Lithuania has been ranked as a "free country" in the annual Freedom House rating on political freedom and civil liberties in countries around the globe. Lithuania got '1' on a 1-7 point scale, where the lowest score signifies that a country has wide possibilities for political competition, civil liberties are respected, the country has an independent civil life and independent press. Seven, on the other hand, signifies an especially grave situation concerning political and civil liberties within a country. Lithuania's neighbors Estonia and Poland also scored one, while Latvia was given a score of 1.5 's half a point higher than 2007. Russia and Belarus each scored a half a point better in comparison with last year's rating. These countries are nonetheless at the bottom of the list, with a 5.5 point score for Russia and 6.5 points for Belarus.
The Lithuanian parliament has authorized the establishment of an Energy Ministry. The institution will be the 14th ministry in the Conservative-led Cabinet. It is expected that the new ministry will be headed by Arvydas Sekmokas. Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius said that the country would benefit from the creation of the new ministry. "Energy will be controlled by the ministry, rather than by energy companies or interested groups," he said. The new ministry will be in charge of a program for the renovation of old apartment blocks to make them more energy-efficient and will be responsible for accelerating the implementation of the country's strategic energy projects, including the construction of a new nuclear power station and power connections with Poland and Sweden. The establishment of the new ministry is provided for under the government's program and its crisis-management plan.
A total of 49.2 percent of Lithuanians would like to see European Commissioner Dalia Grybauskaite in the president's post, a recent poll has showed. Some 9.6 of polled respondents wanted SEB Vilnius Bank CEO Gitanas Nauseda, 3.3 percent wanted Parliamentary Speaker Arunas Valinskas and 3.1 percent want Arturas Zuokas, who was forced to step down from the Health Minister's candidacy due to corruption convictions.
German citizen Stefan Proeder frightened students in Joniskis when he ran into the school asking for food. The 28-year-old hitch hiker, overcome with hunger and cold, stormed into the school running in hallways and making noise. He demanded that students and teachers gave him food. Cafeteria staff offered Proeder a bowl of hot soup. Principal Vaclovas Martinaitis said the young man cursed at and threatened students and smashed a telephone. Proeder was detained by police and fined but couldn't pay the fine because he had no money, so was held in custody for five days.
The Lithuanian Court of Appeals has shortened the jail term of a convicted Soviet occupational administrator in the Lithuanian genocide from eight to five years. The court found that the Jurgis Navickas's case had been misinterpreted and mistakes had been made in the assessment of the circumstances of the events, which led to deaths of five Lithuanian guerrillas and their assistants. According to the finding, Navickas took part in the massacre of the guerrilla fighters, however, there is no evidence of him actually killing them.
