These are some of the top headlines in Bulgarian newspapers on August 27 2008. The Sofia Echo has not verified these stories and cannot vouch for their accuracy.

Politics

- The decision of Russia's new president Dmitry Medvedev to announce the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia evoked harsh response in Europe and the US, Dnevnik daily reported. The international community declared the act "absolutely unacceptable" and "pitiable".

Social

- Sevlievo might accept part of Sofia's baled refuse, Dnevnik said. Sevlievo mayor Yordan Stoikov was among the officials who had received a letter from Deputy Prime Minister for European Union Funds Meglena Plougchieva and Environment and Water Affairs Minister Djevdet Chakurov with such a request.

- A day after Plovdiv refused even to negotiate accepting baled refuse from Sofia, six other towns also did so, Monitor daily wrote.

- Prosecution accused the former head of the municipal company Sofiiski Imoti, Toshko Dobrev, of making 13 unprofitable deals, Dnevnik said. The contracts were signed between March and September 2005 and caused Sofia city hall financial damages worth 1.9 million leva.

- Risky drivers should be given hours of community service as hospital attendants, Military Medical Academy director Stoyan Tonev said, as quoted by Sega daily.

- Surgeons could barely manage to treat all the victims of road accidents, Monitor wrote. Hospitals were forced to postpone planned operations in favour of emergency cases after road accidents.

Economy

- A transformer full of 50 tons of oil caught fire as a result of a short-circuit on August 26 in Kremikovtzi steel mill, Sega reported. The fire raged for two hours, but did not stop production from continuing in the plant.