One in ten Lithuanians plans to go abroad in search for work, an opinion poll by the RAIT pollster shows. A full 0.5 percent of respondents said they would never come back to Lithuania if they found work abroad. However, nearly 85 percent of the 1,075 Lithuanians polled said they have no plans to leave the country for employment or residence over the next year. It is estimated that some 400,000 people have emigrated from Lithuania over the past 15 years.
The 37th regional European conference of the International Criminal Police Organization Interpol will be held in Vilnius next year. The decision was made at this year's European conference, which took place in Bulgaria in May, the Interior Ministry said. All 49 European Interpol member countries and 18 international organizations that have observer's rights in the organization are to be invited to the conference, the report added. Interpol's regional conferences focus on the most important issues of police work in each region and draw proposals for Interpol's General Assembly. Interpol currently has 186 member countries.
Prominent Lithuanian theater director Rimantas Tuminas may become head of Russia's prestigious Vachtangov Academic Theater in Moscow. The Russian news agency Interfax reported that Tuminas has already accepted the proposal to replace long-time director Mikhail Uljanov, but Tuminas has denied the reports. He confirmed that he received an invitation to head the theater, but said that negotiations are not yet over. A graduate of Moscow's Institute of Theater Arts, the 55-year old Tuminas is currently head of Vilnius' Small Theater. During his career he has staged more than 40 plays in Lithuania and abroad and won many awards, including the highest Russian theater award, the Golden Mask, in 1999. He has also received a Russian state award for his contribution to Russian literature and art.
Lithuanian designer Juozas Statkevicius has received an order from Denmark's Princess Mary to tailor a dress for her daughter's baptismal ceremony. The wife of Frederik, the heir to the throne, has ordered several ensembles from the designer, one of which she plans to wear during the baptismal ceremony, which is scheduled for July, the Lithuanian Lietuvos Rytas daily reported.
Traffic police are conducting an experiment that would allow drivers to pay fines on the spot by credit card. Violators will be able to pay fines of up to 200 litas (EUR 58) using the new method. The Traffic Control Service of the Lithuanian Police has installed the experimental equipment in six police cars. If the innovation proves to be successful, it will be installed in all traffic police vehicles. The new service is expected to save time for offenders, facilitate collection of tax to the state budget and reduce the level of corruption among traffic police
officers.
