Politics

- Prosecutor-General Boris Velchev would ask Parliament to strip former interior minister Roumen Petkov of his immunity from prosecution, Dnevnik daily said. The demand is related to the probe of the Sofia City Prosecution into who revealed the identity of Alexei Petrov as a secret collaborator to the State Agency for National Security, Velchev said.

- In 2007, the Cabinet spent 22 million leva more than the expenses approved by Parliament, National Audit Office reports showed, as quoted by Sega daily. Instead of the 42.3 million leva approved by Parliament, the Finance Ministry granted the Cabinet 70.5 million leva, which spent 64.5 million leva. The sum was granted only with the signature of Finance Minister Plamen Oresharski.

Society

- Sofia chief architect Petar Dikov would demand the court to examine restitution cases in the city, Sega said. Dikov said that he would demand the court to introduce standard practices in cases of restitution, because currently the different court sessions had different approaches.

- Bulgaria held one of the first places in the European Union in the number of corrupt magistrates, Monitor daily said. In 2007, the Supreme Prosecution of Cassation investigated 716 prosecutors and punished disciplinarily 108 of them.

- Nearly 200 hospitals would be offered for privatisation in the summer of 2008, Monitor said. In June, Parliament was expected to vote on second reading the law for privatisation and post-privatisation control. The hospital privatisation itself was to begin in August.

- Bulgarian Football Union proposed the start of the next championship to be postponed for undefined time, until the problem with the football hooliganism was resolved, Monitor said. CSKA coach Stoicho Mladenov gave the idea right after the Vihren-CSKA match in mid-May, when Locomotiv Plovdiv fans attached CSKA ones.

Economy

- A state-owned plot of 85 000 sq m near Sofia Airport would most probably be given as no financial capital to the International Fair Plovdiv, Economy and Energy Ministry resources said as quoted by Dnevnik. The Transport Ministry confirmed the report. The state owns 51 per cent of the fair.

- The managing board of Kremikovtzi steel mill had discussed the offers of Ukrainian billionaire Konstantin Zhevago and Arcelor Mittal to help the mill operational with finance and management resources, Dnevnik said. According to a source from Kremikovtzi, Arcelor Mittal had made much more profitable offer, but Zhevago’s representatives were pressuring the board to accept their offer.

- US fast-food chain Burger King would open its first two restaurants in Bulgaria within a month, Dnevnik said. The restaurants would be in City Centre Sofia and Mall Varna.