All posts tagged: Bulgaria

Eurovision 2026 results: Bulgaria wins with earworm Bangaranga as woeful UK finishes last

Eurovision 2026 results: Bulgaria wins with earworm Bangaranga as woeful UK finishes last

Published by Sam Flores

The 70th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest was a fraught affair, with a record five countries boycotting because of Israel’s participation. This anniversary year might even have been the competition’s last if Israel had won the whole thing – and it looked like they just might, with Noam Bettan topping the leaderboard for a tantalising period. But organisers likely breathed an enormous sigh of relief as Bulgaria instead finished triumphant thanks to their indelible earworm Bangaranga, sung by Dara. It was dismal news for the UK though: we finished dead last, with just one point from the jury vote and nul points from the audience vote. It was a gamble selecting YouTuber Look Mum No Computer, with his zany novelty song that involved counting in German, and it emphatically did not pay off. Bookies’ favourite Finland, who boasted pyrotechnics and a sexy violinist, had to settle for sixth place, while Australia’s Delta Goodrem (a former Neighbours actress and actual chart-topper), who was also much fancied, ended in fourth. The closing stages of the voting …

Bulgaria wins the Eurovision Song Contest with Dara’s ‘Bangaranga’

Bulgaria wins the Eurovision Song Contest with Dara’s ‘Bangaranga’

Published by Sam Flores

VIENNA — Bulgaria triumphed on Saturday night at the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, held under the shadow of controversy over the continued participation of Israel. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content. The win by Dara was an upset. Her song, “Bangaranga,” is an upbeat dance-pop banger that features intense dancing and an infectious chorus. The fever dream of a tune started dialed up to 11 and continued apace. It captivated the audience in the Wiener Stadthalle, receiving some of the loudest cheers. This is the first win for the Balkan nation, which will host next year’s competition. Dara performing during a dress rehearsal in Vienna on Saturday. Helmut Fohringer / APA/AFP via Getty Images Israel placed second with Noam Bettan’s “Michelle.” The song, which is sung in Hebrew, French and English, is about being in a toxic relationship and learning to put yourself first. When the popular votes were announced Saturday for Israel, sending it temporarily to the top of the rankings, the arena filled with …

Bulgaria’s parliament confirms Russia-aligned Radev as prime minister – POLITICO

Bulgaria’s parliament confirms Russia-aligned Radev as prime minister – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Radev on Friday morning, writing on X that Europe faced “a strong agenda to work on” together, including “security and defence,” “competitiveness” and “energy independence.” While unveiling his cabinet on Thursday, Radev also laid out his priorities in office. He said the government’s immediate focus would be tackling soaring prices, alongside judicial reform, budget discipline and accelerating the use of EU recovery funds before key deadlines expire. Radev’s victory ends years of political deadlock in Bulgaria — but also hands his new Russia-aligned government the country’s biggest parliamentary mandate in nearly three decades. This article has been updated. Source link

EU to tell countries to fight poverty — without offering fresh cash – POLITICO

EU to tell countries to fight poverty — without offering fresh cash – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“There is no strategy without money,” said Juliana Wahlgren, director of the European Anti-Poverty Network. “How are we going to implement it if, funding-wise, this is not a priority?” Poverty target slipping The EU wants to reduce the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion by at least 15 million from 2019 to 2030, and eradicate it by 2050. That target was set in 2021. But by 2025, that number had fallen by just 3.4 million, according to the draft of the strategy seen by POLITICO. Across the bloc in 2025, 20.9 percent of the population was at risk of poverty, down only marginally since 2019, when it stood at 21.1 percent. The picture varies sharply across the bloc. Romania and Bulgaria have reduced the share of people at risk of poverty by around a third over the past decade, while some of the EU’s richest countries have moved in the opposite direction. The Covid-19 pandemic reversed a trend of falling poverty numbers in France, Austria and Germany, among others. In those …

Bulgaria Uncovers Cannabis Farm Inside Former Zinc Mine

Bulgaria Uncovers Cannabis Farm Inside Former Zinc Mine

Published by Sam Flores

SOFIA, April 29 (Reuters) – Bulgarian ⁠police ⁠have charged ⁠three people and are seeking ​a fourth after an ongoing investigation ‌into drug trafficking and ‌money laundering uncovered a ⁠cannabis ⁠farm built inside a former zinc mine, officials ​said on Wednesday. So far, about 70 kilograms (154.32 lb) of drugs, 600,000 euros ($701,400) ​in cash and 600 rounds of ⁠ammunition have ⁠been seized, said ⁠Emil ​Borisov, deputy director of the General Directorate ​for Combating ⁠Organised Crime.   “The former mine was equipped with high‑tech infrastructure and was likely used for large‑scale ⁠production intended for trafficking abroad,” Borisov said. The mine is ⁠located near the village of Garlyano, at the bottom of the Osogovo mountain, a few kilometers from the border with North Macedonia. Authorities said the ongoing investigation could take months, adding that ⁠the mine’s ownership and the full scope of the operation were being examined. (Reporting by Alex ​Lefkowitz and Ivana Sekularac; editing ​by Barbara Lewis) Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters. Photos You Should See – April 2026 Source link

