we can't find the page that you are looking for Don't let that stop you from visiting some of our other great related content protected by reCAPTCHA.css-trhdh3::after{background-color:#fa9000;}EXPLORE MOREblinking-dotLive updatesLive updates, ‘Blackmail tool’: Hamas rejects Israeli plan to bypass Gaza aid agenciesUN and humanitarian aid groups say Israel proposed ‘dangerous’ ration ‘scheme’ after nine-week siege Francis-era reforms that saw a diverse group of cardinals join the mix make his successor nearly impossible to call The attack comes as Moscow prepares to welcome foreign leaders from China and Brazil the California federal penitentiary has been shut for more than six decades Reports say Israel now eyeing occupation of entire enclave control of aid and possible expulsion of Palestinians A study gives clues to cosmic origin of gold and heavy elements and they were created earlier than we thought Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe says the ‘ongoing’ discussions are ‘still in the early stages’ US president makes claim after Mexican leader says her country’s sovereignty ‘not for sale.’ Attack claimed by Houthis temporarily halts air traffic at Israel’s busiest airport and triggers air raid sirens Exclusive: NGO finds Syrians subjected to interrogations and reportedly pressed into signing return documents After the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, Bulgaria is attempting to force out Syrian asylum seekers by reportedly pressing them into signing “voluntary return” documents No Name Kitchen (NNK), a humanitarian organisation working with refugees in the Balkans, has collected evidence of increased harassment of Syrian people on European borders since the Syrian opposition armed forces ousted the Assad family NNK’s report pictures and documents on how Bulgaria is trying to repatriate hundreds of Syrian asylum seekers subjecting them to extensive interrogations about their perspectives on Syria to justify rejecting their claims NNK met people staying in a reception centre in Harmanli Videos obtained by NNK and seen by the Guardian show dozens of asylum seekers detained in the facility awaiting questioning from Bulgarian officers according to testimonies collected by activists and aid workers pressed them into signing a series of documents Videos obtained by NNK and seen by the Guardian show dozens of asylum seekers detained in the facility Photograph: suppliedPeople were reportedly held in the room until they had signed “My friend said that when the interview ends you cannot leave without signing,” a witness said “There is someone waiting for you inside the room You cannot do anything because violence will be used on you.” One asylum seeker reported: “[They] beat up two elderly people in front of my eyes.” Syrians held in the facilities were reportedly asked for their views on Assad’s regime and asked questions such as: “Is Syria now safe for you?” “How did you feel when Bashar al-Assad fell?” and “How did you feel when Syria was liberated?” When asked if he was “happy about the fall of Assad” a Syrian man told NNK: “You naturally say to them ‘yes’ [and] this evidence is used against you and to return you to Syria.” The NNK report states: “In addition to the fall of Assad being used to coerce people into signing voluntary return documents the shift in regime is also being used as an opportunity to deny and restrict access to the right to asylum rejecting people’s claims on the basis of the change of leadership and not the facts of their individual case.” Syrians reported that officers “came to the dormitories one by one and took them by the hand until they were brought inside the building” and said things such as: “We will bring you to the gendarmerie and imprison you” and: “Do not be afraid we will return you to Syria without any pressure.” Some interrogations reportedly took place without translators the content of some of the documents was unclear The Guardian was unable to review the content of the papers as camp authorities refused to share them with NNK and aid workers One person said: “I don’t really know what this paper is that we are signing because the translator does not tell us what this paper is They say it is a paper to take us to Syria.” The man said he was forced to sign a paper the contents of which remain a mystery to him due to the absence of a translator In order for the authorities to achieve their goal of returning Syrians to their homeland “they want to obtain a confession from you NNK obtained an official document from the Bulgarian authorities detailing a Syrian girl’s rejected asylum application The rejection occurred a few days before the fall of Assad as armed opposition forces were advancing towards Damascus A Bulgarian official document detailing a Syrian girl’s rejected asylum application Photograph: suppliedAfter an initial examination “it became clear that the situation in Syria is still unsafe with attacks by extremist groups” the exact date and further details of which cannot be disclosed to protect the identity of the people placed under interrogation Free weekly newsletterThe most pressing stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to economics to the environment the Bulgarian official concluded that the incidents were “sporadic” and “cannot be considered an armed conflict” and that “the security situation in the country” had significantly improved According to the UN’s International Organization for Migration there are no ongoing processes for the voluntary return of Syrians from Bulgaria This raises concerns that Bulgarian