Mine off Cape Emine and a counter-drone exercise
An object resembling a sea mine was spotted on the morning of 21 October south of Cape Emine. The report comes from the Naval Coordination Element in Varna. The object was seen at 8 a.m. Universal Time, at 42°34.69′ north latitude and 27°58.42′ east longitude, in the area through which ships bound for Burgas pass.
The military published a notice to mariners on its official website and asks captains to sail carefully and keep at least five cables from the object, that is, almost a kilometer.
The incident comes against the backdrop of several drone attacks on ships in the region, after which NATO announced that it is stepping up surveillance and reconnaissance at sea. Bulgarian territorial waters are patrolled by F-16 and MiG-29 fighters, Su-25 attack aircraft and L-39 trainer-combat aircraft of the Air Force.
Drones were also a main topic at the large exercise at Cheshnegirovo airfield from 19 to 23 October. There, special forces from more than 15 countries and defense industry companies trained on how to stop unmanned systems. According to the Ministry of Defense, the participants also practiced detecting targets, feeding the data into a common picture of the battlefield, and destroying them. The exercise is organized by the NATO Special Operations Forces Command, and the host is the Bulgarian Joint Special Operations Command. On a separate demonstration day, the military showed their skills to high-ranking guests.
Inspectors head to the retail chains' warehouses
The Ministry of Agriculture and Food, the Consumer Protection Commission and the National Revenue Agency will jointly check food prices. They will visit all 7 logistics centers in the country, the central warehouses of the big retail chains. From next week the inspectors will also enter the stores.
The goal is to trace the path of goods from the supplier to the store and how much is added to the price along the way. The main focus will be on markups, what share of the checkout price is profit, and whether there is any hidden profit. The inspections also cover taxes and food quality. Agriculture Minister Plamen Abrovski also commented on the work of the Commission for Protection of Competition, which monitors whether the big retailers are colluding on prices.
Belitsa has an acting mayor ahead of the elections
Deputy Mayor Sabit Gagam is now running Belitsa, after the court in Burgas ordered that Mayor Radoslav Revanski remain in custody permanently. The municipal administration appointed him acting mayor two days after the detention. Gagam is one of Revanski's deputies.
The arrest comes just days before the presidential elections this Sunday. The Regional Election Commission in Blagoevgrad assured that preparations in the municipality are continuing normally. The election materials have been delivered and are already with the section commissions.
Programmers from Burgas and 51 medals for Nesebar
The Center for High Achievement in Computer Science at the Vocational High School of Computer Programming and Innovation in Burgas received a new project. It includes training with a lot of hands-on practice, qualification for teachers and exchanges abroad. The center's facilities will also be open to students from other vocational high schools in the city.
"Over the four years of the project, a total of 255 students from across the country and 96 teachers will be trained," said the principal Dimitrina Todorova. Separately, another 715 students from vocational high schools and from schools with vocational classes will take additional programming classes, and 96 participants will receive a qualification when they complete them.
The dancers from the "Nesebar" dance sport club returned from the 14th edition of the international tournament in Stara Zagora with 51 medals. Among them are 17 gold, 26 silver and 8 bronze, won in a competition with couples from Bulgaria and abroad.
Coach Nikola Abrashev considers the result one of the strongest in the club's history and attributes it to constant work, sporting spirit and the desire to win. Nesebar Mayor Nikolay Dimitrov congratulated the competitors and their coach. "Once again our young competitors prove that Nesebar is a city of talent. I am extremely proud of their brilliant performance," he said.