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Tras 146 años, el país más pobre de la Unión Europea abandona su moneda y adopta el Euro

Después de 146 años con el Lev como su moneda oficial y en medio de una crisis política, Bulgaria, el país más pobre de la Unión Europea (UE), inició el 2026 con una transición para adoptar el Euro como moneda oficial.
La decisión, que afectará a unos 6,3 millones de personas, llega tras la dimisión del Ejecutivo hace tres semanas y es recibida con un Gobierno interino al frente del país, que no tiene presupuesto aprobado y espera celebrar en marzo, por octava vez en cinco años, unas elecciones anticipadas.
La implementación de la nueva divisa contará con un corto período de transición: desde el 1° de enero hasta el 30 de junio, los bancos del país balcánico cambiarán billetes y monedas locales a euros sin cobrar comisión y al tipo de cambio fijo de 1 euro por 1,95583 levas.
Según informó la Asociación de Bancos de Bulgaria, todas las cuentas se convirtieron automáticamente a euros, lo que ocurrió entre las 21.00 horas del miércoles y la 01.00 de este jueves, cuando los sistemas de tarjetas realizaron el cambio técnico del lev al euro.
Además, desde principios de diciembre, las sucursales bancarias ofrecieron kits iniciales con monedas de euro con el diseño nacional búlgaro.
Mientras tanto y durante todo el mes de enero, los ciudadanos del país balcánico podrán seguir utilizando sus antiguos billetes en los comercios y pagar tanto en Levas como en Euros, aunque el cambio sólo se les devolverá en Euros.
La decisión, que llega diecinueve años después de la entrada del país del sureste europeo en la Unión Europea, fue recibida con entusiasmo de una parte de la sociedad, pero también temor ante la posibilidad de que los comercios aprovechen el cambio para aumentar los precios de forma encubierta.
La preocupación alcanzó tales niveles que, en las últimas semanas, se empezaron a formar largas colas ante oficinas privadas de cambio, pese a las pérdidas por la diferencia al comprar la divisa a un tipo de cambio menos favorable que el oficial.
Según explicó a la agencia EFE el propietario de una de estas oficinas en la ciudad de Varna, muchos clientes recurren a sus servicios ya que buscan evitar los bancos para no declarar el origen de sus ahorros en efectivo.
El presidente del país, el prorruso Rumen Radev, había intentado sin éxito someter la entrada del país a la eurozona, a la que se refirió en su mensaje de Año Nuevo como «el último hito en la integración de Bulgaria en la UE».
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Crisis en Bulgaria: así fueron las protestas que precipitaron la caída del Gobierno
En tanto, el gobernador del Banco Nacional de Bulgaria, Dimitar Radev, sostuvo antes de la medianoche de este jueves que el Euro no es solo una moneda, sino «un símbolo de pertenencia» y que asumir la moneda única significa que Bulgaria «no está en la periferia, sino en un espacio de normas comunes, confianza y responsabilidad».
«Estoy convencido de que la eliminación de nuestra moneda nacional debería haberse tomado tras consultar al pueblo, pero los gobernantes no quisieron escuchar a los ciudadanos», enfatizó.
«Porque Bulgaria es Europa. Y Europa es Bulgaria», añadió.
La nueva divisa tuvo una particular presentación en medio de los festejos que se realizaron en la víspera de Año Nuevo, en los que hubo proyecciones con imágenes de los nuevos billetes y monedas sobre la fachada del Banco Nacional de Bulgaria (BNB) en Sofía, la capital del país.
Especialistas locales plantearon que la implementación de la nueva divisa reduce los riesgos cambiarios y los costes de transacción, aunque advierten que el Euro «no es una solución mágica».
El economista Stefan Rumenov sostuvo al respecto que «abre puertas y crea oportunidades, pero las reformas estructurales, el aumento de la productividad y la educación son los factores que aportan beneficios reales» y definió al Euro como «sólo una herramienta».
En tanto, también destacan que las personas de edad avanzada podrían enfrentar inconvenientes para adaptarse, especialmente en zonas rurales y remotas.
Al respecto, hubo preocupación por poblados aislados, como el de Darzhava, en Bulgaria central, en donde viven unas 60 personas, todas jubiladas y no hay cajeros automáticos ni posibilidad de pagar con tarjeta.
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Hours after taking office, NYC Mayor Mamdani targets landlords, moves to intervene in private bankruptcy case

