Blagoevgrad

On 4th of October, anti-mafia teams entered the Hematological Hospital "John Paul" in Sofia and "St. Mina" in Blagoevgrad because of suspicion for abuse of medicines for treatmenet of cancer patients. Investigators checked how many sick people were admiitted to the hopitals, how many medicines were administered for the day and how many were actually used.

Kyustendil. The Mountain Rescue Service (MRS) teams have carried out a rescue operation in search of a lost hiker in the area of Rila Monastery, the MRS told Focus News Agency. Last night, at around 8:00pm, the MRS received a call from a hiker who got lost and was unable to find his way out. He was not properly equipped and was at risk of exposure.

METRO Bulgaria is giving a second chance to imperfect fruits and vegetables that do not meet cosmetic standards for size, color and shape, but are delicious and perfectly safe.

More than 10 employees of the Executive Agency "Automobile Administration" in the city of Blagoevgrad were arrested in an anticorruption operation carried out by the Specialised Prosecutior's Office and the chief directorate for combatting organized crime on 24th of April.

A new influenza virus was detected in Bulgaria. Yesterday, the National Reference Laboratory at the National Center for Infectious and Parasitic Diseases has demonstrated in four samples from the Sliven region a new strain of group B virus - "Victoria". Of the 300 samples tested, there were 100 positive results, indicating an epidemic spread.

Dangerously dirty air has been reported across the country since the beginning of the year, with the most serious situation in the capital.

The European air quality index shows high levels of pollution in Sofia, Pleven and Russe. The cities of Plovdiv, Blagoevgrad, Kardzhali, Varna, Bourgas, Veliko Tarnovo and Sliven are also highly polluted.

Archaeologists have discovered the ruins of a large town from the time of the Roman Empire hypothesizing that it might be the Ancient Thracian and Roman settlement of Scaptopara, the predecessor of today's city of Blagoevgrad in Southwest Bulgaria, whose name is known from a stone inscription of a petition by the locals to Roman Emperor Gordian III.

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On the World Tourism Day - September 27, according to the National Statistical Institute data, it became clear that Bulgarians have made 1 640 559 trips abroad in 2016, reported BGNES.

However, the number of trips was 5.8% less than in 2008.

Intensified police checks are being carried out across Europe on 21st of September - the European Day without a Road Death.

A large-scale operation is organized by the Trafic Police in South-West Bulgarian city of Blagoevgrad. Larger number of traffic police teams will patrol on Struma motorway, main road E-79 and the villages and towns in Blagoevgrad district.

Bulgaria has started work on a 12.6km section of ''Struma'' motorway between the southwestern towns of Blagoevgrad and Krupnik.

A consortium led by Bulgarian construction company Agromah is building the section under a contract worth just over EUR 71 million, according to the regional development ministry.

Work is scheduled to end in August 2019.