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The Week in Pictures Bulgarian Most Likely Among Passengers Aboard Crashed Spanish Airplane Bulgaria Receives Donation of Medical Equipment from Japan Bulgaria Wrestler Terziev Wins Bronze in Beijing Flowers and Laurels Meet Bulgarian Olympic Champion in Sofia Tottenham Still Hesitating About Berbatov Bulgaria to Have First Certified Guide Dog Instructors Georgian Ambassador in Bulgaria: Russia's State is International Isolation Bulgaria Female Wrestler Wins Silver in Beijing

Promising Natural Gas Deposit Discovered Close to Bulgaria's Pleven

A significant deposit of high-quality natural gas has been discovered at the village of Deventsi close to the city of Pleven in central north Bulgaria.

The Manager of Direct Petroleum Bulgaria Kolyo Tolev said the deposit could be described as promising.

The company completed the first phase of the prospecting on August 17 reaching a gas current with a pressure of about 800 atmospheres.

This is the highest pressure of a natural gas deposit ever recorded in the whole Balkans region. According to Tolev, this was an indicator the deposit was a rather large one.

The bed of the deposit is located at a depth of 4 740 m, whereas the drilling reached 5 900 m. The natural gas samples are of very high quality, without any hydrogen sulfide, water, or other admixtures.

Direct Petrolium Bulgaria is expecting a delivery of special equipment from the USA at the beginning of September in order to estimate the size of the natural gas deposit.

The company's manager Tonev said the exploitation of the deposit could start by mid 2009, when it would also be connected to the existing gas supply network.

Business Kalotina Checkpoint at Bulgaria-Serbia Border to Be Completely Rebuilt The Kalotina Checkpoint at Bulgaria's border with Serbia is going to be rebuilt completely by 2012. | read |

Sports Bulgaria Eurhythmics Team Qualifies for Final at Beijing Olympics After its second performance at the Beijing Olympics on Saturday, Bulgaria's eurhythmics team was ranked fifth for a second day in a row, and qualified for the final on Sunday. | read |

· Bulgaria Electricity Providers to Lay off Workers · NATO-Russia Tension over Georgia Does Not Affect Sofia-Moscow Relations

· Bulgaria's Security Agency to Work with OLAF against Financial Frauds · Double-Decker Bus Offers Sightseeing Tours in Bulgaria's Veliko Turnovo

Double-Decker Bus Offers Sightseeing Tours in Bulgaria's Veliko Turnovo

Sightseeing tours with a double-decker bus are the newest tourist attraction in Bulgaria's medieval capital of Veliko Turnovo in the central north part of the country.

The second floor of the bus is open, and offers a perfect view of the sights of the city during a tour, which can last between 30 and 45 minutes depending on the exact route.

The tours usually include the downtown of the city, the Tzarevetz Fortress, and the architectural reserve of Arbanasi.

Up to 80 persons can go on one tour with the double-decker bus for the price of BGN 200. The bus is 4,2 m high, and costs BGN 50 000.

It was imported from Germany, and is the second such tourist bus in Bulgaria as one has been operating for several months in the capital Sofia.

During the winter, the second floor of the bus will be equipped with a transparent ceiling. The tourist vehicle is completely safe.

Kalotina Checkpoint at Bulgaria-Serbia Border to Be Completely Rebuilt

The Kalotina Checkpoint at Bulgaria's border with Serbia is going to be rebuilt completely by 2012.

The construction of the new buildings and infrastructure at Kalotina is going to start in 2009 in execution of a project prepared in 2004.

The EUR 50 M needed for the reconstruction of the checkpoint will be provided by the Ministry of Finance through a credit from the World Bank.

On Friday Bulgaria's Minister of State Administration Nikolay Vasilev inspected the functioning of the "one-slip" system recently introduced at Kalotina.

He was satisfied with what he saw, and pointed out the introduction of the new system at all border checkpoints was going to reduce the potential for corruption, and would increase the state revenue by over 10%.

With the "one-slip" system, a car can go through the checkpoint for 7-8 minutes, whereas the procedure for trucks now takes 15 minutes fewer that it did before.

Kalotina is one of Bulgaria's busiest border checkpoints, and is located 55 km northwest of the capital Sofia.

Bulgaria Electricity Providers to Lay off Workers

Bulgaria's electricity distribution companies are going to lay off hundreds of workers in the wake of a decision by the State Committee for Energy and Water Regulation, which provided for more modest electricity price increase starting July 1, 2008.

The German company E.ON, which operates in northeast Bulgaria already announced it was going to make redundant about 150-170 of its employees because they could not afford to pay their salaries.

According to the company, this would not affect the quality of the services they provided as they were going to take steps to optimize their work such as introducing the use of GPS systems by repair teams.

Before dismissing anyone E.ON is going to offer part of its employees to quip in exchange for a payment of four to sixteen gross monthly salaries.

The Austrian company EVN, which is the electricity provider in southeast Bulgaria has also announced it was going to lay off workers but has not specified how many.

The Czech-owned electricity provider of western Bulgaria CEZ already dismissed 400 workers in April 2008, which led to a strike and raising the salaries of the employees.

According to statements by CEZ officials from the beginning of 2008, however, the company intended to lay off additional 100 workers by the end of the year.

Bulgaria Privatization Agency Approves Sale Contract for TP "Bobovdol"

The Monitoring Council of the Bulgarian Privatization Agency approved Thursday the signed contract project for the privatization sale of 100% of the capital of the Thermal Plant (TP) "Bobovdol."

At the end of June, "Consortium Enegia MK" won the company's open tender with a total financial effect of the deal (price + investments) amounting to BGN 168,454,050.

The buyer would be obligated to upgrade the TP's activities in accordance with the European law for preserving the environment and to provide the necessary investments.

In addition, the buyer must invest EUR 35 M in the plant over the next five years and purchase 1,750,000 tons of Bulgarian coal per year.

From the TP's three blocks, the first one has been renovated and is ready for the fall-winter period. The third block will begin production Friday while the second has been stopped since December 31, 2007 due to an agreement with the European Commission.

In order for the second block to become functioning again, the block must be renovated so that it could adhere to the harmful emissions norm.

According to Vladimir Vladimirov, Executive Director of the TP, Bobovdol's storages have been overflowing with coal - 270,000 tons and they have difficulties taking in new quantities because of storage space shortage,

Vladimirov explained before Darik radio that the plant currently unloads 5,000 tons per day and burns as much over r a 24-hour period, adding that with two functioning blocks, the TP would be able to accept 11,000 tons per day.

