Two Italian Eurofighter Typhoons operating under NATO command shot down a drone over Lithuania, the first such downing in the Baltic nation's airspace. Lithuanian officials said it likely entered from Belarus and may have carried explosives. NATO is investigating with Lithuanian authorities amid heightened tensions on the eastern flank.

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An Italian NATO fighter jet brought down a drone over Lithuania shortly after midnight on Tuesday, according to the Lithuanian National Crisis Management Centre.

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NATO jets shot down a drone overnight after it entered Lithuanian airspace.

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NATO fighter jets shot down a drone that entered Lithuanian airspace overnight on September 15, the first such incident in the country’s history, according to broadcaster LRT. Italian jets based in Šiauliai carried out the strike. The drone may have been carrying explosives, while its ownership remains unclear. Air raid alerts were issued and several international flights were delayed.

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NATO says it is “committed and ready” after a drone was shot down over Lithuania. From the Baltics to Poland, Europe’s eastern edge is watching Russia’s war to stop it from spilling across its borders.

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A drone entered Lithuania’s airspace before NATO fighter jets shot it down, President Gitanas Nauseda said. Preliminary data cited by national broadcaster LRT indicated the drone came from Belarus and was heading west when it was downed, with wreckage falling in a rural area near Lake Kaunas.

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Russia’s share of the European Union’s total gas import value fell from second place in June to fourth in July, at 14.1%, according to Eurostat data and TASS calculations. The EU bought €1.1 billion of Russian gas that month. Norway ranked first, followed by the United States and Algeria. From January to July, Russia accounted for 17% of EU gas imports, while purchases fell 2.6% to €8.6 billion.

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Ukraine’s General Staff says Russian forces have suffered 301,030 troops killed and wounded in Ukraine since the start of 2026. It attributed the losses to repeated infantry assaults, saying Russia suffered 124,170 casualties during the three summer months, including a record 42,860 in July.

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Ukraine’s General Staff says Russia has suffered about 1,510,000 troop casualties since its full-scale invasion began on Feb. 24, 2022, including 1,400 over the past day. It also reported losses of thousands of armored vehicles, artillery systems, aircraft, drones and naval vessels. Western assessments say Russian casualties exceed Ukraine’s, while Kyiv has not disclosed its own total.

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Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov endorsed the U.S.-proposed Russia-Ukraine pledge to stop attacks on energy infrastructure, but said it would not by itself end fuel shortages on world markets. Donald Trump said the sides had agreed to the truce; afterward, Ukrainian drones hit the Syzran refinery and Russian forces struck Kyiv again.

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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukraine is prepared to stop striking targets in Russia if the United States secures a Russian commitment not to attack Ukrainian infrastructure. He says any de-escalation depends on Moscow being genuinely ready to end the war for the long term. Air attacks continued, causing deaths, injuries and damage on both sides.

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Global technology stocks have fallen after leading AI companies called for a slower pace of development. The programme also examines Donald Trump's claim that Russia and Ukraine agreed to stop strikes on energy targets, features an interview with Commission Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu, and previews the 2026 State of the Union.

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Ukraine’s parliament dismissed Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko on Sept. 15 without a dissenting vote. The move came as anti-corruption agencies clashed with his office over an investigation into alleged protection for scam call centers and after Kravchenko announced charges against NABU chief Semen Kryvonos. His approved trip to a Paris conference, which he did not attend, also drew scrutiny.

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Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow expects IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi to unequivocally assess what Russia calls Kyiv’s attacks on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and declare Ukraine’s actions unacceptable. She said Ukrainian forces conducted combined strikes on September 11 against fuel trucks carrying diesel for the plant’s backup generators.

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Female athletes are responding to a sports-betting advertisement featuring actress Sydney Sweeney by sharing their own images of women in sport. The ad has been criticized for sexually objectifying women in athletics.

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