New financial leasing contracts in Bulgaria continued to dwindle in the final quarter of the year, totalling 936 million leva, down 15% from the three months before, showed central bank data. As the financial meltdown began to make its way into the Bulgarian economy, the sector started to lose momentum …

KABUL (AFP) –  British Foreign Secretary David Miliband on Wednesday applauded the deployment of 17,000 extra US troops to Afghanistan, but said his country had no plans to follow suit. Britain’s commitment to Afghanistan remained strong, despite the cost in cash and soldiers’ lives, the visiting Miliband told a news …

ASHINGTON (AFP) – President Barack Obama approved the deployment of 17,000 more US troops to Afghanistan, a surge in numbers promptly welcomed by the Kabul government Wednesday as it battles a Taliban insurgency. Stressing that “the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan demands urgent attention and swift action,” President Obama ordered …