Aug 23, 2026, 04:30 PM UTC

The Croatian parliament resumed an extraordinary session convened at the request of President Zoran Milanović to address the illegal dumping of hazardous waste in the Lika region. The environmental controversy intensified political friction, leading the opposition Social Democratic Party to pursue a vote of no confidence against the governing coalition formed by the Croatian Democratic Union and the Homeland Movement.

In Malta, court proceedings advanced in the trial of businessman Yorgen Fenech, who is accused of masterminding the 2017 assassination of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. Jurors heard testimony detailing her reporting on high-level corruption.

Meanwhile, findings from the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2026 revealed that 63 percent of surveyed citizens in Croatia occasionally or frequently avoid following the news, placing the country among the highest rates globally alongside Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey.

Sources: HRT Vijesti, Index, Klix, Poslovni dnevnik, Tanjug

Global climate monitoring agencies and meteorologists warn that an emerging El Niño could become the most intense in over a century, compounding human-driven global warming to trigger severe weather disruptions worldwide. Data from the European Union's Copernicus climate service confirmed record-high July ocean temperatures alongside prolonged heatwaves and wildfires across Europe.

Forecasters at the UK Met Office caution that tropical Pacific sea surface temperatures may rise more than three degrees above normal. The escalating climate pressures are simultaneously fueling heavy flooding across Asia while threatening severe drought conditions across the Amazon basin. Analysts warn that the converging weather patterns pose mounting operational risks to international food security, power grids, and global supply networks.

Sources: BBC News, Bloomberg, France24, STV News, The Guardian.

Firefighters across France have stabilized several major wildfire fronts, bringing key blazes under control despite persistent seasonal risks. In the Aude department, emergency teams successfully contained a vegetation fire near Montséret after it scorched roughly 100 hectares, leaving crews deployed to monitor remaining hot spots.

Containment operations have progressed across other regions as well. Officials confirmed that fires in the Var department have been extinguished, blazes in Drôme are contained, and the major fire in Gironde is no longer advancing. According to official estimates from the Ministry of the Interior, wildfires have burned approximately 115,000 hectares nationwide since the beginning of the year.

In response to the widespread damage, Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu is scheduled to visit Gironde on 17 August to oversee recovery and reconstruction efforts.

Sources: Le Figaro, Le Monde, Le Soir, Libération, RTBF Info