authorities in charge of migrant centres may be acting on their own accord without the oversight or coordination of the IOM Bulgaria has faced mounting pressure from the EU to prove its capabilities in effectively securing its frontiers a crucial step for the nation to attain complete membership of the border-free Schengen zone Last week, the UK and other European countries including Norway, Italy, Austria and the Netherlands said they would suspend the processing of asylum applications from Syrians after the fall of the Assad regime The moves come despite a lack of clarity over what lies ahead for Syria Syrians held in the facilities were reportedly asked for their views on the Assad regime Photograph: suppliedFurther evidence was shared with NNK by the Dutch NGO MiGreat regarding the harassment of asylum seekers in the Netherlands One asylum seeker reported that an agent from the Netherlands’ repatriation and departure ervice had said to him: “Syria is good now Did you know that if you resist deportation your procedures will be extended by 18 months the police will be looking for you and they will arrest you even if you’re just riding your bike Similar harassment was reported to MiGreat by asylum seekers across the Netherlands Austria is already preparing a “repatriation and deportation” programme to Syria Less than a week after the ousting of Assad the country’s conservative-led government said it would offer Syrian refugees in the country a “return bonus” of €1,000 to move back to their homeland said: “The testimonies we have received from across Europe are deeply troubling The fall of the Assad regime has provided a pretext for EU states to obscure hostile migration policies The EU must recognise that the fall of a dictator does not erase decades of conflict.” Bulgaria’s state agency for refugees (SAR) told the Guardian: “Staff members did not undertake any actions to force the accommodated applicants to return to their country of origin” but it also confirmed that “an initiative of the state agency for refugees’ social experts has started to assess the intentions of the Syrian asylum applicants” “This initiative was a result of the fact that a number of Syrian applicants had contacted SAR staff members asking about the possibility and the respective procedure for a voluntary return to their country of origin,” it said The Netherlands’ repatriation and departure service has not yet responded to a request for a comment Marta Bellingreri and Pjotr Sauer contributed to this article This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Zafirov believes that Bulgaria should stay prepared and maintain a sustainable capacity to receive refugees In light of the new EU Pact on Migration and Asylum the country should invest in new refugee centres in enhancing administrative capacity and revamping the reception system humane and predictable system meeting European standards and matching our responsibility to asylum seekers,” Zafirov said as quoted by the press office of the Bulgarian Socialist Party on Wednesday Zafirov accompanied Swiss government officials on a visit to Bulgaria’s largest refugee camp the Harmanli Registration and Reception Centre which is the first arrival point in this country for refugees crossing through Turkiye from different parts of the world Head of Switzerland’s Federal Department of Justice and Police and Markus Peek of the Swiss State Secretariat for Migration the visiting party comprised Deputy Interior Minister Filip Popov and State Agency for Refugees Chair Mariana Tosheva Zafirov said the Harmanli Centre is functioning with great difficulty which creates risks for the resilience of the system calling for urgent rehabilitation and renovation of the facilities the Safe Zone for unaccompanied refugee children created here in 2024 with the support of the Swiss Embassy specialized care and round-the-clock security “This is a model which should be built upon and applied in other centres,” Zafirov said Commenting on public protests in recent years against the existence of the Harmanli Centre the Deputy Prime Minister said: “We are aware of the public moods We will work for open dialogue with the local communities and will try to communicate the government policy more clearly.” Contacts +359 2 9262 210 By accepting cookies you can enjoy a better experience while browsing pages The project is to be implemented under the Environment Program 2021-2027 The Minister of Environment and Water Manol Genov and the Mayor of Harmanli Mariya Kirkova signed an agreement for the upgrade of the capacity of the existing composting plant for separately collected biodegradable household waste The total investment amounts to 1.2 million BGN The grant provided by the Environment Program 2021-2027 (EP) is over 750 thousand BGN This project envisages increasing the capacity of the existing composting plant located on the territory of Harmanli municipality The project will serve to purchase containers for the separate collection of household biodegradable food waste and specialized facilities and equipment for its transportation The implementation of the activities will contribute to achieving the 2030 goals for separate collection and recycling as well as for the overall reduction of the quantities of landfilled municipal waste in the country The project is to be implemented within the framework of the procedure "Measures for the construction expansion and/or upgrading of municipal/regional systems for separate collection and recycling of biodegradable waste" under the priority "Waste" of the Environment Program 