Batak

Near the town of Batak, a small earthquake with magnitude 2.4 on the Richter scale was recorded at 10.09 am today, according to seismologists from the National Institute of Geophysics, Geodesy and Geography of BAS.

The earthquake was 9.4 kilometers from Batak, Pazardzhik region, and 119 kilometers from Sofia.

Sofia City Court (SGS) convicted on Monday the leader of nationalist Ataka party, Volen Siderov, and his fellow party member, Desislav Chukolov, of hooliganism.

Siderov and Chukolov are convicted of hooliganism for their incursion into the building of the National academy for theatre and film arts (NATFIZ) on the night of the local elections on October 25 last year.

The leader of Bulgaria's nationalist Ataka party, Volen Siderov, has pleaded guilty to three charges against him.

Siderov pleaded guilty to the interruption of 2011 concert in the town of Batak, the 2013 attack of journalist and policeman in front of the parliament building and his incursion into the building of the National academy for theatre and film arts (NATFIZ) in 2015.

Bulgarian Parliament will appoint a second ad hoc committee to consider lifting the immunity of nationalist Ataka party's leader, Volen Siderov, from criminal prosecution.

On Monday, November 30, Bulgarian Chief Prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov submitted to Parliament two new requests for immunity lifting over Siderov's violation of public order in two separate cases in 2011 and 2013.

Chief Prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov has submitted to Parliament two new requests to lift the immunity of nationalist leader Volen Siderov, Tsatsarov's press office has said.

In a statement on its website, the prosecuting authority of Bulgaria says Siderov allegedly violated public order in two separate incidents.

A natural gas pipeline which exploded and caught fire on Friday morning near Pavlikeni, in north central Bulgaria, will be repaired within 48 hours, Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova has said.

The regions of Smolyan and Kardzhali, as well as the municipalities of Ivaylovgrad Laki, Batak, Sarnitsa, Velingrad, Haskovo and Galabovo remain in a state of emergency over the heavy rains and snowstorms in Bulgaria.

Close to 538 locations across the country had no electricity, as announced by the Interior Ministry's Press Office.

The municipalities of Galabovo, Batak, Mineralni Bani and Yakoruda have issued a state of emergency Monday.

The announcement was made by Parvan Sekiranov from the Directorate General of the Fire Safety and Population Protection in an interview for the Bulgarian National Radio.

Power supply to more than 800 locations in southern Bulgaria has been disrupted as of Sunday evening due to heavy snowfall now in its third day.

Some villages and towns in the regions of Smolyan and Kardzhali as well as the southernmost areas of Pazardzhik region have remained without water supply, too, as water pumps were idled by the lack of electricity.