The day in 3 news: New daily Covid cases at 2,500, Stranded Black Sea ship rescue op stumbles, Parliament moratorium on Borissov cabinet decisions "illegal"

The Vera SU ship got stranded on 20 September near Kamen Bryag

The day in 3 news: New daily Covid cases at 2,500, Stranded Black Sea ship rescue op stumbles, Parliament moratorium on Borissov cabinet decisions "illegal"

The Vera SU ship got stranded on 20 September near Kamen Bryag

© Impact Press Group


On Tuesday the Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association, one of the country's largest employers' organizations, protested the caretaker government's decision to reimburse businesses for high electricity prices. Earlier, Stefan Yanev's cabinet had decided to compensate some of the companies buying electricity on the free market with 25 euro per Mwh purchased for the next six months. This was branded "undue and half-baked" by the association's president Rumen Radev. According to business representatives, the state ought to redistribute part of the excess profit made by the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant as a subsidy to business and limit state energy producers' access to the free energy market until energy prices stabilize.

Over 2,500 new daily Covid cases for the first time since April, 150 dead

Over 10,5 percent of tests done on Monday proved positive, according to the Bulgarian Covid-19 information portal, with 2536 new infections detected for the day - the highest number since the peak of the second wave in April. Currently, more than 5,000 people are hospitalized , with 432 needing intensive care. A total of 149 people died with the virus. The Delta variant of the virus now "totally dominates" in Bulgaria, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement.

Operation to unload stranded Black Sea ship hits trouble

The state's attempt to secure and unload cargo from the Vera SU ship, which is stranded close to the Kamen Bryag rocks off the northern Bulgarian Black Sea, has had a faltering start. Only a small part of the potentially toxic nitrogen fertilizer load was unloaded from the vessel after some of it was spilled into the water by an excavator. Subsequent efforts were completely stalled after the barge on which the fertilizer was supposed to be unloaded also got stuck in the shallows. Poor weather conditions further jeopardized attempts to lighten the weight of the ship and so facilitate its release. According to specialized website maritime.bg, on Tuesday morning the fuel was successfully unloaded from the ship. Turkey-registered Vera SU ran aground on 20 September after inexplicable actions by its Ukrainian crew that are still under investigation.

Moratorium on appointments and deals done in Borissov cabinet's last days "illegal"

The Constitutional Court has ruled that a decision by the previous National Assembly to block all appointments and contracts signed during the last days of the cabinet of former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov breached the Constitution. The moratorium had been approved by 151 votes (out of 240) coming from MPs from five parties in May this year. According to the Constitutional judges, Parliament's move breached the principle of the separation of power, so infringing upon the competencies of the executive.

On Tuesday the Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association, one of the country's largest employers' organizations, protested the caretaker government's decision to reimburse businesses for high electricity prices. Earlier, Stefan Yanev's cabinet had decided to compensate some of the companies buying electricity on the free market with 25 euro per Mwh purchased for the next six months. This was branded "undue and half-baked" by the association's president Rumen Radev. According to business representatives, the state ought to redistribute part of the excess profit made by the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant as a subsidy to business and limit state energy producers' access to the free energy market until energy prices stabilize.

By using this site you agree to the use of cookies to improve the experience, customize content and ads, and analyze traffic. See our cookie policy and privacy policy. OK