Bobovdol receives coal from seven mines.

According to Vladimirov, the situation at Bobovdol is normal and everything is functioning fine while the management and the workers are prepared for the new owners.

Bobovdol employs 946 people.

NPP "Kozlodui" Registers Another Production Record

The Bulgarian Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) "Kozlodui" has registered yet another record in the production of electricity by reaching its nine-month production goal 41 days earlier.

The planned nine-month quantity of 10 257 123 MWh has been reached Wednesday. A total of 11 200 000 MWh are expected to be produced by the end of September

The good production results have been made possible due to the reduction of the time of the annual renovation of the NPP's fifth block.

Representatives of the NPP say further that Thursday, the fifth block has began to work with 100% of its capacity, while the sixth block was going be stopped for its planned annual renovation and would function with 82% of its capacity.

Sofia Airport VIP Terminal Transferred to Civil Aviation

A Bulgarian public state property has been given for management by the Transportation Ministry.

The property transfer is a decision of the Cabinet in order to meet the needs of the Main Directorate "Bulgaria Civil Aviation", as announced by the Cabinet's press service.

The property is part of the civil airport in Sofia - a government VIP building with an area of 1117 square meters.

The VIP building is taken away from flight squadron 28 and along with other airport properties is given to the Bulgarian Civil Aviation.

The property use is now transferred to the Sofia Airport Company, which is going to use the collected airport fees for its maintenance.

Bulgaria Credit Center Book of Records

Bulgarians nowadays are using credit for everything including election campaigns or Roma weddings, according to data published by Credit Center.

Despite the fact that consultations for individuals applying for a loan are free, customers have offered various gifts to the credit consultants and loan officers, including a case of tomatoes or a parachute jump.

The Credit Center Book of Records includes a retired actress with a monthly income of BGN 120 applying for a BGN 800 loan to pay her electricity bill, who had offered her country house to express her gratitude.

A candidate for mayor has obtained a loan of BGN 50,000 for his election campaign while a modern Roma family has asked for and have received BGN 3000 in order to plan their wedding. The loan officer has, of course, been invited to the wedding.

Other gifts include handmade knit slippers, homemade red wine and milk.

A pregnant customer managed to give birth while waiting for her loan application to be approved while a young couple applying for a mortgage had to cancel the application because meanwhile they decided to split.

Other credit records include a customer who received a mortgage loan of EUR 500,000 for an apartment in Sofia to be repaid over the course of 25 years with monthly installments of EUR 3,500. Another customer has obtained a second mortgage to repay his other debts amounting to BGN 45,000, four credit cards with debts of BGN 12,00, leasing for BGN 28,000, refinanced with a second mortgage for EUR 55,000.

Bulgarian Citizens Income Among Lowest in Europe - Report

The income of the Bulgarian citizens is not simply the lowest in the European Union (EU), but lower than those of residents of countries outside the EU, such as Croatia.

The average salary in Bulgaria is twice lower than the average salary in Romania and almost 19 times lower than the one in Germany.

The above data has been published by the Federation of European Employers (FeEE).

The FedEE's annual "Pay in Europe" report provides benchmark salary data for 49 European countries. Each table contains 32 standard job positions within two categories of company size or type. Hourly pay is presented in the form of a midpoint and spread to reflect the range for each job.

In Bulgaria, a worker earns the average of EUR 1,2 per hour compared to EUR 2,2 in Romania.

The report lists the minimum salary in Bulgaria at EUR 110 per month, which is 13% lower than the minimum salary in Great Britain.

Among the countries that are new members of the EU, the citizens of Slovenia are the best paid with almost EUR 6 per hour.

Citizens of Croatia, which is a candidate member of the EU, make EUR 5 per hour.

Despite the low salaries, Bulgaria is not the most attractive countries for investments due to the low qualifications of the employees, lack of well-prepared specialists and the low level of labor organization.

The Asian labor markets are considered a further threat for the economies of the countries in Eastern Europe, including Bulgaria. Those markets offer cheep labor with a relatively high productivity. Workers in India and China make an average of EUR 1 per hour.

In Bulgaria, despite the low corporate tax, insurance is one of the additional obstacles for small businesses. Many of them cannot leave the "gray economy" sector and cannot offer higher salaries to their employees due to high insurance levels.

Nabucco Pipeline Has Found Gas - Report

The capacities of the Nabucco gas pipeline, which would supply gas from Central Asia to Western Europe, are more than 100% overbooked by potential shippers on a non binding basis, according to a press release of the project's operator Nabucco Gas Pipeline International GmbH (NGPI).

The release further defines the Nabucco project as one of Europe's most important energy infrastructure projects to strengthen Europe's security of supply for natural gas, as it contributes substantially to diversifying existing supply routes.

According to the press release, the 3,300 km long pipeline connects the large gas deposits in the Caspian region, the Middle East and Egypt with Europe. The investment costs will amount to approximately EUR 7.9 B. When completed, the pipeline's annual capacity will be 31 billion cubic meters.

Nabucco's shareholders nowadays include OMV, MOL, Transgaz, Bulgargaz Holding, BOTAS and RWE.

Previously many experts have voiced the opinion that even if NGPI could secure suppliers, "Nabucco" would still lose to the Russian "South Stream" project, however, Nabucco's operator had proven that the project would be economically feasible by announcing their most recent market survey, which shows huge demand for Nabucco capacities

Europe might, after all, chose "Nabucco", instead of South Stream, because Nabucco's realization appears now more and more realistic.

The NGPI press release further talks about Nabucco's capacities being more than 100% overbooked by potential shippers from day one in 2013 on a long term basis and about strong request for transport of natural gas from various gas sources in Central Asia and Middle East.

NGPI has already signed various Letters of Interests with potential shippers. The result of the recent market survey underlines this interest.

"The Open Season Process itself will start after the legal framework for Nabucco - Exemption Process and Intergovernmental Agreement - is finally established. This is an important prerequisition for the project", says Reinhard Mitschek, Managing Director of Nabucco Gas Pipeline International GmbH.

Before the Russian RBK "Daily", NGPI declined to name the companies that have made preliminary requests, but stated that they have approached 50 companies and have received 20 responses so far.

Bulgaria Unemployment Rate Down in July

The unemployment rate in Bulgaria was 5,95% in July, as announced by the Bulgarian Employment Agency, which has registered 210 less unemployed people compared with June of 2007.

