These are some of the top headlines in Bulgarian newspapers on August 29 2008. The Sofia Echo has not verified these stories and cannot vouch for their accuracy.

Politics

- The European Union gave clear signs that it was ready to impose sanctions on Russia, if Moscow continued its policy towards recasting the borders in Caucasus, Dnevnik daily said.

- Corruption, administrative weaknesses and lack of co-ordination between the security services were among the threats to Bulgaria’s security, a draft strategy on national security read, as quoted by Dnevnik. The draft strategy was prepared by a interdepartmental committee, established in 2007 and was its 10th attempt to come up with a strategy.

- Bulgarians had to realise that a few people, who were managing organised crime, should not spoil the country’s image, European Commission (EC) vice-president Guenther Verheugen said, as quoted by Sega daily.

Social

- A few weeks before the start of the academic year, the Cabinet named the schools that would be granted the status of protected schools, i.e. they will not be closed, regardless the number of the students in them, Dnevnik said. The Cabinet allocated three million leva to secure their financial survival.

- Sevlievo became the latest town refusing to accept the Cabinet's proposals to store Sofia’s baled refuse, Dnevnik said.

- Iliyana Nakova, head of the budgeting department of the Supreme Judicial Council, was arrested in Slunchev Bryag (Sunny Beach) resort, after she caused a road accident and offered a 60 leva bribe to policemen, Sega quoted Bourgas police spokesperson Tsvetelina Randeva as saying. A German tourist was injured in the accident.

- Nearly 37 million leva annually disappear in charity funds, Monitor daily said. This was the sum, collected for charity in 2007. However, once the money was in the bank accounts of the charity foundations, it was very hard to track what they were used for.

- Fines ranging from 300 to 20 000 leva would be imposed on anyone who made false tip-offs on the 112 emergency line, Monitor said. The sanction was included in a draft law, which had already been approved by the Cabinet.

Economy

- Unlike the past years, when only one of the major markets, on which Bulgaria relies for its tourism sector, registered a decrease, in 2008 almost all of them provided less tourists, Dnevnik said. The drop was most significant in the UK and Scandinavian markets.