In 2022, the commander of the Greek Intelligence Service put together with his interlocutor from North Macedonia, a draft preliminary agreement for cooperation on cybersecurity. But they forgot to remove a subtle, albeit very important electronic trace, which was seen by inside story. This is Part B of the investigation resulting from Inside Story’s partnership with the Investigative Reporting Lab. Tal Dilian’s group of companies developed and sold the Predator…
IRL
The Predator spyware marketed to the world by an Israeli software company and used in Greece and Egypt to spy on journalists, dissidents and others, was developed in North Macedonia – a violation of the Balkan country’s law. But local efforts to investigate why the software was built in Skopje appear stalled. The European Parliament also is probing the matter. Reporting: Saska Cvetkoska, Ivana Nasteska, Bojan Stojanovski, Tasos Telloglou, Eliza…
A national treasure of nature and beauty threatened by powerful private interests in North Macedonia
A national treasure of nature and beauty threatened by powerful private interests in North Macedonia
IRL reveals for the first time how powerful private interests have endangered one of North Macedonia’s most valuable natural treasures — National Park Mavrovo, home to 1400 different plants and animals, including the rare Balkan lynx. More than a decade ago, the national government gave permission to private companies to build three small hydropower plants in the park, a move that effectively blocked pending legislation that, if approved, would have…
The Galicnik Wedding Festival is a key part of the Macedonian cultural heritage, and the old village houses are protected by law and are listed as such by the Ministry of Culture. Yet, there have been attempts to privatize and commercialize these cultural gems. Famously known as the “Groom’s House” — the state-owned “Villa Dosta” — is in danger. In 2016, the agricultural cooperative linked with the house declared bankruptcy…