The total number of the unemployed individuals in Bulgaria is currently estimated at 220,879.

16 areas have registered reduction of the unemployment rate in July, while 11 register a slight increase due to mass dismissals from some companies and the increased number of newly registered unemployed teaches.

The labor offices all over the country have listed a total of 13,996 job openings, which is with 2,646 less than June.

In July an average of 9 unemployed individuals have competed for one position, compared with 8 for the previous month.

12,826 unemployed individuals have started working in July, down by 15,9% compared with June. 90% of the newly employed have been assisted by the labor offices in finding their jobs.

2,650 unemployed individuals are currently taking training courses.

In July, the Employment Agency has organized 199 such courses all over Bulgaria.

Kremikovtzi Shareholders Appeal Court Decision

The creditors of the troubled Bulgarian steel mill Kremikovtzi are appealing the recent decision of the Sofia District Court, which declared the mill insolvent.

The loan of EUR 325 M was received by Kremikotzi two years ago and investors warn that the Court's decision could lead to the reduction of foreign investments in Bulgaria.

The owners of Kremikovtzi shares that have been issued in 2006, have filed the appeal Friday. The Court decision declared the mill insolvent effective December 31, 2005.

The shareholders remind that a British Court decided in July that the EUR 325 M loan must be repaid immediately. According to the he decision of the Sofia Court, the mill has been insolvent before the loan's emission.

The shareholders' committee warns that if the Court's decision remains unchanged this will influence their decisions to further invest in Bulgaria and they will warn the entire investment community about the negative consequences of investing in the country.

57 Rouse Companies to Have Business Licenses Revoked

The tax inspectors from the Bulgarian Danube port and city of Rouse have requested cancellations of the business licenses of 57 companies from the city whose business is related to taxi cab and freight transportation.

The reasons stated is the fact that they have failed to make timely payments of insurance and tax in the amount of over BGN 5,000.

The authorities in charge of issuing licenses and permits have been notified about all 57 companies. The notices insist on revoking their rights to conduct business until they deposit the amounts owed in the State budget.

Sofia Airport with 17% More Passengers for Month of July

Sofia airport has served 17% more passengers in July of 2008 compared to the same period of the previous year.

297,873 passengers have been processed through the airport in July, while the busiest day registered has been July 29 when almost 10,000 have come through the airport in just one day.

The international charter flights also show significant increase - 32%, with 45% more transported passengers.

The summer tourist charter fights of international airline carriers are 88% of all international charter flights.

London continues to be the top destination from Sofia airport with a record 41,000 passengers in July, which is 50% more than July of 2007.

Vienna ranks second with a 15% increase and 23,300 passengers.

Frankfurt is the third top destination for regular international flights with 20,800 passengers.

The cargo processed through the airport is 1703 tons in July, which is an 8% increase compared to the same period of 2007.

Bulgaria Mortgage Loan Prices Sharply Up in July

The mortgage prices in Bulgaria continue the trend of going up and show a sharper increase in the month of July without any of the banks making a better credit offer to its customers compared to June.

For mortgage loans in BGN, the last index increase fixes its current value at 9,3% which is the closest to the one from the end of 2005 and the beginning n of 2006

Nine banks have changed their BGN loan offers and have increased the mortgage loan prices while two have kept their prices at the same level as June.

The same trend has been noticed for mortgages that are granted in EUR with eight banks increasing the loan prices and two banks without changes in their conditions for the EUR loans as well.

Consequently banks with relatively lucrative offers and without an increase in their mortgage loan prices in the month of July are improving their positions on the market.

The upcoming months will prove very interesting for the Bulgarian loan market because the mortgage loan prices have reached levels that will make people restrain for applying for a mortgage while banks have to undertake some new measures to attract more customers and fight the global financial crisis at the same time.

Spain to Hire Bulgarian Truck Drivers

The Bulgarian Employment Agency is recruiting candidates to work in Spain, according to the agreement signed by both countries, as announced by the Agency.

Until September 25th, the labor offices all over Bulgaria are accepting paperwork for those who wish to work as international truck drivers in Spain.

50 vacancies have been announced with a nine-month contract with possible extensions. The work assignments begin in October.

The gross monthly salary is listed as EUR 1712 with 4,7% deductions for social bnefits, 1,6% for unemployment and 0,1% for professional development.

The drivers are supposed to work 40 hours per week. In addition, housing is offered for EUR 250 per month. Transportation to Spain is going to be paid by the employer.

There are no education requirements, but the employers require a minimum of 5 years professional experience as truck driver.

Knowledge of English and/or Spanish is considered an advantage, but is not listed as mandatory requirement.

Candidates must be between the age of 25 and 45.

Euro Area Trade Deficit Goes Down

The estimate for the euro area trade balance with the rest of the world in June 2008 gave a EUR 0.1 B deficit, compared with EUR + 7.5 B in June 2007, according to data released by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities.

The May 2008 balance was EUR -3.9 B, compared with EUR +1.2 B in May 2007.

In June 2008 compared with May 2008, seasonally adjusted exports rose by 1.4% and imports by 2.9%.

For the January-May 2008 period the euro area energy deficit has increased, while the surplus for machinery and vehicles rose.

The euro zone trade with most of its major partners has grown, with the exception of exports to the USA (-4% in January-May 2008 compared with January-May 2007) and Japan (-2%), and imports from Japan (-3%), the USA (-1%) and South Korea (0%).

The largest increases were recorded for exports to Russia (+26%), Brazil (+21%) and China (+17%), and for imports from Russia (+27%) and Norway (+25%).

The euro area trade surplus with the USA fell in January-May 2008 compared with January-May 2007.

The euro area trade deficit grew with Russia and Norway, but decreased with China and Japan.

Concerning the total trade of Member States, for the January-May 2008 period the largest surplus was observed in Germany, followed by the Netherlands and Ireland. The United Kingdom registered the largest deficit, followed by Spain, France and Greece.

Bulgaria's Svilengrad to Have New Roads for Over BGN 7,5 M

3720 meters of beltway and new streets are going to be built in the area of the southern Bulgarian border town of Svilengrad in order to reduce heavy traffic and congestion in the region.

The new construction is estimated to cost BGN 7,5 M and the funds are going to be provided by the Ministries' Council.

1220 meters are going to be new streets for one of the Svilengrad's newest neighborhoods, located behind the stadium "Kolodruma" where the entire infrastructure and the sewerage system are also going to be built.