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Sworn in at midnight and again hours later publicly, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani used his first day in office Thursday to hit the ground running with new executive orders targeting city landlords and housing development. And he said the city will take what he called «precedent-setting action» to intervene in a private landlord bankruptcy case he said was tied to 93 buildings.
«Today is the start of a new era for New York City,» Mamdani said. «It is inauguration day. It is also the day that the rent is due.»
Speaking at a Brooklyn apartment building, Mamdani framed the moves as an early test of whether city government will directly confront landlords over housing conditions and step into court cases that could determine whether tenants remain in their homes.
Mamdani said New Yorkers who attended his inauguration were returning to apartments where, he said, «bad landlords do not make repairs,» rents rise and residents deal with issues like cockroaches and a lack of heat.
ZOHRAN MAMDANI WILL BE FIRST MAYOR TO BE SWORN IN ON QURAN DURING NEW YORK CITY INAUGURATION
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announces his first executive orders Thursday. (Fox News/Pool)
The mayor said the new administration «will not wait to deliver action» and «will stand up on behalf of the tenants of this city.»
Mamdani announced three housing-related executive orders, starting with the revival of the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants, which he said will focus on resolving complaints and holding landlords accountable for hazardous conditions.
«We will make sure that 311 violations are resolved,» Mamdani said, adding that the administration will hold «slumlords» accountable for «hazardous and dangerous threats» to tenant well-being.
MAMDANI TAPS CONTROVERSIAL LAWYER WHO DEFENDED AL QAEDA TERRORIST FOR TOP ROLE: ‘POWERFUL ADVOCATE’

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani delivers his inaugural address Thursday outside City Hall. (Fox News/Pool)
Mamdani said the second executive order creates a LIFT task force, or a land-inventory effort designed to leverage city-owned land and accelerate housing development. He said the task force will review city-owned properties and identify sites suitable for housing development no later than July 1.
The third executive order creates a SPEED task force, which Mamdani said stands for Streamlining Procedures to Expedite Equitable Development. He said the task force will work to remove permitting barriers that slow housing construction.
Both task forces will be overseen by Deputy Mayor for Housing and Planning Lila Joseph, he said.
«These are sweeping measures, but it is just the beginning of a comprehensive effort to champion the cause of tenants,» Mamdani said.
FLASHBACK: INSIDE THE POLITICAL MOVEMENT THAT PUT A SOCIALIST IN CHARGE OF NEW YORK CITY

Zohran Mamdani attends the annual 9/11 Commemoration Ceremony Sept. 11, 2025, in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Earlier in the day, Mamdani signed executive order No. 1, which revoked all prior mayoral executive orders under former Mayor Eric Adams issued on or after Sept. 26, 2024, unless they were specifically reissued by Mamdani’s administration.
Mamdani signed a second executive order setting the structure of his administration, including five deputy mayors and their oversight responsibilities.
The mayor made the announcement at 85 Clarkson Ave., a rent-stabilized building he said is owned by Pinnacle Realty, which he described as a «notorious landlord.»
Mamdani said tenants in the building have dealt with issues, including roaches and a lack of heat.
Mamdani said the building is one of 93 properties connect to the same landlord, and the portfolio is in bankruptcy proceedings.
MAMDANI PICKS EDUCATOR WHO WORKED TO DISMANTLE GIFTED & TALENTED PROGRAM AS NYC SCHOOLS CHANCELLOR

