Mon, May 21 2012
Home to 25000 students, Sofia's Studentski Grad, or Student Town, really only comes alive when the school day is through. At night, music pulsates from underground clubs hidden in vacant lots and in the basements of Soviet-era dorms, according to the New York Times.
Since Bulgaria's admission to the EU in January 2007, low housing costs, lenient zoning rules and young residents have fostered a thriving club and bar scene in this academic zone on the southernmost edge of the city.
Fans of chalga a kind of Balkan disco flock to Avenue, located at 1A Atanas Manchev Street..
True to its name, Stroezha, on Block 23B, looks like a construction site, complete with scaffolding, broken windows, and sawhorses. Although crowds may come for the Bulgarian Zagorka beer and loud alt-rock, they stay for a turn at the Pamela Anderson pinball machine.
Maskata, on Block 19, is a cavernous venue for live music on the ground floor of a student dormitory. While rock bands jam most weekends, students take over the stage on Mondays for karaoke nights that last till 5 a.m.
Restaurants in Studentski Grad are also experiencing a boom. New sit-down restaurants offer an alternative to the traditional student fare of pizza and kebabs. Borimechkata, on Block 24, is an atmospheric Greek tavern with hanging vines and an open grill.
More than 30 "illegal ventures" in Studentski Grad have been ordered to close and are pending demolition after the latest investigation from the Sofia Directorate for Construction Control. Discussions for the renovation of the campus will be initiated on April 15-20
The global food import bill in 2012 could decline to $1.24 trillion, down slightly from last year’s record of $1.29 trillion.
Boevski has been under arrest in Brazil since October, when he was arrested at Sao Paulo's international airport with nine kg of cocaine in his luggage.
Whereas foreign media ownership is perceived as advantageous for media outlets and journalists, Bulgarian owners are perceived as investors with short-term vision who strive for immediate profits.
Killing spree in Norway in July 2011 and the arrests of individuals in a number of EU member states for the preparation of terrorist attacks, are proof of the continuing need for vigilance, Europol says.
In her message to mark the Day, Bulgaria's Bokova said that books are 'valuable tools' for knowledge-sharing, mutual understanding and openness to others and to the world.