The new Svilengrad beltway is going to be 518 meters long and will begin from the new bridge over the "Maritsa" River. The beltway will connect the "Gerban" quarter with the rest of the town and will reduce automobile traffic on the other bridge, which is 500-years old.

After the construction works are finished there will be a public discussion to declare the old bridge a pedestrian zone and historical monument.

The road construction is going to be executed by a company from the Bulgarian city of Haskovo.


NATO-Russia Tension over Georgia Does Not Affect Sofia-Moscow Relations

Bulgaria's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Milen Keremedchiev said Friday the freezing of the military relations between NATO and Russia, which was declared by Moscow on Thursday, would not have a negative impact on the Bulgarian-Russian relations.

In an interview for the news website Mediapool, Keremedchiev made it clear the Foreign Minister was not worried about the interactions with Russia over the Georgia-South Ossetia crisis.

He pointed out Bulgaria's position on the conflict was balanced, and that it enjoyed good relations with both Moscow and Tbilisi, adding the country was trying to become an intermediary in the dispute by stimulating negotiations but that no talks were likely to start until a more Russian troops were pulled out of Georgia.

Keremedchiev also pointed out that by the middle of the next week Bulgaria's humanitarian aid worth EUR 200 000 was going to be transported to Georgia.

In his words, the idea of the Bulgarian government to turn the country's Black Sea port of Burgas into a transportation hub for coordinating the international humanitarian efforts for Georgia had already received specific offers - Hungary's government had expressed its desire to send its aid together with the Bulgarian one.

The Hungarian humanitarian aid will first be transported to Sofia, and then to Georgia via Burgas.

Keremedchiev also predicted the tension between NATO and Russia over Georgia would not escalate. He said the balanced approach taken by France was probably the best one, and that the only right move for Russia was to pull out its troops.

The Deputy Foreign Minister made it clear a large-scale Russian withdrawal would be visible as the Russians had a massive presence in Georgia, and had only withdrawn small military detachments so far. He pointed out the dialogue between Moscow and the West would be resumed immediately after such steps by Russia.

OLAF: Manfred Is Not OLAF Employee

Gottfried Manfred has never been an employee of the anti-fraud office of the European Union OLAF or an OLAF representative in Bulgaria, according to an OLAF spokesperson, cited by the European Commission (EC) Office in Bulgaria.

The OLAF statement comes as response to publications widely circulating in the Bulgarian media that Bulgaria's former Deputy Foreign Minister Feim-Petar Chaushev was going to sue Manfred for defamation and material and moral damages.

The legal claim has been submitted by Chaushev's lawyers in a German Court since the July OLAF report that revealed scandalous abuse of EU funds and political cover-ups has been written in Germany.

Chaushev has stated that he has been very upset and irritated by the fact that the OLAF report mentions his name as the politician who has provided a political cover-up for the notorious "businessman" from Pernik Lyudmil Stoykov.

Stoykov was detained a year and a half ago after OLAF alerted the Bulgarian authorities that they had drained EUR 7,5 M of SAPARD funds.

Chaushev claims that he has never been involved in any business and never had any financial dealings with Stoykov.

Regarding OLAF's statements that Manfred was not an OLAF employee, Chaushev declared that he was not going to withdraw his legal claim, adding that Manfred was an OLAF employee and complaining of health problems due to Manfred's accusations.

Feim Chaushev resigned in March 2008 over a scandal that revealed his use of two different names.

The double identity scandal sparked when it was revealed that Chaushev's official ID card identifies him as Petar Yuriev Chaushev, whereas he is publicly known as Feim Yuseinov Chaushev, and has become Deputy Foreign Minister from the quota of the ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms Party, under the later name.

The name Petar was given to him during the so-called "revival process" at the end of the 80's when the communist regime forcibly replaced the Islamic names of hundreds of thousands of Bulgarian Muslims and ethnic Turks with Bulgarian ones.

Bulgaria Contingent in Afghanistan Under Maximum Readiness for Action

The readiness for action of the Bulgarian contingent in the Afghanistan capital Kabul has been changed to "Delta", the highest possible level, as announced by General Galimir Pehlivanov, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Bulgarian Army.

The reason for the maximum readiness for action is the Tuesday battle with the Taliban, resulting in the deaths of 10 French soldiers.

General Pehlivanov further stated that despite the tense situation, the Bulgarian servicemen continue to conduct their assignments and stated that he was certain that by the end of the year Kabul was going to be fully controlled by the Afghani army.

The 10 deaths Tuesday are first casualties of the French contingent since April when French president Sarkozy, announced during the NATO summit in Bucharest that France was going to increase its presence in Afghanistan.

After receiving the news about the casualties, Sarkozy stated that he was leaving for Kabul the very same night.

Bulgaria Interior Min to Meet Protesting Milk Producers

Bulgaria's Interior Minister Mihail Mikov is to meet Wednesday representatives of the milk producers' associations on protest.

The step is to be taken after more than 1,000 farmers from across the country threatened to block Shipka pass on Thursday even without having a permission to stage a rally over their unpaid subsidies there.

"We will stay there until some of the rulers come to hold negotiations with us," explained the chairman of the Milk Producers Association in Stara Zagora, Tancho Kolev.

The protesters call on the government to provide a subsidy of BGN 0,20 per litre of milk produced, as well as EUR 140 one time financial support per animal a year.

The government decided to fulfill all their demands by allocating BGN 60 M but said that a notification from the EC is needed before the money reaches the milk producers.

So far, the farmers were granted BGN 0,06 per litre of milk for the months March and April.

Bulgaria Local Administration Discusses US Military Bases with US Officials

Lieutenant General Gary D. Speer, the Acting Commanding General for the United States Army Europe and Seventh Army had a meeting Tuesday at the Novo Selo grounds with representatives from the municipal administrations of the cities of Yambol, Sliven and Bourgas.

Mayors of several towns near the Bezmer base and the Novo Selo grounds were also among the meeting's participants.

The meeting had as a goal to get the US military representatives acquainted with the central and local administration in the area as well as discussions of issues regarding the deployment of US servicemen in the area.

The stationary base for the deployment of the US forces in the region is scheduled to enter in exploitation in May of 2011.

Currently 70% of the work force that has been hired for the Novo Selo grounds consists of Bulgarians.

