Sofia paralysed by taxi protest

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Hundreds of angry taxi drivers have blocked main roads in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, protesting against the killing of a colleague.

Within minutes, their action brought the traffic in the city to a halt.

Emil Emilov, 51, was found dead with stab wounds in his cab early on Friday. Police suspect that a customer may have carried out the attack.

Correspondents say taxi drivers in Bulgaria are often targets of criminal assaults.

'City is blocked'

Sofia's taxi drivers drove to the parliament building upon hearing of the killing, causing traffic chaos across the capital.

They voiced a number of demands to the lawmakers, threatening to maintain their blockade for days.

"The city is blocked," Sofia mayor Boyko Borisov told Bulgarian national television.

He said the protesters were expressing "dissatisfaction with their everyday life and fear for their own security".

In response, the parliament's speaker called for urgent talks with the protesters, cancelling the parliamentary session, the Associated Press reported.