Mickoski said it out loud: we have a dispute with Bulgaria

Speaking from New York, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski repeated that Macedonia wants the European Union at the table in its talks with Bulgaria. He called the bilateral meetings so far "meetings for the sake of meetings", after which each side walks out with its own version of what was agreed. The most concrete part is the arithmetic: if negotiations open, every chapter and every cluster has to pass through the national parliaments of the member states, which in his words means at least 80 chances for new demands. Sofia doesn't want a third party at the table, because that would be an admission that a dispute actually exists.

The same day, the prime minister also had advice for the opposition: Macedonia needs a strong opposition. Then, having said he doesn't interfere in their internal affairs, he spent a long answer on exactly that - SDSM, Levica and the DUI coalition. When the prime minister grades the opposition, who grades the government?

Mines around Strumica: the 2040 plan brings back Ilovica and Kazandol

The first regional public hearing on the draft national Spatial Plan to 2040, held in Strumica, came down to a single question. Among the five sites listed for metallic mineral resources are Ilovica-Shtuka and Kazandol - and the concession for Kazandol was already terminated back in 2018. Activists have given the government until 29 September to revoke the Ilovica-Shtuka concessions. The hearing ended with insults hurled at the experts, and the Spatial Planning Agency answered: "This is not a political debate, this is an expert debate". If the municipal councils around Strumica have already said they don't want mines, who exactly is this expert debate for?

Diesel is cheap until Monday

Macedonia has some of the cheapest diesel in Europe, averaging around 1.70 euros a litre. But that price is a state measure with an expiry date: the reduced VAT rate on diesel runs out on Monday, and the government is deciding whether to extend it for another two weeks. Meanwhile a barrel of Brent is trading at around 105 dollars. The pressure is also coming from across the Atlantic: one sentence from the White House, "let's not export diesel", was enough for the EU's energy commissioner to warn of a "very, very bad" winter. How long can the budget keep diesel cheap?

Smoke over Tetovo, no measurements

A lot full of wrecked cars on the road out of Tetovo towards Skopje burned for almost two hours, right next to a petrol station. Firefighters turned out with 25 people and built a protective ring around the pumps. Then residents were given advice to keep their windows shut "until the pollution clears" - and so far there is no final data on what was actually in the air. Who allowed piles of old tyres to sit next to a petrol station, and did anyone ever inspect that lot before it caught fire?

Kočani: who is watching the children at school

A six-year-old first-grader in Kočani was attacked, stripped and filmed on a smartwatch by older children in the changing room of the school sports hall. The case is now with the police, the prosecutor and social services. Where the supervision was remains unanswered - and that is a question for the school and for the institutions that are supposed to guarantee it.

Job seekers and empty jobs keep missing each other

In Macedonia, 88,541 people are registered as active job seekers, while in hospitality nearly one job in sixteen is waiting for a worker. If both the people and the jobs are there, what is keeping them apart?

Rubbish that is finally leaving

Three municipalities showed today that illegal dumps can actually be moved. Aerodrom has started clearing the dump behind the "Dzhevahir" mall and promises a 3,000-square-metre park in its place. Saraj cleared the illegal dump in Radusha and planted it with saplings, though the harder part is still ahead: keeping it clean. Centar removed the "Malaga" café terrace from the pavement on Dame Gruev Street. Good news, with one open question: why did all of it sit there for so long?

The Balkans on someone else's chessboard

Before stepping down from the presidency, Vučić spent an hour on the phone with Putin - and the legacy he leaves behind is Russian gas at 318 euros per 1,000 cubic metres, when the market price is 868. In Athens, as Romania sank into political crisis, the US ambassador reportedly said the US could do the same in Greece; the Greek minister replied that governments are chosen by voters, not embassies. In Munich, meanwhile, two Bulgarian nationals were arrested over an arson attempt at defence firms working for Ukraine, and investigators are looking towards the GRU. How many threads of Europe's hybrid war run through the Balkans?

Recognition for Mojsov, 930 kilometres for Toše

Svetlana Mojsov, the scientist whose work on the GLP-1 hormone paved the way for today's diabetes and obesity drugs, received the Order of 8 September. The world has been honouring her in recent years; now the country she was born in has done the same. Six cyclists from Kavadarci and Skopje, meanwhile, arrived at Gumenje in Kruševo after 930 kilometres from Nova Gradiška, where Toše Proeski was killed. They rode the "From the Heart for Toše" tour for the ninth time, and for part of the route cyclists from Croatia and Serbia rode alongside them.

Sport: zero goals and one second place

The national football team opened the Nations League with a 0-3 home defeat to Switzerland in Skopje - the fifth game in a row without a goal, and without a single shot on target. The women's handball team brought better news: under new head coach Igor Marković they beat Croatia in Ohrid and finished second at the "Macedonia Trophy". Vardar, unfortunately, received a final warning from the EHF because of a handful of its own fans.

The heavier part of the day has a common denominator. The government knows exactly what it wants from Brussels and from Sofia, but on the simpler questions at home - what the people of Tetovo breathed in, where the supervision was in Kočani, what diesel will cost after Monday - the answer comes late, if it comes at all.