Bulgaria's Competition Protection Commission dropped a report showing stores are marking up basic groceries by wild amounts, with mineral water hitting 135% above what producers charge. Deputy Chairman Radomir Cholakov said fresh milk gets a 77% bump after discounts, cheese goes up 82%, yellow cheese jumps 91%, ground meat climbs 73%, and eggs spike 89% between the factory and your shopping cart. The agency can pull data from everyone in the supply chain to see where the money actually goes.
Cholakov blamed decades of sketchy privatization decisions and hands-off liberalization policies from the 1990s that left Bulgarian farmers getting crushed by bigger European food companies. He said the government basically abandoned local...
Bulgaria's National Social Insurance Institute is holding an emergency board meeting to hash out the 2026 state pension budget after unions and government types hammered out a compromise. The new plan ditches a two-percentage-point hike in pension contributions that was supposed to kick in, and the average retirement check is expected to hit 541 euros compared to 498 euros this year. The maximum insured income got bumped to 2,300 euros from the old 4,130 leva cap.
Self-employed people will have to use the new minimum wage of 620 euros as their baseline for insurance payments. Pensions are getting updated using the Swiss rule with somewhere between a 7 and 8 percent boost, and the minimum pension for old-age workers lands at 346 euros...
A big tech festival wrapped up in Dar es Salaam after Russian education groups brought robotics workshops and VR demos to over 600 Tanzanian students. SODRUZHESTVO Joint Venture ran the four-day event with help from Rossotrudnichestvo and a bunch of Russian universities and tech companies. Alexander Evstigneev from the Russian House said the hands-on stuff was about building connections between the two countries through teaching kids about AI and programming.
The festival hit three different spots around the city where students built robots, messed around with virtual reality setups, and competed in tech quizzes. Alpha School and the National Institute of Transport hosted some sessions while the Russian House held others. One...
Tanzania's Commission for Mediation and Arbitration is pushing employment agencies to step up and make sure domestic workers actually get their legal protections. Director Usekelege Mpulla told agents at a workshop in Dodoma that they need to show workers where the nearest CMA offices are and explain how to file complaints when problems come up. The International Labour Organization ran the training session with CHODAWU and the Tanzania Employment Agents Association.
Mpulla compared CMA to a hospital that patches things up when bosses and employees clash. He said the government wants domestic workers to know their rights matter just as much as anyone else's. Employment agents learned about labor laws, gender-based violence prevention...
Simba SC and Azam FC are throwing down at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium, and both squads want the points to keep their seasons moving. Assistant coach Selemani Matola said his crew is ready but admitted Azam brings solid structure and technical depth to the pitch. Simba sits fifth with a perfect record through four matches, while Azam is struggling down in 12th spot.
Matola told reporters his team has been drilling finishing drills because they keep creating chances without putting them away cleanly. Three players are out with injuries, but the rest of the roster has been grinding on converting opportunities after their recent win over Mbeya City. Azam's assistant coach, Addis Worku, said his side had prepared hard and expects fans to see a...
PowerHut Renewables out of Arusha locked down a partnership with Assist International, Caterpillar, and Mantrac Tanzania to bring electricity and clean cooking gear to four Lake Victoria islands: Juma, Kasalazi, Ziragura, and Bezi. The deal should help around 2,000 residents who have been running mini-grids since 2018 but need upgrades because demand keeps climbing. CEO Prosper Magali says people are hyped about finally getting reliable power after decades of nothing.
The setup helps fishermen charge boat batteries and store their catch in freezers, while carpenters and welders can actually run their tools without struggling. Health clinics get consistent lighting for nighttime deliveries, plus vaccine refrigeration that actually...
Tanzania locked down its spot as the planet's top safari destination at the World Travel Awards ceremony held in Bahrain, and the country scored multiple wins across different categories. Tourism Permanent Secretary Hassan Abbasi accepted recognition for what he called responsible tourism practices paired with strong conservation efforts. Zanzibar grabbed an award for corporate retreat locations, while Serengeti got named the best national park globally.
The wildebeest migration zone brought home hardware for the second straight year, and private operators also cleaned up with balloon safari and island resort trophies. Tanzania will host next year's awards ceremony after this latest sweep at what people call the Oscars of travel...
Tanzania's Chief Justice George Masaju told 774 newly admitted lawyers in Dodoma to knock off the activist behavior and start respecting courtroom protocol. He said some attorneys only praise judicial independence when they win cases but cry foul when verdicts go against them, and that kind of selective outrage undermines the whole legal system. The top judge warned that mixing political activism with legal practice creates conflicts of interest that can hurt clients and damage professional reputations.
Masaju pointed out that heavy activism makes lawyers look partisan to judges and opposing counsel, which tanks their effectiveness in court. When attorneys get too wrapped up in causes, they risk alienating clients who don't share those...
Tanzania's communications minister, Angellah Kairuki, gave props to telecom companies for helping expand coverage while keeping costs reasonable across the country. She watched operators like TTCL, YAS, Airtel, and Vodacom sign deals worth 19.7 billion shillings to bring mobile networks to 201 wards and 263 villages, which should reach about 2.8 million people. Kairuki promised to fix licensing headaches that have been slowing down rollouts.
The Universal Communications Service Access Fund boss said they're planning tower upgrades to handle 3G, 4G, and 5G signals after this current project wraps. Company executives from the major carriers all talked up how rural connectivity pushes digital transformation forward and creates...
