Aug 7, 2026, 01:00 AM UTC

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković stated that average net monthly salaries in Croatia will reach €1,600 by the conclusion of his term in 2028, with consultations scheduled for October to adjust the national minimum wage. Meanwhile, findings from the Reuters Institute's Digital News Report 2026 revealed that 63 percent of Croatian respondents avoid news coverage, positioning the nation alongside Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey among global leaders in news avoidance.

In Malta, court testimony continued in the murder trial of businessman Yorgen Fenech, who stands accused of orchestrating the 2017 car bomb assassination of anti-corruption investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. Separately, emergency responders in Greece, supported by military vehicles and aerial water bombers, sustained efforts to extinguish a severe forest fire raging in the Kithairon mountains near the town of Megara.

Sources: HRT Vijesti, Index, N1, Poslovni dnevnik, Vijesti

A mass funeral was held in Gaza City for 112 Palestinians whose remains were recently recovered from rubble left by a November 2023 Israeli airstrike in the Sabra district. The deceased, including 44 children and 38 women, belonged primarily to the Hassayna and Abu Sharia families. Their retrieval followed a two-week excavation effort.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump's Peace Council announced that Israeli forces will not complete their withdrawal from Gaza until Hamas fulfills its disarmament obligations.

In regional developments, Jordan called an emergency meeting of Arab and Islamic foreign ministers, warning of an "imminent" risk of an Israeli takeover of Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound that could "trigger a religious conflict".

Sources: BBC News, Cyprus Mail, STV News, Sweden Herald, The Guardian.

An unrelenting heatwave across Southern and Southeastern Europe continues to intensify, causing red weather alerts and placing severe strain on regional infrastructure.

In Serbia, maximum temperatures approached 39 degrees Celsius, with Sombor recording 38.6 degrees Celsius. A surge in electricity demand for cooling, combined with historically low water levels along the Danube, has pushed local energy systems toward operational limits.

Across Central and Southern Europe, heat records continue to fall. Italian health authorities issued top-level red alerts for all 27 monitored cities as ground surface temperatures neared 75 degrees Celsius, while Austria also documented record high temperatures. Officials warn that such intense heat events are becoming increasingly frequent, threatening agriculture, energy grids, and public health.

Sources: Beta, Danas, Klix, N1, Tanjug

German authorities and NATO are investigating a major security breach at Leipzig/Halle Airport after bomb disposal personnel neutralized an explosive-laden drone near a Ukrainian Antonov cargo aircraft. The incident forced a temporary suspension of overnight flight operations, resulting in multiple passenger and freight diversions at the hub, which serves as a key transit point for military supplies bound for Ukraine.

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser confirmed that existing anti-drone countermeasures were bypassed, characterizing the intrusion as a "hybrid attack scenario" representing a "new dimension of threat." Investigators are probing potential foreign state involvement, with attention focused on possible Russian links, alongside unconfirmed reports of a mid-air collision between a DHL cargo aircraft and an unidentified aerial object.

Sources: Adevărul, Digi24, Economedia, HotNews, Ziarul de Gardă

FBI Director Kash Patel revealed that the agency has established non-traditional law enforcement partnerships with China and Russia over the past year. According to Patel, the cooperation involved exchanging personnel, sharing intelligence, and conducting joint investigations and arrests targeting criminal activity.

The announcement comes alongside broader foreign policy adjustments and retaliatory actions. China recently imposed trade countermeasures against seven American entities, tightened export controls on drone technology, and restricted US inspections of domestic factories. Simultaneously, the US State Department notified Congress of plans to close five consulates across Asia, Africa, North America, and the Caribbean to reduce costs, prompting concerns regarding expanding Chinese global influence. In domestic developments, a US Senate panel voted to recommend contempt of Congress charges against Anthony Fauci following his refusal to testify regarding pandemic responses.

Sources: Avaz, CDM, Klix, N1, Vijesti.