With the headline, Cabinet sees good news in failure to collect planned 2013 revenues, Sega Daily writes that the gap in revenues at end-December will turn out to be about 125 million euros. PM has seen the good news in the whole thing, because the gap in revenue collection is three times smaller than expected at the start of the government’s mandate. In an interview for the same daily, socialist MP Rumen Getchev, former deputy PM in the 1990s government of socialist Zhan Videnov, subscribes to the thesis that provided Bulgaria’s current macroeconomic indices survive until 2015, the country will be able to run for accession to the Eurozone. The socialist claims also that the wealthiest Bulgarians should pay 30% in taxes, not 10% as is the case at present. He also argues that he would close down all offshore zones, if he had the powers to do so.

Monitor Daily accentuates the claim of Finance Minister Petar Chobanov that the salaries of officials in the system of the Ministry of Interior will be raised by 5%. The daily also gives attention to the new Criminal Code. Under it, cabinet ministers, civil servants and magistrates who squander public resources shall have to face justice instead of just being fined.

Under the headline, Mayors vow loyalty to socialist leader Stanishev,Standard News reports that in connection with the ABV initiative of former president Georgi Parvanov to run in the European Parliament elections in May with a ticket alternative to the one of the socialist party, many left wing mayors have canceled planned trips to Sofia to allay suspicion of backing this intention. Mayors and MPs from the Left have assured socialist leader Sergey Stanishev that they are not going to work for the ABV campaign.

24 Chassa Daily brings statistics from the police force. According to it, petty household crimes in Bulgaria have dwindled. Despite that the average petty crime (robberies and thefts) perdaycameto165. Most crimes took place in the villages of Northern Bulgaria with many of them suffering severe depopulation. In the wake of a constant rampant crime wave over the recent years, several villages in that part of the country are ready to riot and have pressed for a meeting with the interior minister.

By the end of this month construction of fencings hould begin along the Bulgarian border with Turkey aimed to crack down on illegal migration into the country and to steer immigrants to border checkpoints, Trud Daily writes. Quoting Defense Minister Angel Naydenov, the daily claims that the facility will be at least 30 km long and should be completed by April.

The flu attacks Sofia and three other cities, 24 Hours Daily warns. With more than 280 sick per 10,000 in the Sofia Region, an epidemic should already have been declared but this has not been done because there are still not so many pupils and workers on sick leave.

Severe cold and snow expected in 10 days, reads a front page headline of StandardNews. Bad weather is likely to go on until March. Weathermen have said that January would go with lowest mercury at minus 10 to minus 12C.

On its sport pages Trud Daily comments that Bulgaria’s top female tennis player Tsvetana Pironkova was beaten by fatigue at Australian Open in Melbourne. Another reason for her loss from Australian Samantha Stosur was a trauma in the left thigh and the power of her motivated rival.

English version: Daniela Konstantinova