Bulgarian Interior Ministry

In the past six months, the number of refugees and migrants in Bulgaria has decreased significantly, according to Interior Ministry figures cited by the Independent Balkan News Agency.

By May 18 2017, there were 3128 people from foreign countries seeking protection in Bulgaria, the official statistics said.

Movement of vehicles has been restored after protesting Greek farmers have managed to seal off European route E-79 for another time, the Bulgarian Interior Ministry says.

The traffic disruption has occurred near the Promachonas-Kulata crossing, at the Greek-Bulgarian border.

Greece has halted trucks entering via two border crossings from going on in direction to several key cities over severe weather conditions.

The restriction is in force as of 10:00 local time (EET) on Thursday for Ilinden-Exochi and Kulata-Promachonas border crossing points, the Bulgarian Interior Ministry says.

Around 400 refugees have been detained for vandalism during a mass riot that took place in the refugee reception centre in the town of Harmanli in southeastern Bulgaria on Thursday, the Bulgarian Interior Ministry said on Friday.

A French national supposely linked to jihadist groups has been detained on the Bulgarian-Serbian border, media report.

Bulgaria and the United States have signed an agreement that will allow the exchange of dactyloscopic (fingerprints) data and DNA profiles in an effort to boost cooperation in fighting crime, the Bulgarian Interior Ministry has said.

The Bulgarian Interior Ministry has confirmed that a man was arrested on Tuesday evening as a demonstration was ongoing against proposed amendments to the Electoral Code.

The protest took place in front of Parliament, as MPs were holding a marathon session to vote on controversial changes to election rules which went into the small hours of Wednesday.  

Police are still negotiating with Petar Kodzheykov, a retired police officer who barricaded himself at his home on Saturday evening with his wife, Bulgarian Interior Ministry officials say.

On Sunday morning the man fired shots at a police officer who was trying to convince him to leave the building. 

The Bulgarian Interior Ministry has said that, as of 10:30 local time, the Kulata-Promachonas border crossing between Bulgaria and Greece is open to all traffic.

No information is available about the other major checkpoint at the Bulgarian-Greece border, Ilinden-Exochi, where movement of transit trucks has been restricted since 22:00 on Saturday.

The Bulgarian Interior Ministry has said a specialized police operation resulted in the discovery of a state-of-the-art cannabis hothouse in a village near Dobrich, northeastern Bulgaria.

In a derelict house, the police team saw the hothouse and facilities taking four rooms and equipped with special technology that regulates conditions and helps the 210 cannabis plants to grow.