2021-2027 The planned implementation period for the project activities is 30 months Over EUR 1.5 million is being invested by the ERDF in a project aiming to develop a new composting facility for biodegradable and green waste in the town of Harmanli in Bulgaria This ERDF-funded project will finance the installation of the green and biodegradable waste-composting facility on a one-hectare site The funding will provide for the development of different areas for the reception It will also enable the purchase of crucial machinery and equipme It will also enable the purchase of crucial machinery and equipment for operations at the site the facility is expected to be able to compost up to 3 000 tonnes of green and biodegradable waste every year This will cater for the entire local population of the Municipality of Harmanli resulting in a substantial reduction in the volume of landfill waste currently being produced by the town Source article on https://haskovo.info 04/09/19 A 13-year-old child was hit by a car in Harmanli while riding an electric scooter He was admitted to a hospital in Haskovo with a life-threatening condition and later had to be transported to the capital's emergency hospital "Pirogov" His 15-year-old companion was also injured The 22-year-old driver of the car was not drunk or drugged „The boy arrived at us with polytrauma and traumatic shock We saw that there was intracerebral hemorrhage chest and abdominal injuries and a contused lung” who admitted the child to the Intensive Care Unit in Haskovo "It is still not clear whether the car hit the scooter the children were riding on specified Senior Inspector Stefan Simeonov from the “Traffic Police” in Haskovo More news from Bulgaria Which language would you like to use this site in Refugees at Bulgaria’s largest refugee camp in Harmanli have begun an informal school for the camp’s children “It’s my turn to teach the children English now,” Mohammad Hussain told me on a recent chilly January evening at the Harmanli refugee camp in Bulgaria We headed out for a short walk to the makeshift classroom nearby Mohammad makes sure he wears his thickest clothes and a winter hat when he teaches are dressed warmly from head to toe as they cuddle against each other on the cement floor but a local school has promised to donate their old furniture soon A map of the animals in the Bulgarian mountains looks down from the hastily painted white walls but it’s better to do something [rather] than to just sit and wait” Several dozen children attended that evening to listen what Mohammad had to say The 23-year-old from the north-eastern Syrian city of Qamishli is part of the informal educational collective made up of Syrian students and young professionals With help from Bulgarian volunteers and a room donated by the state they have set up an informal school within the Harmanli camp based on the old methods of community learning More than 250 children of all ages have started studying basic subjects such as mathematics “We were always outside with nothing to do,” a young girl called Maha said She enjoys the opportunity to learn something “But now when school began it’s interesting” The lack of gainful activity is a problem for the adults too – because Harmanli is a closed camp they are not allowed to leave to pursue work One of the reasons Mohammad started teaching is because it helps to pass the time All I have done for the past two months is wake up Somebody has donated balls and coloured vests The “Falcons of Qamishli” won it after heavy resistance from “United Africa” Traditional folklore dances and music were played while the players celebrated More than 1,600 people live now in the former military barracks in Harmanli This is the biggest refugee camp in Bulgaria The government plans to expand it to 4,000 residents as more people are expected to arrive this year Smaller groups of Africans and Afghanis are also among them The camp is off-limits and Bulgarian police guard the perimeter around the clock Until recently nobody was allowed outside the camp without the right documents Such papers could be obtained only after the start of the asylum procedure Harmanli lacked the required staff and technical capabilities for months My attempts to verify them proved unsuccessful One of the most talked-about topics is the so called “kart akhdar” This is what the people in the camp call the green piece of paper which gives them identity in Bulgaria and allows them to go outside during daylight hours Getting it is the first step towards receiving refugee status What many of the refugees don’t know is that once they receive their final documents they have to leave the camp forever and find accommodation elsewhere This is the challenge that all refugees have to face soon Some people simply do not have the financial means to support themselves The Bulgarian state does offer material assistance for people in the national integration programme the scheme is limited to only 60 people – more than 10,000 asylum-seekers entered the country in 2013 alone The ones who have money to pay find themselves in another difficult situation Bulgarian landlords set exorbitant prices or simply refuse to let their property “People are scared that the foreigners will break their houses and never pay the rent” the housing problem is set to expand as well Bulgarian authorities do not have exact figures but concede that it is unlikely to be fewer than in 2013 This means that a further 10,000 people are likely to seek shelter in the country I am very worried.” He mentions her every time we speak about