Inflation, cigarettes and bus stops in Shumen

The last school bell rang today for 1,165 twelfth-graders across Shumen province, marking the send-off of the Class of 2026. Ceremonies took place in the courtyards of all 28 secondary schools in the region, with students handing over the school flag and performing humorous rhymes thanking their teachers.

In Shumen city itself, 853 graduates crossed the threshold for the final time as pupils. At 'Sava Dobroplodni' Secondary School, 102 students graduated across four streams: software and hardware sciences, visual arts, music, and Bulgarian folk dance. 26 straight-A students were honoured, with Danina Gancheva of 12B class named top of both her profile and the entire year.

Elsewhere in the region, Novi Pazar sent off 109 graduates, Veliki Preslav 52, Nikola Kozlevo 30, and Smyadovo 26. Students will sit their matriculation exams in Bulgarian language and literature on 20 May, and their second mandatory subject on 22 May. School balls are scheduled for 24 and 25 May.

The 48th edition of the national 'Boyan Penev' student literary competition opened at Shumen University's Rectorate Hall. 70 young authors from 18 universities across Bulgaria and abroad are competing in three categories: poetry, fiction, and literary criticism. A public prize will also be awarded.

Today's schedule featured presentations of submitted texts; tomorrow, competitors will write en plein air under the guidance of poet and university lecturer Plamen Doinov, the most recent winner of the national 'Ivan Peichev' prize for political poetry. The outdoor session will visit three Shumen landmarks representing different historical periods: the Revival-era complex, Kurshun Fountain, and the Lenin monument as a relic of the totalitarian past. The best texts from the session will be printed in Literaturen Vestnik.

The day concludes with a creative evening in the City Garden and the launch of Petar Chukhov's latest poetry collection, At the Edge of the Bed. Laureates will be announced on 17 May at 11.30am in the Rectorate. The grand prize, funded by Shumen municipality, is publication of the winner's debut book.

A major operation by the General Directorate for Combating Organised Crime (GDBOP) near Pernik has seized a 'very serious quantity' of contraband cigarettes, interior minister Ivan Demerdzhiev confirmed in parliament. Nine people were detained in the action, with charges brought and pre-trial measures extended for several suspects.

'We're talking about tens of millions of euros in established damages so far, and that figure will certainly rise,' Demerdzhiev said. He called the bust 'just the beginning' of efforts to dismantle the scheme, which operated for a prolonged period. The minister urged citizens who may have been defrauded by similar schemes to submit documentation and tip-offs, promising investigations nationwide.

Demerdzhiev also addressed recent high-profile removals of state protection, confirming all security arrangements would be reviewed for consistency. 'Everyone will be equal before the law from now on,' he said, adding that regional police directors would face scrutiny and that anti-corruption measures would be a core priority of the ministry's work.

Bulgaria's annual inflation stood at 6.8% in April, with a monthly rate of 1.8%, according to the National Statistical Institute. Inflation since the start of 2026 is 3.7%, and the average rate over the past twelve months (May 2025 to April 2026) is 4.8%. Over the past five years, cumulative inflation has reached 44.5%.

The steepest April price rises were in transport (up 9.0%), clothing and footwear (7.9%), and food and soft drinks (1.7%). Tomatoes jumped 28.8%, peppers 24.8%, cabbage 18.3%, and lamb 9.1%. Bananas, pork, onions, and dairy also rose. Coffee, potatoes, margarine, mature beans, cheese, and yellow cheese all fell in price.

Among non-food items, LPG for cars surged 26.3%, international flights 24.4%, diesel 19.5%, and 95-octane petrol 9.2%. Clothing and footwear also recorded significant increases. Vacuum cleaners, domestic holiday packages, resort hotels, washing machines, air conditioning, and televisions all fell in price. By the harmonised EU measure (HIPC), annual inflation was 6.0% and monthly inflation 1.8%.

Shumen municipality is pressing ahead with a second wave of bus-stop renovations, adding nine new locations to the pilot scheme launched in late 2025. The first eight stops, decorated by graffiti artists and due to receive new electronic timetable displays, drew positive public response and are now nearly complete.

The new batch includes three stops near Shumen University and six along Simeon Veliki Boulevard, where roadworks are currently underway. Over the past fortnight, the municipal 'Improvement and Communal Services' enterprise repaired structural damage at several sites.

The original renovations covered stops on Madara Boulevard (up to 'the Division'), opposite the Todor Petkov community centre, near the pupils' stadium, on Rishki Prohod Boulevard (opposite the primary school and the construction college), on Sayedinenie Street (opposite the military school, before 'Slantse' kindergarten and the former Fifth Primary School), and outside the Lidl in Boyan Balgaranov neighbourhood. Each stop's design is first projected onto the shelter to visualise the final graffiti.