Новости за 25.02.2026

The Sofia District Court has ruled that the initial 24-hour police detention of Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev was unlawful. The decision came after an appeal filed by his attorney, Ina Lyulcheva, according to the legal outlet De Facto. Kotsev was detained on July 8 last year under the Law on the Anti-Corruption Commission, following a proposal by the now-defunct Anti-Corruption Commission in connection with pre-trial proceedings concerning alleged corruption....

In Bulgaria, "We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria" (WCC-DB) has signaled its readiness to collaborate with any parliamentary formation, including a yet-to-be-announced group aligned with President Rumen Radev, to secure a parliamentary quota for the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC). A qualified majority of at least 160 votes is required for this move, according to WCC leader Asen Vassilev, who spoke to Nova News. Vassilev also urged President Radev to attend the "Justice for Everyone" protest... Читать дальше...

On Thursday, February 26, cloudiness across the country will gradually disperse, giving way to predominantly sunny conditions in most areas. A moderate wind from the north-northeast will persist through the day, later shifting slightly to a north-northwesterly direction. Morning temperatures will range from minus 2°C to 3°C, with the capital Sofia seeing values around 0°C....

Acting Interior Minister Emil Dechev told the National Assembly that he is the target of a deliberate attack by what he described as “frightened individuals” who do not want the truth clarified regarding the “Petrohan” and “Okolchitsa” cases. He appeared for a hearing at the request of There Is Such a People (TISP) over allegations that he had exerted pressure on the investigations. According to Dechev, political and media speculation about staffing decisions in the teams handling the two cases began only hours after he took office. Читать дальше...

Simeonovgrad Municipality has formally opposed plans to construct a refugee center in the Bulgarian town. The proposal for the facility was approved last week during a Council of Ministers meeting, BGNES reported from Haskovo. Under the government’s decision, the State Agency for Refugees is to receive properties in both Simeonovgrad and the town of Sredets in Burgas District to build closed-type centers intended for accommodating individuals seeking international protection. ...

US President Donald Trump has stepped back from his earlier threat to raise global tariffs to 15%, leaving current rates on US exports at 10%, according to Politico. This move spares the UK and the EU from facing higher trade barriers under the new White House regime. Yesterday, the European Parliament froze the ratification of the EU–US trade agreement, citing concerns that Trump's potential tariffs would violate the terms of last summer’s transatlantic deal. ...

At a session of the Council of Ministers, the government approved a draft law amending and supplementing the existing budget extension legislation, the acting Minister of Finance Georgi Klisurski announced. If ratified by the National Assembly, the amendments will extend the law’s validity not until March 31, as previously scheduled, but until the adoption of the full state budget for 2026. The measure aims to ensure continuity in state operations and avoid disruption in public administration. ... Читать дальше...

In the upcoming early parliamentary elections on April 19, Bulgarians living outside the European Union will have access to no more than 20 polling stations, not counting those located in embassies and consulates. This cap was confirmed after the National Assembly overturned President Iliana Yotova’s veto on the amendments to the Electoral Code, following a similar move by the Legal Committee the previous day. The final vote in parliament saw 126 deputies in favor and 86 against....

The European Union remains the world’s largest producer, consumer, and exporter of wine, according to the European Parliamentary Research Service. Yet in recent decades, the sector has faced mounting challenges. Climate change and extreme weather events have made production less predictable, while the COVID-19 pandemic drove consumption to its lowest levels in 30 years....

At the start of today’s Council of Ministers session, caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov addressed the absence of Interior Minister Emil Dechev, stating it was not due to personal reasons but because an intimidation campaign had been launched against him. Gyurov described the effort as a reaction to Dechev’s ongoing work to clean the Ministry of Internal Affairs from entrenched dependencies. “When a minister begins to remove dependencies, the reaction is swift....

Hungarian opposition leader Peter Magyar has criticized Prime Minister Viktor Orban for misleading citizens about rising fuel prices, noting that fuel costs in Bulgaria, Poland, and the Czech Republic remain significantly lower than in Hungary, BGNES reported. Speaking amid the election campaign, Magyar highlighted that crude oil prices today are lower than they were in 2010, when Orban first took office. Yet the price of A95 gasoline has nearly doubled over the same period....

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar praised Bulgaria’s proactive role in promoting peace and reconstruction in the Gaza Strip during a phone call with Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nadezhda Neynski. The discussion covered ways to deepen and expand bilateral cooperation, particularly in economic and technological sectors. Sa'ar highlighted the security situation in the Middle East and expressed appreciation for Bulgaria’s engagement in peace initiatives, including its contributions to the Gaza Peace and Recovery Plan... Читать дальше...

In his annual State of the Union address to Congress, US President Donald Trump delivered a stern warning to Iran, declaring that he would “never” permit Tehran to acquire nuclear weapons. His remarks came amid rising tensions and ahead of a new round of negotiations between Washington and Tehran over Iran’s nuclear program, as the United States continues to reinforce its military presence in West Asia. Trump asserted that previous US military action had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear weapons capabilities... Читать дальше...

Rene Karabash’s novel She Who Remains has been selected for the longlist of the International Booker Prize, according to information published on the award’s official website and cited by BTA. This marks the second time a Bulgarian novel has reached this stage of the prestigious competition, following Georgi Gospodinov’s Time Shelter, translated by Angela Rodel, which won the prize in 2023. Rene Karabash is the pen name of Irena Ivanova, a Bulgarian author born in 1989....

At the close of 2025, Bulgarian citizens showed a slight increase in travel activity, with approximately 1.1 million individuals aged 15 and above undertaking tourism trips in the fourth quarter, according to preliminary data from the National Statistical Institute (NSI). This marks a 1....