General Information
Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, Poland to the south, and the Russian semi-exclave of Kaliningrad Oblast to the southwest, with a maritime border with Sweden to the west. Lithuania covers an area of 65,300 km2 (25,200 sq mi), and has a population of 2.9 million. Its capital and largest city is Vilnius; other major cities include Kaunas, Klaipėda, Šiauliai and Panevėžys. Lithuanians are the titular nation, belong to the ethnolinguistic group of Balts, and speak Lithuanian.
- Population: 2,800,000+
- Area: 65,300 km²
- Coordinates: Latitude: 54.683334350586, Longitude: 25.316667556763
- Timezone: Timezone info not available
- Current Local Time: ailab
Latest Lithuania News
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Po karštesnių dienų – permainos: savaitgalį pasitiks gaivesni orai
Šeštadienio dieną dangumi plauks palyginti tankūs debesys, tačiau ir saulė tarpais pasirodys. Kai kur, didžiausia tikimybė šiauriniuose rajonuose, atplauk storesni ir tankesni debesys iš kurių trumpai palis. Pūs stiprokas vakarų vėjas, 8-13 m/s greičiu. Dėl tankių debesų, stiproko vėjo ir šalį užplūdusios vėsesnio oro masės, temperatūra nekils aukščiau 18-23 laipsnių šilumos. Vakare debesys sklaidysis, vėjas rims, todėl orai taps gražesni ir malonesni, tik labai šilta nebus.
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Ukraina atskleidė tikrąją situaciją Rusijoje ir požiūrį į režimą: Putino gerų žinių nėra
Tik apie 37 procentai Rostovo ir 39 procentai Krasnodaro gyventojų palaiko Vladimirą Putiną, rodo naujausias tyrimas, kurį atliko Ukrainos tyrimų centras IKAR. Leidinys „Postimees“ pokalbyje su IKAR sociologu atskleidė, kas iš tiesų Rusijos visuomenėje kalbama apie karą Ukrainoje, situaciją Rusijoje ir V.Putino režimą.
BBC News
Spain imposes border controls against Italy as row over Ceuta migrant influx intensifies
Italy introduced border controls following an influx of about 78,000 migrants from Morocco into the neighbouring Spanish exclave of Ceuta.
BBC News
Spanish police arrest 78 people in bust of 'one of largest' smuggling networks
The group moved synthetic drugs from Spain to Algeria, then used the return journey to smuggle migrants and weapons.
BBC News
How a 90-second power outage sparked chaos for rail commuters
The incident raised questions about how a disrupted power supply can have such a widespread impact.
BBC News
Goodwin considers selling part of defence business
The firm is a key supplier of components to UK and US frigate and submarine programmes.
POLITICO
Germany’s gas gamble puts Europe’s winter at risk
BERLIN — Europe’s reserves of natural gas are running dangerously low, risking fresh energy woes if the Iran war rages on and cold spells drive up heating demand over winter. But the continent’s top energy user doesn’t seem too bothered. Germany is the EU’s biggest vulnerability because its sheer size means gas shortfalls there could be felt in neighboring countries, driving up prices across the bloc if it fails to restore its reserves. That’s prompted growing calls for Berlin to do the unthinkable: intervene outright to direct its state-controlled energy giants to buy gas at any price, abandoning years of free-market doctrine on energy policy. So far, the government has refused to budge, even as it falls short of EU targets and faces the risk of physical supply shortages as early as November. It’s a gamble that the markets will figure everything out, even as war and hot weather distort traditional incentives and upend global supply chains. “Storage levels are not only exceptionally low for this time of year, but historically low,” said Sebastian Heinermann, the managing director of Germany’s top gas storage association, INES. But Germany, he warned, is still relying on an outdated, market-oriented approach to refill its reserves, even when there are “hardly any market-economic incentives left.” Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, EU countries have been required to hit gas storage targets of 90 percent of national capacity by winter to prevent serious supply shortfalls. The EU lowered that target to 80 percent following the outbreak of the Iran war to prevent panic buying. Typically, refilling is the responsibility of traders and utilities, which buy gas cheap in the summer to store and then sell in the winter for a profit. But buyers say higher summer prices as a result of the Iran war and climate change have upended that dynamic, leaving gas reserves across the bloc at around 58 percent of national capacity, 16 percentage points below the five-year historical average and the lowest level since 2011. The low reserves have already added to the increased pressure on gas prices linked to renewed tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, with the European natural gas benchmark now consistently higher than it was for the first four months of the Iran war. The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, has said the bloc faces no winter supply risks. But a report by energy analytics firm Rapidan projects that reserves will rise to only 65 percent of total storage capacity by November, arguing that hitting the EU’s target by winter won’t be possible without “materially higher prices.” That risk has been exacerbated, analysts say, by the bloc’s move in recent years to replace its long-term supply deals with Russia with short-term purchases of globally traded liquefied natural gas. These seaborne cargoes are highly mobile and go to the highest bidder — leaving buyers more exposed to volatility on international markets, especially in the wake of the loss of key supplies from Qatar and rising demand in Asia. A tanker passes through the Strait of Hormuz on Feb. 25, 2026. | Fadel Senna/AFP via Getty Images Germany, the bloc’s largest gas consumer, has seen its reserves fill up even more slowly than others, in part thanks to its more hands-off, market-led approach to restocking than many of its neighbors. As a result, reserves stood at only 47 percent of national capacity in August, according to the latest data — the lowest fill level since records began. That’s especially worrying as the country’s reserves are important for the bloc as a whole, representing over 20 percent of the EU’s storage capacity. Nevertheless, Berlin is staying the course. While its energy ministry has acknowledged the country’s historically low reserves, it has refused to intervene to direct its main state-controlled gas buyers, SEFE and Uniper, to buy gas at current prices to ensure its targets are met, instead of waiting for market conditions to improve. “It is the responsibility of companies and traders to fill the storage facilities for the winter,” a spokesperson for the German energy ministry told