Oct 9, 2026, 03:00 PM UTC

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković announced targets to raise the country's average net monthly salary to €1,600 by 2028, backed by a €3 billion industrial strategy through 2034. However, business leaders and economic experts warn that sustainable expansion faces significant hurdles despite 22 consecutive quarters of GDP growth.

Mislav Balković, president of the Croatian Employers' Association, emphasized that rising labor costs are currently outpacing productivity gains, urging that the real sector must lead future development. Meanwhile, former economy minister Ljubo Jurčić offered a sharper critique, describing the national economy as drifting "without an engine and without a rudder." Jurčić argued that annual GDP growth must exceed five percent to secure long-term stability as domestic demand softens.

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

Portugal's minority center-right government survived a parliamentary motion of censure brought by the right-wing Chega party following a three-hour debate. The initiative targeted controversies surrounding the Ministry of Internal Administration.

The motion was defeated after the ruling Democratic Alliance voted against it and the main opposition Socialist Party abstained. Minister of the Presidency António Leitão Amaro criticized Chega's initiative, stating that voters would deliver a "political judgment" on the party's conduct. He reiterated that the government will continue to negotiate policy on a case-by-case basis rather than establishing a permanent parliamentary partner. Chega had argued that the administration was unable to guarantee trust in public institutions.

Sources: Diário de Notícias (DN), Expresso, RTP (Rádio e Televisão de Portugal)

Italian political leaders and judicial representatives remain in a heated dispute following the release of a 42-year-old sexual assault suspect in Turin. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani criticized magistrates for alleged leniency, prompting Justice Minister Carlo Nordio to send inspectors to review the magistrate's decision.

In response, the National Magistrates Association stated that political accusations breach the rule of law while failing to address systemic prison overcrowding operating at 160 percent capacity.

The debate occurs alongside reporting on broader crime trends. Data indicates major crimes in Italy continue to decrease, placing the country among Western Europe's safest nations. Separately, utility fraud affecting Italian consumers dropped by 27 percent over three years, despite remaining a concern.

Sources: ANSA, Corriere della Sera, Il Messaggero, Il Sole 24 Ore, La Repubblica.

French authorities announced that between 400 and 500 high schools will suspend in-person instruction, with 24 facilities vandalized or damaged by fire during nationwide student protests. The measures follow an arson attack that destroyed the entrance hall of Nelson Mandela High School in Nantes, alongside public transport disruptions and attacks on transit personnel in Marseille.

In response, Education Minister Édouard Geffray instructed affected schools to transition to remote learning, denouncing the unrest as an "entreprise de destruction du service public de l'éducation." Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu convened an interministerial crisis meeting as officials stated the mobilization had shifted into "urban violence."

Despite government condemnation, student unions and education organizations continue to demand staff replacements, increased funding, and policy reforms ahead of planned nationwide union strikes.

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

Russian health officials have rejected reports of a second pneumonic plague case and denied an active outbreak in Siberia's Irkutsk region, stating that all required data has been provided to the World Health Organization. The assurances follow requests from global health bodies and the United States for greater transparency.

The incident stems from the death of 28-year-old laboratory technician Darya Shipilova at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute. Shipilova died from severe respiratory failure after allegedly coming into contact with a damaged pathogen container, though her official cause of death was listed as pneumonia.

More than 60 facility staff members remain in isolation inside the research center despite initial tests returning negative. Regional authorities continue to monitor around 200 people.

Sources: ANSA, Corriere della Sera, El Mundo, Il Messaggero, La Vanguardia