Church outraged in Vilnius

Church has been angered by Vilnius authorities' decision to propagate oriental fitness practice in public places in the city(LNK reports). According to priests it is not compatible with Christian world-view.

For a half a year every morning and evening in 10 places around Vilnius (bigger parks of the city) citizens will be able to come and join 1-hour-long free Thai Chi sessions, lead by Lithuanian instructors. Vilnius municipality has budgeted 50 000 Litas for this activity. According to the municipality representatives, the idea appeared since this practice is so popular abroad and in Lithuania's sport centers it is too expensive for most of the citizens to attend. Municipality's Deputy Head of Administration Vytas Karsokas told LNK, that Thai Chi classes that are to be held publicly in Vilnius have nothing to do with any other religion and no religion is propagated during the practice.

Meanwhile Catholic Church is worried about this sort of "entertainment" contrived by the Mayor of Vilnius - according to them, besides the exercising there will also be lectures. Vilnius's archdiocese believes that Thai Chi, as fitness and spiritual practice, is inconsistent with Christian beliefs. Priests don't like the fact that some of the sessions will be organized close to church or priest seminary. They claim that this way city's governance demonstrates disrespect for Christians.

Fifteenth in the crib!

Just last year Lithuanian government was desperately calling the country for a "baby-boom" since the birth rate in Lithuania is upsettingly low, and so is the number of children in families. But not in all families!

Yesterday (Monday) Stravinskas's family in Vilnius was increased by one more baby - the fifteenth. Daina Starvinskiene, 44 year-old mother of 1 daughter and 14 sons, claims that everyone of them, including the last son, were planned in advance. She told LNK that to raise a big family is not as difficult as it seems. The eldest son is 23 and the youngest - 2.

The family is provided for by father Tomas Stravinskas, who works as a mechanic. Daina also used to work but once she left for maternity leave for the first time, she never came back to work because children were born one after another. The family told BTV that they do not get much support from the state. After delivering the fifteenth baby, Vilnius municipality gave them a onetime grant of 5000 Litas.

Daina does not doubt that her family is the biggest in Vilnius. She doesn't give away weather she will be back to the maternity hospital again in the future. However she didn't hide that she would like one more girl in the big band of sons.

According to the data of Lithuania's Department of Statistics biggest families in Lithuania have been registered in Klaipeda and Ukmerge - 20 children in families. Nowadays statistically less than 1,5 child falls for one family in Lithuania.

On the 22nd of April the "NATO" appeared in the Lithuania's TV headlines for the second time last week, but this time - in a slightly different context. Apparently, around 50 fighters of Royal Netherlands Air Force, stationed by NATO near Siauliai, during their free time are renovating Kursenai orphanage bathrooms that until now hadn't been reconditioned for almost 70 years.

According to LNK, seeing the bathrooms that haven't been fixed since 1939, NATO soldiers were wonder-struck and decided to fully renovate the place. They got free equipment from one company, ordered some decoration materials and accessories straight from Netherlands and are determined to allocate up to 100 thousand Litas for the reconstruction.

LNK reporter Agne Vederyte claims that the orphanage would have to pinch and save for 15 years to renovate the bathrooms themselves. There are 95 children in the orphanage. Yearly only 150 Litas is allocated for clothes and bedding per child, still the institution barely saves up 2000 Litas per year for renovation (which is also sometimes spent on urgent repairs). Therefore, the orphanage director Feliksas Rudzinskas told LNK, the visit of NATO soldiers was not only pleasant but also useful.

The soldiers claim they have rendered similar support in other countries they'd been stationed, namely Italy and Kirghizia. In the future they are planning to also renovate the kitchens of the 8 so-called families in the Kursenai orphanage.

... Thank you! ...

NATO meeting in Vilnius

Last Thursday (20Apr.2005) the ministers of foreign affairs of the NATO member states and Russia and Ukraine gathered in Vilnius for a two day unofficial meeting. It was one of the biggest international forums that ever took place in Lithuania. According to BTV, it was also the first NATO meeting taking place not in Brussels.

TV3 reported(20Apr.2005) that Condoleezza Rice was one of the most welcomed guests in Vilnius and in the airport was greeted not only by Lithuanian soldiers but also by country's young basketballers. Around 600 guests arrived to Vinius for the meeting therefore extreme security measures were required.

