics

United States President George Bush said on Monday it was a high priority for the US to win the release of five Bulgarian nurses sentenced to death in Libya for infecting…

Bulgarian nurses won’t be executed, says Gadaffi’s son

The son of Libyan leader Moammar Gadaffi said five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor condemned to death by a Libyan court had received unjust verdicts and that they would…

Bulgaria condemns Libya verdicts

Bulgaria condemned death sentences imposed by a Libyan court on Tuesday on five of its nationals and a Palestinian doctor found guilty of deliberately infecting hundreds of…

Libya Aids trial: Defence claims psychological torture

The defence team for five Bulgarian nurses accused of infecting more than 400 Libyan children with HIV-tainted blood, claims psychological-torture measures were used against the…

Tales of horror from Libyan prison

A Bulgarian engineer arrested in Libya in 1999 with five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor, now on retrial for ”knowingly” injecting Libyan children with…

The Balkans: The land of inveterate smokers

The Balkans are home to Europe’s most inveterate smokers, where 30 to 40% of all adults are gripped by the habit — a major cause of premature death. ”People in that part of…

Liverpool in control, thanks to Morientes

Liverpool are on the verge of the Champions League group stages after Fernando Morientes emerged from a recent slump to lift the European champions to a 3-1 win over CSKA Sofia…

Flood waters devastate eastern Balkans

At least 10 people were killed and two were missing as storms and floods hit large areas of the eastern Balkans, leaving thousands of people stranded, officials said on Monday.…

Paper cars for Book Day

The old East German Trabant, widely reviled as the worst car made to date, had its day in the sun on Monday when 50 of them spluttered along in a <i>concours d’elegance</i>,…