Just learned the #Spanish phrase "al azar" (by chance, at random) and found it is related to the #Bulgarian word "зар" [zar] and the #Greek "ζάρι" [zári] meaning "a die" (singular of dice), coming from a medieval #Arabic word for "a die" - az-zahr 🎲
Apparently the #English "hazard" is also a relation!
The @thunderbird app and the two main web pages are 100% translated to #Bulgarian now. I believe this is beautiful. The next step is to do some QA days to fix the edges. Wanna join?
In my #blog I have a bunch of favourite #recipes that I posted years ago. They are all in #Bulgarian though. I was thinking, maybe I should update the blog and translate them to #English... And change the photos, because most of them used to rely on Instagram, and I've already deleted my account.
🇧🇬 #Bulgarian police have arrested 12 people accused of illegally exporting dual-use goods to #Russia that can be used by the #Russian military in the war in #Ukraine
I installed the Thumb-Key keyboard, I like it and I might use it as main keyboard. It doesn't have a Bulgarian keyboard layout, so I forked it on github and will try to make a #phonetic#bulgarian one.
Three #Bulgarian nationals suspected of being #Russian spies, have been arrested in Britain and charged with identity document offences. They were originally arrested under the Official Secrets Act in Feb. They're accused of having fake identity documents with improper intention, from a nr of European countries. They have lived in Britain for ys. They've yet to enter pleas to the charges.
A proper backgrounder on #Bulgaria 's Russia conundrum here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0fwxf4w #TheGlobalJigsaw
British police have arrested and charged 3 #Bulgarian nationals suspected of #spying for #Russia
#Latvia is recalling staff from leave to reinforce #security on its #border with #Belarus after an attempted 96 illegal crossings in 24 hrs
On the 2nd anniversary of their takeover in #Afghanistan , the #Taliban have accused the West of using #women 's rights as an excuse to put pressure on them.
In today's #vatniksoup, I'll introduce a #Bulgarian politician and current President, Rumen #Radev (@PresidentOfBg
). He's best-known for offering his unwavering support for Vladimir #Putin and his genocidal war in #Ukraine and for resisting all European aid to Ukraine.
Bulgarian President Rumen Radev blasted Ukraine while speaking to journalists on July 14, claiming that Kyiv "insists on waging war," while "Europe pays for everything."
Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov had similar words for Radev.
"Today he repeats some Russian statements that have nothing to do with what EU and NATO members present as a position," Denkov said.
The #Bulgarian president is an international disgrace and should be removed from office:
"Bulgarian President Rumen #Radev blasted #Ukraine while speaking to journalists on July 14, claiming that #Kyiv "insists on waging war," while "#Europe pays for everything."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr #Zelenskyy savaged his #Bulgarian counterpart Rumen Radev in a bruising televised exchange in #Sofia on Thursday, in which he opened up with both barrels against Radev’s opposition to arming #Ukraine.
The flustered Bulgarian president, visibly taken aback by Zelenskyy’s indignation, asked TV cameras to leave the room in the presidential palace where the meeting was being filmed.
#Ukraine 's president, Volodymyr #Zelensky , is in #Bulgaria for talks on defence and security. He's thanked the prime minister Nikolai Denkov for Bulgaria's military support, which he said had saved many Ukrainian lives. He's also meeting President Rumen Radev, who has publicly opposed sending Bulgarian- made #ammunition to Ukraine. (cont.)
'Yelena #Mitrofanova is #Russia 's ambassador to #Sofia Recently she caused a stir. Asked who she would vote for in the #Bulgarian elections, if she could, she replied: it would be Kostadin #Kostadinov He is the man headingman heading the pro-#Kremlin Revival party.
The Bulgarian foreign ministry came out with a special statement condemning what Mitrofanova had said.'
'Certain #Russian influences remained all this time.. in the last 30 years. There was a recent report done by a #Bulgarian NGO, The Human and Social Studies Foundation, looking specifically into Russian #propaganda in #Bulgaria , and it says there was a big push in 2014. And this is of course when #Russia annexed #Crimea . Then the report says it increased tenfold after the invasion of #Ukraine last year.'
'Bulgarians were conditioned to think for decades that they owe their freedom to #Russia because they were liberated from the #Ottomans by #Russian soldiers. And this romantic notion stuck on the bigger brother liberating the little brother. So 24th February, it’s often said in #Bulgarian media didn’t change things. It brought to the surface a lot of pro-Russian sentiments that have always been there. In other words the masks fell with a bang - some people went back to factory settings.'
'What were the arguments against sending #arms to #Ukraine ?
The main argument was that by sending weapons #Bulgaria will get dragged into the #war and this was pushing the fear button, because there is a certain fear in #Bulgarian society about provoking the wrath of #Russia . Those who wanted to support Ukraine were called “lovers of war” because as they say weapons kill people.'
'In an interview for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, former PM Kiril #Petkov called this extension of #Turkstream via #Bulgaria “the greatest possible geopolitical gift for #Putin .” This #pipeline has been seen as a way to bypass #Ukraine as the transit route of #Russian#gas to Europe. This is one reason many #Bulgarian commentators question the Euro-Atlantic credentials of Boyko #Borisov’s government.'
'back in 2016 there was this idea of creating a #flotilla of #NATO countries in the #BlackSea to counter #Russian#Navy influence in the region or to act as a deterrent. And the then PM Boyko #Borissov was adamant that he will not send ships. He said I do not expect #Russia to attack us. The Black Sea is should be an area for tourism, for economic projects, it should be an area of sun and happiness. And I'm not going to send #Bulgarian ships to against Russian ships… '
'There was a report in September 2022 by the #Bulgarian National Security Agency, and it directly accused #Russia of increasing its #intelligence activities in #Bulgaria. Even of #interfering in #elections, interfering in #media using agents of influence, both in government institutions, in security services, and in the media, and this is this is something that has been officially stated, it was the only country mentioned in this report as having an anti Bulgarian activity.'
'When you look at an enormous company like #Lukoil , the #Russian energy giant, it's one of the biggest companies in #bulgaria
Lukoil owns the #Neftochim oil refinery in the coastal city of #Burgas on the Black Sea. A #Bulgarian lawmaker once called it “the only #refinery on the planet that’s losing money”.
Media reports started to appear about Lukoil, it has profits of billions of Bulgarian leva and despite that, it hasn't been paying for quite many years…corporate tax in Bulgaria...
' So these things started to unravel and investigative journalism sites…started publishing materials, about Lukoil. And it turns out that #Lukoil is actually using one of its … companies registered in Switzerland, actually to syphon off that's what the #Bulgarian media say, syphoned off all these profits made by the sale of oil and #oil products in #Bulgaria, to Switzerland, and then all the taxes being paid in #Russia. So the #Bulgarian taxpayer doesn't benefit from… the presence of Lukoil. '
the #Bulgarian caretaker government actually allowed #Lukoil to to continue exports of Bulgarian #oil after 5. Dec.
But this was slapped down by the #EU So what the EU now said is, Lukoil cannot export oil and oil products made by this #refinery, which works with #Russian oil only. It cannot export them to the EU or anyone else in the world except to #Ukraine.
Социологическата агенция отбелязва още, че зад общото управление застават 77% от избиратели на ГЕРБ и 76% от тези на "Продължаваме промяната - Демократична България"
"Продължаваме промяната - Демократична България" губи най-много доверие, сочи проучване на "Алфа Рисърч" (m.dnevnik.bg)
Социологическата агенция отбелязва още, че зад общото управление застават 77% от избиратели на ГЕРБ и 76% от тези на "Продължаваме промяната - Демократична България"