home Bulgaria and the European Union proved to be a nightmare: “This here is bad life Together we can fight for human rights everywhere Your donation can transform the lives of millions If you are talented and passionate about human rights then Amnesty International wants to hear from you A 13-year-old boy riding an electric scooter is in life-threatening condition after a crash in Harmanli A 22-year-old driver of a car attempted a left turn at an intersection when he hit the minor The child was injured in the impact and was admitted to the Haskovo regional hospital with life-threatening injuries The 15-year-old boy riding behind him on the scooter is not at risk The driver of the car's tests for alcohol and drugs are negative 199 road accidents occurred in the Haskovo region Bulgaria’s biggest refugee camp erupts after its inhabitants wrongly accused by local media of carrying infectious skin diseases Bulgarian police fired water cannon and rubber bullets at rioting migrants angered at being confined to their refugee camp during a health scare, the interior ministry said. Read moreThe unrest in the camp in Harmanli happened two days after the authorities sealed it off to prevent anyone leaving following local media reports that the migrants were carrying infectious diseases camp residents set fire to furniture and tyres and threw stones at riot police police pushed back a large group trying to leave the camp blanks and rubber bullets as well as physical force,” said Georgi Kostov “Over 40 of the most rampaging migrants were detained adding that four police officers had been wounded He said was not aware of any wounded migrants Reflecting the gravity of the situation – and the political impact of the migrant crisis – the prime minister was on his way to the camp late on Thursday Harmanli townspeople staged a protest last week calling for the camp’s closure after media alleged that migrants there carried communicable skin diseases which runs the camp and took the decision to seal it temporarily to allow health authorities to investigate told Bulgarian national radio that those reports were false Bulgaria has built a fence on its border with Turkey and has bolstered its border controls to prevent migrants entering Around 17,000 were detained in the first 10 months of the year Despite the decreasing numbers of arrivals Bulgarian nationalists have staged protests in recent months calling for the immediate closure of all refugee centres and for migrants to be returned to Turkey or their countries of origin cannot afford to support them in such numbers The water in the Harmanli village of Biser is restricted for drinking and cooking due to elevated manganese values During the last sampling from the Water and Sewerage Service – Haskovo manganese values of 147 ± 15 µg/l were recorded at a maximum allowable value of 50 µg/l a ban on the use of the water is imposed until the discrepancies in the „manganese“ indicator are eliminated The water company must provide water for the population with water carriers See what triggers an intervention and how supply and logistics allow our teams to respond quickly Discover our governance and what it means to be an association Find a quick visual guide to our offices around the world Read through our annual financial and activity reports and find out about where our funds come from and how they are spent and plans on how we address issues like racism and reduce our carbon footprint ensuring our actions align with the highest ethical standards Visit this section to get in touch with our offices around the world Médecins Sans Frontières brings medical humanitarian assistance to victims of conflict and where MSF teams respond to different diseases around the world and the challenges we face in providing treatment Learn about the different contexts and situations in which MSF teams respond to provide care including war and natural disaster settings and how and why we adapt our activities to each Learn about our response and our work in depth on specific themes and events Médecins Sans 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millions of consultations Urgent action is needed from the Bulgarian authorities to improve conditions at an emergency accommodation centre for asylum seekers near the Turkish border Amnesty International said after scores of its residents – including people who fled armed conflict in Afghanistan and Syria – staged a protest today As many as 100 people threatened to launch a hunger strike in protest at the deplorable living conditions at Harmanli camp where around 1,000 asylum-seekers are being detained on a former military base “It is appalling that people seeking refuge in the European Union are being trapped in limbo in such awful conditions with winter rapidly approaching The Bulgarian asylum system has a burgeoning crisis with a backlog of applications – the authorities must act fast to ensure they don’t have a humanitarian crisis on their hands too,” said Barbora Černušáková EU team researcher at Amnesty International “We witnessed the deplorable conditions where some 1,000 asylum-seekers are being held in metal containers tents and a dilapidated building of a former military complex They must be given immediate access to proper asylum procedures and the Bulgarian authorities must ensure they have access to basic necessities such as proper food This is their right under international law.”Although the Harmanli camp is already crowded the Bulgarian authorities continue sending new asylum seekers there Amnesty International researchers witnessed the