15 April 2026

President Gitanas Nausėda said in Vilnius today that he sees no sign the United States is preparing to cut its military presence in Lithuania and expects U.S. troops to stay. He made the remark during a visit by members of Congress, as Lithuania presses to keep roughly 1,000 rotating U.S. troops and expands training infrastructure at Rūdninkai and Pabradė. The presidency also called for a major overhaul of the school graduation exam system, arguing that school-leaving exams should be separated from university admissions. The government faces a tougher domestic backdrop as a new poll shows 71% of Lithuanians view the cabinet negatively.

In parliament, Social Democrats are pushing to scrap the three state-exam requirement for graduates from the autumn term. The Foreign Affairs Committee backed opening a Lithuanian embassy in Brazil. The Culture Committee rejected a proposal for a public service contract between the state and public broadcaster LRT. The IMF kept Lithuania’s 2026 growth forecast at 2.8% but warned that higher inflation, including energy prices, is the more immediate risk.

In crime news, Vilnius police said today they are still searching for a minor who disappeared last year and asked the public to contact investigators or call 112 with any information. Near Kaunas, law enforcement uncovered what investigators describe as a narcotics hub in a hangar holding cargo worth about 70 million euros, while police in Alytus detained three suspects in a separate major drug case. Lawmaker and former canoeist Jevgenijus Šuklinas underwent urgent surgery abroad after an injury and will not return to work immediately. Simona Milinytė said publicly that her family first learned of her brother’s murder by phone, in a case historically linked to a 2010 attack and the Kedys scandal.

In business, Vilnius broker NTlence said it handled 13% of the capital’s March home sales worth 29.2 million euros, while SBA Urban is continuing preparations for its premium Poemos project in Kaunas. For households, this heating season was roughly one-third more expensive than the last. Lithuanian doctors also reported a significant step forward in cancer detection.

Germany’s Bundestag assigned Rheinmetall an attack-drone contract for the German brigade in Lithuania. Lithuania’s presidential palace hosted a state dinner for Estonian President Alar Karis and first lady Sirje Karis.

Turkey was hit by a second school shooting in two days after a middle school student opened fire on two classrooms in the southeast, killing at least four people and wounding at least 20. Police surrounded the gunman inside the school building, and local media said he was carrying several firearms and magazines taken from his father, a retired police officer. The attack followed a separate shooting yesterday in which a former student wounded 16 people before killing himself.

In Ukraine, two people were killed in Russian attacks on the Zaporizhzhia region as Kyiv warned that shortages of air-defence missiles have become critical. Volodymyr Zelensky said Patriot shortages were at their worst point and that Washington’s focus on the Iran-Israel crisis could further squeeze supplies to Ukraine. Kyiv said yesterday it had begun planning joint production of advanced drones and other battle-tested weapons with Germany. Zelensky also said Ukraine is working on a new air-defence system after February brought Russia’s highest monthly missile strike count in three years. Ukrainian officials also said Russia is now losing more troops than it can mobilise, while Ukraine struck an important chemical plant inside Russia.

Elsewhere in Europe, officials have accelerated a NATO fallback plan in case the US pulls forces from the continent or refuses to defend allies. After Germany signed off on the effort, the aim is to preserve deterrence against Russia, keep command structures functioning and maintain nuclear credibility. Estonia today started digging new anti-tank trenches in the southeast along the Russian border as part of the Baltic Defence Line. Tallinn has previously said the strip there could include up to 40 km of anti-tank ditches, alongside bunkers and storage sites for engineering equipment.

In sport, PSG beat Atletico Madrid yesterday to become the first team into this season’s Champions League semi-finals. Debate over a common EU army has also sharpened, with the argument now centred less on principle than on manpower and how such a force would be staffed.

Germany's parliament approved the contract for an attack-drone brigade in Lithuania, clearing the way for the project to move forward. Ukraine expanded its mandatory evacuation zone in the Kharkiv region to more than 20 settlements, while Kyiv said it is now intercepting about 80% of Russian missiles and 90% of drones.

Xi Jinping spoke publicly about the Iran war for the first time yesterday in Beijing, telling Pedro Sánchez that China and Europe should defend multilateralism. At the Great Hall of the People, Xi warned against a return to the “law of the jungle” as Beijing tries to shield trade with Europe from war-driven shocks to energy markets and demand.

The Financial Times reports that Iran bought a Chinese spy satellite during the war and used it to refine targeting of U.S. bases in Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain. Iran said yesterday through state media that any further U.S. military move would make American and allied bases across the Gulf legitimate targets. Israel’s intelligence chief said today that the country’s mission against Iran is not over. Israel and Hezbollah also continued exchanging attacks along the Lebanese border over the past day, even as Washington reported progress in separate direct contacts between Israel and Lebanon.

The International Energy Agency warned today that closing the Strait of Hormuz would disrupt about a fifth of global seaborne oil trade. The agency said the route also carries a large share of the world’s liquefied natural gas, exposing Asian and European gas markets to another shock. U.S. forces in the eastern Pacific struck a suspected drug-smuggling boat over the past day, killing five men, and Southern Command says the campaign has killed at least 99 people since September.

New Delhi unveiled a draft EV policy over the weekend that would stop registering new petrol, diesel and CNG two-wheelers from mid-August 2026. The plan would also make electric auto-rickshaws the only option for new registrations from the start of 2027 and would bar petrol and diesel vehicles from joining delivery and ride-hailing fleets this year.

US oil exports hit record highs as analysts assessed the potential impact of a war with Iran on the global economy and energy prices. Facebook, Messenger and YouTube suffered service disruptions, while China’s foreign minister told Iran that Beijing supports faster peace talks.