Election Oversight: Kazakhstan’s Qurultay vote is drawing more scrutiny as 405 additional international observers were accredited, bringing the total to 656, including OSCE/ODIHR and other regional missions. EU Politics: North Macedonia’s opposition SDSM says PM Hristijan Mickoski’s Brussels visit could signal movement on the EU negotiating framework, including the “French proposal” on constitutional changes for Bulgarians. State Secrets & Accountability: A convicted election-offences intelligence officer, Kiro Todorovski, has reportedly received clearance for “state secret” access and was later posted to Vienna, prompting complaints over how security checks passed. Party Funding: Parties received nearly €9m from the state budget, with VMRO-DPMNE taking a record €2.5m and SDSM down about 40% to around €1m, reflecting electoral performance rules. International Security: The US and allies, including North Macedonia, urged at least 24-hour advance notice for ballistic missile and space-launch tests to reduce miscalculation risks. Public Health: Europe’s West Nile Virus update shows North Macedonia among countries reporting locally acquired human cases, with 13 cases recorded as of 5 August.