United Kingdom

There's a new idea that might be the solution to runaway populism. Well, it's not that new, really - it has been kicking around in left-wing circles for a least a quarter-century - but it has suddenly gone mainstream. It's called Universal Basic Income (UBI), and pilot programmes to see if it really works in practice are being launched this year in four different countries.

"If you are going to be hanged, be hanged with an English rope," is a famous Turkish saying. Anything that has the act of hanging cannot really imply something positive, but this saying has a positive connotation in reference to the British. 

By contrast, you can also very often hear many Turks utter the expression "Don't descend the well with an English rope."

Representatives of the pharmaceutical industry have appealed to the Health Ministry not to proceed with legislation that they say will limit access to new therapies.

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence assured the European Union in Brussels on Feb. 20 that the Trump administration will develop their cooperation in trade and security and backs the EU as a partner in its own right.

A Montenegrin prosecutor said on Feb. 19 that some "Russian state bodies" were involved in a coup attempt during October's election last year, with the aim of stopping the Balkan country from joining NATO.

Kraft Heinz Co's rapid retreat from its surprise $143 billion bid for Unilever  in the face of stiff resistance from the company and politicians sent shares in the Anglo-Dutch group 8 percent lower on Feb. 20.

The glitz and glamour of last week's World Tourism Forum in Istanbul masked industry pundits' angst over the declining security confidence among would-be travelers. Given the global terror threat, reversing the industry's fortunes won't be easy for industry or governments.

A leading conservative newspaper in Britain on Sunday said it had obtained exclusive information from the top levels of the UK government that Russian intelligence was behind a plot to kill the then Montenegrin Prime Minister on election day and derail the country's accession to NATO as its 29th member.

Readers of Bulgaria's largest English-language news website Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) only have untul Monday to select the "Personalities in the News" for 2016.

Don't miss the opportunity to make your voice heard about the individuals who made the Bulgaria-related news headlines over the past year by choosing the personalities in politics, business and diplomacy.

Facebook Inc Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg laid out a vision on Feb. 16 of his company serving as a bulwark against rising isolationism, writing in a letter to users that the company's platform could be the "social infrastructure" for the globe.