Zaman Makedonija, Skopje (2026)

19/08/2026

West Nile Virus: Health Authorities Register Four Deaths, 38 Cases

The latest Public Health Institute data show that the country until August 18 has registered 38 West Nile virus cases, including 36 confirmed cases, with majority of them being in the Skopje region. Four people, all male aged 62 to 83 from Skopje, died after developing the neuroinvasive disease, it was announced at Wednesday’s news conference at the Health Ministry.

Of the registered cases, 28 are male and 10 female.

Twelve new cases were reported this past week, from August 12 to August 18, as well as three deaths.

Mosquito control measures are being taken since West Nile virus epidemic was declared in the municipalities of Kisela Voda, Gazi Baba, Aerodrom and Butel.

The State Sanitary and Health Inspectorate conducted a control of disinfestation activities in all municipalities. Systematic and urgent (according to epidemiological indication) activities for larvicidal and adulticidal disinfestation - aerial and terrestrial - continue on the territory of the City of Skopje and the municipalities of Gazi Baba, Kisela Voda (Dracevo settlement), Aracinovo, Zelenikovo, Ilinden, Petrovec, Sopiste, Chucer Sandevo and Veles. As of August 14, 2026, several treatment cycles have been carried out, including additional interventions on standing water surfaces in the affected areas.

Also, SMS information campaign is under way. “Up to 70 percent of sent messages have been read by the recipients, who have also clicked the link to read more information,” said the health authorities, who called on members of the public to abide by the recommendations:

“Remove standing water from the yard (pot trays, old tires, bins) and clean gutters regularly. Install protective screens on windows and doors. Avoid being outside at dawn and dusk, when mosquitoes are most active. Wear long-sleeved clothing and pants and use repellents. If symptoms appear - high fever, headache, stiff neck, etc., seek medical attention immediately and inform the doctor about any stay in the affected areas.”

The Health Ministry continues its heightened activities to inform and protect the population in the affected areas all the while taking regular measures to control the mosquito population.

“I believe we are doing the best we can. I can conform that measures were, have been and will be taken in the future,” insisted Health Minister Sasho Klekovski.

19/08/2026

Football Federation of Macedonia withdraws support for Infantino's re-election as FIFA president

Following a meeting of the heads of the members of UEFA with the President and Executive Committee of UEFA, the Football Federation of Macedonia (FFM) has decided to withdraw its support for Gianni Infantino's candidacy for re-election as President of FIFA for 2027-2031.

In a press release, the Federation said the decision was made following an assessment of recent events and the way FIFA is led, “especially in the area of good governance, institutional integrity, and the transparency in the relations with national federations”.

"FFM believes that trust, accountability, and open dialogue must be the foundation of the governance of global football. The best interests of football and its development must always come first. As a member of UEFA, FFM remains firmly committed to the shared principles and values of European football and it will continue to stand alongside all national federations striving for the protection, development, and promotion of football," the Football Federation of Macedonia said.

19/08/2026

Четири смртни случаи, 36 потврдени и два веројатни случаи на западнонилска треска во државата

Министерството за здравство продолжува со засилени активности за информирање и заштита на населението во општините зафатени со зголемено присуство на случаи на западнонилска треска, паралелно со редовните мерки за контрола на популацијата на комарци.

- Мислам дека правиме максимум што можеме. Одговорно тврдам дека сите мерки се презеле, се преземаат и ќе се преземат понатаму - потенцира министерот за здравство, Сашо Клековски.

Министерот најави за петок состанок со надлежните за застоените води.

- Едно лице со западнонилска треска во државата е на возраст од 20 до 29 години - потврди доктор Марија Гочевска од Институт за јавно здравје одговарајќи на новинарско прашање.

Гочевска рече дека досега сезонава нема регистрирано деца со западнонилска треска.

Од Министерството за здравство потенцираа дека ќе продолжат редовно да ја информираат јавноста за епидемиолошката состојба и за преземените превентивни активности.

15/08/2026

Spanish Super Cup in 2027 moved from Saudi Arabia to Istanbul

The 2027 Spanish Super Cup will take place in Istanbul the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) said in a statement on Thursday.

In the past five years, the event took place in Saudi Arabia, but the venue was changed because the the country will host the Asian Cup in 2027 and the dates would coincide with the Super Cup.

The competition will feature Barcelona (2025-26 La Liga winners), Real Sociedad (2025-26 Copa del Rey champions), Real Madrid (2025-26 La Liga runners-up) and Atletico Madrid (2025-26 Copa del Rey runners-up).

