Tens of thousands of people marched in roughly 40 cities across Bulgaria on Feb. 24 to protest high utility bills and new voting rules, Reuters reported.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez met with his Cabinet for five hours Feb. 22 at a military hospital in Caracas, Vice President Nicolas Maduro said Feb. 23, Bloomberg reported, citing Venezuelan state television.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov offered to resign Feb. 20 after protests against the government, Bloomberg reported.

India's 11 registered trade unions will go on a two-day strike beginning overnight Feb. 19 in protest of the ruling party's policies, including price increases and poor implementation of labor laws, the Indian news channel Zee News reported.

The Bulgarian government fired Finance Minister Simeon Djankov on Feb. 18 amid widespread protests over high electricity bills, Reuters reported.

Tens of thousands of people protested across more than 20 cities in Bulgaria against high electricity bills Feb. 17, Reuters reported.

The German economy contracted by 0.6 percent and France's economy shrunk by 0.3 percent in the last three months of 2012, the BBC reported Feb. 14, citing official figures.

The Egyptian government will delay by three months a rationing of fuel subsidies initially set to take effect in April as part of austerity measures needed to secure a $4.8 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund, Egyptian Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Osama Kamal said Feb. 12, Reuters reported.

Pakistan's Cabinet has approved the $1.5 billion Iran-Pakistan natural gas pipeline, and talks between Islamabad and Tehran are starting Feb. 11, Pakistani newspaper The News reported.