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Bulgaria PM Survives Confidence Vote

Bulgaria's technocrat prime minister survived a no-confidence vote in parliament on Friday but his government's days are still seen as numbered with snap elections expected in the autumn.

The year-old government of Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski was severely weakened last week after the MRF Turkish minority party withdrew its support.

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Israel's U.N. Ambassador Urges 'Antidote' to Fight Hizbullah 'Terrorism'

Israel’s Ambassador to the U.N. Ron Prosor has accused Hizbullah and Iran of launching a campaign of terror against the Jewish State, urging the international community to find an “antidote” to eradicate the virus of terrorism.

“Israelis are the targets of a terror campaign directed by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and Hizbullah,” Prosor told the 94th plenary meeting of the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday.

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EU Vote Final Results Shake Bulgaria's Govenment

Final results of the EU vote in Bulgaria on Wednesday sparked talk of snap elections and renewed instability as they confirmed the ruling Socialists' poor showing.

The conservative opposition GERB party, led by ousted premier Boyko Borisov, won Sunday's vote with 30.4 percent support, ahead of the Socialists on 18.93 percent, the central electoral commission announced.

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Conservatives Win EU Vote in Bulgaria

Bulgaria's conservative opposition GERB party bested the ruling Socialists in this weekend's EU vote, setting the stage for renewed political instability in the bloc's poorest country, preliminary results showed Monday.

GERB -- the party of ex-premier Boyko Borisov who was ousted last year amid massive street protests -- won an unexpected 30.5 percent, the central electoral commission announced after over 97 percent of ballots had been counted.

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Bulgaria Torn between EU and Moscow as Ukraine Crisis Lingers

On the eve of a European vote, the Kremlin's closest EU-ally Bulgaria is torn between the bloc that provides it with vital investment or Russia, its deeply influential "big brother" and gas supplier.

The European Union's poorest country knows that a new Cold War born from the Ukraine crisis could have a devastating impact on its fragile economy.

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Fewer Romanian and Bulgarian Immigrants in Britain this Year

The number of Romanians and Bulgarians employed in Britain has dropped since the start of the year despite the lifting of entry restrictions, official figures showed Wednesday.

Politicians and many newspapers had expressed fears of a wave of immigrants from the two poorest countries in the European Union once the restrictions ended on January 1.

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HRW Criticizes Bulgaria over Treatment of Refugees

Bulgaria must stop the forceful expulsion of Syrian and other refugees and end alleged abuses against asylum seekers, Human Rights Watch said in a report on Tuesday. 

"Bulgarian border police have been summarily and forcibly expelling third country nationals to Turkey without giving them the opportunity to seek asylum," the organization said.

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Top Bulgarian Judges Charged with EU Funds Embezzlement

Bulgarian prosecutors pressed charges against two top judges on Monday for alleged abuse of power and embezzlement of European Union funds.

Bulgaria joined the EU in 2007 and has since been an almost permanent target of criticism by the bloc's executive arm for failing to reform its sluggish and corrupt judiciary.

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U.N. Says Some Asylum Seekers Can Now Be Sent Back to Bulgaria

The U.N.'s refugee agency said Tuesday it was partially lifting a call to stop returning asylum seekers to Bulgaria because conditions there had improved.

Under current rules, European countries must return asylum seekers to the first country on the continent they arrive in.

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Report: Burgas Bomber was Algerian Trained in South Lebanon

The bomber who targeted a bus in the Bulgarian Black Sea resort of Burgas in 2012, killing five Israeli tourists, was of Algerian origin and trained in camps in southern Lebanon, the Bulgarian daily Presa said Monday.

"The assailant was born in Algeria, lived in Morocco and was trained in camps in South Lebanon. He also studied at a Beirut university with the other two suspects," the newspaper quoted sources familiar with the investigation as saying.

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