New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani raises his right hand during his swearing-in ceremony at Old City Hall Station early Thursday. (Amir Hamja/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The mayor said the buildings will be auctioned to a different landlord he claimed ranks No. 6 on New York City’s worst landlord list, adding the buildings collectively have more than 5,000 open hazardous violations and 14,000 complaints.
«This is an untenable situation,» Mamdani said. «So, today we are announcing that we will be taking action in the bankruptcy case and stepping in to represent the interests of the city and the interests of the tenants.»
Mamdani said he directed his nominee for corporation counsel, Steve Banks, to take what he called «precedent-setting action» in the case.
«We are a creditor and interested party,» Mamdani said, adding that the city is owed money and will fight for «safe and habitable homes» while working to «mitigate the significant risk of displacement» that tenants face.
A tenant speaker at the event described unsafe conditions in Pinnacle buildings and said a section of hardwood floor in the speaker’s mother’s apartment had remained unrepaired for seven years.
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«When they filed for bankruptcy this spring, Pinnacle gambled on making our housing less affordable and our lives more miserable,» the speaker said.
The mayor said the moves mark the start of a more aggressive use of executive power on housing issues, beginning on his first day in office.
Mamdani’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
zohran mamdani,housing,new york city,rental,socialism
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Kim Jong Un appears with daughter at mausoleum, fueling succession speculation

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appeared publicly with his daughter, Ju Ae, during a New Year’s Day visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, a symbolic site honoring the country’s founding leaders.
Images from the state news agency KCNA show Ju Ae standing between her parents in the main hall of the mausoleum, a moment that analysts say has fueled speculation about her future role in the regime.
Ju Ae has been featured more often in state media over the past three years, fueling speculation by analysts and South Korea’s intelligence agency that she may be positioned as a potential successor to Kim Jong Un.
The appearance comes amid a longstanding tradition in North Korea, where Kim visits the mausoleum on key dates and anniversaries to reinforce the legitimacy of the nuclear-armed country’s dynastic heritage.
TRUMP AND KIM JONG UN SHOULD MAKE ‘BOLD DECISION’ TO MEET DURING HIS ASIA TRIP, SOUTH KOREAN OFFICIAL SAYS
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, his wife Ri Sol Ju and their daughter Kim Ju Ae visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun to mark the New Year in Pyongyang, North Korea, Jan. 1. (KCNA via Reuters)
North Korea has never confirmed Ju Ae’s age, and her exact age remains unknown, but she is believed to be around 12 or 13.
After being publicly introduced in North Korea in 2022, Ju Ae made her first public appearance outside of her home country while accompanying her father on a trip to Beijing in September, his first visit to China in years, a move analysts said may signal her role as North Korea’s heir-in-waiting.
Ju Ae’s existence was inadvertently revealed by retired NBA star Dennis Rodman over a decade ago in an interview with The Guardian.
NORTH KOREA FIRES BALLISTIC MISSILE DAYS AFTER HEGSETH WRAPS SOUTH KOREA VISIT

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and daughter Kim Ju Ae attended an event to celebrate the New Year in Pyongyang, North Korea. (KCNA via Reuters)
Rodman told reporters during a 2013 trip to Pyongyang he had «held the baby Ju Ae,» while calling Kim Jong Un a «good dad.»
Parenting expert Kirsty Ketley told Fox News Digital in September that placing Ju Ae in the global spotlight at a young age could have lasting consequences.
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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and daughter Kim Ju Ae attended an event to mark the New Year. (KCNA via Reuters)
«She’s being shaped into a role rather than being supported to figure out who she is as an individual, and that pressure could have a huge impact on her mental health,» she said.
Fox News Digital’s Emma Bussey and Reuters contributed to this report.
north korea,kim jong un,parents
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«Afrontar lo inesperado», la historia del jefe de policía que asumió su cargo una hora antes de la tragedia en Suiza

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