Sports: Greece’s U18 women beat North Macedonia 73-42 in the FIBA U18 EuroBasket Division B in Tulcea, building a 40-20 halftime lead on relentless defense and forcing 13 steals; Greece’s Kakkara top-scored with 20 as the teams now turn to Sunday’s clash with Slovakia. Diplomacy & economy: Serbia’s Prime Minister Djuro Macut met North Macedonia’s Hristijan Mickoski in Ohrid to push cooperation in transport, energy connectivity, agriculture and tourism, with both sides also discussing major railway upgrades linking Serbia to Greece. Infrastructure: Bulgaria and North Macedonia held the first joint committee meeting in Sofia for the cross-border railway tunnel under Corridor 8, agreeing on rules of procedure, a preliminary timetable and possible financing routes. Energy: North Macedonia’s gasification push moves forward as the Greece interconnector nears completion, paving the way for a more diversified gas supply and phased expansion of the domestic distribution network. Tech & business: Nayax launched its cashless payment services in North Macedonia, expanding card acceptance for unattended retail like vending, parking and self-service kiosks. Society & culture: The Ohrid-based Beach Film Festival crowned Broken Voices/Sbormistr (Czech Republic/Slovakia) as Best Film, with Macedonian student film Tilting at Windmills winning the student award. Politics & information: A civic activist warns that Russian influence in North Macedonia works by adopting localized narratives—often through Serbian messaging—and says Russian pressure also plays a role in the Macedonian Orthodox Church’s stance on recognizing Ukraine’s Orthodox Church.