The ruling coalition's political council announced that there is no reason for Alfredas Pekeliunas, a member of the Farmers and New Democracy faction who has been caught up in controversy, to resign as deputy parliamentary speaker and chairman of the European Affairs Committee. Parliamentary Speaker Arturas Paulauskas said he disapproved of the decision and wanted Pekeliunas to step down, while the latter said he would step down only if the council asked him. Earlier this 36 MPs signed an appeal saying that Pekeliunas had discredited Parliament and harmed Lithuania's image by his statements, while Pekeliunas said this was nothing more than the opposition venting frustration at his criticism.
Ukraine's Viktor Yushchenko, who was inaugurated president on Jan. 23, thanked Lithuania for its support in efforts to resolve the country's postelection crisis. Yushchenko gave his thanks to Parliamentary Speaker Arturas Paulauskas, and in turn Paulauskas congratulated Yushchenko, wishing him good luck in carrying out reforms. He also invited Yushchenko to Lithuania, although it is not clear when.
Police Comissioner General Vytautas Grigaravicius (photo) does not deny that the famous Russian journalist Vladislav Listyev might have been murdered by hired assassins. The national radio has reported that officials found data suggesting that the former head of a national TV station might have been murdered by Ramunas Kuzminas and Arikas Pastuskovas. "This could be so. (...) But I would recommend not to force events, as the suspects' deeds are under investigation at the moment, they committed many crimes. When the time comes, the i's will be dotted and the t's will be crossed," Grigaravicius said. Listyev was shot dead outside his apartment in 1995. Kuzminas, one of the possible suspects, was killed in 2000, while Pastuskovas was arrested last summer.
Officials in charge of investigating a train accident at the Kena railway station on the Belarusian border have reported that a Vaidotai-Molodechny cargo train, driven by an intoxicated conductor and exceeding the speed limit by more than three times, collided with another train at around 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 23. Conductors said the locomotive's brakes gave out. Efforts to shift the train to another track failed due to its speed. Nobody was injured during the accident, but five cars and a locomotive were derailed.
A female dolphin, Premija, at the state Sea Museum has come down with pneumonia. It is believed that the six-year-old dolphin contracted pneumonia after the Jan. 9 hurricane struck, causing a 10-hour heating failure in her aquarium. Hurricane damage to the museum could amount to tens of thousands of litas, as the treatment of dolphins is very expensive. "Expensive antibiotics are prescribed depending on the weight of an animal. Dolphins weigh over 200 kilograms, so each day of treatment costs up to 1,000 litas (290 euros)," said Nika Puteikiene, museum spokeswoman.