The tournament is scheduled for February 2-7, 2027, while the Asian Cup is to take place from January 7 to February 5.

15/08/2026

Nikoloski: Record-breaking air traffic growth; over 2 million passengers at Skopje, Ohrid airports in first 6 months

Passenger traffic at the Skopje and Ohrid Airports has reached the highest level ever recorded, with more than 2 million passengers in the first six months of 2026 and a rise of 32% this year over last year, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Aleksandar Nikoloski told reporters after his working visit to the national air navigation service provider M-NAV earlier Friday.

According to Nikoloski, this was due to the government's new policies of attracting and subsidizing direct flights.

"There have been 28 new destinations from our two airports in the past year and a half," the transport minister said, adding that the introduction of the new flights meant "serious air traffic growth."

"There was great growth last year, and this year there is historic growth," he said. "The two airports together have had 32% growth in the first six months of this year."

"In absolute numbers, we reached 3 million passengers last year, and we have had over 2 million passengers this year so far, which means we may reach 4 million passengers by year-end," Nikoloski said.

"If this doesn't happen in 2026, then we are sure to reach 4 million passengers in 2027, and that's a huge number considering our country's total population is 1.8 million," he said.

According to the transport minister, the Skopje and Ohrid airports are breaking records.

"In July, the Skopje airport saw 101 air operations, landings and take-offs, in a single day," Nikoloski said. "There were 21 at the Ohrid airport. This is an absolute record, never seen before."

The transport minister also recalled that the Skopje airport was the Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air's third largest European base, with seven aircraft stationed in the country's capital city. He announced that one aircraft would be stationed at Ohrid airport, too, and new flights would be added this winter.

15/08/2026

Поради ерупцијата на Етна затворен аеродромот во Катанија: Најдолг прекин на авиосообраќајот на Сицилија од 2002 година

Стотици патници останаа заглавени на Сицилија откако густиот чад и острата вулканска пепел од петдневната ерупција на Етна го блокираа авиосообраќајот и предизвикаа целосно затворање на најголемиот меѓународен аеродром на островот, во Катанија.

Ова е најдолгиот прекин во работата на аеродромот уште од 2002 година, а според последните најави, тој ќе остане затворен најмалку до утре во раните утрински часови. Блокадата се случува во самиот пик на летната туристичка сезона и непосредно пред празников Ферагосто, кога милиони италијански граѓани традиционално патуваат на одмор.

Истражувачот од Националниот институт за геофизика и вулканологија при опсерваторијата на Етна, Борис Бенке, објасни дека острата вулканска пепел претставува сериозна опасност за воздухопловството бидејќи може да ги оштети и задуши авионските мотори. Тој истакна дека оваа активност на Етна е поинаква од претходните.

– Во изминатите неколку децении имаше покуси и посилни ерупции, но оваа е необична поради својата долготрајност и непрекинатото исфрлање пепел – изјави Бенке, додавајќи дека северниот ветер однел помали количини пепел сè до Малта и Северна Африка

Поради затворањето на пистата во Катанија, која се наоѓа на само 30 километри јужно од вулканот, голем број летови се пренасочуваат кон другите аеродроми на Сицилија. Ова пренасочување предизвика драстично поскапување на такси-услугите и изнајмувањето автомобили, пишува дневниот лист „Кориере дела сера“. Здружението за заштита на потрошувачите „Кодаконс“ веќе најави дека ќе поднесе пријава до италијанското тело за заштита на конкуренцијата поради приговорите за неоправдано зголемување на цените.

15/08/2026

Земјотрес со магнитуда од 6,9 повторно ја погоди Индонезија, втор силен потрес во еден ден

Нов земјотрес со магнитуда од 6,9 степени денеска повторно го погоди индонезискиот остров Суматра, соопшти Американскиот геолошки институт (USGS), пренесоа светските новински агенции.

Новиот силен потрес се случи само неколку часа откако оваа југоисточноазиска држава веќе беше погодена од друг разорен земјотрес во текот на денот.

Епицентарот на новиот земјотрес бил во близина на градот Пематангсиантар, во индонезиската провинција Северна Суматра, на оддалеченост од 126 километри југоисточно од провинцискиот главен град Медан.

Утринава, најмалку 38 лица загинаа откако земјотрес со магнитуда од 7,7 степени ја погоди источна Индонезија.

