These are some of the top headlines in Bulgarian newspapers on April 15 2008. The Sofia Echo has not verified these stories and cannot vouch for their accuracy.
Politics
- Dnevnik daily quoted President Georgi Purvanov as saying that the ruling coalition would have a rough time, if it failed to lay a stronger base for its development through structural and personnel changes within the next couple of days. Purvanov also said that he had never approved the current structure of the ruling coalition.
- Political fortune-telling had began Dnevnik said about expected changes in the Cabinet. Only the seats of Finance Minister Plamen Oresharski, Foreign Minister Ivailo Kalfin, Culture Minister Stefan Danailov, Economy Minister Petar Dimitrov, Education Minister Daniel Vulchev, Justice Minister Miglena Tacheva and Environment and Water Affairs Minister Djevdet Chakurov seemed secured, the newspaper said.
- The economy and energy and the education ministries could be split as early as the Easter holidays as part of the Cabinet changes, according to the plans of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), Monitor daily said. Another idea was to set up a new institution to deal with funding from the European Union. BSP was to discuss the ideas with its partners in the ruling coalition National Movement for Stability and Progress (NMSP) and Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF).
Social
- Bulgarian Commission for Personal Data Protection banned mobile phone operators to make copies of the identity cards from their customers when signing a contract, Dnevnik said. The ban was the result from numerous complaints from customers.
Economy
- Lease interests for companies and individuals had grown over the past several weeks, Dnevnik said. The increase followed the hike in bank loan prices and was between 0.25 and 0.5 per cent. The global crisis on financial markets was given as a reason for the increase.
- Steel magnate Lakshvi Mittal was to arrive in Bulgaria next week to meet Prime Minster Sergei Stanishev, Dnevnik quoted a source from the Cabinet as saying. Stanishev and Mittal would discuss the fate of the steel mill Kremikovtzi.
- Developments worth more than two billion euro would be offered at the Balkan real estate expo Balpex, Dnevnik said. The fair would be held on April 17 and 18 in Sofia.
- Prices of food in Bulgaria had increased 24 per cent between March 2007 and March 2008, National Statistical Institute data showed, as quoted by Sega daily. In general prices had risen by 14.2 per cent year-on-year. Inflation in March 2008 was 0.8 per cent compared to February 2008 and 14.2 per cent year-on-year.
