BNS: Highlights of Monday 15min.lt

Presidential interview. In an interview with BNS, President Gitanas Nausėda criticized the decisions to manage the pandemic: “There are really many errors, inconsistencies and sometimes even annoying decisions in society that in a certain sense provoke the revolt of the people,” he said. . The most important statements of the president:

* Lithuania has opened educational and cultural institutions too late, events in Lithuania should have more opportunities for them to take place safely under quarantine conditions, as this would improve the psychological condition of people.

* Russian President Vladimir Putin can be called an assassin for his actions in Ukraine and against the opposition in his country.

* A certificate of immunity may be available from June, allowing people with resistance to the virus to live more freely.

* The initiative of the conservatives of the Seimas to delegate to the European Council, not him, but Prime Minister Ingrid Šimonytė, conflicts with the Constitution and unjustifiably fuels tension.

* The value added tax relief for the catering sector is not appropriate. According to the head of the country, it is worth considering more specific measures aimed at the most affected groups in society, and the entire tax reform is planned unreasonably late.

Coronavirus situation:

* 418 new cases of COVID-19 were identified, eight people died. 840 COVID-19 patients are treated in hospitals, 77 of whom are in resuscitation. The rate of new illnesses in 14 days is 100,000. the population amounted to 312 and reaches the first in the first half of February.

* After the government restored general restrictions on movement between municipalities, police officers expelled nearly 1,400 people over the weekend. automobiles, 102 complaints of administrative infraction were made for non-compliance with the restrictions.

* It turned out that the renewed restrictions on movement no longer offer the possibility of meeting with members of a “social bubble” from different municipalities.

* Slovenia, which eased some restrictions in February, announced that it would tighten again in mid-April due to the deterioration of the situation in some neighboring countries. Non-essential goods stores, cultural and religious venues are closed, and public gatherings are prohibited.

* In England, the mandatory requirement to stay indoors has been abolished, groups of up to six people can be brought together outdoors and sports can be played in the open air. Other constituent areas of the UK are also taking similar mitigation measures. For the first time in six months, no deaths from COVID-19 were reported in London last day.

* A group of international experts who visited the Wuhan region in China published their official findings that COVID-19 is most likely transmitted from humans to bats through another intermediate animal. Experts have rejected the theory of the origin of the virus in the laboratory as highly unlikely.

* Finland has renewed COVID-19 vaccination with AstraZeneca. Vaccination with this vaccine is still suspended in Denmark and Norway.

* Russia and Chinese pharmaceutical company Shenzhen Yuanxing Gene-tech agreed to produce more than $ 60 million in China as of May. doses of the Russian vaccine Sputnik V.

Drugs among students. A study was presented, according to which one fifth of students in Lithuania have tried drugs. An international study shows that the emergence of new psychoactive substances in Europe is stabilizing, but the use and availability of young people is worrying. In Lithuania, young people start using narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances quite early, the most popular drugs are cannabis and others used are LSD, hallucinogens, ecstasy and cocaine.

MAMA event. The police have started an administrative lawsuit over the risk of spreading dangerous diseases at the MAMA music awards ceremony, with fines ranging from a few hundred to several thousand euros. According to the event organizers, the awards were organized from examples of companies where testing is mandatory, and fostered the search for ways to continue living and working in a pandemic.

Contest suspended. At the request of the Chinese company Nuctech, the Vilnius Regional Court temporarily suspended the tender for baggage screening equipment at Lithuanian airports pending examination of the companies’ claim. Nutech and Inta seek to reverse the decision of the Lithuanian airports not to sign an agreement with them and reverse the government’s resolution that the planned transaction with the companies would pose a threat to Lithuania’s national security.

Ship in motion. The giant container ship MV Ever Given, which got stuck in the shallow waters of the Suez Canal and blocked it for almost a week, finally moved. Although progress has been made, the rescue company warns that the operation is not yet complete. More than 300 ships wait to cross the channel. Some shipping companies direct ships through the Cape of Good Hope sailing around the African continent.

Helicopter disaster. The richest man in the Czech Republic, Peter Kellner, was killed in a helicopter crash in Alaska. A 56-year-old businessman with assets valued at more than $ 13 billion. Management of a group of financial, telecommunications, engineering and PPF insurance companies with 94 thousand. workers from all over the world.

Situation in Myanmar. The European Union and the countries of the world have condemned the violence of the Myanmar army, which has claimed dozens of civilian lives, as security forces began firing at protesters against the coup. Additionally, three army airstrikes have been reported near the country’s border, raising fears that locals will flee en masse to neighboring Thailand. The United Nations Security Council is preparing to discuss the situation in Myanmar this week.

Good for pharmacists. A Paris court has awarded 2.7 million euros to the pharmaceutical giant Servier. fines for fraudulent and unintentional homicides caused by the company’s diabetes and weight loss drugs, resulting in hundreds of deaths. The drug was on the market for 33 years until it was phased out in 2009 due to a link to serious heart problems.