Head of the VIP Protection Department told LNK that this visit was extremely complex. It was the first time that so many protected people arrived to Lithuania and they all traveled in separate corteges. Nevertheless, the guests' security was assured by more than 500 extra policemen, around 200 VIP Protection Department officials, snipers on the roofs, reinforced traffic and residential area control in the city, as well as NATO fighter planes, stationed in an air base near Siauliai and ready to take off in minutes in case of alert.

According to LNK news, extra security had its benefits for Vilnius citizens as well-having almost half of Lithuania's policemen patrolling in the city signally decreased the level of crime during the days.

100-million-euros support

On 15th of April Lithuanian TV news stunned the nation - Ukraine's Minister of Internal Affairs Yuriy Lutsenko claims that hundreds of million Litas have been laundered through Lithuanian banks and used to fund the election campaign of the pro-russian candidate Viktor Yanukovich in 2004 presidential election.

The ministry insists that around 350 million Litas (more than 100 million Euros)were transferred to Lithuanian bank by a company, named "Semereka", and cashed by a natural person. Supposedly the money were cashed in small amounts not to cause suspicion.

Lithuanian officials argue that not to notice an operation of such magnitude is impossible. Head of the Lithuanian Bank Reinoldijus Sarkinas told LNK that Lithuania has a strict bank control system and money laundering is extremely complicated. Commercial banks are obliged to report to the Financial Crime Investigation Service about any transaction greater than 50 000 Litas. Lately no signals about suspicious transactions were received from Lithuanian banks. According to the General Prosecution Office (BTV news, 15Apr.2005),if a bank failed to report as obliged, it would lose the license to operate in Lithuania and the workers would face criminal charges. In addition, R.Sarkinas told BTV that at the time no bank in Lithuania would have such an amount of cash (3,5 million Litas).

There are different speculations why Ukraine would come up with such accusations. TV3 claim (news, 15Apr.2005) that unofficially this is construed as provocation before the two-day informal NATO foreign ministers' meeting in Vilnius on 20th of April. According to BTV, the spokesperson of the Financial Crime Investigation Service Ruta Andriuskaite says that they don't yet deny the possibility that Ukraine's Internal Affairs Minister might have confused the names of the countries and said Lithuania instead of for example Latvia. Meanwhile Lithuania has sent a note to Ukraine demanding more detailed information about the claims of their Ministry of Internal Affairs.

20LT for an eye

Siauliai Tuberculosis and Lung Decease Hospital last Sunday was not as peaceful as usual. A patient put out a ward mate's eye with a knife - LNK news announced on Monday.

During an argument between a 42 year-old clinic patient and his 58 year-old ward mate the former threw a kitchen knife at the man. The knife sank into the latter's right eye. LNK claims that, according to unofficial information, the disagreement sparked off by the fact that the victim borrowed 20 Litas to go home and returned drunk and with no money to give back.

The injured man was examined by doctors and taken to Kaunas University Hospital. It is still to be determined whether he will get the sight back. Meanwhile the younger patient was taken to the police station and his sobriety was checked. Once it was confirmed that the suspect is sober, he was brought back to the tuberculosis hospital. Later he will be officially questioned.

The hospital leadership cannot believe the incident. They claim that the patient has been disgruntled because of the illness, but not aggressive. "He is very worried. He cannot understand how it all happened" the hospital's director Vita Globyte told LNK news.

Lithuania without healthcare

LNK news (11Apr.2005) confirmed that through secret vote Lithuania's medical faculty unitedly support the full-scale strike that is due to start on the 17th of May. The chairperson for of the Medics' Professional Union Aldona Baublyte claims that more than 70 percent of Lithuania's medics took part in the vote and 98,6 percent thereof supported the protest.

The aim of the strike is to have the salaries of doctors, nurses and other hospital staff raised 50 percent this year and 30 percent next year. State officials claim (LNK , 2Apr.2005) that to fulfill the doctors' demands the government would need 100 mln. litas (around 29 mln. Euros) this year and 200 mln. next year...

Medics claim that strike will definitely start in May as expected. The organizers however do not try to forecast when it should end. Medics made it clear that they wouldn't end the protest until all the demands are met. During the strike, all the medical faculty will be in their work places and will provide emergency treatment for patients, but cold surgeries and non-urgent treatment will be postponed until later.

Minister of Health Zilvinas Padaiga warned that government is not willing to bargain. Salaries will be raised but way less that medic's demand. He said patients and doctors themselves would be the ones who suffer because of the strike. Meanwhile Lithuania's Prime Minister Algirdas Brazauskas confirmed that government doesn't plan to fulfill the requirements of the protesting medics. "Today we do not have any additional financial possibilities" he told LNK, "we'll see in a month."