Public Health Crisis in Gostivar: Suspected drinking-water contamination has sickened over 1,000 people in Gostivar, with hospitals reporting vomiting, diarrhoea and fever. The Food and Veterinary Agency banned use of the town’s water after inspectors found an unauthorised pump at the Vrutok treatment site that allegedly injected Vardar River water into the municipal supply; samples are now headed for lab testing. EU Accession & Court Fallout: Bulgarian “shadow rapporteurs” for North Macedonia’s EU track sent MEPs a letter after the Court of Appeal upheld Bitola figure Ljupco Georgievski’s suspended sentence for xenophobia/racial hatred, calling it a troubling precedent for EU Copenhagen criteria. Election Reform Deadlock: North Macedonia missed an EU deadline as parties failed to agree on diaspora voting rules; PM Hristijan Mickoski backs electronic and postal voting, while Social Democrats and Levica warn it risks secrecy and fraud, and DUI pushes for a single voting zone. Rule of Law Pressure: The European Commission’s 2026 Rule of Law Report flags uneven progress across EU and candidate states, with North Macedonia included among the monitored countries. Diplomacy Watch: India’s President Droupadi Murmu is set to visit Moldova, North Macedonia and Romania from July 19–25, with Skopje scheduled for July 21–22 and talks focused on trade, technology and tourism. Regional Security Cooperation: North Macedonia took part in Albania’s European Partnership Flight conference on strengthening air base operations and interoperability.