Bulgaria

Bulgaria: “Russian Road Roulette” Plagues Sofia Streets

Date: October 29th, 2009 |

Being on the streets after midnight in the northern districts of Sofia is dangerous, whether on foot or in a vehicle, because of a new “game” called Russian Road Roulette played by a gang of about 50 drivers. They gather nightly to place bets on who can drive successfully at top speed through red lights [read more]

Bulgaria: Sofia Nightclubs Targeted in Bombings

Date: February 26th, 2009 |

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Two luxury nightclubs in the heart of Sofia were the targets of bombings within a week, with the second bomb failing to detonate and being defused by police. The manager of the Planet nightclub on Oborishte Street discovered the unexploded bomb outside the club on the morning of Feb. 24 and alerted police. On Feb. [read more]

Balkan Region: UN Report Calls Balkans One of Europe’s Safest Places

Date: June 4th, 2008 |

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According to a UN report, the Balkan region is now one of the safest in Europe. The report found that this region that was wracked by violence and war in the 1990s now has lower rates of homicide, robbery and rape than Western Europe. Of the nine countries in the study—Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, [read more]

Bulgaria: Tourism Up, but Roads in Poor Condition

Date: October 3rd, 2006 |

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Bulgaria’s tourism numbers have increased significantly in the past five years, but the country does not have a road system to support it. With only about 220 miles of four-lane highways, many mountain roads with few tunnels, potholes everywhere and heavy transport crossing the country, getting around as a tourist is challenging. But plans are [read more]

Central Europe: Floods

Date: August 23rd, 2005 |

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Three days of torrential rain caused extensive flooding in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Romania and Bulgaria. In Switzerland, rail service through the Alps to Italy was shut down and many major roads were closed. Several villages, including the resort town of Grindelwald, were cut off and floods threatened parts of Interlaken and Bern, the [read more]

Bulgaria: Sofia’s Taxi Drivers Can Charge Any Fare They Wish

Date: October 14th, 2009 |

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Drivers of taxis without meters in Sofia can charge any fare they wish so long as it is within the rates posted on a sticker on the passenger side windshield. This creates many opportunities for overcharging, as well as an incentive to use only taxis with meters. A legitimate taxi company, O.K. Taxi, has many [read more]

Bulgaria: Stay Out of Strip Joints

Date: October 1st, 2008 |

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The U.S. Embassy in Sofia warned that “Gentlemen’s Clubs,” also known as strip joints, have become the scene of turf wars between rival criminal gangs and should be avoided. In August and September, two bombings and a shooting occurred in these clubs and several people were seriously injured. Such violence also occasionally spills over into [read more]

Bulgaria: Fog Disrupts Sofia Flights

Date: December 13th, 2006 |

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Persistent fog in Sofia has caused cancellation of scores of flights since the beginning of December. Fog is normal at this time of year, but increased industrial pollution around the city has added to the problem, which could continue off and on int [read more]

Bulgaria: Security Tight for NATO Summit

Date: April 18th, 2006 |

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Security will be tightened throughout Sofia for a NATO summit April 27-28. Checkpoints and street closures may occur in the heart of the city and around the National Palace of Culture, where the meeting will be held. A nationalist political party plans to protest the U.S. military presence in the country during the [read more]

Bulgaria

Date: November 24th, 2003 |

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Citing sources in the special services, the Turkish press has reported that Sofia and Bucharest, Romania may be the next target of al-Qaeda attacks similar to those launched in Istanbul in the past two weeks. Security has reportedly been increased at the synagogue in Sofia and the surrounding area, although the Bulgarian Interior Ministry says [read more]

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