Bulgaria's Council of Ministers

Bulgaria's Council of Ministers is set to take a final decision to update the 2014 budget at its meeting scheduled for Wednesday.

Upcoming changes to the State Budget of the Republic of Bulgaria Act have not been announced beforehand, but an agreement "in principle" was reached on Monday that the government should boost expenditure in certain sectors, including healthcare.

Turkmenistan's President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow has said his country is interested in boosting ties with Bulgaria on an equal footing.

Many residents had to be rescued as cars were swept away and hundreds were left without electricity or food after heavy rains caused a flood wave in the Black Sea resort city of Varna late on Thursday.

“The tragedy is enormous,” the mayor of Varna, Ivan Portnih, told media.

Bulgaria's Council of Ministers has declared June 23 a national day of mourning for the victims of the floods in the Black Sea city of Varna.

The Bulgarian government has expressed condolences to the relatives of the victims.

National flags at all public institutions will fly at half-mast.

Bulgaria's Defense Minister Angel Naydenov has decided to impose penalties on nine of his ministry's personnel.

The move is related to the series of miscalculations on the expenses for the construction of a border fence between Bulgaria and Turkey, Dariknews.bg reports.

Miscalculations involving the fence which is to be constructed along the Bulgarian-Turkish border are worth around BGN 4 M.

Bulgaria's Defense Ministry has written up the total sum, thus increasing it from BGN 5.1 M to BGN 9.664 M.