Tsarigradsko shose

Sofia's downtown area is being subjected to a blockade for most of the weekend ahead of a concert staged by talkshow host Slavi Trifonov.

The unprecedented security measures have sparked controversy as the concert is part of Slavi Trifonov's campaigning for his referendum on several political issues.

Three skyscrapers will be built in Sofia over the next few years.

The three buildings will be located on Tsarigradsko Shose Blvd, near Pirogov Hospital and near Paradise Mall.

The National Association of Bus Transport in Bulgaria informs that coach companies will stage a protest bus procession in Sofia and Varna on Tuesday.

Between 100 and 150 buses are expected to take part in the procession, while other sources claim that around 200 coaches will participate in the protest.

Twelve illegal migrants were detained in the Bulgarian capital on Thursday after a short car pursuit with the police.

Police officers ordered the driver of a minibus traveling on the Tsarigradsko Shose boulevard to stop for a check.

The US Embassy says it has received information of a "possible threat against an unspecified bus line or bus lines" in Bulgaria's capital Sofia.

It has advised US citizens to avoid the area of what has been known for years as Hotel Pliska (Boulevard Tsarigradsko Shose 87).

More than 200 000 vehicles are expected to leave the Bulgarian capital on Wednesday as people embark on trips for the long weekend.

The long weekend will last from Thursday when Bulgaria celebrates its national holiday (Liberation Day) until Sunday.

Intensive traffic is expected on Wednesday afternoon, especially towards the seaside and the winter resorts.

An armed robbery of a security van took place in one of the malls in the Bulgarian capital on Monday morning.

According to media reports, four masked men armed with assault rifles attacked a security van in the underground car pak of the mall located on Tsarigradsko shose boulevard.

Traffic police estimates that more than 200 000 vehicles will leave the Bulgarian capital of Sofia on Wednesday and Thursday as the great travel for the forthcoming holidays begins.

Bulgaria's President Rosen Plevneliev and Prime Minister Boyko Borisov have officially opened Sofia Tech Park, a project that has long-been described as a key step toward a knowledge-based economy.

Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Donchev identified the most perspective sectors of the Bulgarian economy during his visit to Sofia Tech Park on Thursday.

Donchev reminded that a strategy on smart specialisation had identified the most perspective sectors for the country as being the information technologies (IT), bio-technologies, pharmacy, machine construction and electronics.