Captains demand protection for ships in the Black Sea
Attacks on ships, drifting mines and drones in the western part of the Black Sea are now directly affecting vessels travelling to and from Bulgarian ports. This warning was issued by the Management Board of the Bulgarian Association of Ship Captains (BASC), which called on the state for urgent and coordinated action in six areas.
The declaration is addressed to the president, the speaker of the National Assembly, the prime minister and the heads of the ministries of defence, transport, foreign affairs and environment. The captains cite the increasing attacks on merchant ships and the frequent use of unmanned systems as the reason. They are now waiting for a response from the institutions and may demand protection for ships even more insistently if none comes.
BMW flipped onto its roof on Hristo Botev Boulevard
One crash was talked about the most. A 20-year-old driver from Burgas lost control of a BMW on Hristo Botev Blvd., next to the Herbal Pharmacy, shortly before the intersection with San Stefano. The car left the road, hit a kiosk by the roadside and flipped onto its roof.
The young man survived. There is no information about injured passers-by, and this is one of the busiest places in Burgas, where there are many cars and people even late in the evening. The vehicle is destroyed, with a twisted front end and cabin. According to unofficial information, there were around 500 horsepower under the hood. It remains to be established what speed the driver was travelling at just before the impact and why he lost control in the crash on the boulevard.
Protest in front of the regional administration and rejection of work for young people
More than 20 employees of the Executive Agency for Fisheries and Aquaculture (EAFA) went on a warning strike in front of the regional administration in Burgas. They are protesting against the Ministry of Agriculture and Food's plan to merge the agency with the Executive Forest Agency. According to data from the "Podkrepa" trade union, which organised the protest by EAFA employees, nearly half of the people in the agency could be made redundant. Even before the strike, the union demanded the resignation of the Minister of Agriculture and Food, Plamen Abrovski.
A decision affecting the work of thousands of families was also taken in Sofia. The Social Committee in the National Assembly rejected at first reading amendments to the Labour Code concerning the work of young people aged 16 to 18. 5 MPs voted "for", 9 "against" and 5 abstained.
The bill was submitted by Svilen Trifonov and a group of MPs from "Democratic Bulgaria". They proposed that employers should not have to ask for permission to hire 16–18-year-olds, but only notify the "Labour Inspectorate" Directorate in advance. According to the sponsors, the protection of minors remains, because the requirement for medical fitness and the restrictions on the type of work and working hours are retained. The committee did not accept these arguments, and now the hiring of minors continues under the existing procedure, with permission.
The ID card in the phone and a Bulgarian derby on the court
The Minister of Innovation and Digital Transformation, Ivan Vasilev, promised that by the end of the year the state will have a national European Digital Identity Wallet. With it, people and companies will prove who they are to the state and communicate with the administration through their phones. Vasilev spoke at the opening of a forum in Sofia and said that by 2030 the connection with the state could become fast, easy and convenient. The ministry, he explained, has reorganised its work in order to spend taxpayers' money in a more targeted way. Whether the digital identity in the phone will be ready on time will become clear in December.
On the courts in Burgas, the week ended with a Bulgarian clash. Iva Ivanova and Rositsa Dencheva will play against each other in the singles quarterfinals of the international W50 tournament for women, so at least one Bulgarian will be in the semifinals.
Top seed Elizara Yaneva, Bulgaria's number one racket, was knocked out in the second round. She lost to German Sonja Zhenikhova 4:6, 4:6 in 2 hours and 12 minutes and was broken 5 times.
Ivanova defeated Italian Federica Urgesi 7:5, 6:3 in 2 hours and 6 minutes. In the first set she missed 6 set points in the tenth game, but broke in the eleventh. In the second she went ahead 5:2 and calmly closed out the match. Dencheva, seeded No. 4, also advanced, and now the two will meet in a Bulgarian derby in Burgas.