arrival of a group of Syrian men The newcomers were equipped with nothing more than a flimsy mattress and two thin damp blankets – hardly adequate cover to pass the cold nights in an unheated tent.Pregnant women unaccompanied minors and other vulnerable individuals face the same dire conditions Amnesty International recently interviewed a woman who was six-months pregnant – she had not eaten for two days and had to sleep on a mattress on the floor.The camp has only three toilets and eight showers but most camp residents Amnesty International spoke to said they refuse to use them as they are completely filthy The camp’s residents are not allowed to leave to buy essential food they rely on a supply of staples like potatoes Many of them have been living in these conditions for as long as a month “Some of those trapped in Harmanli have been here for over a month without being told why and what will happen with them there is no person in charge whom we can talk to,” Malalai a young woman from Afghanistan told Amnesty International.The inefficiency of Bulgaria’s asylum system was exposed in July this year when a growing number of people started entering the country through the Turkish land border More than 100 people have been entering the country on a daily basis and Amnesty International has documented in recent weeks how this influx has been met with violent xenophobic attacks and harassment of migrants and asylum seekers The Bulgarian authorities’ response to the increase has been wholly inadequate Instead of providing people with adequate living conditions and ensuring their access to asylum procedure the authorities “accommodate” them in centres where they are lost and forgotten by the system Harmanli is one such place.The asylum seekers allege that there is corruption in the camps This is particularly pertinent in the closed ones Afghans and Syrians got together to protest against these conditions,” said a male asylum seeker from Syria  The director of Bulgaria’s State Agency for Refugees told Amnesty International that the authorities do not register the asylum seekers “accommodated” in Harmanli Despite the thousand people housed at Harmanli there is currently nobody even in charge of asylum claims.“The camp in Harmanli is completely unlawful There is no basis for its establishment in any of the adopted pieces of legislation and it is neither a centre for asylum seekers nor a detention centre for irregular migrants,” said Iliana Savova and eventually made it into Bulgaria in 2019 Bulgarian police beat him with sticks and hauled him to a detention centre.  after spending eight months in the local refugee camp before receiving asylum the part of me I consider human becomes stronger,” he told me Khoshsiar explained that humanitarian work was not his background He studied physics in Tehran and later worked in software sales supply-packed office at the local outpost of  Mission Wings People pass through every day with requests for food and medicine psychological support and legal aid.  show Khoshsiar the wounds they have sustained along the way: police dog bites bruises from batons and scars from the razor wire on Bulgaria’s border wall a growing number of people making the journey through the country have endured pushbacks — expulsions that are often considered illegal because refugees are denied their legal rights to apply for asylum and access reception centres.   “People on the border are the first and easiest target,” Khoshsiar said.   Refugees and migrants travel in groups to help their chances of safe passage If they make it to Harmanli without getting caught by Bulgarian police Khoshsiar jots down their personal information in case they end up being forced back into Turkey.  Watchdogs and rights groups have documented pushbacks for decades. As the EU moves to reduce the number of refugees and migrants reaching the bloc through irregular means including those controlled by increasingly anti-migrant ruling parties in Bulgaria and Greece the EU and Turkey reached a deal to decrease the number of refugees and migrants reaching Europe so has border violence and the number of extrajudicial expulsions.  In 2021, entries to Bulgaria hit 10,799, nearly three times the number entering the country the year before, according to the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) With borders along the Balkan route — from the Middle East Last year, ECRE documented a record-high 5,268 pushbacks, which returned more than 87,000 people across the border. Rights groups have criticised Bulgarian authorities over border guards allegedly beating and strip-searching those caught crossing as well as setting dogs on them and confiscating their belongings.   said border guards had pushed back his group of around a dozen compatriots slept in a forest on the Turkish side of the border and tried again.  sitting in the relative safety of Harmanli’s local cultural centre hit us and then immediately returned us,” he said.  Bulgaria’s ministry of interior did not respond to a request for comment for this article but officials have disputed claims of a rising incidence of pushbacks and violence on the country’s border.  In December, Ivan Demerdzhiev, Bulgaria’s deputy prime minister for public order and security and minister of the interior, said that no evidence supported “the supposed existence of a growing practice of pushbacks at the Bulgarian borders”.  In January, president Rumen Radev said: “Over the past year pressure on our border has increased sharply and the actions of the migrants are becoming more and more aggressive.”  