Bulgaria's economy showed workers cranking out 0.7% more GDP per person compared to last year's third quarter, and the National Statistical Institute dropped data showing 3.7 million people employed across the country. Each worker generated roughly 16,815 lev of GDP, with about 42.70 lev created per hour on the job.
Services sector productivity hit 14,864 lev per employee while industrial workers produced around 16,630 lev each. Agriculture lagged way behind at only 4,960 lev per worker, and farming also had the weakest hourly output at 13.60 lev compared to other sectors.
The economy's employment structure shifted toward services while the agricultural and industrial sectors lost ground percentage-wise. Gross value added per person...
Dr. Velikova told reporters that winter heating with wood and increased car use during cold months wreck air quality, and fine dust particles like PM2.5 and PM10 mess with immune system function by triggering oxidative stress and chronic inflammation. Pollutants hit the lungs deep and spread through the blood to other body parts, making people more vulnerable to respiratory infections, allergies, and autoimmune diseases. Cities with bad air also block UV rays needed for vitamin D production, which makes deficiency worse for urban residents.
The doc said chronic stress plus pollution creates a brutal combo that suppresses immune cells and antibody production. She recommends eating antioxidant-rich foods like leafy greens and fish...
Finance Minister Temenuzhka Petkova announced that government officials, unions, and business groups hammered out a deal on the 2026 budget after social partners sorted their beef yesterday. Security and defense sector pay got uncoupled from average wages, and the capital program took a 450-million-euro haircut while spending sits at 40.1% of GDP.
The compromise ditched the dividend tax hike, axed the SUPTO requirement, killed the social security contribution increase, and kept the maximum social security income capped at 2,300 euros.
PP-DB lawmaker Elisaveta Belobradova told Bulgarian National Radio the whole Monday protest chaos looked completely fake, with violent incidents at DPS and GERB offices seeming totally orchestrated. She claims there was a massive empty gap between actual protesters and the troublemakers at the intersection, and fire crews took forever responding to burning trash cans so photographers could get better shots. Belobradova says cops just stood around while guys smashed vehicle windows, and police ignored her pleas to grab the provocateurs who were clearly waiting for signals.
The MP thinks young demonstrators knew exactly what they wanted regarding their paychecks, and she accused Interior Minister Daniel Mitov of disrespecting regular...
Agriculture Minister Georgi Tahov showed up at Sofia's National Fish Fest and talked about how the event helps regular people connect with the fishing industry while boosting sales and trust between fishermen and customers. The sector gets support through a maritime program running through 2027 that funds port construction and tech upgrades, and officials have already approved 107 project proposals worth around 85 million leva.
Bulgarian food safety crews ran over 500 inspections at retail spots, fish farms, and restaurants leading up to St. Nicholas Day to make sure everyone gets quality fish. The festival grounds featured workshops for kids learning about ocean life, plus cooking demos and a restaurant zone selling fish dishes at...
Assen Vassilev from We Continue the Change dropped a no-confidence motion against the government after it ignored massive street demonstrations and refused to bounce. He said the youngest generation is getting involved in politics for the first time, and if the cabinet stays put, they'll organize an even bigger rally than the previous one. Ivaylo Mirchev called out Peevski for supposedly using Roma and Turkish communities as shields while organizing counter-protests through regional coordinators.
The motion got backing from Alliance for Rights and Freedoms plus MECH, and Bozhidar Bozanov thinks anyone with half a brain should vote for it.
Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov told parliament that Bulgaria deals with thousands of agricultural blazes and hundreds of forest fires every year, and the Air Force has gear ready to handle them. The government's trying to build up permanent firefighting capacity since recent years have been stupidly hot, according to meteorology data.
The Security Council is working on some real-time data transmission system for tracking fires. The 2026 budget apparently sets aside 60 million euros for buying firefighting helicopters, which Zhelyazkov mentioned during the session.
The Alliance for Rights and Freedoms threw its full weight behind the no-confidence vote against Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov's government, with every single deputy signing on as co-sponsors. Hasan Ademov basically said the government's already cooked regardless of how the vote goes, and he roasted the ruling party for claiming their pulled budget was the only option before magically finding alternatives.
PP-DB dropped the no-confidence motion targeting economic policy even after the cabinet and parliament yanked the 2026 budget. Ademov thinks the whole thing's inevitable at this point, and the nationwide protests have personalized everything around two specific figures who've become lightning rods.
Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev got sprung on bail after supporters crowded 200,000 leva, but his lawyer immediately filed an appeal trying to get that amount slashed or tossed entirely. The defense wants either zero bail or just a signed promise to show up for court stuff. An appeals court will decide whether the bail stands.
Kotsev and four others are facing charges for running a bribery ring that demanded kickbacks from public contracts. The crew apparently wanted percentages back from 12 different procurement deals. Authorities nabbed the mayor back in the summer, and the other defendants got released or stuck under house arrest months ago. The Supreme Court bounced the case from Sofia back to Varna for trial.
