Lithuania's Foreign Ministry has advised the citizens of Lithuania against traveling to Israel in light of the recent war with Palestine. The ministry urged Lithuanians to avoid making trips to the region whenever possible. The ministry has also urged conflicting parties to discontinue violence at once and warrant supply of emergency humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip inhabitants. "We are certain the problem can be solved only via political and diplomatic means," the press release said.
Support structures of the bridge over the Neris River near Kaunas have become displaced, causing the partial collapse of one of the sections. This caused major traffic interruptions on the country's main Klaipeda-Vilnius highway. Traffic moving towards Vilnius is being diverted over other bridges. Specialists have been called to the scene to examine and determine the faults of the bridge structure. Partial repairs had been completed as The Baltic Times went to press. Experts say causes behind the incident could be decay of the bridge's deformation hem and the age of the bridge. Full repairs will be impeded due to the frigid conditions.
President Valdas Adamkus has said he might take a pay cut following similar examples in the Lithuanian government and his counterpart in Latvia. "The president has said he would not object diminishing of his wage in case of necessity," the President's spokeswoman Rita Grumadaite said. In December, Adamkus said his wages could be cut, if it would help overcome the economic crisis. The Lithuanian president's pre-tax monthly salary is about 25,000 litas.
Regulations limiting press activity in the parliament will remain in place despite some Seimas members deeming them undemocratic and two major parliamentary groups calling for their removal. Chairman of the Association of Lithuanian Journalists Dainius Radzevicius heard the decision in a meeting with the parliamentary speaker and the secretary-general of the Seimas Office. "The parliamentary speaker and office representatives said they don't want to recall the regulations and they are to stay in place. They will watch for practical issues, which should first be rectified by publishers and members of the press, and only then require some kind of polishing," Radzevicius said. The association will file a law suit against the new regulations on press activity in the Seimas, he said. One lawsuit is already in the works, with another, concerning limitations imposed on journalists working in the Seimas already in court. The Seimas bid to introduce quotas for journalists and ban filming in certain areas around the parliament building undermines an essential principle, that of unrestrained access to information for members of the press.
Two frost bite victims have been admitted to the Kaunas Clinic and three homeless men have died in Siauliai from the cold. One patient in Kaunas with severe frost bite on his hands and feet remains in critical condition. Doctors also assisted a few patients with minor frost bite on their faces and hands who were later released from hospital. A blizzard brought cold weather temperatures as low as negative 20 degrees Celsius to Kaunas and the surrounding region.
