ArcelorMittal, the world's biggest steel maker, is prepared to pay between $400 million and $700 million for a majority stake in Bulgaria’s ailing steel mill Kremikovtzi, Dnevnik daily reported, quoting a bondholder of the steel mill. The exact figure would depend on the amount of hidden debts Kremikovtzi has, the same source, which spoke on condition of anonymity, said. Such obligations would include the costs of the viability and environmental programmes of the steelworks, which the mill has to carry out in order to comply with mandatory European Union environmental regulations. If it does not meet the EU requirements, Kremikovtzi faces closure. read more

The Bulgarian military contingent would leave its responsibility zone in Afghan capital Kabul by summer, Sega daily reported on May 8, quoting unnamed sources in the Bulgarian Defence Ministry. Local authorities had firmly insisted before the Nato command in charge of the operation that the Afghan police take over the security of the city in several months' time. The 200 Bulgarian soldiers, who have served under the Italian command for two years, would be given new tasks, Sega daily said. The Cabinet is yet to discuss several options. It is possible that the contingent, again under Italian command, would head to the northern part of Afghanistan, where the alliance commanders intend to station it. read more

Kremikovtzi steel mill will shortly be run by court-appointed trustees, a senior manager at the mill told Dnevnik daily on condition of anonymity on May 7. A court pronounced to this effect on April 30, he said. read more

Ultra-nationalist Ataka party would seek to join the European Peoples' Party (EPP) in the near future, Ataka's leader Volen Siderov told Times of Malta newspaper on May 2 2008. Siderov said that Ataka was not a far-right party but a rather centre-right one. After the elections for Bulgarian members of European parliament last May, Ataka now has three MEPs. They were part of the ultra-right group - Identity, Tradition, Sovereignty - until it disbanded at the end of 2007 after the withdrawal of some of its members. According to Siderov, Ataka's three MEPs considered themselves to be independent, Times of Malta said. Now Ataka's goal was to make its MEPs members of the EPP. read more

The South Stream gas pipeline may not reach southern Italy via Greece, as had been envisioned for the project, because Italian authorities preferred for the pipeline to enter the country from the north, Greek daily To Vima said, quoting information from the Greek cabinet. It was very possible than that South Stream would start from Russian port of Novorosiysk, pass under the Black Sea to the Bulgarian read more

Next year Bulgaria will witness many new initiatives which will improve the living standards of Bulgarian citizens, Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev told a 3000-odd Socialist gathering in Sofia in commemoration of the Labour Day on May 1. He also promised the state would exercise tighter control to ensure due respect for labourers’ rights and higher income, Bulgarian state-owned broadcaster BNT reported. read more

Bulgarian daily Dnevnik reported on April 28 that an investigation by the Chief Directorate for Combating Organised Crime (CDCOC) in 2006 into money laundering involving the Movements of Rights and Freedoms (MRF) party was halted by the Interior Ministry. The newspaper quoted an unnamed source from the political opposition as saying that money from the "forest mafia" went to the party’s cash-register. read more

Under the Animal Protection Act, which went into force on January 31 2008, there should be no stray dogs left by 2011. Any municipality that still has stray dogs after 2011 would risk a fine under the Animal Protection Act. On April 24, the Sofia municipality adopted a programme which aims to eliminate stray dogs by 2011, Zagrada.bg reported. read more

Bulgarian television bTV reported that it was fairly easy for a minor in Bulgaria to buy an air pistol without any form of control online. The team of bTV used the online shopping website from what was described as "one of the largest retailers in the country" to order an air pistol. During the ordering process, no age confirmation was asked. BTV said they ordered the air pistol in a fictitious name and had it delivered by courier to their door two days later. read more

The five-year concession on Ariana pond in the Borisovata Gradina park (Boris’s Garden), signed by Sofia mayor Boiko Borissov with local firm Profuds, was illegal because the city hall did not follow all the procedures required by law, daily Sega reported on April 18. The pond is government property, but the city hall received a provisional right to manage it from Sofia governor Todor Modev in 2006 until the municipal authorities filed the requisite paperwork with the Cabinet, which alone can give make the agreement permanent, according to the daily. read more