Member states of the European Union

Hundreds are now feared dead after another boat, said to be carrying out between 500 and 700 migrants, overturned off Libya.

The incident occurred some 200 km south of the Italian island of Lampedusa, according to Italian coastguard officials quoted by the BBC.  

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras stressed that Greece and Cyprus constitute a zone of stability in a volatile region during a joint media conference on Friday with visiting Cypriot President Nikos Anaastasiades.

The Wall Street Journal's article titled "Europe Slow to Adopt New Accounting Standard Despite Greek Crisis" states that, despite not having achieved much in its first two months, the Greek government did succeed in establishing a parliamentary inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the country's bankruptcy.

By Donal Griffin

William Hill Plc, the biggest U.K. bookmaker, suspended betting on Greece leaving the euro region this year as a standoff continues between the country?s creditors and government.

Bulgarian authorities have thwarted an attempt by a Romanian woman to smuggle about half a kilogramme of heroin through Kapitan Andreevo crossing at the border with Turkey.

Bulgaria's Tourism Minister Nikolina Angelkova boasted about a successful 2014/2015 winter season (December-February), stressing that the period had brought growth of over 9%, with the number of tourists increasing by nearly 80 000.

In an interview for Trud daily, Angelkova made clear that tourism revenues had increased by BGN 34 M during the past winter season.

Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev is visiting Croatia to meet with counterpart Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic.

Opportunities to build a regional energy market and to boost diversification in Southeast Europe will be among the main topics of discussion, the President's press office has said.

By Madeline Chambers

Eurozone officials were shocked at Greece's failure to outline plans for structural reforms at last week's talks in Brussels, a German newspaper on Saturday cited participants as saying, adding the Greek representative behaved like a "taxi driver".

Additional Eurozone assistance to indebted Greece is dependent on Athens improving the state of its finances, German central bank executive Andreas Dombret said in Johannesburg on Friday.

By Nikos Konstandaras