These are some of the top headlines in Bulgarian newspapers on May 5 2008. The Sofia Echo has not verified these stories and cannot vouch for their accuracy.

May 5 is part of the Bravery and Bulgarian Army Day celebrations and is an official holiday in Bulgaria.

Regional

- Serbia is to receive one billion euro from the European Union’s pre-accession funds after the signing of the pact for stabilisation and association with the bloc, Dnevnik daily quoted Focus news agency as saying. The money will be used for development of rural regions, resolution of ecological problems, and education.

Society

- Souhodol residents blocked the way of garbage trucks that were trying to store refuse in the dump in the neighbourhood on May 4, Dnevnik daily said. Earlier in the day, Souhodol residents protested in front of the chitalishte (community centre) in the neighbourhood and tried to reach the refuse plot, but were stopped by policemen. The residents claimed that holding refuse in the neighbourhood violated a decision of Sofia Administrative Court.

Economy

- The South Stream gas pipeline might not reach southern Italy, like the project envisioned, because Italian authorities preferred the pipeline to enter the country from the north, Dnevnik quoted Greek daily To Vima as saying. In such a case, the pipeline might follow the route of the Bourgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline from the Bulgarian port of Bourgas to the Greek city of Komotini and then return back through Bulgaria, heading to Serbia, Hungary and Austria.

- Bulgaria would have to invest 100 million leva from its structural reserve for the construction of Trakiya Highway if the Bulgarian-Portuguese concessionaire failed to provide the money needed for its construction by May 14, Monitor daily said on May 3. Regional Development and Public Works Minister Assen Gagaouzov had already warned that he would ask the Cabinet to choose a constructor and provide money for the highway if the concessionaire did not start the construction by mid-May, Monitor said.