After local election runoffs, ruling VMRO DPMNE party won in 21 out of the 33 municipalities where second rounds were held, confirming its overall dominance: in total the party is set to govern 54 of North Macedonia's 81 municipalities

Former Deputy Prime Minister Artan Grubi, a fugitive from justice for over a year following accuse of corruption, was arrested by police at a border crossing

A recently proposed government-backed legislation would drastically tighten restrictions on the use of tobacco and vapes, causing widespread discontent in citizens; as nearly half of adult population smokes, health officials say stricter rules are vital

Cuts to North Macedonia’s rare diseases programme have alarmed patient organisations; the state program provides therapy for 430 patients, and is set to be cut from 24 million euros to 17,5 million euros in 2026

Dozens of patients were treated on New Year's Eve in Skopje for injuries sustained from accidents, falls, fireworks, alcohol and firearms, but no traffic accidents were recorded in town probably thanks to the Safe City system