Svetoslav Todorov

Angry nationalists jostled and heckled theatre-goers trying to attend the premiere of a John Malkovich-directed Bernard Shaw play set in the 1885 Serbo-Bulgarian war, claiming it insulted the memory of Bulgarian soldiers

The presence of high-level delegations from the Balkans at COP29, the UN's latest climate summit in Baku, cannot disguise their foot-dragging in the fight for a greener future.

From ‘foreign agents' legislation to machine voting and compulsory military service, Bulgaria's far-right Revival party is forging ahead with a pro-Russian agenda as the third biggest party in parliament.

After failed coalition talks, GERB party leader Boyko Borissov is expected to return his government-forming mandate unfulfilled, opening the way for an eighth general election around three years

Speculation is growing over a potential move by Bulgarian President Rumen Radev to amass more power, capitalising on chaos in parliament.

Some Balkan countries are freezing Syrian asylum applications after the sudden change of regime in Damascus, while Turkey is opening a border crossing for Syrians to return home.

GERB party leader and former Bulgarian premier Boyko Borissov made clear his ambition to return as prime minister - despite strong doubts about whether he can muster enough allies to form a government.

As five UK-based Bulgarians are tried in London for spying for Russia, the Bulgarian prime minister is being urged to investigate alleged links aired in court between the case and top officials in Sofia.

The EU is expanding its free-movement zone to include the two Balkan countries – which will scrap remaining border controls with the rest of the Schengen states on January 1, 2025.

Many Bulgarians see the US-blacklisted tycoon as representing all that's worst in politics – but amid the seemingly endless turmoil in the country's democratic system, even the prime minister's seat could be within his reach.