The rivers in Bulgaria were covered in ice, Trud daily writes on Tuesday. According to data of the Executive Agency for Exploration and Maintenance of Danube River, nearly 50% of that river has been covered in ice and ice-break near the towns of Lom and Vidin has reached even 70% to 80%. Navigation on Danube has been hampered due to the low water levels. The water level of Danube near Ruse has gone down to 34 centimeters only. Climatologist Georgi Rachev told Standart daily that Bulgaria has been experiencing the longest cold period in 30 years. Director of the Mountain Rescue Service Radko Markov warned in Telegraph daily that people should not go out in the mountains if they consume alcohol, because in that case their lives are in danger.

Standard daily informs on Tuesday that BSP and GERB parties have entered into a heavy dispute over six concessions of Black Sea beaches. The socialists have accused the outgoing cabinet headed by GERB that it has granted concessions for some of the most palatable Black Sea beaches to companies close to the current government, the newspaper further notes.

Dnevnik daily informs on Tuesday that GERB MPs are to table to the National Assembly their own draft bill about the introduction of the majoritarian electoral system. The MPs contend that their draft bill can be adopted by the current Parliament, although it is about to be dissolved in less than a month. The draft bill envisages active voter registration for people living abroad. However, the country’s head of state has the responsibility to define the new electoral regions, the bill further envisages.

Sega daily writes on its first page on Tuesday that Bulgaria places third in Europe in terms of number of pharmacies. An analysis of the Commission for Protection of Competition shows that there are 51 drug-stores per 100,000 people in Bulgaria. However, according to Bulgaria’s Ministry of Health, the problem regarding the lack of pharmacies in many small Bulgarian villages remains. The lack of day and night pharmacies in some towns and district cities is also alarming, the ministry warns.

The increase of the minimum salary has been subject to public discussion again, because it has not been consulted with the labor unions and the employers, 24 Chassa informs based on outgoing Minister of Labor and Social Policies Zornitsa Rusinova. The newspaper further informs that the minimum salary is lower only in Albania. Duma daily comments that although the minimum salary went up to EUR 230 on January 1, it is still the lowest in the whole EU and that the hourly rate in Bulgaria is EUR 1.39 only, whereas in other EU member states hourly rates continue to increase.

Over 1,000 Bulgarian schools have been closed in the past 16 years, Trud daily writes based on Education Syndicate with the Confederation of Labor Podkrepa. Back in 1942 the number of Bulgarian schools amounted to 10,500. In 2000 they amounted to 3,491 and in 2017 there are 2,456 schools only. 27 educational centers were closed in 2016 only. The labor union contends that a new education strategy must be immediately defined.