James Bond will soon be trading in his expensive black suit, high-tech weapons and stunning women for a walk in the Lithuanian woods. British actor Daniel Craig, a.k.a. James Bond in "007 Casino Royale," will be arriving in Vilnius this month to star in a World War II movie, according to the Lietuvos Rytas daily. The film, "Defiance," is based on a true story about four brothers who escape from Nazi occupation in Poland and join Russian forces in Belarus. Craig will stay arrive at the end of August and spend a month and a half before he goes back to playing Bond in another movie production.
An Estonian citizen who accidentally left his bags at the Kalvarija border checkpoint on Aug. 1 found himself surrounded by guards who placed him into police custody when came back for his luggage later that afternoon. During his absence, border security guards had opened the three abandoned travel bags to find four small baggies containing chopped cannabis and amphetamine among his personal belongings.
One in every four Lithuanian city dwellers doesn't want the euro as their currency, according to an opinion poll conducted by Fonitel call center on July 26 - 27. The Lithuanian government predicts that the euro will replace the lita by 2010, however only 25.8 percent of the 500 urban residents polled doubt that the country will adopt the single currency by then. Lithuania had planned to introduce the euro early this year, but the country exceeded its limits for inflation and couldn't meet the Maastricht criterion.
Yachtsmen participating in the Curonian Regatta were denied entry into Russia's territorial waters on Aug. 7, despite the fact that Russia had officially issued the required permits. The second stage of the regatta was to take a route through the waters of the Kaliningrad exclave, but had to be modified to bypass Russia as border guards, who had not been notified of the permission, refused to let the yachtsmen in. Organizers reported that, driven by a weak wind, the regatta's 60 yachts followed a back-up route, which was more demanding in terms of endurance and skill.
If all goes according to plan, a pilgrimage road will soon connect 18 sacred objects that Pope John Paul II visited during his stay in Lithuania in 1993. When it is completed, worshipers and tourists will be able to walk along a pilgrimage road that stretches along Vilnius Cathedral, the Gates of Dawn chapel, St. Theresa's Church, the Trakai Church, and the Kaunas Cathedral. On Aug. 7 a commission working under Prime Minister Gediminas Kirkilas gave the green light to the project, and the government is scheduled to deliberate on the issue Aug. 8. If the government gives its approval, the road should be open for public passage in 2013.
