Provinces of Bulgaria

The US company Sensata, which is a leading supplier of sensors and controls, is constructing its second manufacturing plant in Bulgaria.

The mayor of Maritsa municipality Dimitar Ivanov explained that the first stage of the plant will become operational in June and will employ 1500 people, the news website Dnevnik reports.

A Greek company plans to invest in the construction of a tobacco processing factory in the southern Bulgarian municipality of Kirkovo, according to Sali Ramadan, Mayor of Kirkovo.

Hundreds of citizens participated in protests against the suspension of trains and the shortening of railway routes, which the Transport Ministry has been implementing since the beginning of the year.

Despite the promise that no more railway services will be cancelled since February 1, the discontent across Bulgaria continued on Saturday, private bTV station reports.

Bulgarians are celebrating the 120thanniversary of the tourist movement in the country with an ascent of the highest peak of mountain Vitosha - Cherni Vrah on Saturday.

The participants in the second mass ascent "In the footsteps of Aleko" will also mark the 152ndanniversary of writer and founder of the tourist movement in Bulgaria Aleko Konstantinov, Darik radio reports.

Bulgaria's Minister of Tourism Nikolina Angelkova announced on Friday that the division of the country into 9 tourist regions will take place until the end of January.

Angelkova said that the topic will be discussed in detail at the next meeting of the National Tourism Council which will take place next week, electronic daily Dnevnik reports.

Bulgaria has nominated its Magurata Cave to be put on UNESCO's list of world cultural and natural heritage sites.

The cave is famous for its stalactites, stalagmites and stalactones as well as unique drawings on its walls dating back as far as the Stone Age and the Bronze Age.

Bulgaria's Tourism Minister Nikolina Angelkova has predicted a 4-5% growth in tourist numbers on the basis of the good start of the winter season.

According to data from the latest population census, which took place in 2011, slightly over 3 million households live in Bulgaria, the National Statistical Institute (NSI) reports.

The data reveals both a clear absolute and relative increase in the number of single-member households from 662 853 in 2001 to 925 385 in 2011.

A concession agreement to build a ski zone in Bansko passed by the previous elected government in 2013 has been revised by the cabinet, officials say.

A bus carrying children suffered a minor traffic accident on its way down from the Aleko chalet in the Vitosha Mountain to Sofia's Dragalevtsi residential district.

Nobody was injured in the accident.

Slightly after 10 am on Saturday, the bus, which had not been equipped with tire chains, hit a tree, according to the press office of the Interior Ministry.