Politics

Bulgaria's tobacco growers will receive their money for the 2013 harvest by the end of April, the government has promised.

Former Ukrainian heavyweight boxer and current politician Vitali Klitschko will run for mayor of Kiev instead of president.

At the end of February, Klitschko announced that he would compete for the country's top post at the May 25 elections, however he has now changed his plans, according to Interfax agency.

The government's battle to see the measures agreed with its creditors clear Parliament had its first casualty as Alternate Agricutlural Development Minister Maximos Harakopoulos announced post on Saturday afternoon he has tendered his resignation from his post.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Barack Obama have discussed the situation in Ukraine over an hour-long phone call.

The phone call was made by Putin, during Obama's visit to Saudi Arabia on Friday, the BBC reveals.

BELGRADE – The Kosovo parliament declared the independence of Kosovo from Serbia in a legitimate democratic process under UN administration, after all other options were exhausted, the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade said Friday in a comment on a recent statement by U.S. President Barack Obama that an independence referendum took place in Kosovo in 2008.

MOSCOW - The authorities in Moscow are astonished by U.S. President Barack Obama’s claim that the decision to declare Kosovo independence was taken in a referendum held with the approval of the United Nations and neighboring countries.

People line up outside a pharmacy in central Athens that was on duty on Friday. Pharmacists have been on strike for several days and have vowed to continue their action unless the government withdraws a provision for the deregulation of the over-the-counter drug market.

Konstantina Kouneva, a former labor union activist from Bulgaria and the victim of a notorious 2008 acid attack, will run in the coming European Parliament elections on main leftist opposition SYRIZA’s ticket, it emerged Friday.

The legal status of religious communities, the role of religion in society, and ecumenical collaboration were at the focus of talks between Greek President Karolos Papoulias and Pope Francis at the Vatican on Friday.

New Democracy accused main leftist opposition SYRIZA’s youth wing of “heralding disturbances” by issuing a call for young Greeks to voice their disapproval of the government on Tuesday, when European Union finance ministers will be in Athens for the Ecofin meeting.