Bulgaria’s President-elect Rumen Radev is to dissolve the current National Assembly on February 2 and the early Parliamentary elections will be held on April 2 this year, 24 Chassa informs on its first pages on Thursday. Radev is to announce his team first and then will appoint half of his team at the new caretaker cabinet, the newspaper further announced based on sources close to the team of the newly-elected head of state.

In 2016 the export of electricity hit a sixteen-year low, Capital daily informs. Electricity export dwindled by 39.1% year on year and Bulgaria earned EUR 200 million less as compared to 2015. The sharp decline in electricity export was mainly due to the fact that the power produced in that country in the first six months of 2016 was uncompetitive, because electricity prices on international markets were very low. The electricity prices went up in the second half of 2016, but Kozloduy nuclear power plant underwent annual maintenance and the large hydro power plants were unable to produce enough electricity due to water shortage.

Majority shareholder of bankrupt Corporate Commercial Bank Tsevtan Vasilev may face an indictment in Luxembourg over money laundering, some printed media inform on Thursday. The prosecutor’s Office in Luxembourg started a criminal case in 2015, but Vasilev did not receive in indictment, because Bulgaria initiated pre-trial proceedings against Vasilev on money laundering as well.

Air pollution levels in Sofia have been five times higher than normal in the past five days. That is why Sofia Municipality started speaking about that problem. According to European statistics, Bulgaria’s capital is traditionally among the European cities with most polluted air, Sega daily informs. The price of the single ticket for Sofia public transport went up by 60% in 2016. Now Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova has mentioned the idea about free public transport in the days of high air pollution, but the competent authorities are yet to make an analysis about the efficiency of that idea.

The school holiday was extended in all Bulgarian districts until January 9 due to the spread of influenza, Trud daily informs on Thursday.

Bulgarian Nuray Aliosman who was wounded during the terrorist attack in a nightclub in Istanbul on the New Year’s Eve will stay in hospital for another week, 24 Chassa announced.

A Bulgarian woman diagnosed with a cervical cancer dies each day and three new cases of cervical cancer are registered on a daily basis, data of the National Center of Public Health, quoted by Zemya daily, show. Bulgaria’s cabinet has approved the National Programme for Primary Prevention for the period 2017-2020.

Bulgaria will enter a period of freezing temperatures on Thursday. Outdoor workers may receive unexpected leave. Their managers are obliged to supply the employees with warm clothes and hot tea. Those workers must also take rests indoors on a regular basis, in order to meet the requirements of the General Labor Inspectorate Executive Agency, Standart daily informs.