LRT English Newsletter – October 13, 2023.
So it began – again. Amid the news of massacres and retaliatory strikes, the biggest headache for Lithuania was how to get its citizens out of Israel.
The last charter flight from Tel Aviv took 140 people to Lithuania. But as airlines subsequently backed out, Lithuania’s authorities decided to station its Spartan military transport in Turkey. From there, it flew its first mission on Wednesday to evacuate 29 people from Israel. Once out of danger and safely in Turkey, the people could take regular commercial flights home.
There are around 7,000 Lithuanian citizens living in Israel, with around 460 nationals currently visiting the country. Lithuania’s Spartan (here’s what a flight aboard one looks like) can only accommodate so many, so the plan is to fly successive missions between Turkey and Israel.
In related news, a Lithuanian-born policeman, who reportedly emigrated to Israel in 1995, was killed in the fighting. Meanwhile, the Lithuanian parliament voted unanimously to condemn the Hamas attacks.
As Israel proceeds to level the Gaza Strip, a Vilnius diplomat shared the news that there are no Lithuanian nationals in the Palestinian enclave. However, several Lithuanian citizens are living in the occupied West Bank, but they have not yet requested any assistance.
BALTIC PIPELINE ATTACK?
Another rupture was overshadowed by the events in the Middle East; this one is much closer to home. On Sunday night, a gas pipeline from Estonia to Finland was damaged in what authorities say looks like a deliberate act. Speculations are ripe – a Russian cargo ship reportedly floated around the damaged part of the pipeline for several days, while other experts say the damage could have been caused by a dragging anchor (read the possible explanations by Estonia’s ERR News here). If Russia was involved, as that’s what many are saying between the lines, then NATO will respond, said the alliance’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg.
A LUCKY PUNK
Remember the weird story about Clint Eastwood suing a shady Lithuanian company? Several years ago, a Lithuanian CBD-selling company created fake articles alleging that Eastwood had endorsed its products (you can read more about it in our October 2021 newsletter, here). Anyway, it looks like Mr Eastwood will walk away empty-handed – a court in Lithuania threw out his 50,000-euro damages claim.
DRUG PANIC
Politicians and influencers are trumpeting about a drug-use crisis among teenagers, but is consumption really increasing? Several high-profile and tragic cases involving drugs have made the topic part of national politics. The hard data on drug use, however, paint a conflicting picture. No one is entirely sure about what to do, either – patrol schools with drones and punish, or educate and engage?
EDITOR’S PICKS
– Politicians will now have to disclose former membership in the Communist Party.
– Belarusians fleeing persecution will soon receive three-year residence permits, instead of the current one-year documents.
– People in Bangladesh are being lured to Lithuania by false offers of easy jobs.
– Banks in Lithuania are raking in profits.
– Here’s some more strange stuff from LRT tapes – a pig on the loose in central Vilnius.
– If we accept a de facto Russian victory over Ukraine, the consequences will be global, argues Andreas Umland.
– Proposals to ban ultra-cheap flight tickets will hurt travel in the Baltics.
– And read about the amazing Lithuanian arctic explorers, here.
Would you like to contribute to LRT English? Please send your suggestions, submissions, and pitches to english@lrt.lt
Written by Benas Gerdžiūnas
Edited by Justinas Šuliokas
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