Half of the population refuses Covid-19 vaccination, hospitals endure increasing influx of patients, ambulances to use selective response to emergency calls, and all residents in Latvia are forced to endure restrictions again.
Fuel prices went up considerably in Estonia and Lithuania this week. The price of gas also went up. This means increased expenses for both residents and enterprises.
Meanwhile, reports are coming in from Lithuania about detained illegal immigrants being kept in inhuman conditions – overcrowded, cold rooms, provided with little food and medicine.
BNN gives you a summery of the most relevant events of the past week in the following topics: State of Emergency; Electricity Price; Responsibility; Migrants in Lithuania; Nobel Prize; Facebook pause.
ELECTRICITY PRICE
Electricity prices in Latvia reach the peak since market liberalization
Photo: Unsplash
In September the average monthly price reached 123.50 EUR/MWh, which is 41.4% more when compared to August. This is the highest electricity price observed in Latvia since the liberalization of the market, according to transmission system operator AS Augstsprieguma tīkls’ prepared report.
Electricity prices are up elsewhere in Europe as well: the price in Poland was 102.26 EUR/MWh in September, in other Baltic States, Denmark and Sweden’s 4th commercial region the price ranged between 120 to 124 EUR/MWh, in Germany, France, Belgium, Netherlands and Austria the average price reached about 135 EUR/MWh.
The price increase in Latvia is mainly related to the following reasons: considerable increase of gas and CO2 quota prices, lower capacity of water reservoirs in Norway, lower output of wind turbine parks. Because of these reasons, electricity prices on the exchange have increased. A short-term price increase was also caused in Baltic States for a couple of days because of maintenance of power lines.
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RESPONSIBILITY
Opinion: parties that oppose vaccination should take responsibility for the pandemic among non-vaccinated people
Ainārs Latkovskis. Photo: Zane Bitere/LETA
There is a Covid-19 pandemic observed among non-vaccinated people in Latvia. Responsibility for it should be taken by the political parties that still object vaccination, says New Unity Saeima faction chairman Ainārs Latkovskis.
The politician critically outlined that the parties that oppose vaccination continue misleading people by spreading untrue information about the vaccination.
When asked about the possibility of new restrictions being imposed in Latvia, Latkovskis said a lockdown is no solution – it is a short-term solution. «Vaccination is the only way out,» said the leader of New Unity faction.
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MIGRANTS IN LITHUANIA
With colder weather on Belarus-Lithuania border, NGO speaks of starving migrants there
Lithuanian and Belarus border marks are seen on the Belarus-Lithuania border in Medininkai, Lithuania, Photo: REUTERS/SCANPIX
Lithuanian legislators have been asked by the non-governmental organisation (NGO) Human Rights Monitoring Institute to explain how vulnerable migrants are being allowed to enter the country from Belarus on humanitarian grounds. The Lithuanian Interior Ministry has argued that families with children are not automatically considered vulnerable, LRT broadcaster and Domantė Platūkytė report.
On Wednesday, October 6, the NGO said it had received information about a group of allegedly starving and freezing migrants in Belarus, some 50 metres from the Lithuanian border. The non-governmental organisation also reminded of «deaths of irregular migrants at the Belarusian–Polish border». The Institute expressed «concerns that similar tragedies could also occur on Lithuania’s border with Belarus».
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NOBEL PRIZE
Nobel Prize in Physics awarded for climate modelling and explaining physical system disorder and fluctuations
A picture combo shows (L-R) Japanese-born meteorologist Syukuro Manabe, German physicist, climate researcher and oceanographer Klaus Hasselmann and Italian physicist Giorgio Parisi. Photo: EPA/SCANPIX
Nobel Prize in Physics 2021 will to Japanese, German and Italian scientists for groundbreaking contributions to our understanding of complex physical systems, it was announced in Sweden on Tuesday, October 5.
Japanese-American scientist Syukuro Manabe and German physicist Klaus Hasselmann laid the foundation of our knowledge of the Earth’s climate and how humanity influences it. Italian researcher Giorgio Parisi is rewarded for his revolutionary contributions to the theory of disordered materials and random processes.
Complex systems are characterised by randomness and disorder and are difficult to understand. This year’s Prize recognises new methods for describing them and predicting their long-term behaviour.
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FACEBOOK PAUSE
Facebook without sugar. CEO apologises for six hours without social media
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Photo: AFP/SCANPIX
Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has apologised for the recent disruption in social media services that affected 3.5 billion users, British public broadcaster BBC reports.
«Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger are coming back online now. Sorry for the disruption today — I know how much you rely on our services to stay connected with the people you care about,» Zuckerberg wore on his Facebook page early on Tuesday, October 5.
In the evening of Monday, October 4, Riga time, an internal technical issue took Facebook, Messenger, Whatsapp and Instagram offline for close to six hours.
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BNN summary of the week: expensive electricity. Unpleasant pandemic development. Living conditions at migrant camps
