Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev and Sofia mayor Boiko Borrisov, two of Bulgaria's most important politicians, have been flinging dirt at each other over the Cabinet decision to intervene in the capital city's refuse problems by declaring a "state of crisis" - a move widely seen as a stunt to boost Stanishev's Bulgarian Socialist Party in the 2009 elections.

In other political coverage, The Sofia Echo reports on the woes faced by the fledgling right-wing coalition of the Union of Democratic Forces and Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria, which a court decision based on a technicality could stifle at birth, or at least severely hamstring before election campaigning officially gets underway.

The Sofia Echo's coverage of the region this week includes Alex Bivol's account of the turbulence between Moldova and its neighbour Romania that followed controversy around Moldova's elections saga.

In the business section, the newspaper sets the scene for the forthcoming BalReact conference on the Bulgarian property market in the context of the current financial and economic crisis, and there is coverage of a new banking report on Central and South Eastern Europe.

The features section includes an essay on the strange engagements between controversial tycoon Robert Maxwell and Bulgaria both during and after the communist era.

To mark the Orthodox Christian celebration of Easter on April 19, The Sofia Echo devotes two pages to explaining all aspects of Bulgaria's Easter traditions.

As ever, The Sofia Echo includes our regular entertainment, cultural and television listings, social pages and sports coverage.