PRESS DIGEST - Bulgaria - Aug 2

SOFIA Aug 2 (Reuters) - These are some of the main stories in Bulgarian newspapers on Thursday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

GENERAL AND POLITICS

- Prime Minister Boiko Borisov said the referendum on the construction of the Belene nuclear power plant could take place during the parliamentary elections next summer. Last week, Bulgaria's opposition Socialists submitted more than 770,000 signatures to parliament to challenge the government's decision to abandon the project (Trud, 24 Chasa, Presa, Capital daily, Standart, Sega, Klasa, Duma).

- Specialised teams of agents from the state agency for national security and the national revenue agency will conduct joint inspections of large-scale retail chains and meat and dairy processors to identify causes of high food prices (Trud, 24 Chasa, Presa, Standart, Sega, Duma).

- Public salaries will jump by around 20 percent in August, Finance Minister Simeon Djankov said (Trud, 24 Chasa, Standart, Sega).

- Bulgaria's savings in bank deposits increased for a sixth consecutive month by 400 million levs to 33.8 billion levs ($21.25 billion), data from the central bank showed (24 Chasa, Duma).

- Hristo Stoichkov, considered as the best Bulgarian soccer player, is expected to leave his coaching post at Litex Lovech and become CSKA Sofia's president (Presa, Standart, 24 Chasa, Meridian Match). ($1 = 1.5904 Bulgarian levs)