These are some of the top stories in Bulgarian newspapers on November 20 2008. The Sofia Echo has not verified these stories and cannot vouch for their accuracy.

Politics

- Plastic surgery for the 2009 Budget 2009 - Dnevnik daily leads with a story on the draft Budget and the changes it is expected to undergo before it is passed by Parliament, quoting opinions from representatives of the ruling coalition and the opposition. The Budget draft, adopted on first reading on November 19, drew criticism from businesses with its "unrealistic macroeconomic framework" and insufficient measures to deal with the local effects of the global financial crisis, the daily said.

Social

- Squares in Sofia will be redeveloped and Sofia municipality will ask citizens how, Dnevnik daily quoted Lyudmil Leonidov, deputy head of the municipal city planning commission, as saying. The project will include Slaveikov, Garibaldi and Sveta Nedelya squares, as well as parts of Rakovski and Oborishte streets.

- Low-cost carriers were aggressively targeting the Bulgarian market with new offers, Monitor daily wrote. Germanwings and EasyJet offered prices up to 50 per cent lower than those of conventional airlines, the daily said and quoted representatives of the no-frills carriers as saying they were not affected by the world financial crisis as people will always want to travel. 

Economy

- Skyscrapers will not pierce the Sofia sky anytime soon, Standart daily reported, saying that fear of bankruptcies nipped in the bud the construction of the first Manhattan-type buildings in Bulgaria's capital. Construction of already planned and designed malls is also frozen, the daily said, commenting the global financial crisis made investors freeze part of their projects right after receiving their building permits and without having turned a single sod.