Aug 1, 2026, 12:30 AM UTC

Firefighters in Greece are battling a fresh wildfire west of Athens near the suburb of Dasos, sending dense smoke over the capital. The blaze follows recent fires on Crete and the Peloponnese that claimed the lives of three firefighters amid high winds. Meanwhile, smoke from severe wildfires across Spain and France continues to degrade air quality for millions of residents.

Addressing the broader global climate situation, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that late summer and autumn in the Northern Hemisphere will bring extreme heat, driven by the El Niño weather pattern.

Separately, in Russia's Volgograd region, regional governor Andrei Bocharov reported five injuries after a drone attack ignited fires at warehouses and an energy facility.

Sources: HRT Vijesti

The United States Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has extended the operating license for Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS) until August 28. The extension permits the company to continue receiving crude oil shipments for its refinery in Pančevo via the Adriatic Pipeline (JANAF).

Despite the temporary extension, Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Đedović Handanović noted that operational uncertainty regarding the company's future persists. NIS, which is majority-owned by Russian energy firms, faces ongoing regulatory and commercial pressure due to Western sanctions targeting Russian entities. The decision grants short-term stability to Serbia's domestic energy supply while broader talks regarding the firm's long-term standing continue.

Sources: HRT Vijesti.