BNS: Highlights of Wednesday 15min.lt

January 13th. Lithuania commemorates the thirtieth anniversary of January 13, due to quarantine many regular events are canceled or held remotely. The anniversary received an international resonance. The President of the European Commission emphasized that the European Union is indebted to the defenders of Lithuanian freedom, as the events of January played a decisive role in overcoming the division of Europe and destroying the Soviet Union. The Polish presidency was illuminated with the colors of the Lithuanian flag and the word “Freedom”, and the leader of the Belarusian opposition, Sviatlana Cichanouskaya, who received the Freedom Award from the Seimas, compared the Lithuanian struggle for independence with the current protests in Belarus.

Olga Posaškova / lrs.lt photo / Sviatlanai Cichanouskaja awarded the Freedom Prize for 2020

The crisis in Estonia. Estonian Prime Minister Yuri Rat has resigned over the corruption scandal in the ruling party of the Center. He resigned after law enforcement raised allegations of corruption against several high-ranking party members over a real estate development project in the Tallinn port area. President Kersti Kalijlaid has commissioned Kaja Kallas, leader of the largest opposition Reform Party, to form a new government. The President expressed hope that in the context of the government’s crisis, a controversial referendum on the definition of marriage would no longer be held.

Photo by Julius Kalinskas / 15min / Juri Ratas

Coronavirus situation:

* 1694 new cases of coronavirus were detected in Lithuania per day, 34 people died. The average number of cases is the lowest since November 21 when comparing weekly data. Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė says that the trend is positive, but the risk is posed by possible mutations in the virus, and the government promises to discuss possible quarantine easing next week.

* Vaccination with Moderna vaccine started in Lithuania. The first doctor to receive this vaccine was working in Kaunas. The first dose of Pfizer / BioNTech vaccines has so far vaccinated more than 27,000 people. people in Lithuania.

* Some businessmen in the Polish Tatras have announced plans to open ski slopes, restaurants and hotels on Monday, despite a ban imposed by the government. “Entrepreneurs are determined because they understand that they will not survive another month, they have no choice,” said the organizer of the disobedience campaign.

* The United States has announced the highest number of coronavirus casualties since the start of the pandemic. In a day, 4,470 Americans died from COVID-19.

Unemployment rate. At the beginning of January, official unemployment in Lithuania reached record highs and exceeded 16 percent. According to the data of the Employment Service, on January 1, there were 277.1 thousand. unemployed wives.

Astravo AE. The Belarusian Ministry of Energy announced that the first reactor of the Astrava nuclear power plant had started operating at full capacity on the evening of 12 January. Its capacity reached 1170 MW. The Lithuanian government, in turn, convened a commission to resolve the issues of the blockade of the Astrava NPP.

Photo by Scanpix / Astravo Nuclear Power Plant

The return of Navalno. Russian opposition leader Alexei Navaln has announced that he will return to his country on January 17. He is currently in Germany, where he has been treated for poisoning. Navaln claims that the attack against him was organized by the Federal Security Service on the instructions of President Vladimir Putin.

Tensions in the US. The YouTube platform has temporarily blocked the account of outgoing US President Donald Trump. Like other social media platforms, YouTube says the president’s recordings can incite violence. Vice President Mike Pence has rejected Democrat calls for the administration to remove Trump as incapable of holding office. The House of Representatives has launched a debate on the impeachment procedure, with a vote scheduled for around 10 p.m. Lithuanian time. Trump, who visited Texas, denied the allegations against him of inciting the crowd to storm the Capitol, and called the impeachment process a “witch-hunt.”

The Italian Mafia. Italy saw the largest mafia trial in three decades. Law enforcement hopes to deal a blow to the influential organized criminal group Ndrangeta. More than 350 suspected members of the mafia have been charged and politicians, lawyers and businessmen accused of aiding them. Charges include murders, drug trafficking, money laundering, abuse of office.