Sunshine, a book launch, and pension scammers in Shumen

Shumen can expect predominantly sunny weather today, with temperatures reaching around 20°C. Light to moderate north-northeast winds will shift to east-southeast by evening. Southern Bulgaria may see brief cloud cover and isolated light rain in the afternoon, but Shumen itself should stay dry.

In the mountains, conditions will be mostly sunny with temporary cloud increases, and light rain or snow is possible on the highest peaks of Rila and Pirin. Along the Black Sea coast, sunny skies and east-southeast winds will bring maximums of 13–15°C, with sea temperatures around 12–13°C and wave heights of 3 on the Beaufort scale.

Bulgarian-Swedish poet and translator Svezha Dacheva will present her latest book, 'Ritual po otvarjane na sarceto' (Ritual for Opening the Heart), in her native Novi Pazar on 7 May at 5:45 p.m. The event takes place at the Petar Persengeiev Municipal Art Gallery.

Dacheva left Bulgaria in 1983 and has lived in Istanbul, Rome, and since 1988 in Strömstad, Sweden. She earned a doctorate in ethnology from the New Bulgarian University in Sofia in 2001 and works in folklore, ethnology, mythology, cultural studies, and sociology. She is a member of the Swedish Writers' Union and has published ten poetry collections, eight in Bulgarian and two in Swedish, alongside translations of Swedish literature into Bulgarian.

Her works include poetry collections spanning from 1994 to 2016, as well as two recent prose volumes: 'Shte se vidim pak' (We'll Meet Again) in 2019 and this year's 'Ritual po otvarjane na sarceto'.

A 90-year-old woman in Shumen's Divdyadovo district was visited at home yesterday by an unknown man offering to increase her pension. He claimed that for €170, her pension would rise by €320. Unable to produce the full sum, she handed over €50. The man promised an increase of around €100 and left. A similar case in the same neighbourhood saw another elderly resident offered a pension boost in exchange for €100.

Shumen Regional Police stress there is no legal mechanism for increasing pensions via payment to private individuals. They urge residents not to admit strangers into their homes or hand over money regardless of promises made. Family members should warn elderly relatives about such schemes. Anyone suspecting fraud should call 112 immediately or contact the nearest district police station.