The breach of the freight train tank which exploded in Hitrino village was caused by the train crash, 24 Chassa writes. The paper quotes Krassimir Kupenov, chief engineer at Lukoil Neftochim Burgas, member of the team of experts brought in to cope with the situation in the village after the blast: “We had never seen an accident of such magnitude. From the first to the last second, securing the area was a high-risk operation,” says Kupenov.

2017 will be more expensive for drivers and smokers, writes Trud newspaper in a front page article. Insurers are raising the price of civil liability insurance by at least 10 percent. The cost of petrol and diesel is also expected to go up, as is excise duty on cigarettes.

The salaries of MPs in Italy’s parliament are ten times higher than the salaries of Bulgarian MPs, who are second but last in the incomes list of the EU, writes the Irish The Journal, as quotes by Telegraph. The survey indicates that the margin between the bottom and the tip within the EU is over 110,000 euro annually.

Veliko Turnovo municipality is introducing a fine of 75 euro for parents who do not register their children for preschool groups or school, Trud writes. The fines will be collected in a designated fund and the money will be spent on developing kindergartens and schools.

One in two migrants apprehended inside lorries were there without the knowledge of the vehicle’s driver, writes Monitor, citing Border Police data. In 2016 more than 300 migrants attempted to cross the country’s border hidden inside lorries. More than half a million fliers were printed in December – 400,000 in Bulgarian and 100,000 in English - with instructions on how drivers can improve their own safety and stay vigilant.

The new year will come with temperatures of 10 C below zero, 24 Chassa writes. There is a snow cover of 110 cms. in the region of Teteven in the Balkan Range.

Europe pays tribute to actress Stoyanka Mutafova, writes Zemya and goes on to cite a documentary by the German ARD TV about the “Bulgarian queen of comedy”. “My dream is to never be normal,” says the 94-year old legend in the film. The indefatigable Stoyanka Mutafova is still touring and travelling the world.

Compiled by Miglena Ivanova

English version: Milena Daynova