Former Bulgarian king becomes prime minister

The former king of Bulgaria, Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, has been sworn in as the country's prime minister, after parliament voted to approve his nomination.

Simeon is the first ex-king to return to power in Eastern Europe since the collapse of communism 10 years ago.

Parliament later voted to approve his government, which includes two former city mayors from the Socialist party - the former communists.

Most of the new ministers are little-known professionals from Simeon's National Movement, which formed a coalition with the party representing the Turkish minority, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms.

The new cabinet is the first to include ministers from the Turkish party.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service