Lithuania

Construction of the long-delayed, 18.000-seat National Stadium in Vilnius is at pace after resuming in July, though questions remain over permits and transparency; the multipurpose complex will include football field, athletics stadium, kindergarten

Social Democratic MP Inga Ruginienė has been appointed as Prime Minister of Lithuania; following the resignation of Paluckas on 31 July, 78 parliament members voted in favor, 35 against and 14 abstained

8 Lithuanian defence and security firms and research institutions have signed a letter of intent with Brazil’s Embraer, one of the world’s largest aerospace manufacturers, in a first official attempt to apply industrial cooperation in defence procurement

The 85th anniversary of the United States' declaration condemning the Soviet occupation of the Baltic states has been marked with a commemorative event in Washington Square in Vilnius featuring flag tribute, national anthems, American-style snacks

Gintautas Markevičius, a Lithuanian man paralysed down one side, set yet another record by covering over 3.000 km around the Baltic States on his electric trike; after more than a month on the road, he was welcomed back in Klaipėda

A passenger boat service in the Neris River will be launched by the end of July in Vilnius and the first electric vessel of the fleet has been unveiled; for Mayor Valdas Benkunskas the new type of transport could fulfill the city's recreational potential

Construction at the Rūdninkai military training area, a €125 million contract, is 6 months ahead of schedule; Lithuanian defence officials are speeding up operations on the campus that will house part of a German brigade deployed to the country by 2027

Within the plan to extend the high-speed railway Rail Baltica up to 114 km in Lithuania by 2025, a new tender has been issued for a 12,4 km stretch

Rounding cash payments began: under the new rules, the final amount of a purchase paid in cash will be rounded to the nearest multiple of 5 cents; the new practice is part of a gradual move to phase out the use of 1- and 2-cent euro coins

The Constitutional Court ruled that the 'the institution of partnership', as now defined in Lithuania's Civil Code, is unconstitutional because it only provides for a union between a man and a woman, excluding same-sex relationships

Vilnius Gediminas Technical University will receive €669.000 of funding from Google.org, the philanthropic arm of Google, thanks to which researchers will create a programme of 'Cyber Security Seminars' for 200 students from different academic disciplines

As part of the Lithuania's government push to increase defence spending, private pension funds suggest they could lend around €3,6 billion for the country's military infrastructure