director of the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee’s refugee and migrant programme believes that pushbacks and increased border fortification have backfired forcing people on the move to become more dependent on smuggling networks.  people will go through regular migration,” she said people will have no other option than to use irregular migration.”  a spokesperson for the European Commission defended ongoing funding to Bulgaria for border enforcement but insisted that allegations of pushbacks should be investigated.  “The commission’s position is clear: efficient border management must be firmly rooted in the respect of fundamental rights including human dignity and the principle of non-refoulement,” the spokesperson said.  Khoshsiar lit a cigarette and stood across the street from the detention centre where he stayed in a crowded cell when he first got to Bulgaria A sign at the entrance boasted EU funding and a guard standing on a watchtower scrolled on his phone Khoshsiar recalled stories of guards beating detainees during his time there.  He recounted the details of the border crossing that landed him in detention not wanting to put money in smugglers’ pockets He found a spot where the river wasn’t too wide or deep and held his backpack over his head as he walked across.  thinking he might be able to tail a group of lumberjacks to find a route to help quickly adding that it could have been worse [and] they didn’t push me back,” he said.  residents of the local refugee camp walked back from the supermarket with food to prepare for the Eid holiday families sat on the grass and shared meals.  Khoshsiar greeted people who passed by in English He explained that life in the camp was especially difficult for vulnerable groups religious and ethnic minorities and members of the LGBTQ+ community.  There have been anti-refugee protests in town over the years but he still insisted that the rights of camp residents were wrapped up with those of everyone — Bulgarians included.  “If you don’t take care of violence on the border you will face it in the capital,” he said.   Two Afghan men were searching for a lost relative who went missing along the way They had already checked with camps and detention centres with no luck but they needed his help.    Hyphen is the leading media platform on Muslim life in the UK and Europe Sign up to our newsletter to receive our top stories straight to your inbox every week This form may not be visible due to adblockers © 2025 Hyphen® / Link Media Corporation Ltd has climbed one place in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) rankings Last week Dimitrov took part in the Masters 1000 tournament in the Spanish capital Madrid Bulgaria’s junior group won all three gold medals at the 2025 Rhythmic Gymnastics European Cup in Baku (Azerbaijan) Bulgaria won the gold medal in the Senior Group Cross Battles at the 2025 Rhythmic Gymnastics European Cup in Baku (Azerbaijan) Danaya Atanasova and Viktoria Georgieva performed. english@bnr.bg HOT: » What kind of news would you like to see more of? A young man was severely beaten with clubs and stakes by a group of men in Harmanli as he tried to get out of his car The attack was caught on a security camera The altercation started after the men started bothering the boy's girlfriend He warned them to stop and the beating started people who have commented on the clip are threatened A boy from Dimitrovgrad sent me recordings of Taner threatening him with beating and raping his wife because he shared the video," he said Follow Novinite.com on Twitter and Facebook Write to us at editors@novinite.com Информирайте се на Български - Novinite.bg We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria A 33-year-old man from the village of Semchinovo has been taken into custody by the police for physically assaulting a 10-year-old child A 12-year-old boy from Lukovit has been hospitalized with two broken arms and head injuries after reportedly being assaulted and thrown from a bridge A serious traffic accident in the Bulgarian town of Harmanli has left a 13-year-old child in critical condition after he was struck by a car while riding an electric scooter US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aiming to prevent transgender women and girls from participating in women’s sports A 12-year-old boy from Plovdiv is in critical condition after suffering severe burns and internal injuries from an arc flash at Stamboliyski station who disappeared from the village of Konare near Stara Zagora all retailers in Bulgaria will be required to display prices in both leva and euros a major British tour operator specializing in holidays to Bulgaria has halted all its operations effective April 24 Wage growth in Bulgaria is projected at 9.3 percent for 2025 a 15.4 percent rise in the minimum wage since January The World Bank has revised down its forecast for Bulgaria’s economic growth in 2025 Bulgaria is approaching the final stages of preparation for transitioning card payments from the national currency Minister of Economy and Industry Petar Dilov held a meeting with Susan Falatko the Charge d'Affaires at the US Embassy in Bulgaria Google Street View Cars Return to Bulgaria for Major Mapping Update Housing Prices Soar in Bulgaria’s Major Cities as Demand and Supply Strain Increase Curfew has been introduced in the refugee camp in the Bulgarian town of Harmanli The measure was imposed after a mass fight erupted on Sunday evening with the participation of nearly 800 migrants An investigation to identify those responsible for the incident