Sofia

A Thomas Cook flight with 231 holidaymakers on board travelling from Newcastle, England to Dalaman in Turkey had to be diverted to Bulgaria's capital Sofia after an allegedly drunk woman passenger became abusive and disruptive, British media outlets have reported.

Bulgarian Defence Minister Nikolay Nenchev called for urgently devising a concept on counteracting hybrid threats.

Nenchev announced this during the opening of the new academic year at the Georgi Sava Rakovski Military Academy in Sofia on Tuesday.

The minister revealed that he had already raised the issue at the level of NATO defence ministers, Darik radio reports.

The neolithic settlement in the Slatina neighbourhood will become one of the tourist attractions of the Bulgarian capital next year.

This was announced by Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova, Cross news agency reports.

The settlement is 8000 years old and is the oldest in the Sofia valley.

World Bank group experts are to sign with the Bulgarian government on Tuesday a memorandum to assist Sofia in more efficiently absorbing EU funds for the 2014-2020 period.

The number of cyclists in Sofia has gone up by around 140% over the past three years, according to data of the VeloEvolution Association.

The number of people using a bike as a primary means of getting to and from school or work has increased substantially, according to the cyclists network, as cited by the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency.

Bulgarian archaeologists discovered a unique, richly decorated, 1600-year-old mosaic during excavation works in downtown Sofia at the site of the ancient Roman city of Serdica.

The mosaic, which was uncovered below a concrete supporting block under the central Dondukov boulevard, has six colours and is made of natural elements.

The entire tram rail section between the Ruski pametnik (Russian Monument) square and the end of the line on Tsar Boris III Blvd in Knyazhevo neigborhood will be covered by grass, Chief Architect Petar Dikov has said.

Feeling unable to see their future in Greece, many companies move to the country's northern neighbor, Bulgaria, a German daily suggests.

With the Greek economy having hit rock bottom, more than ten thousand businesses have chosen to move in Bulgaria over the past few years, according to Dear Tagesspiegel.

Bulgaria didn't quit the South Stream gas pipeline project, Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova has said.

Petkova is quoted by Focus News Agency as telling reporters that Sofia always perceived South Stream to be "a very important project", but it had to be realized in compliance with European law.

Young Bulgarian writers will be the focus of the third Sunday of the Sofia Breathes annual festival, the event's organizers have said.

Starting 16h on August 16, the downtown Angel Kanchev Street (the section between Solunska Str and Patriarh Evtimiy Blvd) will be closed to traffic.