International relations

The most beautiful women in the world live in Romania, Bulgaria, Estonia, Russia, and Colombia, according to a recent survey.

Bulgarian women are among the leaders in the Targetmap.com rating divided into five categories according to female attractiveness with 15 out of 17 points. Central and Western Europeans as well as Americans have been voted less attractive.

Almost half of Bulgarians are pessimistic about the country's development, and only 4.2% of them think that it is headed in the right direction, according to a recent poll.

Greece is set to return on capital markets on Thursday, launching EUR 3 B worth of bonds, the first such action in more than four years.

According to results of initial price talk for the bond sale, the nation may pay between 5 and 5.25 of yield to borrow, but the rate on Thursday morning was as low as 4.95, the website Investor.bg reported.

BELGRADE - President of the New Democratic Party (NDS) Boris Tadic dismissed Thursday the allegations published by certain media that he is a candidate for the United Nations (UN) Secretary General, adding that Serbian former foreign minister Vuk Jeremic is his rival in the matter.

The Bulgarian hotel and restaurant owners at the coast are worried by the shortage of staff this summer, reports Focus agency. 

According to Dimitar Dimitrov, chairperson of the Association of hotel and restaurant owners in the northeastern region, this year there is serious shortage of staff for all positions – from dishwashers to qualified personnel. 

A car bomb exploded in front of the Central Bank building in Greece's capital Athens. Damage was reported on neighboring buildings and shops up to 200 meters away, but no-one was injured, according to Greek newspaper Kathimerini's English website.

The perimeter around the bank was sealed off by police.

"Two former top officials hope to head UN"

BELGRADE -- In addition to Vuk Jeremić, Boris Tadić is also interested in running for the post of the next UN secretary-general, the media in Belgrade are reporting.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski has vowed to intensify bilateral economic ties with Uzbekistan.

Oresharski visited the city of Samarkand on Wednesday at the end of his official visit to Vietnam, according to reports of the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency (BTA).

An armed robbery took place at a gas station in Sofia on Wednesday night. 

According to the police, the assailants were two masked men who threatened the gas station staff and made off with a small sum of money. 

Police sources confirmed that one of the robbers was apprehended while trying to leave the crime scene, but refused to divulge any details. 

"Montenegro has achieved progress in pursuing reforms and standards within the integration processes, particularly in the field of security, rule of law and strengthening of the public support for NATO integration," Biden said on Tuesday after meeting Montenegro's Prime Minister, Milo Djukanovic.