Bulgaria

Bulgaria pushes to enter euro 'waiting room'

Sofia - Muslimchronicle

Bulgaria, the EU's poorest member state, on Thursday said it wants to enter the "waiting room" to join the euro as it marked the start of the bloc's presidency. European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker has called for the eurozone to expand beyond its current 19 members. But any country that, like Bulgaria, wants to gain access to the single currency clubRead more

Bulgaria's EU presidency start drowned by protest shouts

Sofia - Muslimchronicle

Bulgaria's six-month EU presidency stint Thursday got off to a noisy start as anti-corruption protesters blocked streets in heavily-guarded capital Sofia. More than 1,500 people shouted "Mafia!", "Resign!", "Save Pirin" and "We want nature, not concrete" to slam plans for the country's Pirin national park they say would open to construction almost half of the UNESCO world heritage site. ManyRead more

Egypt to play Portugal, Bulgaria in pre-World Cup friendlies

CAIRO - Muslimchronicle

Egypt’s soccer federation said on Sunday that the country’s national team will meet Portugal and Bulgaria in friendly games as part of preparations for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. The federation said in a statement that Egypt will play Portugal on March 23 and Bulgaria four days later, with both matches to take place in Zurich, Switzerland. Egypt, returningRead more

Iran denies Bulgaria PM entry into airspace en route to Saudi Arabia

Brussels - Muslimchronicle

Bulgaria said Wednesday that an aircraft taking its prime minister and former king to Saudi Arabia was denied permission by Iran to enter its airspace, forcing them to fly via Iraq. “The refusal is inexplicable,” Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva was quoted by Bulgarian media as saying from Riyadh a day after the incident. She said Iran’s ambassador in SofiaRead more

Joshua wants to be undisputed Boxing world champion in 2018

Cardiff - Muslimchronicle

Anthony Joshua hopes a successful fourth title defence in Cardiff on Saturday will keep him on course to achieve his goal of becoming undisputed world heavyweight champion in 2018. Not every fight can be career-defining and Cameroon's France-based Carlos Takam, Joshua's opponent at the Principality Stadium, is hardly one of the biggest stars in the heavyweight division over which BritishRead more

Floods kill at least 3 in southeastern Bulgaria

Sofia - Muslimchronicle

Floods caused by heavy rains killed at least three people and one is still missing in southeastern Bulgaria on Wednesday, the country's Ministry of Interior said in a statement. The dead bodies were found in the villages Livada, Ravnets and Polski Izvor near the city of Burgas at the Black sea coast, the ministry said. Eight fire trucks, an amphibianRead more

Title, not big money payday is prize Pulev seeks

Sofia - Muslimchronicle

Bulgaria’s Kubrat Pulev has no regrets about pulling out of his fight against world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua due to a shoulder injury and says he has not given up hope of fighting the Briton. Joshua, undefeated in 19 fights since turning professional in 2013, will now defend his IBF world title against Frenchman Carlos Takam in Cardiff on Oct.Read more

France pass test to clinch World Cup spot

Paris - Muslimchronicle

France clinched qualification for the World Cup thanks to goals from Antoine Griezmann and Olivier Giroud in a hard-fought 2-1 win over Belarus on Tuesday. Didier Deschamps’s side successfully completed their tricky challenge of beating Bulgaria and Belarus in their final two qualifiers. The victory at the Stade de France meant they avoided the tension of the playoffs that theyRead more

Why the 'last of the Bulgarians' are all optimists

Paris - Muslimchronicle

Stephan Komandarev's latest film started as a joke. "I was in a taxi talking to the driver when he asked me, 'Do you know why Bulgaria is the Land of Optimists?'" said Komandarev, who still laughs at the idea. "It's the Land of Optimists because all the pessimists and the realists have already left," the driver told him. That bitterRead more

Matuidi keeps French World Cup destiny

Paris - Muslimchronicle

France kept their noses in front in the European Group A race to qualify for the 2018 World Cup as Blaise Matuidi's early strike earned a 1-0 win in Bulgaria on Saturday. Following Sweden's crushing 8-0 thrashing of Luxembourg, this win was enough to keep Didier Deschamps's team a point ahead of the Scandinavians, with one match to come. HostingRead more