На пространиот индонезиски архипелаг чести се земјотресите и вулканските активности поради неговата специфична географска местоположба на Пацифичкиот Огнен Прстен, кој претставува најактивен сеизмички појас во светот.

14/08/2026

Trump Signs Order To Cut Recommended Childhood Vaccinations In US

US President Donald Trump moved to sharply reduce recommended childhood vaccinations on Monday and called for combined vaccines to be split into separate shots given at different medical visits.

Under a new executive order, Trump's administration said it would only recognize vaccines against 11 diseases as core recommendations for all children. It was initially unclear whether the order would have an immediate impact. A similar overhaul was temporarily blocked by a federal court in March, while many vaccination rules are set by individual states.

Vaccines against hepatitis B, Covid-19 and influenza would no longer be routinely recommended for all children under the new policy. Parents could still choose to have their children receive all vaccines, Trump said when he signed the order at the White House. The administration said insurers would continue to cover the vaccinations.

Trump also called for the combined MMR vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella to be split into three separate shots given at different times. The vaccines could be "quite lethal" when given together, Trump said, adding that he had no evidence to support the claim when asked by a reporter.

Trump also linked the new policy to the debate over autism, saying that fewer vaccines given at greater intervals could potentially reduce the number of autism diagnoses.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says there is no scientific evidence that splitting the MMR vaccine provides additional benefits. Large scientific studies have found no causal link between vaccines and autism.

Separate measles, mumps and rubella vaccines are currently not available in the United States. Health experts warn that requiring additional medical visits could leave children unprotected for longer or lead to missed vaccinations.

14/08/2026

Water In Skopje Is Safe For Drinking, Says Mayor

The water in Skopje is safe for drinking and there is no Escherichia coli or other bacteria, said Skopje Mayor Orce Gjorgjievski on Wednesday.

"There is no such thing, the water in Skopje is among the top five in Europe. I am not a monster to endanger the lives of my fellow citizens," Mayor Gjorgjievski told a press conference and urged citizens to stay calm.

He said disinformation has been spread at social media with the aim to create hysteria.

"I received reports yesterday that certain centers would attempt to spread panic in the City of Skopje by claiming there is bacteria in the water. This started a few days ago, with reports of a certain landfill that is 30 kilometers away from the Rashche springs could contaminate the water. This landfill is currently cleaned up but it was there for 30 years back. And when some opposition circles did not succeed in this, now the alleged bacteria appear," said Gjorgjievski.

The Skopje Mayor drank a glass of tap water during the press conference in order to show the citizens that the water is safe for drinking.

Gjorgjievski said political profiteering from certain structures could be behind the reports.

"For the first time in a decade, Skopje has no problem with water supply and pressure, even amid this extremely hot summer. That is why lies and disinformation is spread, aimed at causing panic among the public. This is an organized attack by SDSM and their satellite party equalling a terrorist attack," said Gjorgjievski and added that all those who spread the reports would be held responsible.

He noted that services are carrying out continued analyses that show the Skopje water is safe for drinking.

14/08/2026

Andonovski: Macedonia Moves Up 29 Spots In National Cyber Security Index

Macedonia has registered significant progress in the National Cyber Security Index – NCSI, climbing by 29 positions to 30th out of 155 ranked states and territories. With a score of 84.17 out of 100, it ranks among the countries with a high level of readiness to prevent and respond to cyber threats, said the Ministry of Digital Transformation in a press release Thursday.

The National Cyber Security Index developed by the Estonia's e-Governance Academy (eGA) assesses the readiness of countries through 49 indicators grouped into 12 areas across three categories: strategic, preventive and responsive cybersecurity. The assessment is based on publicly available legislation, official documents, institutional mechanisms, and evidence of measures implemented in practice.

“According to the latest ranking, Macedonia has achieved top scores in several key areas, including cybersecurity policy, cybersecurity of critical information infrastructure, education and professional development, protection of personal data, cyber incident response, and fight against cybercrime,” the Ministry said.

Minister of Digital Transformation Stefan Andonovski said the jump in the country’s ranking represents international recognition of the results of implemented reforms.

“The jump of 29 spots is international confirmation that the reforms we are implementing are bearing concrete and tangible results. Over the last period we established clearer institutional responsibility, a modern legislative framework, and stronger mechanisms for the protection of critical infrastructure and response to cyber incidents. This result is not the end goal, but an obligation to continue working even harder on the country’s cyber resilience,” Andonovski said.

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