Trump’s Iran showdown is becoming Europe’s political nightmare – POLITICO

Trump’s Iran showdown is becoming Europe’s political nightmare – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“Energy costs are cascading into food, transport and housing, hitting lower- and middle-income households hardest,” Seamus Boland, president of the European Economic and Social Committee, which brings together trade unions from across Europe and advises the European Commission on economic and labor policy, told POLITICO. “Politically, that creates space for distrust — not just of national governments, but of European institutions’ ability to shield citizens from external shocks. It risks accelerating support for more protectionist or inward-looking approaches.” France is the biggest prize. But it is not the signal in Europe that the center is crumbling. In Bulgaria, the April 20 victory of Kremlin-friendly ex-president Rumen Radev has set incumbents around Europe on edge. In Romania, a coalition crisis could soon sweep pro-EU Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan from power. In Germany, the far-right Alternative for Germany is eyeing gains in September’s Saxony-Anhalt state election, having already broken into parts of western Germany far from its traditional eastern power base. The Iran war will be in focus on Monday as deputy finance ministers from the EU’s …

5 things to watch out for at EU’s crisis summit – POLITICO

5 things to watch out for at EU’s crisis summit – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“The longer things go on, the less bold any changes to the budget will be,” said an EU diplomat, granted anonymity to speak frankly. “The clock is ticking.” If a leaders reach a deal on that timetable, it would be unusually fast by EU standards. Any breakthrough will depend on how much governments are willing to compromise. Talks on the budget are always tortuous, with wealthier governments in Northern Europe reluctant to pay more into the budget and skeptical about handing the European Commission more powers to impose taxes. Countries in Southern and Eastern Europe, by contrast, tend to back a bigger budget and broadly oppose cuts to farm subsidies and regional funding, traditionally the two biggest sections of the cash pot. To complicate matters further, the EU is due to start repaying €25 billion a year from 2028 on the joint debt it issued to cushion the economic fallout from the Covid pandemic. And there’s increasing pressure to connect the budget to geopolitics, with the Iran war potentially limiting how much the bloc will have …

Ukraine Has Asked Turkey to Host a Zelenskiy-Putin Meeting, FM Says

Ukraine Has Asked Turkey to Host a Zelenskiy-Putin Meeting, FM Says

Published by Sam Flores

KYIV, April 22 (Reuters) – Ukraine has ⁠asked ⁠Turkey to host ⁠a meeting between President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and ​Russian President Vladimir Putin, its top diplomat said, as Kyiv ‌seeks to reinvigorate stalling ‌peace talks. “We asked the Turks about it, we ⁠asked ⁠some other capitals,” Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said in ​comments to reporters on Tuesday that were cleared for release on Wednesday. He added that Ukraine would be ready to ​consider any place other than Belarus or Russia for ⁠a ⁠meeting with Putin, which ⁠Zelenskiy ​has long sought to try to hasten a resolution of ​the more ⁠than four-year war. Belarus is a close ally of Russia and allowed Moscow to use Belarusian territory to launch its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Sybiha did ⁠not say how Ankara had responded to the proposal. “We addressed ⁠the Turks specifically,” he said. “But if another capital, besides Moscow and Belarus, organises such a meeting, we will go.” The Kremlin previously said it is willing to host Zelenskiy in Moscow, where the Ukrainian leader has said …

Bulgaria’s pro-Russian former president set for landslide election win, exit polls show

Bulgaria’s pro-Russian former president set for landslide election win, exit polls show

Published by Sam Flores

RADEV MAY HAVE TO COMPROMISE In his campaign, Radev drew comparisons with Hungary’s pro-Kremlin former Prime Minister Viktor Orban when he talked about improving relations with Moscow and resuming the free flow of Russian oil and gas into Europe. He also criticised the EU for relying too heavily on renewable energy. It is not clear how much his views will impact the foreign policy of Bulgaria, a NATO member on the EU’s southeastern flank which joined the euro zone in January — a move Radev has criticised.  He said he would be willing to work on judicial reform with the pro-European reformist We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria (PP-DB) coalition, which came third in the Alpha Research exit polls with 11.3 per cent. A minority government was also an option in the 240-seat parliament, Radev said. “Bulgaria will make efforts to continue its European path,” he said. “But a strong Bulgaria and strong Europe … needs pragmatism because Europe has fallen victim to its own ambition to be a moral leader in a world without rules.” …