Bulgaria

Famed actor and Nobu Hospitality co-founder Robert De Niro is to open two Nobu-branded luxury hotels in Bulgaria, one in Sofia in the city center and the other in Varna on the Black Sea coast

Bulgarians over 65 currently make up 23,5% of the country's population; they are expected to rise to 27,6% by 2034 and 31% by the end of 2060, according to data on the share of people of retirement age published by the National Institute of Statistics

Over €295 million will be invested by the country in the so-called "Vertical Corridor," a key initiative among gas transmission operators from seven Balkan countries to reduce dependence on Russian gas

Human Rights Watch urged the country not to deport Saudi activist Abdulrahman al-Khalid, as deportation would expose him to the risk of torture

At Bulgaria Open 2024 international taekwondo tournament, the Bulgarian team scored a total of 750 points, winning the first place and the cup; more than 450 participants took part in the competition, making the tournament the largest in Europe this year

Balkan Climbing, the largest climbing gym in the Balkans, was inaugurated in Sofia at an official ceremony attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel

An atlas of immovable cultural heritage in Bulgaria is now available on the website of the National Institute for Immovable Cultural Heritage and includes all Bulgarian sites on the World Heritage List and the Register of Archaeological Reserves

A memorial ceremony was held on board the Bulgarian naval research and survey ship Sv. Sv. Kiril i Metodii (RSV 421) for the Argentinian researchers who lost their lives in Antarctica in 1976

The construction of two crucial motorways is about to begin; they will connect the city of Varna to Durankulak, in north-east Bulgaria, and to Silistra, on the Danube

Following the traditional Christmas campaign of the Agriculture and Food Ministry for the purchase of Christmas trees, 62.000 saplings will be planted in Bulgarian forests

The disassembled bronze figures of the Soviet Army Monument were transported to the storage site and a technical specification for the restoration of the figures was also initiated, said the Sofia Regional Administration

A petition to maintain the national holiday of the Republic of Bulgaria on 3 March received over 10.000 signatures in support of holding a referendum