LRT English Newsletter – October 8, 2021.
We are opening up the newsletter with some softer news that got your attention this week – Clint Eastwood and why you should not use his name to sell CBD.
Eastwood was awarded 6.1 million US dollars after a Lithuanian company published mock interviews and fabricated articles with the American actor where he “endorsed” CBD products. Anyway, the chances of him getting A Fistfull of Dollars from the outfit, which is currently undergoing liquidation, are slim.
NO BULLYING, CHINA
Vilnius will not accept “ultimatums” from China, according to a senior aide to the Lithuanian president. Beijing is not willing to talk about returning its envoy to Vilnius and allowing the Lithuanian ambassador to go back to Beijing, the presidential adviser added. The diplomatic tensions between the two countries mostly centre around Taiwan and the opening of its de facto embassy in Vilnius.
Speaking to EU leaders, President Gitanas Nausėda also said the bloc should move manufacturing out of China, adding that China’s aggressive approach to Lithuania is having an impact on how Brussels sees its relationship with Beijing. According to Politico Europe, Lithuania has now dragged the European Union into its showdown with China.
The New York Times spoke with several analysts last week, who claimed that Lithuania commands Chinese attention due to the “oversize role” Vilnius played in the collapse of the USSR.
ANOTHER COVID WAVE
The daily number of new Covid cases has breached the 2,000-mark for the first time since the massive second wave in December and January (here’s a quick primer on how the numbers are stacking up across the Baltics). According to some authorities, it is down to the dreaded Delta variant, which has made the 70-percent vaccination target redundant. This may be evidenced by several medics hospitalised with Covid-19 who have seen their immunity evaporate months after getting jabbed.
Mandatory vaccination for select professions, however, was ruled out by the government earlier this week, which opted for carrots instead of sticks.
PLEASE GET JABBED, HERE’S SOME CASH
And the carrots are coming in several shapes and sizes – municipal workers will get bonuses if their district vaccinates over 90 percent of its seniors, while people aged 75 and above are set to get 100-euro payments for getting the jab.
The flurry of cash for vaccine promotion, however, has landed the Health Ministry as well as TV producers in hot water. It emerged last week that the ministry paid thousands of euros to get a talk show speaking about vaccines, raising questions about the use of taxpayers' money, as well as hidden sponsored content in the media.
HEATING WOES
Vilnius has finally switched on central heating, but the prices this year are set to soar by up to 80 percent. Worry not, said the authorities, we will cap the prices. The arrears, however, will have to be spread out and repaid during the warm months.
GRIM TALES FROM THE BORDER
No good news from the border, as an NGO said it had received information about starving and freezing migrants in Belarus, some 50 metres from Lithuanian territory. There is also a question whether Lithuania is allowing people into the country under humanitarian grounds after a family with children was pushed back into Belarus.
Meanwhile, a third of all irregular migrants who have entered Lithuania are minors. Some 200 children have started attending Lithuanian-language classes, with healthcare being made available to those in need, according to the authorities.
EDITOR PICKS:
– Temperatures at night are set to drop below zero in parts of Lithuania.
– If you see this bad boy in your rear-view mirror, it’s probably too late to slow down.
– Rail Baltica has been plagued by fruitless negotiations and construction delays. Costs continue to pile up as the three Baltic states opt for different priorities, and the promised high-speed travelling is yet to be seen. A deep look into the three-country project.
– Short stories of Lithuanian photography. This week – Romualdas Požerskis, who follows the humanist photography tradition of Antanas Sutkus, Aleksandras Macijauskas, Romualdas Rakauskas and others.
– Lithuania's ice dancing pair of Saulius Ambrulevičius and Allison Reed may not be able to represent the country at Beijing Winter Olympics next year after the president rejected Reed's citizenship application.
– MEPs want Alexander Lukashenko to face international tribunal.
– But if you want to hit the Minsk regime, stop tip-toeing, argues Pawel Zerka at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR).
– Lithuanian passports are among the world’s most powerful.
– Vilnius station area is now the world's fifth “coolest area”, according to Time Out.
(What do you think? Drop us a line if you would like us to share your opinion for our #Voices section)
– Although the pandemic has slowed down film production, Vilnius has been the filming location for 13 international productions this year. So what brings filmmakers to Vilnius?
– Your chance to explore Lithuania’s Soviet-era art, read here.
– Estonia is arming up.
– Poland is walling up (as is Lithuania).
– Lithuania is giving you a free night’s stay (yes, really).
– And eating nails can lead to some nasty consequences.
Would you like to contribute to LRT English? Please send your suggestions, submissions, and pitches to english@lrt.lt
Written by Benas Gerdžiūnas
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