Last week, Lithuania’s University unveiled a first ever 3D medicine printer; Indian woman killed as car with migrants veers off into river
President ready to sign decree on ice skater’s citizenship revoking
President Gitanas Nausėda said on Friday, the 15th of September, that it will not take long for him to sign a decree on stripping Russian ice dancer Margarita Drobiazko of her Lithuanian citizenship. He hinted he will do it before leaving for the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week. The Citizenship Commission recommended on Thursday that Drobiazko be stripped of her Lithuanian citizenship, citing her public support for the Kremlin regime waging war in Ukraine as grounds for the action. The ice dancer said in an open letter earlier this week that she is not involved in Russian propaganda, but that she is spreading the light of culture and goodness. Drobiazko was granted Lithuanian citizenship in 1993 for her merits in sport and for promoting the country’s name. Drobiazko and her husband Povilas Vanagas have in the past represented Lithuania in various championships.
Teachers in some schools go on strike
Teachers in some schools across Lithuania staged a two-hour warning strike on Friday, the 15th of September. The Lithuanian Education Employees’ Trade Union (LEETU) has said that around 5 000 teachers and other education personnel in 228 educational establishments – schools, kindergartens and education centers – were expected to join the action. These include 33 educational establishments in Vilnius, 44 in Klaipeda, 17 in Alytus, 20 in Panevėžys, and only three in Kaunas, according to Andrius Navickas, the union’s leader. Some schools have cancelled the first two lessons, while others are conducting the educational process remotely on Friday. The LEETU is demanding a 20% increase in teachers’ pay from September and a further 30% rise from January, along with a reduction in class sizes. Education Minister Gintautas Jakštas says that teachers’ salaries were raised in January, as agreed, and that there is no possibility of increasing them further from September. The union intends to call a larger-scale strike if no agreement on its demands is reached by the end of September.
Foreign ministry zeroes in on London Embassy
Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry has launched an audit into the use of representation funds at the Embassy in London after receiving additional information about possible misconduct of two diplomats – Ambassador to the United Kingdom Eitvydas Bajarūnas and Ambassador to NATO Deividas Matulionis. The delfi.lt news website reported in August that the Foreign Ministry had received complaints from employees about possible mobbing and abuse of office by Bajarūnas. There were also allegations that Matulionis may have failed to comply with the mandate given by state institutions and may have weakened Lithuania’s negotiating position during the negotiations on the documents of the NATO summit in Vilnius.
LTG s to purchase at least 17 electric locomotives by 2027
LTG Cargo, the freight arm of Lithuania’s state-owned railway group Lietuvos Geležinkeliai (Lithuanian Railways, LTG), announced on Thursday, the 14th of September, it is looking to purchase at least 17 electric locomotives and to have them operational by 2027, Egidijus Lazauskas, the group’s CEO, said that tender has attracted significant interest from potential suppliers, according to Lazauskas. LTG Cargo wants to buy electric locomotives for transporting freight between Vilnius and the seaport of Klaipėda, with around 100 million euros planned to be invested in the project.
First 3D medicine printer launched
The first validated 3D medicine printer in Europe has been launched at the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences. The device is capable of creating personalised medicines tailored to each patient, increasing the effectiveness of medicines by combining several substances in one tablet, and reducing side effects, the university said on Thursday, the 14th of September. The printer allows inserting different micro-capsules into one tablet and coating them with different layers of excipients that regulate the release of the medical substance. The new 3D printer is the first of its kind in Europe and one of the first in the world, according to the university.
Opposition LFGU dumps agreement on national education
The opposition Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union has decided to withdraw from the national agreement on education, signed by the country’s political parties two years ago. The decision was made by the party’s board, party leader Ramūnas Karbauskis said on Wednesday, the 13th of September. “The LFGU has considered the situation and made a decision to withdraw from the national agreement on education policy, concluded in 2021, on the basis of the daily deterioration of the situation in the field of education,” Karbauskis said. For his part, Education, Science and Sport Minister Gintaras Jakštas sees this move as an evasion of responsibility. In his words, the agreement is in force until 2030, the incumbent government is responsible for fulfilling its commitments until the end of 2024. Another opposition party, the Labor Party, said earlier it was mulling withdrawing from the agreement, saying it would take this step, if it was confirmed that the parties’ agreement on education policy in Lithuania was not being implemented.
Everyone over 6 months will be eligible for COVID shots
COVID-19 vaccinations will be available this season to all Lithuanian residents aged six months and older and will be offered at no cost to those covered by compulsory health insurance, the Health Ministry said on Wednesday, the 13th of September. The ministry intends to unveil its vaccination strategy to the public in late September. The authorities would consider declaring an epidemic on a national or municipal level if the cumulative incidence of flu, COVID-19 and colds exceeds 1 500 cases per 100 000 inhabitants per week, and if coronavirus and flu patients occupy over 1 500 hospital beds and 120 or more ICU beds for more than a week. The Health Ministry has registered an uptick in daily cases in the past few weeks.
Indian woman killed as car with migrants veers off into river
An Indian woman was killed when a car carrying irregular migrants plunged into a river in southern Lithuania in the early hours of Wednesday, the 13th of September, the Police Department said. The police in Marijampole District received a report at 3:36 a.m. that a Mazda car was carrying irregular migrants. The car was spotted on the Marijampole-Kalvarija road, but it failed to stop when signalled to do so by the police. The Mazda veered off the road into the Šešupė River in Liudvinava at around 3:50 a.m. The police detained three men, irregular migrants, possibly Indian nationals, and have launched a search for the car’s driver. The female passenger, believed to be an Indian national, was killed in the accident. Preliminary information indicates that the irregular migrants had crossed into Lithuania from Latvia.
Draft for women will be possible after universal male conscription
Lithuania could introduce mandatory military service for women only when it has a universal male conscription in place, Kestutis Budrys, President Gitanas Nausėda’s chief national security advisor, said on Tuesday, the 12th of September. The advisor’s comment comes after the Lithuanian Business Confederation and the association Lyderė (Female Leader) have called on the Defence Ministry to initiate discussions on a mandatory military draft for women. Defence Ministry has recently tabled a military draft reform bill to the parliament, but it does not provide either for universal conscription of men or compulsory military service for women.
Probe into man accused of spying for Belarus completed
Lithuanian law enforcement authorities completed on Monday, the 11th of September, probing the case of Mantas Danielius, a Vilnius resident suspected of spying for Belarus, and are preparing to hand it over to the court for trial next week. The pre-trial investigation in this case was carried out by the Lithuanian Criminal Police Bureau and supervised by the Vilnius District Prosecutor’s Office. Danielius is suspected of having abducted, purchased, or otherwise collected and transferred information that constitutes a Lithuanian state secret or other information of interest to the intelligence services of a foreign state in the course of carrying out a task for another state. He is suspected of espionage, which is punishable by imprisonment from six to 15 years.
Week in Lithuania: teachers in some schools go on strike, Foreign ministry zeroes in on London Embassy
