Society
Lithuanians among ‘most politically inactive in Europe’
Lithuanians are among the least politically active citizens in Europe, according to new research. […]
Year: 2016
Politics
New citizenship rules open to subjective judgements by President, say politicians
The new citizenship law which allows for certain Lithuanians with special merit to hold dual citizenship with another country, cannot prevent subjectivity when it comes to decisions on allowing people to maintain or recover national citizenship, according to parliamentarians Stasys Šedbaras and Julius Sabatauskas. […]
Energy
Spike in electricity prices forces activation of Elektrėnai power plant
Electricity shortages and a sharply increased electricity price on Monday forced the grid operator to turn on the combined cycle gas generating unit at Elektrėnai power plant. […]
Uncategorized
Belarus nuclear power plant has to meet international standards, says Foreign Minister
Lithuania is demanding that the construction of a Russian-funded nuclear power plant in Astravyets, Belarus, will meet international standards. The plant is only 50km from Lithuania‘s capital Vilnius, meaning in the case of an accident, the city would be in plant’s evacuation zone. […]
Defence
Conscription boosted emigration, Lithuanian PM says
Military conscription, which was reinstated in Lithuania last year, was one of the reasons behind a hike in emigration, Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius believes. […]
Foreign affairs
9th Snow Meeting to focus on preparing for NATO’s Warsaw summit
The traditional Snow Meeting, an informal gathering of Lithuanian and foreign experts of security policy, is to be held on 14-15 January near Trakai. This year, the meeting will focus on preparing for the NATO summit in Warsaw this July. […]
Uncategorized
The Kremlin’s view: why Baltic countries now pose a threat to Russia
Russian propagandists were not long ago deriding the inability of Baltic States to defend themselves but are now seeing something different: a threat to Russia. […]
Society
“Soviet tanks rattled onto Klaipėda’s streets with paratroopers on top clutching their rifles”
Three Klaipėda City councilmen remember January 13, 1991 – the memories don’t fade. […]
Economy
ESO starts trading shares on Nasdaq Vilnius
Electricity supply and natural gas distribution company Energijos Skirstymo Operatorius (ESO), the new company that was formed by merging the state-owned companies Lesto and Lietuvos dujos, started trading its shares on the stock exchange of Nasdaq Vilnius on Monday. […]
Energy
Energy minister discusses potential nuclear power plant boycott with Estonian minister
Minister of Energy Rokas Masiulis, who sent out a letter to ministers in Latvia, Estonia, Poland and Finland urging them not to buy electricity from the nuclear power plants in Belarus or Kaliningrad, received the first positive answer to his letter when he met with Estonian Minister of Economy and Infrastructure Kristen Michal on Thursday. […]
Society
Lithuanian population shrank 1.1% last year
The Lithuanian population has lost 1.1% or 32,700 people over the last year, preliminary estimates from Statistics Lithuania suggest. The primary reason for the negative growth is emigration. […]
Society
Physical education tests for children may return
If the Ministry of Health has its way, Lithuanian schoolchildren in grades 5-12 will once again hold physical education tests that would evaluate their balance, flexibility, endurance, cardiac health and general physical health. Representatives at the ministry believe that this would help the ministry focus more on physical education, as the ministry currently does not have a centralized database on children’s physical health and activity in Lithuania. […]
Society
Lithuanians around the world run ‘path of life and death’ to commemorate January 13th
Every January, Lithuanians participate in an annual winter run called “Gyvybės ir Mirties Keliu“ (The Path of Life and Death) to commemorate the people that died in Lithuania during the events of 13 January, 1991. This tradition has spread throughout the Lithuanian diaspora, and even the Lithuanian community in the states of Washington and Oregon ran in Portland to commemorate this important day. […]
Society
Lithuanian investigators question director of National Land Service again
Officers of the Special Investigation Service in Vilnius have questioned the director of the National Land Service Daiva Gineikaitė again after receiving findings from the State Forensic Medicine Service that supported suspicions that there was an attempt to conceal the fact that the director caused a road traffic accident while driving under the influence of alcohol. […]
Economy
Economy
No exceptions for ‘light drinks or special events’ in new alcohol laws, says minister
Equally stringent restrictions on the sale of alcohol should apply to all kinds of alcoholic beverages and all sellers, said Lithuania’s Economy Minister Evaldas Gustas. […]
Defence
In 2016, Lithuanian ground forces will become a force to be reckoned with
When Lithuania had huddled up under NATO’s wing, it felt more secure and even unconcerned as to where it would get more funding for its army or how it could modernize it. The events in Georgia and Ukraine, however, jolted the Baltic country out of its lethargy and forced it to look at how it can strengthen its armed forces. […]
Foreign affairs
No injured Lithuanians in Hurghada hotel attack
No Lithuanian tourists were hurt during an attack on an Egyptian hotel in Hurghada last Friday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said. […]
Defence
New US troop rotation coming to Lithuania
A new rotation of US forces is arriving in Lithuania on Monday. The military unit, complete with Stryker armoured transporters, is the ninth American dispatch of troops to take part in joint training with the Lithuanian army. […]
Society