Lithuania will keep its border crossings with Belarus closed for a month after balloons carrying cigarettes repeatedly disrupted air traffic at Vilnius Airport. Some exemptions will apply.
The Šalčininkai crossing will remain fully closed, while Medininkai, near Vilnius, will operate with restricted passage. Lithuanian and EU citizens, as well as Russians holding transit documents to Kaliningrad, will still be allowed through.
Officials view the balloon incidents as a deliberate act by Russia-allied Belarus. Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovic said the measures are meant to send “a clear message to our not-so-friendly neighbour, which is making no effort to address the problem.”
Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko criticised the move, calling it a “mad scam” and part of a “hybrid war.” He suggested Lithuania should tackle smuggling on its side and said Belarus would apologise if found responsible.
The incidents come amid heightened European concern after a surge in drone intrusions into NATO airspace last month. In Belgium, Defence Minister Theo Francken said multiple drones were spotted above a military base in Marche-en-Famenne overnight Tuesday into Wednesday, prompting an investigation.
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Maritime trackers received new reports of an attack on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), adding to concerns about energy supplies after Saudi Arabia shut down a vital oil pipeline on Saturday.
U.S. Central Command said 101 commercial vessels have been redirected in the Strait of Hormuz, while oil prices rose more than three per cent amid fresh regional attacks and supply concerns.
A Russian strike on a farm warehouse in Pryluky, north-central Ukraine, has killed at least three people, local police said. Meanwhile, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said an attack on a train near the Polish border was an attempt to intimidate Ukraine's allies.
U.S. President Donald Trump has again said Iran is keen to reach a deal quickly, but a senior Iranian security official rejected the claim, saying Tehran will not negotiate until its conditions are met.
A Danish military helicopter came within “metres” of being struck by flares fired by a Russian warship, Denmark's Defence Minister Jeppe Bruus said on Tuesday. Russia accused Denmark of carrying out “dangerous manoeuvres” near its ship, and said it was investigating the incident.
A Danish military helicopter came within “metres” of being struck by flares fired by a Russian warship, Denmark's Defence Minister Jeppe Bruus said on Tuesday. Russia accused Denmark of carrying out “dangerous manoeuvres” near its ship, and said it was investigating the incident.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced plans to scrap Biden-era carbon emission limits on coal- and gas-fired power plants, marking a major reversal in U.S. climate policy.
University students in Mexico have held a vigil for a 21-year-old Spanish exchange student killed in the central state of Morelos, with authorities investigating her death as a possible feminicide.
Every day since a torrent of mud and rocks destroyed a Nepal-China border crossing high up in the Himalayas last month, Arushi Gupta's parents have called and messaged their missing daughter hoping she somehow survived.
Foreign ministers of Cambodia and Thailand delivered opening statements on Tuesday at the first meeting of a UN arbitration process to resolve a long-running maritime dispute between the two Southeast Asian neighbours.
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