Sofia - Bulgaria's parliament Friday approved a gas pipeline deal with Russia over the objections of the centre-right opposition, which accused the government of putting national security at risk.

The deal, signed in January during a visit by then Russian President Vladimir Putin, includes a 50-per-cent stake for Bulgaria in the operator of the planned South Stream pipeline.

Approval came on a vote of 140-47, carried by Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev's ex-communist Socialist Party's governing majority.

Opposition parties charged that the government had failed to examine the project's economic benefits, making it a risk to the country.

Sofia - The arrest of former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karazic is "a relief for Europe," the head of Bulgaria's parliamentary foreign affairs committee said Tuesday.

The move would also accelerate the integration of Serbia, Bosnia- Herzegovina and Montenegro into European structures, Solomon Passi told the Bulgarian news agency BETA.

"Serbia and Bosnia have been resurrected for a new life in Europe, said Passi, a former foreign minister, adding that the arrest would "help overcome the legacy of the past" on the Balkans.

Sofia - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Bulgaria from the Czech Republic Wednesday for a brief visit to discuss bilateral ties with the Balkan country's leadership, official sourc

Sofia - Bulgarian customs officials on the border with Romania seized 78 kilos of heroin from a Polish truck and arrested the Polish driver, authorities in Sofia said Friday.

Bulgaria, straddling routes of international drug smugglers, routinely seizes large amounts of heroin on its borders with Turkey to the south, Romania to the north and Serbia to the east.

Some 19 tons of narcotics have been incinerated in Bulgaria since 2000, but it is certain that much more has slipped through. Apart from the West-bound heroin, chemicals, amphetamines and other substances are also smuggled across the Balkan country's soil.

Sofia - A military munitions depot caught fire east of the Bulgarian capital Sofia, causing several explosions but no injuries Thursday, civil defence authorities said Thursday.

Minister for Civil Defence, Emel Etem, said there was not danger to the population and the situation was "under control."

However, the Sofia international airport, which is also located east of the city, was closed down for safety reasons. Planes arriving from abroad were redirected to Plovdiv,
150 kilometres to the east.

Residents of a village near the munitions depot site were evacuated, while people were also advised to keep their windows shut. Electricity was cut off in several villages.

With further explosions still possible, the military had not yet been able to enter the depot area.

Sofia (Bulgaria), June 30: A team of archaeologists has discovered an ancient church in the city of Veliko Tarnovo in Bulgaria, which dates back to the 13th century, along with remains of an ancien