LRT English Newsletter – April 2, 2021
Mental strain of the continuing lockdown has found expression this week in the public’s emotional outrage over a music awards ceremony.
Despite a ban on public events, organisers of the annual M.A.M.A. awards claimed the ceremony was a TV broadcast and hence allowed under lockdown rules. Moreover, they insisted, all participants were tested before the event.
However, musicians hugging on stage, mask-free, and social media influencers posting selfies from backstage parties was just too much. “Double standards”, “feast in time of plague” were some of the descriptions thrown around by commentators, politicians and health officials, with the police opening an inquiry into the event.
EASTER CHALLENGES
For the second time, Lithuania’s government is looking at the long Easter weekend as a make-it-or-break-it moment for their pandemic management effort. The cabinet reinstated domestic travel bans and the police said they will keep an eye on house parties. And if Easter is not followed by a spike in infections, there will be no additional restrictions, the prime minister has said.
But will there be any carrots if we behave? The culture minister has indicated a possibility of reopening concert halls and theatres, while vaccination is also expected to pick up pace in April.
TOO SOON
On April Fool’s, the mayor of Raseiniai joked that his town would be the first one to start administering Sputnik V, the Russian-developed coronavirus vaccine. The backlash has shown that it is too early to joke about the pandemic – or Russia.
DISCOUNT TRANSPARENCY
Ever seen big shop signs saying “50% off” and wondered, off what exactly? From now on, shops in Lithuania will have to be specific and indicate the original price as it was for at least a month before the discount. Otherwise, retailers may face fines.
JANUARY 13 CASE
The Court of Appeals has upped sentences to some perpetrators of the 1991 Soviet military crackdown in Vilnius in the so-called January 13 case. The landmark ruling in 2019 found Soviet officials – most of whom remain shielded from extradition in Russia – of crimes against humanity, provoking fierce response and threats of retaliation from Moscow.
VLADIMIR THE TERRIBLE
There’s no love lost between the US and Russia, but straight-talking Joe set a new precedent when he called Putin a killer. Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nausėda was asked this week whether he agreed with the description – “Unfortunately, yes” was his reply.
NEIGHBOURLY DISPUTES
One hundred years ago, Lithuania and Latvia negotiated a border settlement that was less straightforward than many assume today. Lithuania came close to being cut-off from the Baltic Sea and it took a Scottish professor to bring the brotherly nations to an agreement.
SCHOOL BUSINESS
A group of school students from Klaipėda developed an idea in their economics class that could prove a viable business venture. Spilling tea may sometimes be more than a stroke of bad luck.
NUMBER ONE
Discoteque by The Roop, Lithuania’s entry in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, will be the opening performance in the first semifinal, the organisers announced this week. Will the first spot make audiences remember the song better or forget it by the time televoting opens? Either way, Lithuanians are hopeful they’ll finally win the competition.
EDITORS’ PICKS
– The EU-Russian relations are based on a “compromise” which is acceptable for countries that want to cooperate with Russia and those who don’t – foremost, the Baltic states and Poland. Is there a way out of the current impasse with Moscow?
– For local residents of Rusnė, the biggest island in Lithuania, the annual spring flood is like a mythological creature. For some, it's a fascinating and regular adventure. Others, meanwhile, do their best to survive it without any major losses.
– The nuclear power plant in Belarus has created a political quagmire in the Baltic states. Writing for Estonia’s International Centre for Defence and Security, Tomas Janeliūnas untangles the threads.
– The new episode of the Lithuanian Dream podcast interviews Maksim Solovjov about the mentorship programme LT Big Brother.
– As the European Medicines Agency is considering the approval for the Russian Sputnik V vaccine, Lithuania’s ambassador to the EU has expressed reservations whether it should be included into the digital green pass.
– Moscow has been criticising Lithuania for prosecuting its spies, seeking to portray the ongoing investigations as witch hunts. Several demonstrations have popped up outside Lithuanian embassies in different countries. What's behind them?
Would you like to contribute to LRT English? Please send your suggestions, submissions, and pitches to english@lrt.lt
Written by Justinas Šuliokas
Edited by Benas Gerdžiūnas
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
