These are some of the top stories in Bulgarian newspapers on December 9 2008. The Sofia Echo has not verified these stories and cannot vouch for their accuracy.


Economy

- Dnevnik daily leads on the latest talks between employers and the state on the fallout from the global economic crisis. The two sides have discussed possible state aid to employers to help them keep staff on board. One scenario was for employers to reduce working time and save money. Another option is for the state to pay 300 leva to employers for each worker they hire who has lost his or her job as a result of the crisis.

- Sega daily leads on upcoming checks planned by the European Commission in Bulgaria relating to the country's ability to allocate European union funding in a transparent way. More probes lie ahead, Sega daily says, noting that the EC was not about to relent on its strict stance towards Bulgaria.

Politics

- Tax authorities are to check properties owned by Ahmed Dogan, leader of the minor ruling coalition partner the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, Standard daily reports. A probe will be launched following media speculation that Dogan owned properties worth millions of euro for which he had no documents.

- Sega, among other dailies, reports on Interior Minister Mihail Mikov's plan to fight corruption by sending text messages to all clients of Bulgaria's mobile operators. Mikov asked mobile operators to send their clients a text message saying "No to corruption" on December 9 2008, the International Anti-corruption day.


Social

- All dailies without exception report on the Bulgarian Motorcycle Federation's desire to host a round of the Formula One championship in the near future. Many newspapers demand to know who will pay for this given the lack of any proper infrastructure and the ongoing financial crisis.

- Standard notes the reluctance of all Greek TV stations to air a film by Bulgarian director Stilian Ivanov called The Truth About Orpheus because it did not portray the ancient character as Greek but as a Thracian. The US company that distributes the film managed to sell it all over Europe but not in Greece, Standard says.