International relations

Turkey’s Karadeniz Holding, which develops and operates energy-generating ships, has announced the largest of its four ships seized in Pakistan was released after 25 months since the crisis broke out with the Pakistani government.

Vasil Shtonov was appointed as Economy and Energy Minister in Bulgaria's caretaker government unveiled on Tuesday.

Shtonov graduated as bachelor of sciences in electronic engineering and finance at the University of Pennsylvania in 1995.

He graduated as master of sciences in business administration at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1999.

Martin Ivanov has master's degrees in history and law, and a doctoral degree in history from the Bulgarian Academy Of Science (BAS). 

Graphic new video footage from northeastern Nigeria shows the country's military carrying out abuses against civilians as part of their fight against the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram, Amnesty International said Tuesday. The international human rights group also accused the military of killing of more than 600 released prisoners.
     

Daniel Mitov on Tuesday was named foreign affairs minister in Bulgaria's caretaker government.

Born in 1977, he graduated from the Sofia University "Kliment Ohridski'' Mitov has taken part in international exchange programmes of Marshall Memorial Fund and the „Programme des personnalites d’avenir” of the French foreign ministry.

BELGRADE - The economic reform in Serbia is based on controlling budget spending, fighting the grey economy, improving tax collection and cutting costs in public enterprises, Serbia's new Minister of Finance Dusan Vujovic has said.

Following the last session of Bulgaria's 42nd National Assembly late Monday, the metal fences surrounding the building of the Parliament have been taken down.

A particularly warm meeting between Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and European Commission President in-waiting Jean-Claude Juncker in Athens on Monday appeared to result in the two men coming to an understanding about what position Greece’s representative at the European Union executive will hold when the commissioners’ portfolios are handed out next month.

Greece’s Economic Climate Index (ECI) posted a small decline in July, reaching 102.3 points from the six-year high of 103.7 points in June, according to the monthly survey of the Foundation for Economic and Industrial Research (IOBE).

By John O'Donnell & Renee Maltezou

Brussels is considering scrapping the troika that supervises Greek reforms to allow Athens to pursue its own plan to bolster the economy in return for a drip-feed of debt relief, European officials say.