POLITICO. “Government-led filling of the storage facilities would further constrain the gas market and drive prices even higher. The supply situation over the coming months would actually deteriorate.” Whether this is the right approach will become clearer by winter, said Laurent Ruseckas, a senior gas analyst at S&P Global. If temperatures are unseasonably low, traders may be forced to buy additional supplies at late notice, driving up prices, especially if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed. On the other hand, intervening could raise prices prematurely if winter turns out to be mild. “If you start buying now to get storage to some politically predetermined level you’re making prices higher now to get insurance that you won’t get higher prices in the winter when it’s cold,” said Ruseckas. Germany’s reluctance to move quickly also highlights the difficulty the EU’s fragmented energy sector has in competing with more centralized Asian economies that have acted more quickly to secure supplies, consistently outbidding European countries even as their reserves run low. Others warn that physical supply strains are also possible. Heinermann, of INES, warned that even filling the country’s reserves to 76 percent of capacity — which SEFE says is achievable — would not necessarily meet its supply needs if winter is “exceptionally cold.” That could ripple out to neighboring countries to which Germany is treaty-bound to provide emergency gas assistance, including Austria, Switzerland, Italy and Denmark. Heinermann called on the German government to encourage faster restocking by lowering network charges at storage facilities or abolishing the conversion levy, fees imposed for the conversion of gas on national grids. Berlin has already unveiled plans for a new emergency gas stockpile, but that will only cover 10 percent of the country’s gas capacity and kick off officially next summer. It’s no surprise that other major gas consumers have already waded into the private sector. The Netherlands, another free-market champion suffering from low gas reserves, earlier this summer allocated €1.2 billion for its state energy company, EBN, to more swiftly top up its reserves. But Berlin’s energy giants are sticking to their guns — for now. A spokesperson for SEFE told POLITICO that even though “international conflicts” could weigh on European storage levels, the 70 percent target “remains achievable” without intervention. He pointed out that 78 percent of German storage capacity has already been booked, though acknowledged that doesn’t necessarily translate to actual volumes of gas stored. Regulatory measures could be useful if “necessary” but could distort markets and increase costs, he added, without specifying what. A Uniper spokesperson was less confident, warning it would be “increasingly challenging to reach the target storage levels before the winter season starts” at the current rate of filling. But she too stopped short of calling for intervention, arguing instead for better incentives for refilling — mirroring growing calls from gas lobbyists in Brussels to scrap the rules outright.
POLITICO
Italy says it won’t take orders from Spain on border checks
GROSSETO, Italy — The Italo-Spanish clash on border controls is escalating. Italy on Friday said it has no intention of suspending border checks on travelers from Spain, “a friendly country,” and rebuffed Madrid’s threats to retaliate if Rome maintains the emergency measures it instituted in response to the mass arrival of migrants in the Spanish exclave Ceuta last week. “Italy does not accept ultimatums or demands from abroad regarding national security and border control,” the Office of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wrote in a statement. Earlier in the day, the Spanish government had threatened to take “proportional measures” if Rome did not stop its reintroduced border checks and temporary suspension of the Schengen Agreement by Aug. 9. In its statement, Rome said it would keep these controls in place “at least until August 15 and, in any case, until security and terrorism risks to Italy can be completely ruled out,” adding that a new “migratory wave” is expected in Ceuta on that date. “Only when it is certain that there will be no security or terrorism risks for Italy, that there will be no new wave and that there are no irregular migrants heading toward European territory will it be possible to reconsider what has already been decided,” said the document.
Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera
US courts clear way for deportations of South Sudan, Myanmar nationals
Rulings allow Trump administration to end Temporary Protected Status for nationals of the two countries.
Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera
What could the Mecca defence pact mean for the US role in the Middle East?
Analysts say regional partners are seeking alternatives to supplement their security without discarding US support.
Europe
Spain reinstates border controls on Italy as tensions rise over migrants
Move widens rift between Pedro Sánchez’s government and rightwing Italian premier Giorgia Meloni
Europe
Will Farage’s gamble pay off?
On the ground in Clacton; plus, what Badenoch’s backing for a former neo-Nazi says about her leadership style
France 24 - International breaking news, top stories and headlines
Houthi attacks kill at least 10 in Yemen as rebels target oil-rich Marib
At least eight members of Yemeni government forces and two civilians were killed Friday in new attacks by Houthi rebels in an oil-rich province.
France 24 - International breaking news, top stories and headlines
Ebola cases surpasses 4000 cases
In tonight's program, a grim new milestone in the fast-growing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo as cases surpass 4,000. Also low rainfall and failing pipes leave taps dry in the Gabon capital. Finally rising water levels at Lake Baringo in Kenya push communities into closer contact with crocodiles, leading to increased attacks.
Africanews RSS
Moroccan rights group blames Rabat and Madrid as Ceuta death toll hit 141
A Moroccan human rights group says at least 141 people have died trying to reach Spain's Ceuta enclave, accusing Morocco and Spain of prioritising border security over human lives. The NGO is calling for an independent investigation and safer migration pathways.
Africanews RSS
Cubans forced to adapt to life without electricity as oil blockade drags on
Blackouts are nothing new in Cuba but since US President Donald Trump imposed an oil blockade in January, they can last for days. Previously blackouts lasted a few hours and were often scheduled. Now residents have to plan their lives around short and unpredictable bursts of electricity.