Latest news with #Sofia
GMA Network
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- GMA Network
Sofia Pablo finishes senior high school with flying colors: ‘We made it self'
Sofia Pablo is graduating senior high school (SHS) with flying colors! The 'Prinsesa ng City Jail' star shared the good news through an Instagram post on Monday, posting a photo of herself holding her thesis study and a letter from their school principal indicating that she'll be graduating with honors. 'Officially done with SHS. I couldn't hold back the tears when we received a letter from the principal that I'll be graduating with honors: Blessed Jordan of Saxony General Excellence Award for Academic Year 2024–2025,' Sofia wrote. According to the Sparkle star, juggling the demands of being both an actress and a student was 'never easy.' From sleepless nights to cramming for exams, tackling quizzes and presentations between shoots, and making countless sacrifices, Sofia said every challenge was worth it in the end. 'We made it self,' she added. Her love team partner Allen Ansay, can't help but express joy and pride over Sofia's achievement. 'Proud na proud ako sa 'yo,' he wrote. Previously, Sofia shared snaps from her successful thesis defense with her group mates. Their thesis, titled "Consumer Behavior Towards Online Shopping Fraudulent Incidents in Quezon City," is a requirement for their Accountancy, Business and Management (ABM) Strand at UST Angelicum College. "Prinsesa ng City Jail" airs on GMA Afternoon Prime from Mondays to Saturdays at 2:30 p.m. — Jade Veronique Yap/LA, GMA Integrated News
Arab News
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Bulgaria cyber ‘elves' fight Kremlin and cruelty
SOFIA: A Bulgarian group of dozens of cyber activists at first clubbed together to battle Russian disinformation, but they have since found other foes — like animal abusers. They call themselves the BG Elves, which both refers to the kind-hearted characters of Scandinavian mythology and hints at a rivalry with the Internet's malicious trolls. The collective of about 70 anonymous cybersecurity experts have made a name for themselves by creating problems for their adversaries. One of their latest efforts was helping an animal rights NGO uncover evidence that led to the March arrest of a woman and a man accused of selling videos online of hundreds of animals being tortured to death. 'Our work was crucial, because for the first time a crime was solved in Bulgaria based on OSINT data, proving that our efforts can produce concrete results,' software developer Petko Petkov, the Elves' only public face, told AFP. OSINT refers to open-source intelligence, which is information gathered with digital investigation techniques like reverse image search and geolocation. In the summer of 2024, the NGO alerted the cyber sleuths to videos posted on Telegram of a masked woman torturing animals. The Elves tracked her down within hours. Using OSINT, they were also able to trace the locations where the videos of cats, rabbits and guinea pigs being tortured on camera were filmed by her accomplice. The videos sparked widespread protests in Bulgaria, and prompted the government to propose emergency legislation. Set up in 2023 in response to pro-Kremlin disinformation flooding Bulgaria, the group first zeroed in on the key players involved in the campaigns. 'There were about 10 of us in a chat group, we refined the concept, then put out a call for volunteers,' Petkov told AFP about the group's founding. They have grown significantly since and include experts in cybersecurity, social engineering and databases. 'We are not hackers, we are researchers,' said Petkov, 37, who moved from central Bulgaria to Kyiv shortly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Dedicated to activism, the Elves try to fight the deluge of disinformation by disseminating 'counter-propaganda that makes people think,' he said. 'We noticed that a (disinfo) narrative... takes some time to reach people. Our idea was to flood the space with humor and irony before the propaganda takes hold,' said Petkov. Recently, they launched a viral meme campaign targeting the main false claims about Bulgaria's accession to the eurozone, distributing the content through profiles embedded within major disinformation networks. In March, BG Elves supported a Romanian journalist in an investigation that exposed a Russia-linked disinformation and propaganda network funded through online advertising. In the wake of the recent arrests, Bulgaria proposed a bill in parliament, which allows for higher prison terms of up to 10 years for torturing animals. Nearly 300 people have been convicted of such offenses in the last five years, but few end up in prison. Petya Altimirska, president of the animal welfare association CAAI, who had reached out to the Elves for help in the abuse case, has since received numerous reports of 'even more serious' cases, adding that the cyber sleuths are already 'on it.' While the group was praised for exposing the animal abuse, it has also faced criticism and numerous threats for its provocative approach and alleged political bias.
