BNS: Highlights of Friday 15min.lt

Church opening. The Lithuanian bishops decided to resume services with the faithful after a two-month break from Wednesday, February 17. Masses will not yet be held in several municipalities where the incidence of coronavirus continues to be higher.

Decision of the Minister. Health Minister Arūnas Dulkys has decided to remove Robertas Petraitis, director of the National Center for Public Health. The Minister’s representative announced that A. Dulkys had a negative assessment of the official’s activities, but did not specify the reasons. R. Petraitis himself rejects the accusations. He says the minister’s decision was prompted by a political desire to find a scapegoat on the problems of the pandemic.

Reluctance to check. Authorities have lamented that merchants and service providers returning to work since Monday have passively registered for coronavirus tests. Preventive tests are recommended but not mandatory.

Koronaviruso statistika. 468 new cases of COVID-19 were detected per day, 19 people died. The incidence of the last 14 days is 100 thousand. the population reaches 288 cases. Hospitals are currently treating 1,141 COVID-19 patients, 113 of whom are in resuscitation. In Latvia and Estonia, more new cases have recently been recorded: Latvia detected 808 new infections per day, Estonia 717.

Vaccines. The third shipment of Moderna vaccine with 6 thousand tons was delivered to Lithuania. dose. These vaccines will continue to be administered to educational personnel, the health system and social services. To date, more than 90 thousand different vaccines have been vaccinated in Lithuania with the first dose. people, both doses – 53 thousand.

Moods. A new survey showed that more than half of the Lithuanian population believes that the economic situation in the country will deteriorate in the coming years. According to Eurobarometer data, the situation is forecast to worsen by 54%. population, 22 percent. 24% of those surveyed expected an improvement and 24% thought she would stay the same. Lithuanians have similar expectations to other Europeans.

Pilot project. The government allowed the Vilnius municipality to carry out preventive examinations cumulatively for two weeks, when samples from several people were examined together. According to the Government, the success of this project would allow the scope of testing to be expanded in the future. Vilnius Municipality plans to carry out this research method at the Duke Gediminas Progymnasium by renewing contact education for primary school children.

Debates with Latvians. In commemoration of the centenary of the beginning of diplomatic relations, the President of Lithuania and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Energy raised the question of the boycott of the Astrava nuclear power plant with their Latvian colleagues. The Lithuanian authorities claim that the power from the plant enters the Baltic common market through Latvia.

Hungarian decision. Hungary is the first in the European Union to start vaccinating the population with the Russian Sputnik V vaccine. It has been approved by the Hungarians at the national level and the European Medicines Agency has not made a decision on the vaccine.

Situation in Belarus. Belarusian President Aliaksandr Lukashenko, who convened an assembly of loyal state officials, said a referendum on constitutional reform could be held in about a year, along with municipal elections. The Belarusian opposition called the event a sham.

Tensions with Russia. Jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navaln was tried in Moscow for defaming a World War II veteran. He categorically rejects the accusations and describes the case as politicized. The Navaln trials have recently caused tensions in relations between the European Union and Moscow. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has threatened that Moscow will sever relations with the EU if new sanctions damage Russia’s economy. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda, in turn, accepted the credentials of the new Russian ambassador Alexei Isakov.

Sexism in Japan. Yoshiro Mori, chairman of the organizing committee for the Tokyo Olympics, resigned over sexist comments that women talked too much. “My inappropriate comments have caused great chaos,” he said, repeatedly regretting his comments.

The British recession. The British Statistical Office said the UK economy contracted by a record 9.9 percent last year. The British forecast that the country’s economy will grow 5% this year, and by early 2022, the economy will return to pre-pandemic levels.

Short dress. Prosecutors in the US House of Representatives have finished presenting their arguments in the impeachment court of Donald Trump. Democrats have asked the Senate to convict the former president of Capitol disturbances and bar him from holding any official office in the future. Trump’s lawyers will begin their arguments on Friday at 7 p.m. Lithuanian time. D. A short sentence requires a two-thirds majority of 100 seats in the Senate. That means that at least 17 Republican senators should contribute to the Democrats, which is highly unlikely.

New York cafes. New York can again serve customers inside cafes and restaurants, but it can only take up a quarter of the seats. Spectators will be allowed to return to stadiums and arenas later this month.