These are some of the top headlines in Bulgarian newspapers on April 1 2008. The Sofia Echo has not verified these stories and cannot vouch for their accuracy.

Politics

- The decision whether Interior Minister Roumen Petkov would be dismissed because of the corruption row at the ministry could be postponed, Dnevnik said. There would probably be no resignation at all, the newspaper quoted sources as saying.

- Bulgaria gave in to the pressure from the European Commission (EC) and dismissed the heads of Phare programme in the country - Deputy Regional Development and Public Works Minister Dimcho Mihalevski and Gergana Beremska from the Finance Ministry, Sega daily said. The dismissal was made two hours before the end of the one-month deadline given by the EC. The commission froze 50 million euro funding for Bulgaria under the Phare programme because of alleged malfeasances.

Social

- Sofia City Court imposed a bail of 2000 leva to the head of the pathology department at Sofia’s Alexandrovska Hospital, who was arrested on March 17 2008 on charges of trading human bones and tissue. Hristov said that he might not be able to afford the 2000 leva bail and might stay under house arrest.

Economy

- Regional Development and Local Affairs Minister Assen Gagaouzov admitted publically that he could not cope with the illegal construction at the seaside, Sega said. The fight against illegal construction was doomed to failure, he said.

- Gagaouzov will decide which 100 coastal beaches would be given on concession or landed, according to amendments in the law on concessions, Dnevnik said. The beaches in question were not on concession and most of them - around 60, were located in the region Bourgas.

- Japan's Sony Corp. will open a regional call centre in Sofia, Dnevnik said. The call centre will service customers from 10 countries in the region.