Aerial Alert in Vilnius: Vilnius Airport briefly suspended operations after an aerial threat alert sent to phones; NATO Baltic Air Policing jets were scrambled, but the “drone-like” object was later identified as a weather balloon, with two flights diverted to Riga and one to Kaunas before services resumed. NATO Scramble Over Lithuania: NATO fighters were also scrambled after a suspected kamikaze drone entered Lithuania’s airspace; authorities later suggested it may have been a balloon, as Russia continued strikes tied to the wider war. EU Climate Rule Tightening: The EU agreed to make it harder to pause the carbon emissions fee on imports such as steel, cement and fertilisers—aimed at protecting local industry and boosting certainty for greener investment, though some states including Lithuania opposed. Tesla Self-Driving Expansion: Tesla’s “Full Self Driving (Supervised)” was approved for public roads in Belgium, following approvals in several other European countries, after required tests. Rare Book Theft Verdicts: A French court sentenced six Georgians up to seven years over thefts of rare Russian classics from libraries, with prosecutors describing an organised operation potentially linked to Russia. Vilnius Heritage & Memory: A new piece reflects on the June 27 Lietūkis Garage massacre commemoration in Kaunas and abroad, arguing the “commemoration is the knife” in how responsibility is framed.