At the moment a joint Bulgarian-American military training named "Bulgarian Panther 08" is held on the Novo Selo grounds. The training is scheduled to end by October 17.

Some of the humanitarian projects conducted by US servicemen in the area have also been presented at the meeting. The projects are not related to military operations, but to aid for the local civilians. Such projects have already been realized in the Sliven region.

One of the issues raised at the meeting by Hristina Cholakova, Governor of the Sliven Region was the lack of enough information among local residents regarding employment opportunities at the military grounds.

Lieutenant General Gary D. Speer assumed the duties as Deputy Commander of United States Army Europe and 7th Army in April 2006. A native of Gadsden, Alabama, he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Infantry in the Regular Army upon graduation from the United States Military Academy in 1972.

Georgian Ambassador in Bulgaria: Russia's State is International Isolation

Georgian Ambassador in Sofia Mikheil Ukleba announced Monday that the Georgian Parliament was going to approve a new law about the occupied territories listing the Russian army as invaders.

According to Ukleba, international organizations needed to take a firm stand regarding the conflict in the area in addition to the needed international evaluation of the damage.

"Russia invaded the entire Georgia and Georgians have been robbed. Russia is not allowing reporters, diplomats and Red Cross representatives in the conflict area. Russia was preparing for this military action during the last six months. All efforts were focused on interfering with Georgia becoming a NATO member while 70% of the Georgians supports NATO membership. The operation further aims at weakening the positions of the Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili plus creating obstacles for the alternative energy routes since Russia currently has the monopoly on this market," the Ambassador stated.

Ukleba is also of the opinion that Russia is now in international isolation and is supported only by Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez.

Georgia Agrees to Hold Negotiations with Russia in Sofia

Georgia has accepted the Bulgarian proposal for Sofia to become the location where negotiations with Russia would be conducted while the port of Bourgas would become the center for coordinating and transporting humanitarian aid.

This was stated before Darik radio by Milen Keremedchiev, Bulgarian Deputy Foreign Minister after his return from Tbilisi.

Keremdechiev further said that the Georgian side had requested a second load of humanitarian aid and the list of what was needed was currently prepared by the Georgian Embassy.

The Deputy Foreign Minister was also going to notify the Bulgarian President and Prime Minister about the request for armored vehicles.

Keremedchiev confirmed that 43 tons of humanitarian aid and medicine are going to leave from Bulgaria to Georgia next week, a number that ranks Bulgaria second after the US by the aid volume for Georgia. The Bulgarian Cabinet has decided to slate EUR 200,000 for Georgia and BGN 100,000 for South Ossetia.

According to the Deputy Foreign Minister, Georgia had also requested fire extinguishing equipment, which Bulgaria has a shortage of as well as tents, blankets and beds for the increasing number of refugees, which the country would provide after receiving the second list of needs.

Keremedchiev also stated that he was quite disturbed by the scale of the growing humanitarian crisis in Georgia where the number of refugees has reached 100,000.

"It is expected that for Tbilisi only this number would reach 160,00. There are 21 refugee checkpoints in the Georgian capital and the situation is very tense regarding the increasing number of refugees and of those killed during military actions. Despite this, the Bulgarians in Georgia do not wish to leave. There are no Georgian refugees wishing to come to Bulgaria either. To the contrary, Georgian citizens are asking for visas to go on vacation on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. There is a significant increase in the numbers of those wishing to travel to Bulgaria for tourism as reported by the Consular Office at the Bulgarian Embassy, something that clearly shows that there is no panic among the Georgians," Keremedchiev explained.

The Bulgarian diplomat was the first foreigner to be allowed by the Russian army to enter the town of Gory, where according to Keremedchiev the atmosphere was depressing, but there were no damaged buildings and destruction except the military barracks and one civilian building.

"We were able to meet with the town's Governor, who has two Members of the Georgian Parliament assigned to help him, but there is no police force - Russian or Georgian. The arriving humanitarian help consistently reaches its recipients. We were warned not to stay out during the night due to crime and theft. The town square has two shell holes, but the statue of Stalin is there, intact," the Deputy Foreign Minister concluded.


OLAF Director Expects Stricter State Control over EU Funds in Bulgaria

The Director of the European Anti-Fraud Office Franz-Hermann Brüner said Friday he expected the Bulgarian state institutions would exert stricter control over the absorption of EU funding.

After his meeting with Bulgaria's Finance Minister Plamen Oresharski, Brüner announced the main topic of their conversation was how to prevent the abuses with EU money.

He underscored the best way to tighten the control and to prevent malfeasance was by improving the communication between the state institutions.

Bulgaria's Minister of Finance in turn said over 1300 Bulgarian civil servants, mostly from the National Revenue Agency, had been trained by OLAF to discover abuses with EU funds.

Oresharski also stated his minister had not been specifically criticized for any violations, and that Bulgaria was not ranked among the countries with the gravest financial abuses.

Bulgaria's Security Agency to Work with OLAF against Financial Frauds

Bulgaria's State Agency for National Security DANS is going to cooperate actively with the European Anti-Fraud Office in order to prevent financial malfeasance.

This became clear after the meeting of the DANS Director Petko Sertov with the Director of OLAF Franz-Hermann Brüner on Friday.

According to Sertov, DANS sees OLAF as one of its main partners in its efforts to defend Bulgaria and EU's financial interests.

The two Directors discussed ways to work jointly in order to prevent financial frauds hurting the interests of the EU.

DANS declared their readiness for complete openness in the exchange of information with OLAF, and providing the European Anti-Fraud Office with logistics and technical support during their investigations in Bulgaria.

In July 2008 a Report of the European Anti-Fraud Unit OLAF exposing scandalous violations in SAPARD funds absorption leaked to the Bulgarian press and triggered a public outcry.

A delegation of the European Anti-Fraud Office OLAF is in Bulgaria on an official two-day visit. Its program includes meetings with Bulgaria's Interior Minister Mihail Mikov, Justice Minister Meglena Tacheva, Bulgaria's Chief Prosecutor Boris Velchev, the Director of the State Agency for National Security (DANS) Petko Sertov, and Finance Minister Plamen Oresharski.

Since the Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov is attending the Olympic games in Beijing, Bruner is going to be received by the President's Chief Secretary, Krasimir Stoyanov.

Bulgaria Chief Prosecutor Vows to Improve Communication with OLAF

After his meeting Monday with the OLAF Director Franz-Hermann Brüner, Bulgaria's Chief Prosecutor Boris Velchev said his office was going to make efforts to perfect its communication with the European Anti-Fraud Unit.

