Sofia

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond is expected in Sofia on Wednesday to discuss both bilateral and EU issues, with security also on the agenda.

Bulgaria has nominated its Magurata Cave to be put on UNESCO's list of world cultural and natural heritage sites.

The cave is famous for its stalactites, stalagmites and stalactones as well as unique drawings on its walls dating back as far as the Stone Age and the Bronze Age.

UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova has been declared Honorary Citizen of Sofia.

Bokova was awarded honorary citizenship at a ceremony at the Sofia Municipality on Monday.

The event was attended by Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova, Deputy Education Minister Boil Banov, and Elen Gerdzhikov, Chair of the Sofia Municipal Council.

European Union energy chief Maros Sefcovic has backed the idea of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov to turn Bulgaria into a gas hub for EU countries.

Britain's Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond will visit Bulgaria on Wednesday for talks on bilateral and European Union issues, the foreign ministry in Sofia said on Monday.

Apart from transporting and distributing gas, Bulgaria could become an exporter of energy resources, the country's Prime Minister Boyko Borisov said after meeting EU officials on Monday.

Borisov held talks in Brussels with EU Commissioner Corina Cre?u, who is in charge of regional development, and the Commission' Vice President for Budget and Human Resources Kristalina Georgieva.

Bulgarian provider of healthcare services City Clinic starts an investment programme, which exceeds BGN 200 M.

This foresees the construction of an oncological hospital in Sofia, extension of the already existing hospital in Sofia with a new building, and the construction of a multi-profile hospital in Varna with over 150 beds, money.bg reports.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov is due to meet EU Commission Vice President Maro? ?ef?ovi? on Monday, the government's press office has said.

The abandoned South Stream gas project, Bulgaria's alternatives to guarantee energy security, and its effort to put forward a gas hub project as a substitute to the scrapped pipeline are to top the two politicians' agenda.

No ideology, cause or religious belief can justify the terrorist act against the Paris headquarters of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo that killed 12 people, Mehmed Yumer, editor-in-chief of Sofia-based weekly newspaper Zaman Bulgaria has said.

The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep has won the 500,000-dollar WTA tournament in Shenzhen (China) on Saturday, after sweeping Timea Bacsinszky (Switzerland), #8 seed, 6-2, 6-2.

Photo: (c) Grigore Popescu / AGERPRES Photo