President Dalia Grybauskaitė extended heartfelt condolences on behalf of the people of Lithuania and on her own behalf to President Joko Widodo of Indonesia over the earthquakes that claimed many lives.

As the first batch of re-imposed US sanctions on Iran takes effect, the EU's updated Blocking Statute enters into force on 7 August to mitigate their impact on the interests of EU companies doing legitimate business in Iran.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania has allocated EUR 60, 000 for humanitarian aid, of which EUR 20, 000 to Syria will be transferred to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, while EUR 15, 000 to Mali and EUR 15, 000 Somalia will be transferred to the World Food Program. Lithuania‘s Foreign Ministry has also allocated EUR 10, 000 in humanitarian aid to the Guatemalan Government and the victims of volcanic eruptions. A catastrophic eruption of Guatemala's Fuego volcano has affected more than 1.7 million people.

On 2 August, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius met with the outgoing Ambassador of Japan Toyoei Shigeeda. Lithuania‘s Foreign Minister thanked the Ambassador for his work in Lithuania and his personal contribution to the development and strengthening of relations between the two countries.

The European Commission has published the latest figures on EU imports of soybeans, showing an increase of 283% in imports of soybeans from the U.S., bringing the EU's total share of imports of U.S. soybeans to 37%, up from 9% one year ago.

On 30 July 2018, the Council extended the mandate of the EU military training mission in the Central African Republic (EUTM RCA) by two years, i.e. until 19 September 2020. The Council also modified the mandate of the mission to enable it to give strategic advice not only to the Ministry of Defence, military staff and the armed forces, but also to the President's cabinet, and to allow it to provide advice on civil-military cooperation, including to the Ministry of the Interior and the gendarmerie. The Council has allocated a budget of around €25.4 million for the common costs of EUTM RCA for the period 20 September 2018 to 19 September 2020.

The European Parliament’s Brexit Steering Group insist that the withdrawal agreement must include a viable backstop for the Northern Ireland - Ireland border.

This summer, European citizens will enjoy more digital rights than ever before. Following the end of roaming charges across the European Union last year, holidaymakers can now travel with their online TV, film, sports, music or e-book subscriptions at no extra cost. In addition, everyone across Europe can enjoy world-class data protection rules that ensure all Europeans have better control over their personal data.

The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules a German scheme to support railway companies that invest in energy efficiency technologies. The measure will promote the shift of freight traffic from road to rail and contribute to a reduction of CO2 emissions.

In the presence of the European Commission, the Prime Minister of Portugal António Costa, the President of France Emmanuel Macron, and the President of the government of Spain Pedro Sanchez will meet in Lisbon today to strengthen their regional cooperation in the framework of the Energy Union.