Lithuania’s Defence Industry: YIT Lietuva will build a Leopard 2A8 tank production and maintenance plant in Kaunas Free Economic Zone for Lithuania Defence Services, with construction starting in August and the first tank expected in late 2028; the project targets up to 100 jobs. EU Economy Watch: Eurostat reports eurozone GDP rose 0.4% quarter-on-quarter in Q2 2026 (and 1.0% year-on-year), with Lithuania among the faster growers at 1.7% q/q. AI Infrastructure Push: The EU has launched a €5bn call to tender for seven AI gigafactories, aiming to expand Europe’s secure, locally built computing capacity. Baltic Security & Migration: Estonia extended restrictions on its Russia border crossings indefinitely, keeping checkpoints open 12 hours a day, while police operations in Tallinn targeted suspected illegal migrants amid continued pressure linked to the Latvia–Belarus route. Diplomacy in Focus: Lithuania’s foreign minister Kęstutis Budrys met Thailand’s top diplomats in Bangkok, marking the first Lithuanian FM visit to Thailand in 22 years and building ties after Lithuania’s ASEAN engagement. Tech & Business Links: Lithuania’s KN Energies signed an MoU with Vietnam’s INDEL Corporation to explore LNG infrastructure in Vietnam’s economic zones. Sports & STEM: Kaunas hosted the 10th European Youth Olympiad in Informatics, where Armenia won 2 silver and 2 bronze medals, and Kyrgyzstan earned a silver and a bronze.