has been launched The largest group in the camp is that of Afghans Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev has left for Washington where he will participate in the Munich Leaders Meeting (May 5-7 The forum is organised by the Munich Security Conference The foundation Unity- Kočani has sent an open letter to key Bulgarian institutions expressing gratitude for the support and humanitarian assistance provided by Bulgaria after the tragedy of the fire at a nightclub in Kočani The foreign ministers of Bulgaria and Greece Georg Georgiev and Giorgos Gerapetritis signed a joint declaration on the use of the waters of the river Arda on 2 May the BNR reports citing an announcement published by the Greek Foreign Ministry.. people will be able to withdraw money  from ATMs only in the new currency according to the website of the Bulgarian. helicopters of the Bulgarian Air Force will fly at low altitude over Sofia in preparation for a military parade marking the Day. Funding has been secured for the European programs “Care at Home” and “Hot Meal” The riot in the migrant camp in Harmanli was quelled during the night Outgoing Prime Minister Boyko Borissov called for a strict observance of the law and warned that where there are clashes at refugee camps in Europe there are usually terrorist sleeper cells.The people who took part in the riot were mostly from Afghanistan the rest will be transferred to camps of a closed type Out of the 250 police officers who took part in quelling the riot which collapsed Monday morning and killed eight people in the southern Bulgarian village of Biser has had cracks which stayed unrepaired for six years The problem remained unsolved due to ownership arguments between the Harmanli municipality the Haskovo District Governor and the Bulgarian Defence Ministry "It does not matter whose property the dam was and who was in charge of its maintenance" as cited by the Bulgarian National Television (BNT) Borisov specified that the dam had undergone an ownership change but said that it would be the task of the prosecuting authority to look into the matter The Prime Minister also announced that ways were being sought to bring all dams under the authority of the Irrigation Systems Company so as to ensure better control of their activity and to prevent uncontrolled release and emergency situations The Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) reported Monday afternoon that the dam wall cracking had stayed unrepaired for six years as a result of institutions shirking duties Harmanli Mayor Mihail Lisichkov told journalists of dnevnik.bg that the dam was state property and the municipality had been notified about the problem years ago He asserted that the maintenance of the dam was not the responsibility of the Harmanli municipality but of the Defense Ministry Lisichkov further emphasized that the crack had stayed in place since 2007 Defense Minister Anyu Angelov explicitly refuted allegations that the Defense Ministry should be held liable for the collapsed dam wall Angelov claimed that it was the Harmanli municipality that was in charge of the facility the Defense Ministry came up with a statement disowning responsibility for the Ivanovo dam Civil Protection officers explained that the existence of a crack would have to be proved Sofia residents awoke to shocking headlines claiming the city was being engulfed by floodwaters the Sofia Municipality allocated over 1 million leva for the design of 51 green spaces across all 24 districts of the capital A 24-year-old Syrian man is in critical condition after being stabbed in the back in Harmanli yesterday several Bulgarian municipalities have declared states of emergency In a recent incident at the migrant center in Harmanli a 20-year-old Syrian man was left injured following a physical altercation among residents "Everyone wants positions – in regulatory bodies and ministries," he emphasized Bulgaria’s toll system now has the technical capability to track average vehicle speeds as announced by the National Toll Management following a meeting with Regional Development Minister Violeta Koritarova The income required to cover living expenses for a working individual and a three-member family with a child under 14 has remained almost unchanged compared to June according to an analysis by the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CI The Council of Ministers has adopted a resolution to set the minimum wage at 1,077 leva fire alerts are received from across Bulgaria answering a question whether he would apologize to the Bulgarian people for violating the Constitution Cyril and Methodius” in the village of Biser near Harmanli a prayer was held in memory of the residents who lost their lives in the flood that happened 10 years ago when the wall of Ivanovo Dam broke and the water destroyed 56 houses and took the lives of 10 people the tragedy could have been prevented if the municipality of Harmanli had alarmed about the broken dam wall in time as it took 45 minutes for the water to reach Biser The investigation into the causes of the tragedy continues to this day Haskovo is one of the five districts in the country where assessment of potentially dangerous dams is not over yet BNR correspondent Dora Atanasova has reported Widespread unrest broke out at the refugee centre in Harmanli The authorities were alerted by the State Agency for Refugees Around 20 Afghans and 30 Syrians are protesting against the deplorable conditions at the centre and are demanding to leave Bulgaria Police and gendarmerie units have been dispatched on location