BNS: Highlights of Monday 15min.lt

Coronavirus in Lithuania:

* Eight people died from coronavirus per day, all older than 60 years and with comorbidities, with 1,152 new cases identified. According to the Ministry of Health, the growth of the number of coronavirus cases in Lithuania is starting to slow down, there are indications that the situation is gradually stabilizing, but the flow of patients in hospitals continues to grow: currently 1,359 people are being treated by coronavirus, 100 of them in resuscitation. Health Minister Aurelijus Veryga says he will propose to the government to extend the quarantine in Lithuania, but does not specify for how long. Currently, the quarantine is valid until November 29.

* The requirement to test for coronavirus on Monday came from Denmark, Spain, Italy, the US, the Netherlands and Sweden. Such measures were taken in response to reports of a mutated strain of coronavirus on tissue farms in these countries.

* Mobile teams have been established in Lithuania to provide personal health care services to people with coronavirus and at risk in their homes or social care homes where they live. The first mobile team of its kind started in the Raseiniai district.

* Police reported that 111 people were fined in Lithuania last week for violations of quarantine and self-isolation. The minimum fine is 250 EUR.

* Researchers from Vilnius University, who performed blood tests on the population of Nemenčinė, which was the focus of the coronavirus in the spring, announced that the antibodies that provide immunity remain for half a year.

Coronavirus in the world:

* The American biotechnology company Moderna has announced that, based on more than 30,000 According to human clinical trials, the efficacy of its COVID-19 vaccine is 94.5%. The company expects to produce 20 million doses by the end of the year, but it will likely be more widely available not before spring. A week ago, rival Pfizer Inc. announced that its coronavirus vaccine protects against 90 percent of infection. cases.

* In Germany, it is planned to introduce the mandatory use of masks in schools and reduce the number of students in classrooms. German Chancellor Angela Merkel makes these proposals to the heads of the Länder. Bars and restaurants have been closed in Germany since the beginning of the month, but schools and shops remain open. These measures have helped reduce the rate of spread of the virus, but are not enough to start reducing the number of cases.

* Sweden, which has long followed a more lenient approach to quarantine restrictions than most countries, banned gatherings of more than eight people on Monday to curb the growing number of new infections.

* The spread of the virus is accelerating in the United States. The total number of confirmed infections has exceeded 11 million since the start of the pandemic, with one million new cases detected in the US in the last week alone. The states of Wicksonsin and Washington have announced they will close restaurants and restrict crowds, and a ban on leaving home without good reason went into effect in Chicago.

* British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was isolated when the coronavirus was confirmed to the MP with whom he interacted. Johnson has no characteristic symptoms of the disease. In April, Johnson received treatment for coronavirus at a hospital.

* Thomas Bach, head of the International Olympic Committee, who visited Japan, said he was confident that the Tokyo Olympics would be held with spectators next year. The start of the Games is scheduled for July 23, 2021. The International Olympic Committee is committed to ensuring that as many participants and spectators as possible are vaccinated before coming to Japan if the vaccine is available next summer.

* Italian researchers announced that the virus causing the COVID-19 coronavirus infection had already spread in the country in September 2019, earlier than previously thought. The Milanese doctors concluded by analyzing blood samples from people diagnosed with lung cancer. In Italy, the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in February this year.

Tensions in the Seimas. Liberal leader Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, president of the Seimas, called on peasants to seek another run for vice-presidents of parliament instead of the proposed Aušrinė Norkienė. Previously, at the initiative of the right, Andrius Mazuronis, an “employee”, was appointed vice-president of the opposition Seimas. “Peasants” and Social Democrats say that by not nominating their candidates for the Seimas board, the right violates the rights of the opposition.

Candidacy of I. Šimonytė. The presidency announced that President Gitanas Nausėda plans to nominate Ingrida Šimonytė for prime minister at Seimas on Thursday. The decision on the candidature presented in the Seimas must be made no later than one week after its presentation.

Return of the suspect. The prosecution confirmed that Vidmantas Kučinskas, founder of the agricultural and food company Arvi, who had been arrested in Slovenia in July, had been returned to Lithuania a few days ago. As a precautionary measure, 20 thousand. euro security. V. Kučinskas was arrested in Slovenia in the summer at the request of Russia, but shortly after, the Lithuanian police asked to hand him over to Lithuania. The businessman is suspected of fraud and squandering of someone else’s property.

Dismissals in sanatoriums. Due to the sharp decrease in customer flows due to the pandemic, Eglė Sanatorium in Druskininkai and Birštonas is laying off roughly half of its employees: 266 and 90, respectively.

Decision of the Court. The Vilnius Regional Administrative Court rejected the complaint of former Kaunas County Police Chief Darius Žukauskas about his dismissal. The court recognized that your communications could pose a risk to classified information.

Head of Banking. The economist Eivilė Čipkutė was elected president of the Lithuanian Banking Association. She will take office on December 7. E.Čipkutė will replace Mantas Zalatoris, who resigned at the end of July, and together with the then head of the Business Confederation Valdas Sutkus, he was suspected of having an illegal impact on the legislative process. The association brings together 20 banks and companies from the financial sector operating in Lithuania.

EU budget. Hungary and Poland have blocked the approval of the EU’s multi-annual budget and economic recovery fund. They are opposed to the allocation of funds being linked to compliance with the principle of the rule of law.

Repression in Belarus. The Belarusian Interior Ministry has announced that more than 700 protesters have been arrested in recent days. A new wave of demonstrations was sparked by the death of the arrested protester Raman Bandarenko. The European Union is considering extending sanctions against members of the regime.

Moldavian address. Moldova’s presidential election was won by former Prime Minister Maia Sandu, a pro-European candidate. He defeated current pro-Russian head of state Igor Dodon in Sunday’s elections. Mr. Sandu is in favor of the integration of Moldova into the European Union. President-elect Gitanas Nausėda greeted the president-elect by phone. He “wishes not to stop in the path of reforms and to seek European integration,” the presidency said.

The death of the cardinal. Polish Cardinal Henryk Gulbinowicz, a Vilnius native, accused of sexual exploitation, died in 98. The Vatican banned him from the post.

Tensions in Armenia. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, who has been criticized for the peace treaty with Azerbaijan, has called on the people to end the violence. It issued the statement a few days after officials reported the collapse of a conspiracy to assassinate the prime minister and the arrest of opposition leader Artur Vanecian, a former head of the Armenian security services. The court released him from custody a day later.

Space flight. “SpaceX took four astronauts to the International Commission Station. Three Americans and a Japanese from the Kennedy Space Center successfully took off on Monday at 2 pm 27 min. Lithuanian time. SpaceX spacecraft have eliminated decades of American dependence on Russian Soyuz missiles. The spacecraft is expected to arrive at the International Space Station on Tuesday morning in Lithuanian time.