BreakingNews.ie
2 days ago
- Business
- BreakingNews.ie
Bulgarian nationalists protest over government plans to adopt euro currency
Thousands of Bulgarians have taken to the streets of the capital Sofia and other major cities to protest against government plans to adopt the euro and to demand a referendum on the new currency. The protesters, led by civic groups and nationalist parties, sang patriotic songs and shouted slogans like 'Freedom for the Bulgarian lev' and 'The future belongs to sovereign states'. Advertisement The anti-euro rally came four days before the Balkan country is expected to receive the green light from Brussels to enter the eurozone. Demonstrators in Sofia carried flags of the pro-Russian Vazrazhdane party and a huge banner that read 'The battle for the Bulgarian lev is the last battle for Bulgaria'. A protester holding a Russian flag (Valentina Petrova/AP) An increased police presence kept the protest peaceful. Bulgaria joined the European Union in 2007 and remains one of its poorest members, plagued by years of instability which has fuelled Euroscepticism among its 6.4 million citizens. Advertisement Disinformation campaigns from home and abroad have added fears of economic changes that could bring more poverty. President Rumen Radev encouraged the anti-euro voices by proposing earlier this month a referendum on the currency, citing public concerns over inflation and purchasing power. The proposal was turned down by the pro-European majority in parliament, which accused him of acting in favour of Moscow with his last-minute attempt to sabotage the euro adoption, which is aimed at deepening European integration amid growing geopolitical tensions.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Bulgarian nationalists protest over government plans to adopt euro currency
Thousands of Bulgarians have taken to the streets of the capital Sofia and other major cities to protest against government plans to adopt the euro and to demand a referendum on the new currency. The protesters, led by civic groups and nationalist parties, sang patriotic songs and shouted slogans like 'Freedom for the Bulgarian lev' and 'The future belongs to sovereign states'. The anti-euro rally came four days before the Balkan country is expected to receive the green light from Brussels to enter the eurozone. Demonstrators in Sofia carried flags of the pro-Russian Vazrazhdane party and a huge banner that read 'The battle for the Bulgarian lev is the last battle for Bulgaria'. An increased police presence kept the protest peaceful. Bulgaria joined the European Union in 2007 and remains one of its poorest members, plagued by years of instability which has fuelled Euroscepticism among its 6.4 million citizens. Disinformation campaigns from home and abroad have added fears of economic changes that could bring more poverty. President Rumen Radev encouraged the anti-euro voices by proposing earlier this month a referendum on the currency, citing public concerns over inflation and purchasing power. The proposal was turned down by the pro-European majority in parliament, which accused him of acting in favour of Moscow with his last-minute attempt to sabotage the euro adoption, which is aimed at deepening European integration amid growing geopolitical tensions.
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Business
- Washington Post
Bulgarian nationalists protest government plans to adopt the euro currency
SOFIA, Bulgaria — Thousands of flag-waving Bulgarians took to the streets of the capital, Sofia, and other major cities on Saturday to protest government plans to adopt the euro and to demand a referendum on the new currency. The protesters, led by civic groups and nationalist parties, sang patriotic songs and shouted slogans like 'Freedom for the Bulgarian lev' and 'The future belongs to sovereign states.' The anti-euro rally came four days before the Balkan country is expected to receive green light from Brussels to enter the eurozone. The demonstrators in Sofia carried flags of the pro-Russian Vazrazhdane party and a huge banner that read 'The battle for the Bulgarian lev is the last battle for Bulgaria.' An increased police presence kept the protest peaceful. Bulgaria joined the European Union in 2007 and remains of its poorest members, plagued by years of instability that has fueled euroscepticism among its 6.4 million citizens. Disinformation campaigns from home and abroad have added fears of economic changes that could bring more poverty. President Rumen Radev encouraged the anti-euro voices by proposing earlier this month a referendum on the currency, citing public concerns over inflation and purchasing power. The proposal was turned down by the pro-European majority in parliament, which accused Radev of acting in favor of Moscow with his last-minute attempt to sabotage the euro adoption, aimed at deepening European integration amid growing geopolitical tensions.
