BNS: Highlights of Wednesday 15min.lt

Quarantine remains unchanged. The government has decided not to consider quarantine relief for now. On Monday, ministers promised to decide on Wednesday to open non-food shops and hairdressers, but Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė announced that the issue could be discussed next week. The relaxation of the quarantine still does not have the support of the health experts who work for the Government. Economy Minister Aušrinė Armonaitė says she believes beauty salons and non-food stores could already start operating. Some businessmen lack arguments from the government about extending the bans.

Other news about coronavir:

Last day 760 new cases of COVID-19 were identified, killing 16 people. More than 1.3 thousand patients are treated in hospitals. COVID-19 patients, 153 in resuscitation.

The government has decided to buy COVID-19 vaccines from its pharmaceutical companies Valneva and Novavax. The European Commission has not yet concluded pre-purchase agreements with these companies, but has completed exploratory talks. Lithuania would acquire 186 thousand. dose of Valneva and 620 thousand. dose of Novavax vaccine.

The Latvian government has decided to extend the state of emergency in the country until April 6, but the restrictions are being reviewed starting next week: more stores will open and it is planned to resume contact training for 1st and 2nd graders. degree. The incidence of COVID-19 in the neighboring country is currently higher than in Lithuania.

GlaxoSmithKline plans to co-develop a CVV-19 vaccine with CureVac that could also protect against new strains of coronavirus. AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford are also looking to launch a new generation of COVID-19 vaccines that are equally effective against new mutations by the fall of this year.

Russia has offered German biotech company IDT Biologika to co-produce the Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19. This Russian vaccine is already in use in Hungary, and the Czech Republic and Slovakia are considering it.

Inspectors from the World Health Organization visited a laboratory in Wuhan, China, where the pandemic coronavirus may have originated.

Complaint about violence. A Lithuanian citizen of Belarusian origin approached the Lithuanian police regarding the violence of the Belarusian regime. This is the second similar appeal: The Lithuanian Attorney General’s Office is conducting a pre-trial investigation into crimes against humanity based on an appeal by Belarusian citizen Maxim Choroshin.

Astravo electricity. Energy Minister Dainius Kreivys stated that half of the electricity from third countries entering and consuming in Lithuania had recently been produced at the Astrava nuclear power plant, and Lithuania had already paid almost 4 million LTL for this electricity. euros. “That electricity does not physically flow to Latvia, but to Lithuania through our border, because we have a huge electricity deficit, we consume that electricity and pay for it,” said D. Kreivys.

Dramatic theater. Director Oskaras Koršunovas began working as artistic director of the Lithuanian National Drama Theater, and writer Marius Ivaškevičius was appointed theater playwright.

Navalno imprisonment. A Moscow court on Tuesday sentenced Kremlin critic Alexei Navaln to one and a half years in prison for violating the terms of a previously sentenced sentence, and his lawyers will appeal the decision. Western states have condemned the decision and demanded the release of the opposition and promise to consider imposing new sanctions. About 1,000 people and 17 media workers were arrested in Russia during demonstrations in support of A. Navalns on Tuesday.

Changes on Amazon. Jeff Bezos, founder of the American e-commerce giant Amazon, has announced plans to step down as a director of the company this year. Considered the richest man in the world, Bezos said he would continue to participate in major Amazon initiatives, but that he intended to focus more on philanthropic initiatives.

Television insurance. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued an order imposing sanctions on pro-Russian MP Taras Kozak and eight of his companies, including three television channels: 112 Ukraine, Zik TV and NewsOne TV. The presidency has indicated that this is aimed at countering the Kremlin’s propaganda. The pro-Russian party, Opposition Platform – For Life, has announced that it will impeach the president.

The Italian government. Italian President Sergio Mattarella has asked former European Central Bank president Mario Draghi to form a technocratic government after the ruling parties failed to agree on a division of power.

Arms Treaty. The United States has extended the new Strategic Arms Reduction Agreement (START) with Russia for five years. The Kremlin approved an extension to the treaty last week.

Situation in Myanmar. Following a coup a few days ago, a Myanmar court has charged accused leader Aung San Suu Kyi of violating the import and export law. Cases of civil disobedience are recorded in the country: doctors in several hospitals refused to provide non-essential services in protest.