These are some of the top headlines in Bulgarian newspapers on May 9 2008. The Sofia Echo has not verified these stories and cannot vouch for their accuracy.

Politics

- The Cabinet faced a final test for the European Union, Dnevnik daily said. At the summit of the ruling coalition on May 10-11, the Cabinet postponed the expected restructuring of the Interior Ministry, but launched the healthcare reform and increased pensions. Meantime, the European Commission again warned Bulgaria that it would continue the embargo on pre-accession funding for the country and could temporary freeze and even decrease the structural funds financing.

- Private funds would be allowed to compete with National Health Insurance Fund starting early-2009, according to Dnevnik, the ruling coalition decided. In 2010, private funds would compete completely with the institution.

- New Interior Minister Mihail Mikov would have his way with the ministry restructuring, Dnevnik said. Mikov wants the new agency, which would merge the current agencies allowed to use wire-taps, to remain under the ministry’s authority. After long hours of discussion on May 10, most of the key matters remained unsolved, but a work group would have to filter the ideas within a week, the ruling coalition decided.

Society

- The Finance Ministry was extremely generous towards Parliament in 2007, allocating several times additional funding for the institution, Sega daily said. Thus, Parliament expenses increased from the 34.3 million leva approved in the state budget, to 39.1 million leva. The figures were from the annual Bulgarian National Audit Office report.

- Veterinary control inspectors have discovered old meat ready to be distributed in retail chains, Sega daily said. The inspectors found 17 tons of old pork in the freezers of the former canning factory in the town of Loznitsa, near Razgrad. The meet was imported from Brazil and Croatia and its owner was unknown, the newspaper quoted police as saying.

Economy

- Violations are hindering mobile phone number portability, Dnevnik said. The mobile phone operators and the Communications Regulation Commission refuse to give information on the number of the customers, who had used the service in the month since it was introduced.

- UK property buyers were still interested in Bulgaria, Dnevnik reported, quoting research by Global Edge, a British marketing firm focusing on oversees property. The research was based on the statistics of property websites and offers.