International relations

Bulgaria's daily deals websites recorded a 20% increase in transactions in 2013, according to data provided by the three major local e-commerce sites.

There is a 50% increase in credit card payments, although Easypay remains the preferred method of payment.

NATO terminates its practical cooperation with Russia, because of the tensions in Ukraine. 

According to NATO's Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, quoted by the Russian wire agency ITAR-TASS, currently NATO is reconsidering its cooperation with Russia. 

By Antonis Galanopoulos, Marcus Bensasson & Nikos Chrysoloras

Greece will probably sell bonds for the first time in four years before May as the nation seeks to rebuild its finances following an international bailout, Infrastructure Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis said.

Agriculture Minister Dimitar Grekov has promoted the export potential of the local agriculture sector to Japan's Ambassador to Bulgaria Takashi Koizumi.

At a Monday meeting with Koizumi, Grekov claimed that agriculture was the most stable sector of the Bulgarian economy, stressing that Bulgarian products were popular on the Japanese market.

Halfway through his war crimes trial at the Hague Tribunal, former Bosnian Serb military leader Ratko Mladic’s defence asked the court to drop all the charges against him.

Greece has scored poorly in the European Justice scorecard, which measures the efficiency, quality and independence of justice and was published on Monday.

According to the report, which used 2012 data, found that the Greek justice system’s performance had worsened.

Bulgaria’s former Foreign Minister Solomon Passy believes Crimea’s accession into the Russian Federation is part of President Vladimir Putin’s expansionist policy.

SYRIZA has accused the government of trying to “fool” voters ahead of May’s local and European Parliament elections by aiming to make a return to the markets.

The government has indicated it wants to start issuing sovereign bonds against this year, although this idea has met with the troika’s skepticism.

Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras has refused to commit on the question of whether Greece and the troika will conclude their talks on Monday after lengthy discussions over the weekend.

“I don’t know [if talks will conclude today],” said Stournaras after he left talks with Prime Minister Antonis Samaras at lunchtime on Monday.

Bulgaria will implement a broadband network project worth BGN 39.1M by September 2014, Transport Minister Danai Papazov pledged.

Once the infrastructure is ready, the current internet speed will increase from 30 mb/s to 100mb/s, Standart News reports.