Unsettled weather, power cuts, and a push for regulator resignations

Unstable air masses will bring changeable weather through to the start of next week. Highs between 19°C and 24°C in the plains today, with isolated short-lived rain later in the day, mostly in the Rila-Rhodope region and central Stara Planina. Thursday and Friday will see heavier thunderstorms, with sunny spells mainly in western Bulgaria. A light to moderate north-westerly wind is forecast, shifting north-east at times in the east of the country.

A series of planned and emergency power cuts will affect addresses across the city today, mostly between 08:00 and 17:30. Streets in the Trakiya neighbourhood, parts of Dedeagach, Stefan Yanev, and several villages including Belokopitovo and Pristoe are among those listed. The distribution company Energo-Pro has published full schedules for shorter interruptions in Kaspichan, Pliska, and Novi Pazar, plus rolling maintenance work in several villages through to 22 May. A separate set of operational switchovers may cause brief disruptions in parts of Shumen's Lale Street area through to 29 May.

Shumen and the Elena Karamihailova Gallery will receive a donation of sculptural portraits worth over €100,000 to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Slavi Donchev, one of Bulgaria's most celebrated sculptors. The works, gifted by Donchev's son Orlin Atanasov, will form the centrepiece of the largest-ever exhibition of the artist's output, opening 27 May at the Eleonora branch of the gallery. More than 50 portraits of prominent intellectuals and cultural figures from Shumen, Bulgaria, and abroad will be on display, including busts of Panayot Volov, Pablo Neruda, Dobri Voinikov, and Tsarevna Miladinova.

Motorcycle clubs representing 79 groups and organisations across Bulgaria have called for the immediate resignation of the heads of the Financial Supervision Commission, the Commission for Consumer Protection, the Commission for Protection of Competition, and the Road Infrastructure Agency. The demands follow last week's protests over sharp increases in third-party motor insurance premiums. Riders allege years of ineffective oversight in the insurance sector and point to the near-simultaneous price hikes as evidence of coordinated market practices. The petition was sent to the Prime Minister.

The second stage of the 'NHIF for You' initiative has begun, with experts from Shumen's Regional Health Insurance Fund planning direct meetings with residents to explain rights and digital services. The first phase of the campaign ran in pensioners' clubs and schools. Officials say the expansion is part of efforts to modernise the health-insurance system and improve public understanding of available benefits.

Results from the third round of nursery-school admissions for the 2026/2027 academic year will be published today on the electronic admissions system. Parents have until 17:00 on 22 May to register children who were offered places. After the first three rounds conclude, Shumen Municipality will publish a monthly schedule of available places and registration windows. Separate procedures apply to villages with a single nursery and to preparatory groups in municipal schools.