"Obviously, if the Bulgarian institutions has had any difficulties in their communication with OLAF, these were have been caused by the Bulgarian side", Velchev stated.

He noted, however, that in his opinion the Bulgarian Prosecutor's Office and OLAF had found a satisfactory formula for their interactions in the recent months, and that now they had to perfect it.

"We need to communicate with OLAF using OLAF's standards. This is the only way", the Chief Prosecutor said.

Brüner in turn expressed his satisfaction with the talks he had with the Bulgarian institutions.

The main topics of the conversations include the structure changes in the functions of the Bulgarian prosecutors, the ways to accelerate the investigations and the other legal proceedings, and the centralization of the work on the Bulgarian cases investigated by OLAF.

Velchev said he and Brüner also discussed specific cases but did not specify which ones as well as the problem with political cover-ups.

In July 2008 a Report of the European Anti-Fraud Unit OLAF exposing scandalous violations in SAPARD funds absorption leaked to the Bulgarian press and triggered a public outcry.

A delegation of the European Anti-Fraud Office OLAF is in Bulgaria on an official two-day visit. Its program includes meetings with Bulgaria's Interior Minister Mihail Mikov, Justice Minister Meglena Tacheva, Bulgaria's Chief Prosecutor Boris Velchev, the Director of the State Agency for National Security (DANS) Petko Sertov, and Finance Minister Plamen Oresharski.

Since the Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov is attending the Olympic games in Beijing, Bruner is going to be received by the President's Chief Secretary, Krasimir Stoyanov.

OLAF Director Arrives in Sofia

A delegation of the European Anti-Fraud Office OLAF, led by OLAF's General Director Franz-Hermann Bruner arrived in Sofia Thursday, according to OLAF's press center.

The official visit will last two days days while the delegation is going to meet with the Bulgarians Interior Minister Mihail Mikov, Justice Minister Meglena Tacheva, Bulgaria's Chief Prosecutor Boris Velchev, the Director of the State Agency for National Security (SANS) Petko Sertov, and Finance Minister Plamen Oresharski.

Since the Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov is attending the Olympic games in Beijing, Bruner is going to be received by the President's Chief Secretary, Krasimir Stoyanov.

Issues regarding organized crime, corruption and fraud are going to be discussed at those meetings.

Franz-Hermann Bruner has been invited to Sofia by Deputy Prime Minister Meglena Plugchieva.

In addition to Plugchieva, the OLAF Director met over a working lunch the Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev at the "Arena Di Serdica" hotel to discuss collaboration between institutions in Bulgaria and OLAF in the fight against misuse of European funds. Stanishev and Bruner are not going to make any statements for the media.

Bruner has said that OLAF's message for the Bulgarian authorities has been clear and what they expected now were results. The Director further wished to not give any statements during his two-day visit.

The visit comes in the aftermath of an OLAF report published in July 2008, and widely discussed by the media and the public in Bulgaria because it revealed scandalous violations in SAPARD funds absorption as well as political cover-ups.

EC to Decide About Bulgaria Milk Producers Subsidies in Few Weeks

The European Commission (EC) is going to decide in a few weeks if the subsidy payments made to the Bulgarian milk producers could be considered "state aid or not," according to an EC source, cited by the Bulgaria Information Agency (BTA).

The EC must decide if the payment of BGN 60 M to the Bulgarian milk producers can be defined as state aid in compliance with the European Union (EU) rules for assistance for the member states.

If the subsidies are paid before the EC make their decision, Bulgaria was not going to be sanctioned because of the early payment. However, if the EC decides that this is state aid in violation of the EU rules, Bulgaria then could be asked to collect back the money from the milk producers.

If Bulgaria does fulfill the demand, then the EC could initiate a penalty procedure against the country, which was very unlikely, according to the source.


52-Year-Old Bulgarian Jailed for 15 Days after Stripping in Public

A 52-year-old native of the city of Varna was sentenced to 15 days in jail after stripping in a snack bar in the Danube city of Ruse.

The man first directed his offensive sexual language at the waitress, and after she rejected his indecent offers, he took off his pants and underwear.

The policemen, who arrived shortly tried to talk the man into behaving but arrested him after he started to insult them, and to swear at them. For his offensive behavior he was sentenced to 15 days by Ruse District Court.

Bulgaria Police Arrest Seven Transsexual Prostitutes in Downtown Sofia

The Sofia Police arrested Friday 21 prostitutes at the Macedonia Square in downtown Sofia including seven transsexuals.

Four of the detained persons are prohibited from leaving the country because they had been arresting as prostitutes abroad, or have committed criminal offences.

Six of those arrested are from Sofia, and the rest are from Pleven, Vratza, Lom, Nikopol, Omurtag, Berkovitsa, Novi Pazar. The detainees were freed after they were interrogated.

A number of the residents of Sofia's downtown quarters have complained repeatedly about the impudence of the transsexual prostitutes there offering their services literally on the pavement before their windows.

Children Steal Swords, Yataghan from Fortress Museum in Bulgaria

A total of two swords, a gun with silver facing and an yataghan have been stolen by three children from the medieval Baba Vida fortress in Bulgaria's northwestern town of Vidin.

The young thieves managed to take the historic values within the official working hours of the museum when there were no security guards and visitors.

The children tried to hide but were found by the police shortly after committing the crime.

They are aged 9, 12 and 13, authorities reported.

The investigation on the case continues.

Man Shoots Himself Dead in front of Church in Bulgaria

A 39-year-old man committed suicide on a square in front of a church in Bulgaria's village of Gorno Orizovo on Monday.

He took his own life using a hand-made rifle shooting at his neck.

The weapon was seized by the police.

The reasons for the tragedy are still under investigation.

Youngster Found Dead in Bulgarian Village

The body of a 19-year-old boy was found in a central park in Bulgaria's village of Tsar Samuil on Sunday.

The victim, Byulen Hasan, died as a result of numerous head injuries, medical experts reported.

According to the Mayor Mehmed Yumer, the youngster has just come back from the capital city of Sofia, where he worked as a building worker.

In the fatal night, Hasan was on his way back to home after a night of clubbing.

The case is still under investigation as the police authorities said they work on two main versions - a killing after a drunkard's row or an accident resulting from huge alcohol consumption.

