A hundred flickering candles and mountains of flowers block the entrance to Varna's city hall, surrounding a picture of a smiling young man with long hair who has become a symbol of anti-corruption protests that have swept Bulgaria.

Plamen Goranov, a 36-year-old amateur photographer and avid rock climber whose name came from the Bulgarian word for "flame", died Sunday after setting himself on fire in the country's first self-immolation in decades.

Saudi tycoon Prince Alwalid bin Talal has severed his ties with Forbes magazine's annual billionaires' list, which he accused of undervaluing his fortune, his office said Tuesday.

In its 2013 list published on Monday, Forbes ranked Alwalid 26th in the world with a fortune it estimated at $20 billion (15.4 billion euros).

March 4th, Beirut:

Lebanon, a country that suffered the indignity of being ranked ‘worst internet speed in the world’ in 2011, has spent the past year focusing its energy on digital initiatives that aim to transform the nation into a vibrant technological hub for businesses in the Middle East. Through the efforts of some of the country’s biggest companies and digital advocates, Lebanon is gradually emerging as a thriving capital for young entrepreneurs, innovators and creative professionals in the region.

Standard Chartered on Tuesday said its net profit was flat in 2012, even after the British lender was hit by huge fines for violating U.S. sanctions on Iran and other countries.

Net profit came in at U.S.$4.79 billion, compared to $4.75 billion in 2011, the London-based, Asia-focused lender said in a filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange. Pre-tax profit rose one percent to $6.9 billion.

The recession ravaging Spain's economy has not held back Amancio Ortega, a railwayman's son from Galicia, who has just leaped to third place in Forbes magazine's listing of the richest people in the world.

From his workshop in the rugged northwestern region of Galicia, Ortega has conquered the world with his Inditex retail empire and its flagship Zara brand.

Australia's central bank kept interest rates steady at 3.00 percent Tuesday, saying downside risks in the global economy appeared to have eased while there were signs previous cuts were working.

At its monthly meeting in Sydney, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) decided to keep its cash rate where it has been since December, an historic low last reached in 2009 in the wake of the global financial crisis.

Registered unemployment in Spain surpassed five million for the first time in February, government data showed Monday, as the euro zone's fourth-largest economy contracted and the government imposed steep spending cuts.

The number of people registering for unemployment benefits rose 59,444 or 1.19 percent from the previous month to 5,040,222 as companies in all areas of the economy continued to lay off staff, the labor ministry said in a statement.

Uncertainty about the outcome of a budget battle in Washington pushed world stock markets lower on Monday. Chinese shares dived amid moves to cool high housing prices.

President Barack Obama and his political opponents have failed so far to agree on a way to roll back automatic spending cuts that took effect Friday. Those cuts slash $85 billion from the nation's budget, which could slow down the economy.

Sony on Monday announced plans to sell its entire holding in social networking firm DeNA, as the Japanese electronics giant offloads assets to help repair its tattered balance sheet.

The company said it would log a gain of about 40.9 billion yen ($437 million) from the sale to Japan's top brokerage house Nomura Holdings. It did not immediately disclose the sale price.

Spanish airline Iberia says some 1,300 flights will be canceled this week as workers begin a second round of strikes to protest the loss-making company's plans to lay off almost a fifth of its workforce.

The government has ordered a minimum amount of services should remain, meaning 85 percent of long-haul flights, 62 percent of medium-haul and 47 percent of domestic flights are guaranteed.