As the blockade of Greece's border with Bulgaria wore on, causing millions of euro in losses for road transport companies, a new threat emerged that dairy farmers from Romania, Bulgaria and Macedonia would start a similar blockade. In its issue published on January 30 2009, The Sofia Echo has full details.

In separate reports, the newspaper this week tracks two controversies involving the Interior Ministry - one about a series of deaths in police custody recently, the other about a row over the law on official monitoring of online and mobile phone private communications.

The Russian-Ukrainian natural gas dispute may be over, for now, but countries in Central and South Eastern Europe are looking at various options to lessen the effects should they again find themselves deprived of vital gas supplies. The Sofia Echo has a detailed report on the alternatives being explored.

In the business section, the paper has a comprehensive account of discussions at the Euromoney Central and Eastern European Forum, held on January 21 in Vienna.

Against the background of the European Commission's latest discussion on the alleged perils to hearing of personal music players, The Sofia Echo takes a look at some other everyday items of technology with an update on the supposed hazards or otherwise of everything from computer monitors to mobile phones to air conditioners and microwave ovens.

The newspaper offers its regular listings of what's on, as well as film and restaurant reviews, social pages and sport, and as an added bonus, the January 30 issue of The Sofia Echo includes our full-colour magazine, Month 2 Come February 2008.

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