LRT English Newsletter – July 12, 2024
Are we still the land of basketball? This was the question posed by many in Lithuania after the national men’s team failed to qualify for the second Olympic Games in a row.
The team did not play in the 2020 Tokyo Games either. Until then, they had never missed an Olympic tournament and even won bronze medals three times (in 1992, 1996, and 2000). The last time the Lithuanian men’s basketball team won any type of medal in a major tournament was in 2015 when they ended up second in EuroBasket.
So what happened to Lithuania’s basketball, often called the second religion of the country for the sport’s uncontested popularity? Experts point to the lack of leaders in the men’s national team and the general shortage of talent in the country’s basketball school. One thing is clear – the post-independence golden era of Lithuanian basketball seems to be over, and it may be high time to lower our expectations.
ENTERING SECOND TERM
Gitanas Nausėda is swearing in for his second term as Lithuanian president today. After being propelled to the country’s top post with no political experience five years ago, the president has previously said he will enter his second term with much more confidence and decisiveness.
Nausėda’s first second-term job will be reappointing the cabinet of ministers after Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė returns the powers of the government to the president. This is only a symbolic step, as the cabinet is expected to be reappointed in full. However, it will stay in office for just a few more months until a new government is formed after the parliamentary elections in October. Here’s a quick summary of how the outgoing government has fared over its four-year term so far.
‘IRREVERSIBLE’ PATH
It was a year ago that NATO leaders gathered in Vilnius for their annual summit. Back then, there were high hopes that the alliance would reach a breakthrough agreement related to Ukraine’s NATO membership. Instead, the summit declaration vaguely stated that Ukraine would join NATO “when allies agree and conditions are met”.
This week in Washington, D.C., the allies repeated the same mantra, adding, however, that Ukraine’s path to Euro-Atlantic integration is “irreversible”. According to the Lithuanian president, such phrasing is the “best common denominator” that allies could agree on at the moment.
NATO countries also decided to establish a body to coordinate the provision of military equipment and training for Ukraine and provide the country, which is fighting against Russian aggression, with a minimum funding of 40 billion euros within the next year.
DEFENCE NEWS
Like always, here are a few defence-related developments:
– Rheinmetall ammunition plant has been granted a special status, allowing faster development of the project in Lithuania.
– Lithuania is moving ahead with plans to fortify its borders with Russia and Belarus.
– Defence bonds legalised by the Lithuanian parliament as part of the defence tax package will start to be issued after October 1.
– The president asked and the Seimas agreed in the first reading to leave the convention banning cluster munitions. Deputy Defence Minister Renius Pleškys also said Lithuania would consider buying cluster munitions together with its allies after abandoning the convention.
EDITOR’S PICKS:
– A report by LRT has prompted changes to the Citizenship Law so that Russian nationals working for the Kremlin could not get Lithuanian passports. However, loopholes persist.
– Amid rising incomes, people in Lithuania are willing to spend more on food and non-essentials. However, there’s a limit to how much they’ll splurge on a restaurant meal.
– Lithuania is issuing fewer temporary residence permits to foreigners, but the number of permit renewals is on the rise.
– Three hundred international students enrol at Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) each year. A new exhibition pays tribute to their contribution to the city’s development.
– On August 23, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia are marking the 35th anniversary of the Baltic Way. On the occasion, Vilnius is hosting a concert, bringing together performers from the three Baltic countries.
Written by Ieva Žvinakytė
Edited by Justinas Šuliokas
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