Bulgarian government survives no-confidence motion

The government in Bulgaria has survived a no-confidence vote in parliament over allegations of corruption among top officials.

The motion was backed by the main opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party, which accused the prime minister, Ivan Kostov, of corruption in implementing the government's privatization programme.

The government said the censure motion was aimed at stopping the privatization of enterprises and banks.

Several Bulgarian ministers have resigned following allegations of corruption since Mr Kostov came to power in 1997.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service