Youngster Critical after Shot at 5 Times in Bulgaria's Capital

A 22-year-old man is in critical condition after he was shot at five times in a row that flared up in Sofia's neighbourhood of Studentski Grad early on Saturday.

Immediate reports claim the victim attacked another man, beating him up with a bat.

Then the latter fired five shot at the body of his rival.

Both men have immediately been taken to Pirogov Emergency Institute.

Police authorities said they do not have criminal records and are not citizens of Sofia.

The reasons for the incident are still under investigation.


Collapsing Scaffold Smashes Several Cars in Downtown Sofia

A construction scaffold has fallen in downtown Sofia near the building of the former Military History Museum in the area of the National Place of Culture.

One construction worker has been injured and taken to the emergency room of the "Pirogov" hospital.

The scaffold has also smashed several automobiles that have ben parked nearby. The incident is being investigated.


US Ambassador to Moscow: Russia Was Justified in Responding to Georgia Attacks

The former US Ambassador to Bulgaria John Beyrle, who is already in charge of the American Embassy in Moscow, said Russia was justified in responding to the Georgian attacks on the Russian peacekeepers in South Ossetia.

In an interview for the Russian newspaper Komersant, Beyrle points out the United States repeatedly tried to persuade the Georgian leadership not to make any offensive steps.

In his words both Russia and America had been trying to resolve the frozen conflicts on Georgia's territory for a long time.

The Russian response to the shelling of the South Ossetian capital Tskhinvali by the Georgian forces was justified, according to Beyrle.

Yet, he makes it clear that after the initial stage of the conflict the Russian troops had penetrated deep into Georgia, and had threatened the territorial integrity of the country.

Obama Loses His Lead Over McCain - Report

With the US Presidential election getting close and closer, Republican Senator John McCain has cut Democrat Senator Barack Obama's national lead in half, according to the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.

The survey also shows that Obama now receives the support of just one in two voters who backed Hillary Clinton in the primaries, and he trails McCain on issues of handling terrorism, the war in Iraq and international crises like the recent conflict between Russia and Georgia.

As for McCain's challenges, nearly eight in 10 voters believe that the Republican senator would follow Bush's policies. The poll's participants also consider McCain less strong than Obama regarding the issues of the economy and health care, which are top public concerns, according to the poll.

Overall, Obama holds a three-point lead over McCain, down from his six-point advantage last month.

Experts lists several reasons for this trend:

The conflict in Georgia and the Olympics shifting the news focus from the economy to foreign affairs, McCain's strongest terrain; McCain's barrage of negative TV ads against Obama and doubts about Obama's ability to be commander-in-chief.

Yet perhaps the most important factor has been Obama's inability to attract some of Hillary Clinton's supporters.

For these reason, Clinton's speech on the Tuesday night of the Democratic convention (August 25-28) is anticipated as a very a significant event.

Russia Freezes Its Collaboration with NATO - Report

Norway has been notified that Russia had decided to freeze temporary any military collaboration with NATO and the countries that are members of the Alliance, according to the Norwegian Defense Ministry.

The information is based on a phone conversation between the Russian Defense Ministry and the Norwegian Embassy in Moscow, as stated by a Norwegian Defense Ministry spokesperson.

The spokesperson has further explained that the Russian Ministry have called to notify the Embassy that they were going to send a letter with information about Russia ceasing collaboration with NATO, adding that a meeting between Russia and Norway was forthcoming, but not confirming the meeting's level.

Carmen Romero, a NATO spokesperson stated that the Alliance had not received any notification from Russia about their intentions to stop collaborating with the organization.

Foreign Ministers of countries members of NATO strongly criticized Russia's involvement in the conflict with Georgia over South Ossetia while Norway's neighbor Sweden, which is not a NATO member, declared that they were freezing their military relationship with Russia.

Explosion in Turkey Injures 16

At least 16 individuals have been injured Thursday due to an explosion in the western Turkish province Izmir.

The Turkish private TV channel NTV reports that the explosion has happened on a bus transporting policemen.

No further information about the reason for the explosion or the state of the injured is available.

Bulgarian Most Likely Among Passengers Aboard Crashed Spanish Airplane

According to the list of passengers who have been aboard the airplane that crashed Wednesday at the Madrid airport, it looks possible that a Bulgarian has been among the people who were heading to the Canary Islands.

The list, published on the site of the Spanair airline www.spanair.com/web/es-es/DSite/Listado-de-pasajeros/ includes the name Stanimirova/Antoinet, which is, most likely, a Bulgarian name.

Dimitar Tsachev, spokesperson for the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry said before Darik radio that there was no official confirmation, but it does look like that there has been a Bulgarian female passenger aboard the airplane and her the relatives have already contacted the Bulgarian Embassy in Madrid.

Tsachev further explained that the identification of the bodies was going to take place in Madrid Thursday, and the official confirmation would come only after its conclusion.

According to Tsachev, judging from the published passenger list and the information available to the Bulgarian Embassy in Madrid, it was highly unlikely that other Bulgarians have been aboard the crashed airplane.

In the mean time, the Spanish electronic media www.marca.com writes that a Bulgarian, mother of a football player from the youth team of "Real Madrid" has been among the Spanair passengers.

The publication further informs that the Bulgarian woman was headed to Gran Canaria after spending several days with her son in Madrid. The football player had learned about the tragedy before a game his team played Wednesday. At halftime he had called his father who works at the Canary Islands to inform him about the plane crash.

The death toll has reached 153 and 19 are listed as injured, according to the Spanish Infrastructure Minister. Two of the injured have not yet been identified. Spanair list shows a total of 172 people aboard - 162 passengers and 10 crew, while four individuals from the crew have been traveling as passengers.

This is the worst aviation disaster in Spain since 1985 and since 2006 in Europe.

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who interrupted his vacation after learning about the crash, has stated that his Cabinet was shocked by the accident.

Spanish authorities firmly denied the hypothesis that this could be a terrorist act.

The Spanish national radio announced that the airplane black boxes have been found and given to the investigation.

The passengers included many foreigners, who were going on vacation. The passenger list, published on the site of the Spanair airline, does not specify their nationalities, but according to unofficial information four Germans, two Swedes, a Chilean, and a Columbian, who has survived have been aboard the plane.

Hundreds of relatives of those aboard the plane have arrived at the airport, where a room had been set aside for them and psychological counseling was provided.

The airplane has been 15 years old and, according to Spanair, the last technical check-up undergone by the machine has been in the beginning of 2008. Spanish authorities, however, say that the check-up has taken place in 2007.

