Five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor, who faced the death penalty in Libya until last week, were pardoned by Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov on Tuesday (July 24th), less than an hour after they landed in Sofia.

As Sunday’s (July 22nd) elections ended with a landslide victory for Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP), reaction from the international community was positive.

Egypt’s official religious adviser has ruled that Muslims are free to change their faith as it is a matter between an individual and God, in a move which could have far-reaching implications for the country’s Christians.