It is expected that Juan Carlos and the entire royal family would visit the injured today.

A three day mourning has been declared in Madrid and the nearby area.

Airplane Crashes at Madrid Airport; Death Toll Still Unclear

A packed passenger jet caught fire Wednesday while trying to take off from Madrid's main international airport, Barajas.

The Spanair plane, which was headed for Las Palmas airport on the island of Gran Canaria crashed and broke apart after failing to lift off from the runway.

There are conflicting reports of fatalities but emergency services said that only about 25 of the 173 or so passengers have survived.

Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, Spain's Prime Minister, convened an emergency Cabinet session to discuss Spain's worst aviation disaster in over 20 years.

The airport was immediately closed as 11 engines with firefighters tried to extinguish the blaze on the plane, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82. Forty-five ambulances were sent to the scene.

Initial reports suggested that an engine on the left hand side of the aircraft caught fire as the plane headed down the runway.

The smoke could be seen several kilometres away.

Flight JKK 5022 was on a codeshare with Lufthansa flight LH 255, which prompted speculation that some of the passengers may have been Germans.

Relatives of those aboard the plane soon began arriving at the airport, where a spokesman said that a room had been set aside for them and psychological counselling was on offer.

According to reports, some injured passengers were taken to the La Paz hospital and a further eight to the Ramon y Cajal. Other Madrid hospitals were told to free up facilities - although it was unclear whether they would be needed given the heavy death toll.

The Bulgarian Foreign Ministry has not received information about Bulgarians on board of the airplane.

The Bulgarian Embassy in Madrid is making all possible efforts to find out if any Bulgarians have been on board of the crashed airplane, according to the Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Dimitar Tsanchev, who made statements before Darik radio.

Tsanchev also said that Spanish authorities still didn't have enough information and this is why the Ministry does not know when exactly it would become clear if there have been any Bulgarian passengers.

US Secretary of State: Russia is Isolating Itself

Russia is quickly isolating itself due to the conflict with Georgia over South Ossetia, according to Condoleezza Rice, US Secretary of State who spoke before CBS News Tuesday.

In the exclusive CBS interview, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice condemned Russia's "wholly irresponsible behavior." Rice said Russia is "clearly not withdrawing" as promised and used some of the strongest words so far to condemn Russia's involvement in the conflict.

"The Russian president hasn't kept his promise to abide by the terms of the ceasefire," Rice told CBS News chief foreign affairs correspondent Lara Logan in Brussels.

"What is clearly happening now is that Russia's reputation as a responsible actor in international politics - a Russia, by the way, that is a member of the Security Council, is behaving in wholly irresponsible ways," Rice said.

"But the longer this kind of behaviour goes on, the more that Russia demonstrates that it's not willing to live up to the rules and the principles that really govern decent international behavior, then Russia is going to completely destroy its case for integration into those institutions and into that promise," this was the way Rice answered numerous questions about what were the US going to do if Russia did not fulfil their promise to withdraw from Georgia.

"The message is very clear and we will continue to consider what further consequences are appropriate as Russia demonstrates this kind of behavior," Rice concluded.

NATO Issues Resolution in Support of Georgia

The Foreign Ministers of the countries members of NATO expressed their support for Georgia with a special resolution, as announced by Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ivaylo Kalfin.

Kalfin participated in the special meeting of the NATO Foreign Ministers in Brussels.

The resolution includes a statement that the use of force is not an acceptable method for solving a conflict.

Kalfin further explained that the resolution provides for the establishment of a new NATO Commission for Georgia. NATO is also making a commitment to fulfill some of Georgia's demands for recovery after the conflict.

In addition, the resolution includes a statement that after everything that has happened in the Caucasus area, there certainly would be consequences for the dialogue between NATO and Russia.

When asked if Bulgarians were going to participate in the special NATO team to be sent to the conflict area, Kalfin explained that the team's membership was yet to be determined, which was not crucial since it is known that it would be a NATO team. The team will have the task to help Georgian authorities in evaluating the damage

According to Kalfin, Georgia would further receive assistance to create their own system for cyber security and a system for direct communication between Georgia and NATO. In addition, NATO will provide assistance in restituting the radar control so that Georgia would resume regular air traffic.

Kalfin confirmed that this week Bulgaria was going to send an airplane loaded with 40 tons of humanitarian aid, mainly medicaments.

Zambia President Dies in Paris

Zambia's President Levy Mwanawasa, 59, has died in a Paris hospital after suffering a stroke in June, BBC reported Tuesday.

The announcement was made by the country's Vice-President Rupiah Banda, who is expected to take over as acting leader.

Mr. Banda has also informed the nation that national mourning started Tuesday and would last for seven days.

President Mwanawasa suffered a stroke at an African Union summit in Egypt and was then flown to France, where he had remained in hospital.

He was chairman of the South African Development Community (Sadc) when he was taken ill about two months ago.

In that role he had been critical of the controversial election in Zimbabwe and had said he sympathised with Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai when he withdrew from the run-off because of attacks on his supporters.

Mr Mwanawasa won a second term in 2006, having campaigned on his economic record which won him acclaim from Western donors.

He was married and had six children. He had been a practising lawyer since 1973.

In his most famous case, he defended former Vice-President Lt-Gen Christon Tembo and others, who were charged in 1989 with plotting to overthrow Kenneth Kaunda.

Georgia Conflict Triggers Withdrawal of USD 7 B from Russia Economy

The withdrawal of capital from the Russian economy during the military actions in South Ossetia has reached over USD 7 B, as announced by the Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister of the Russian Federation Aleksey Kudrin.

USD 6 B have been withdrawn on August 8 and an additional USD 1 B on August 11, according to Kudrin, cited by Interfax.

Kudrin had further stated that the net influx of capitals in Russia would be oly slightly lower than the one forecasted by he Central Bank of Russia in the amount of USD 30 to 40 B.

One Dead, 60 Injured in UK Bus Crash

One man was killed and more than 60 people injured after a bus crashed near Alton Towers theme park in Staffordshire, England, Bloomberg reported Tuesday.

The incident happened at around 5:55 p.m. local time on Monday when a coach was involved in a collision with another vehicle before leaving the road, traveling down an embankment and rolling on to its side.

Two of those hurt are in critical condition. Both were airlifted to hospitals in Birmingham and North Staffordshire.

Other injured people were treated at local hospitals or at a medical center set up at Alton Towers, authorities reported.